Spain calls for action on disaster risk

MADRID, 6 October 2014 - Host Spain told the 5th annual European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR) today that it had a great opportunity to influence the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.

Noting that the cost of natural disasters is rising sharply across the globe, Spain’s Deputy Interior Minister Luis Aguilera Ruiz, urged delegates to make the most of the opportunity of the three-day gathering to share experiences and to work towards a revised and effective international programme of disaster reduction.

The EFDRR, the last in a series of major regional meetings, comes just five months before the 3rd UN World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, which aims to adopt a revised version of the existing global blueprint, the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).

The rise in the costs of natural disasters brought about by factors such as climate change and demographic fluctuations requires determined international action, Mr Aguilera said. “These risks pose threats to us all...The 5th EFDRR is an optimal opportunity exchange experiences and to contribute to a new pact in Japan,” he declared.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNISDR, Margareta Wahlström, told the opening session that a key challenge ahead of Sendai is to raise public awareness of the importance of a new accord.

She said: “With just five months to go, now is the time to raise awareness both globally and nationally. This meeting comes at a critical time. As the World Conference approaches, we need to reach out to people about its importance.”

But it is important that people do not only identify risk with fear. Risk reduction should not become a negative message, she warned.

Ms Wahlström welcomed increasing recognition of the vital role that local governments have to play in developing resilience to natural disasters, A good example is the Spanish town of Lorca, whose mayor won the EFDRR’s 2014 Damir Čemerin award for promoting resilience at the local level (see story).

But strengthening local government involvement requires that local authorities have access to the necessary scientific and technical data, she said.

Ms Wahlström noted with approval that the United States government has declared that it is going to provide data on climate change and flooding to local communities in a move aimed at strengthening resilience. “They (the US government) know that local governments cannot plan well without the right data,” she said.