Our Mandate

UNISDR is part of the United Nations Secretariat.

Created in December 1999, UNISDR is the secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). It is the successor to the secretariat of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction with the purpose of ensuring the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (General Assembly (GA) resolution 54/219).

The mandate of UNISDR expanded in 2001 to serve as the focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of disaster reduction and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations system and regional organizations and activities in socio-economic and humanitarian fields (GA resolution 56/195). This was in response to a need for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction within the development and other areas of work of the UN.

The "Hyogo Declaration" and the "Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters" was adopted by the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, held in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, in January 2005. The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) tasked UNISDR with supporting the implementation of the HFA.

UNISDR's core functions span the development and humanitarian fields.

Its core areas of work includes ensuring disaster risk reduction (DRR) is applied to climate change adaptation, increasing investments for DRR, building disaster-resilient cities, schools and hospitals, and strengthening the international system for DRR.

UNISDR's vision is based on the three strategic goals of the Hyogo Framework for Action: integrating DRR into sustainable development policies and planning, developing and strengthening institutions, mechanisms and capacities to build resilience to hazards, and incorporating risk reduction approaches into emergency preparedness, response, and recovery programmes.

UNISDR leads the preparation and follow-up of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, establishment in 2006 (GA resolution 61/198). The Global Platform has become the main global forum for disaster risk reduction and for the provision of strategic and coherent guidance for the implementation of the Hyogo Framework and to share experience among stakeholders. Other areas of work for UNISDR includes issuing the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction every two years, supporting countries in monitoring risk trends and the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, and leading global campaigns on disaster risk reduction for safer schools, safer hospitals and safer cities.