Global modelling estimates US$228 billion in average annual residential building losses from cyclones, floods, tsunami and earthquakes, while new survey findings reveal critical gaps in household disaster preparedness.

When disasters are imminent, timely warnings can be the difference between life and death. However, warnings are only effective when they are received, understood, and acted on.

As climate and disaster risks multiply, building safer dwellings is the shared responsibility of governments, developers, engineers and communities. Together, let us commit to making every home a resilient one, now, and in the future.

Making homes more resilient is about understanding the risks people face, working with communities and finding solutions that help people live safely, before disaster strikes, not simply rebuild afterwards.

Housing recovery must be an inclusive process where people are able to express their aspirations. Experience shows that when homeowners are involved in their own recovery, it leads to better outcomes and greater resilience.

This month's issue covers preparations for International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2026, SRSG Kamal Kishore's mission to Cuba, Colombia and Haiti, new data tracking progress under the Sendai Framework and more inside.

Under the theme “Translating Locally led Resilience into Action in the Age of Complex Risk and Digital Transformation”, IDRLF2026 addressed persistent implementation gaps for DRR with more than 350 stakeholders.

Civil Defence, meteorological and hydrological services, communications, and urban planning have operated for decades as an integrated system, with clearly defined roles and joint working mechanisms consolidated through practice.

Officially reported data by national governments through the Sendai Framework Monitor show significant progress in reducing disaster mortality, strengthening disaster risk reduction strategies and expanding multi-hazard early warning systems.

6 Ukrainian representatives and urban practitioners completed a 2-day Training of Trainers on the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities, held on 10–11 September at the UNDRR Global Education and Training Institute (GETI) in Incheon, Republic of Korea.

Strasbourg, September 2026 – As schools reopen across Europe, Members of the European Parliament are helping put young people at the heart of efforts to build safer, more resilient communities through their support for UNDRR’s “Are You Ready?” campaign.

It provided a platform to take stock of Syria’s existing early warning capacities, identify institutional, technical and operational gaps, strengthen coordination between national and local actors, and align ongoing initiatives.

The consultation reaffirmed growing climate risks and deep concerns among Indigenous Peoples. Around 45 participants from Indigenous communities across 11 countries shared experiences of the non-economic losses affecting their communities.

This guidance note outlines practical approaches to strengthening information integrity within risk communication–before, during, and after disasters. Preparing for and managing information risks is an integral part of disaster risk reduction efforts.

This month from UNDRR: statements from SRSG Kamal Kishore on the Nepal-Tibet disaster, the Colombia earthquake and the impacts of El Niño; the Early Warnings for All Forum in Ethiopia; the IDRLF 2026 in the Republic of Korea; and more inside.

As UN Member States prepare for negotiations on a proposed international convention on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters (PPED), the need for disaster prevention is emerging as a significant part of the discussion.

The Africa Early Warnings Forum, held in Addis Ababa, highlighted Africa's progress in expanding early warning systems, but with climate and disaster risks accelerating, the task now is to translate that progress into protection for everyone.

The Government of Japan, in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), will host the 2027 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction from 25 to 29 October 2027 in Sendai City, Japan.

Statement on the disaster in Nepal and China by Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR

Statement on the Colombia Earthquake by Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR

Journalists, editors, disaster management authorities and regional partners gathered in N'Djamena from 27–29 July for a regional workshop aimed at strengthening climate reporting and media resilience across one of Africa's most vulnerable regions.

This month's issue covers new resources to strengthen early warning systems, growing global momentum on urban resilience, and partnerships advancing disaster risk reduction across the Americas, Africa, the Arab region and Asia-Pacific, and more inside.

Representatives of civil society organizations from across the Mediterranean convened in Brussels to contribute to the implementation of the Pact for the Mediterranean.

Preparedness should not be understood as an expense, but as the investment that allows life, production and essential services to carry on when the climate turns adverse.

The Early Warnings for All (EW4All) Pillar Leads, UNDRR, WMO, ITU and IFRC, invite your feedback on the impact of the initiative to date, the gaps that remain in early warning systems, and the way forward for global cooperation to support them

The outcomes will contribute to the development of Grenada's national MHEWS Gap Analysis and Implementation Roadmap, providing a strategic framework to guide future investments and coordinated action towards Early Warnings for All initiative.

The heatwaves of today are the coolest heatwaves we are likely to experience for the rest of our lives. SRSG Kamal Kishore reflects on how cultural institutions can play a central role in extreme heat action – and in disaster risk reduction more broadly.

The complexity and scale of climate change create a unique challenge. However, through risk-informed action and working in an integrated way, these challenges can be better understood and addressed in a tailored manner.

Morocco advances national early warning systems to protect communities from natural hazards

Statement on Venezuela earthquakes by Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction

While populations in continental regions are predominantly exposed to seasonal cumulative excess heat, many populations in tropical and subtropical climates are chronically exposed to high temperatures and high humidity.

In more than a century of operation, the authorities that manage the Panama Canal have accumulated some valuable lessons in risk governance that are relevant to other major infrastructure systems – and to disaster risk reduction more broadly.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) today announced that the theme for the 2026 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR), observed on 13 October, will be “Resilience Starts at Home.”

Syria became one of the earliest countries to implement UNDRR's DELTA Resilience system, which will help it better understand and reduce the disaster risks it faces as it recovers from years of war.

ADB and UNDRR signed a Cooperation Arrangement to deepen joint efforts to strengthen disaster risk reduction in Asia-Pacific.

More than sixty national experts and international partners convened in Paramaribo on 5 and 6 May 2026, bringing all relevant actors together for the first time within the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) framework.

UNDRR partnered with the UN University Institute for Environment and Human Security and the UN Environment Programme to develop a framework for assessing climate change and disaster-related losses of biodiversity and ecosystems services.

Signs are pointing to a potentially powerful El Niño event — but there is no need for panic. It is an opportunity to stress-test our disaster risk governance systems, and to strengthen protection for the most vulnerable communities.

Representatives from across the Euro-Mediterranean region gathered for the UfM Civil Protection Meeting to advance regional cooperation on disaster risk management and support the 2030 UfM Action Plan on Civil Protection and Disaster Risk Management.

The next Europe & Central Asia Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction will take place in Romania from the 25th to 27th of May 2027

Working alongside national institutions, local authorities, and a wide range of stakeholders, the process focuses on assessing capacities, identifying gaps, and supporting the development of local governance plans for DRR and resilience.

The nominations for the 2026 Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership Awards are now open.

To address Burundi's challenge of insufficient disaster data on gender, and disability in relation to vulnerability and exposure, UNDRR gave support to improve SFM reporting, and to enhance the use of inclusive risk knowledge in early warning systems.

The UNDRR Annual Report 2025 presents several important achievements that UNDRR marked in the year 2025

Sendai-based Meishin Transport Co., Ltd. offers a clear example of how a local food logistics and general cargo provider is building resilience to safeguard critical supply chains.

Digital technologies have revolutionized how we live, connect, and work, yet our growing reliance on these systems has created risks that often go unnoticed.

The International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes on 29 April was championed by Uzbekistan, which hosted a major global commemoration event in Tashkent with more than 200 representatives from over 22 countries.

the Barcelona SME Resilience Forum brought together public authorities, business leaders, and experts from across Europe to strengthen the resilience of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises against disasters, climate impacts, and systemic shocks.

As the world prepares to mark the first commemoration of the International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes on 29 April, the UN is calling on governments, cities, schools & workplaces to take part in the global campaign “Drop. Cover. Hold On.”

UNDRR has formally added an LGBTIQ+ Persons constituency to its Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism to strengthen inclusive disaster risk reduction policy and participation.