UNISDR in the UN System

UNISDR works with the wider UN system at headquarters and field levels.

At the HQ level it leads inter-agency country-specific and thematic discussions as well as contributes to the development of UN programming tools, such as guidelines on risk reduction for United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and post-disaster needs assessments. It regularly provides UN Country Teams with strategic and operational support for the development of country programs. It also develops a close partnership with the UN regional commissions, in particular the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

Margareta Wahlström is the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Created in 2008, the functions of this post includes leading and overseeing UNISDR in the executions of its functions entrusted by the General Assembly (GA), Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), as well as policy directions by the Secretary-General, facilitating the development of a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction, overseeing the management of the Trust Fund for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and carrying out high-level advocacy and resource mobilization activities for risk reduction and implementation of the HFA.

The Special Representative also ensures the strategic and operational coherence between disaster-reduction and humanitarian disaster preparedness and response activities, as well as socio-economic activities of the UN system and regional organizations.

UNISDR has also developed a unique partnership with the World Bank, in particular its Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). It has also been developing close partnerships with regional international organizations around the world such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO, Applied Geoscience and Technology Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SOPAC), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and African Union (AU).

UNISDR is also closely associated with a wide network of scientific and development organizations researching on disaster risk and monitoring risk information, which also support the preparation of the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction.