UNISDR News

Developer unveils vision of cities as havens during disasters

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:00:00 CEST

By Yuki Matsuoka

TOKYO, 17 June 2013 - An innovative urban developer in one of the world's most hazard-prone countries has urged public and private sector leaders to embrace his company's vision of building cities that 'people escape to rather than run away from' during disasters.

At the Japanese launch of the 2013 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2013, Shuichi Sano, Senior General Manager of Mori Building, spoke directly to the report's title 'From Shared Risk to Shared Value: the Business Case for Disaster Risk Reduction'.

"Mori Building has recognized the need to explicitly deal with earthquake risk in the construction and maintenance of its developments," Mr. Sano told the high level audience at the United Nations University in Tokyo.

"We promote an urban development concept that seeks to build 'a city to escape into rather than a city from which people run away."

Mori Building has sensed a clear business opportunity to create shared value. A survey of office re¬quirements of more than 1,000 companies in Tokyo, just after the 2011 earthquake re¬vealed that 92 per cent of firms regarded earthquake resilience as the most important factor in their decision making. The second most important consideration (55 percent) was the building management to have proven disaster management capability. Back-up of electricity to avoid power outages (51 percent) was third.

The success of Mori's approach to take concerns seriously speaks for itself: its large commercial buildings are fully occupied.

The Tokyo launch of the GAR2013 had added symbolism and significance after the recent announcement that Japan will host the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai City in March 2015, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the disaster. Sendai City was the biggest city in the Tohoku Region which was badly damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The Conference in 2015 is set to agree a successor to the Hyogo Framework for Action which expires in 2015.

Yukimoto Ito, Vice Mayor of Sendai, reiterated his city's commitment to share their experiences and lessons learned from the disaster and to urge the international community to take DRR actions and prepare for future disasters.

The event also marked the release of a new publication, entitled 'Private Sector Strengths Applied -- Good practices in DRR from Japan'. The publication, a collaborative effort between the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction's (UNISDR) Hyogo office and Kokusai Kogyo, showcases 14 good practices in disaster risk reduction and recovery from Japan.

Sandra Wu, Chairperson of Kokusai Kogyo and new chair of the UNISDR Private Sector Advisory Group for the next two years, says in the introduction: "The publication is intended as a practical guide, providing concrete and executable ideas intended to encourage other countries and members of the private sector to learn from them and implement the practices in their own disaster risk reduction approaches."

The Japanese version of the 'Pocket GAR13' version of the report was made available at the event, which was opened by Rector of the United Nations University, David M. Malone and Akira Fukushima, Deputy Director-General from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

Other high level speakers in this event included: Mr. Masami Fuwa and Mr. Kimio Takeya, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA); Mr. Tadao Hasue, Development Bank of Japan; Mr. Satoshi Hijikata, Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd.; Mr. Toshio Okazumi, ICHARM; Prof. Shinichi Takemura, Earth Literacy Project; Mr. Oz Ozturk, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Nigeria agrees to strengthen disaster resilience

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:00:00 CEST

By Andy McElroy

ABUJA, June 12- The Nigerian government has requested the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) to facilitate the development of a comprehensive disaster risk management plan for Africa’s most populous country.

The agreement to move beyond a predominantly response-focused approach to disaster planning came after wide ranging discussions between Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo and the head of UNISDR Margareta Wahlström in Abuja.

Vice President Sambo summed up the philosophy that would guide his government’s approach when he told Ms Wahlström: 'It is time to come back to what the wise man said, prevention is better than cure.’

The strengthening of Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was a top agenda item and Ms Wahlström said UNISDR would support NEMA’s efforts to complement its response capacity with more advocacy of disaster risk reduction, stronger local and state capacity and more proactive coordination of various actors.

‘Nigeria is already convinced that disasters are a development concern and it is increasingly aware of the impact of climate change so it is very encouraging to see the strong political commitment to strengthen disaster risk reduction as integral for protecting development gains,’ Ms Wahlström said.

‘It is impressive how key government ministries are really focused on strengthening Nigeria’s resilience and preparedness for disasters and climate change.

‘The recent floods have had a huge impact on public and official perception of disasters. It is the first time that Nigeria talks about the financial impact of disasters on the state and the people.

‘It is encouraging to see this deeper interest in the triggers of disaster and it’s important that we make progress because building a safer and more resilient country will be a long and challenging road. The need for good early warning systems is especially important.’

Other important outcomes from the talks included the organization of a national discussion to strengthen public-private partnership so that business can be an increasingly central actor in reducing disaster risk.

The Vice President and Ms Wahlström also agreed on the need to address the impact of disasters on children’s education in Nigeria. Many children directly affected by disaster are unable to attend school and in addition several schools are used for months at a time as centres for disaster displaced people, which means teaching cannot take place.

The Vice President also urged that the growing issue of armed conflict over resources, such as grazing land and water, between various groups, such as pastoralists and farmers, be a key part of the post-2015 replacement of the current Hyogo Framework for Action on Disaster Risk Reduction.

Nigeria has suffered repeated floods in many of its cities and continues to endure an ongoing drought in the north of the country.

The need for prompt action to reduce disaster risk was highlighted in a World Bank report, ‘Toward Climate-Resilient Development’, released this week in collaboration with the Federal Government. The report made ten practical recommendations for Nigeria to grow its economy and its resilience but warned of the consequences if concerted action was not taken.

Commenting on the report, Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Federal Minister of Finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: ‘The 2012 floods in Nigeria were a stark reminder of the vulnerability of our communities, infrastructure and economy to climate-induced natural disasters.’

Nine of Nigeria’s 36 states in the Sahelian northern part of the country are currently severely affected by drought. The Ministry of Finance estimated that the 2012 floods reduced GDP by 0.36 per cent. At the time, the Guardian Nigeria newspaper reported: ‘Lagosians gasp for breath as flood ravages city’.

UNISDR’s recently-released 2013 ‘Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction’ said the floods from 2011 resulted in the highest claim settlement in the history of the Nigerian insurance industry.

The report focused on the port of Lagos, the country’s biggest urban area and Africa’s second fastest growing city, and said that the state government faced huge costs from corrective mitigation measures as a result of uncontrolled urban development that has generated increased risk.

About 70 per cent of Lagos’ population lives in informal, poorly regulated settlements. ‘While sound urban development policies exist, implementation of building and safety codes remains marred by corruption and limited capacity,’ The Global Assessment Report says.

‘About 80 per cent of artisans engaged in the construction industry are either unskilled or uncertified owing to an absence of standardized training.’

Climate change declared public enemy No. 1

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 00:00:00 CEST

By Denis McClean

GENEVA, 6 June 2013 - The Head of UNISDR, Margareta Wahlström, today welcomed the emphasis placed on the links between poverty reduction and disaster risk reduction in the report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda which identifies climate change as the main obstacle in the way of ending extreme poverty.

Ms. Wahlström said: "The report puts reducing disaster risk centre stage in the Post-2015 Development Agenda debate. The timing is especially welcome as it reinforces the recommendations which came out of last month's 4th Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction.

"Both processes recognize that the economic and social costs of disasters impact disproportionately on the poor. We also welcome the endorsement of a multi-stakeholder approach as we have been pursuing for a decade now through the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. Determined and consistent risk management is vital to the realization of the High-Level Panel's goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030."

She repeated a key finding from the recently published Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction that trillions of dollars of new business investment in the coming years will determine the future face of disaster risk and determine whether economic losses from disasters continue to rise.

"The relationship between business investment practices and disaster risk is poorly understood. We need to be more ambitious in setting measurable and achievable targets when we agree on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. We also need to understand better the ripple effects which a disaster in one part of the world can have in another whether it's the disruption of supply chains or a rise in food prices."

The Report -- A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development -- describes how in the context of a world where 1.2 billion account for 1% of world consumption and the billion richest consume 72%, climate change is the one trend "which will determine whether or not we can deliver on our ambitions."

It continues: "Scientific evidence of the direct threat from climate change has mounted. The stresses of unsustainable production and consumption patterns have become clear, in areas like deforestation, water scarcity, food waste, and high carbon emissions.

"Losses from natural disasters -- including drought, floods and storms -- have increased at an alarming rate. People living in poverty will suffer first and worst from climate change. The cost of taking action now will be much less than the cost of dealing with the consequences later."

Under a set of five priority transformations, the High-Level Panel says the new agenda must tackle the causes of poverty, exclusion and inequality.

It states: "A focus on the poorest and most marginalized, a disproportionate number of whom are women, follows directly from the principles agreed to in the Millennium Declaration and at Rio. These principles should remain the foundation of the post-2015 agenda."

An example of the potential impact of the "New Global Partnership" is stated as "220 million fewer people who suffer the crippling effects of natural disasters."

The Report concludes with a set of Illustrative Goals and Targets including Goal 1: End Poverty which includes covering X% of people who are poor and vulnerable with social protection systems and building resilience and reducing deaths from natural disasters by X%.

The High-Level Panel notes: "No one is more vulnerable than people in poverty to desertification, deforestation and overfishing, or less able to cope with floods, storms, and droughts. Natural disasters can pull them into a cycle of debt and illness, to further degradation of the land, and a fall deeper into poverty."

Security of tenure and social assistance programmes are cited as important means of building resilience as well as meeting basic needs such as health, education, water, sanitation, electricity, freedom to access information and participation in civic life.

The resilient future young people want

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

By Andy McElroy

GENEVA, 23 May 2013 - Young people from around the world yesterday said much more needed to be done to implement the two-year old Children's Charter for Disaster Risk Reduction adopted at the last Global Platform in 2011 in order to create a safer and more resilient world.

In a detailed update against their five-point action plan, an expert panel of young people emphasized the importance of uninterrupted education as a source of stability and normality during times of severe upheaval.

With 30 per cent of the world's population aged below 18 the panel implored global leaders to engage much more with young people around the world.

Many in the packed session entitled 'The Resilient Future We Want' at the 4th Global Platform were moved to tears during the testimony of 11-year-old Danh from Vietnam who recounted his experience as a disabled child when his village was flooded.

'Initially my parents put me on a banana leaf to float to safety on the flood but I was so scared and I said no and then they then carried me up to the second floor of a building where I was safe,' he said.

Sixteen-year-old Ayumi from Fukushima said her school was less than 50km from the stricken Japanese nuclear plant. 'There are many children studying at schools where radiation levels remain high. In my school, holes were dug in the school yard and waste was kept there. I want to speak out today as a step towards protecting the children of Fukushima,' she said.

Eighteen-year-old Sopheone from Cambodia called for disaster risk reduction lessons to become the norm in school curriculums. 'It is important so that children understand how to prepare for and respond to disaster.'

Participants then watched a video showing children in a flood-hit village bundling precious textbooks together and looping them over a supporting beam in their classroom so that they survive the disaster.

The children said that schools should play a role in both their personal and academic lives, as they could also disseminate information to the community at large. Disaster risk reduction should be part of school curricula, because if children knew what to do in the event of a disaster, the damage and losses might be lessened. Children should be allowed to voice their concerns and contribute their ideas.

The Children's Charter was launched at the previous Global Platform in 2011 and is the result of consultations between 600 boys and girls from 21 countries. It supports inclusion of the needs of children in the post-2015 global disaster risk reduction framework.

The Charter's action points in full are: schools must be safe and education must not be interrupted; child protection must be a priority before, during and after a disaster; children have the right to participate and to access the information they need; community infrastructure must be safe and relief and reconstruction must help reduce future risk; and disaster risk reduction must reach the most vulnerable people.

The expert youth panel comprised young voices from Cambodia, Lesotho, Indonesia, Japan, Norway, UK and Vietnam.

UN Special Representative to the Secretary-General on DRR, Margareta Wahlstrom has long said children are not just a vulnerable group but should play vital roles in their communities to prepare for future disasters.

The most vulnerable among children are frequently those who are hardest to reach, panelists observed, and that includes children who are not in school and might not have any access to information.

Where children are concerned, the adult panelists concluded, disaster risk reduction should involve listening to children, including preparedness plans in school curricula, and raising awareness not just for communities but also for children not in school.

UN releases update on state of disaster risk management in the world

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

GENEVA, 23 May 2013 - Since the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, 146 countries have reported on their efforts to implement the sweeping reforms contained in the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) which was adopted by all UN member States in the wake of that catastrophe which took over 200,000 lives.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today released the most detailed account yet of the implementation of the HFA as delegates from 173 governments meet on the final day of the 4th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction to debate the HFA and the contents of its successor which will be adopted at the 2015 World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan.

The report finds that since 2005, 121 countries have enacted legislation to establish policy and legal frameworks for disaster risk reduction, 191 countries have established HFA focal points and 85 countries have set up national coordinating bodies for disaster risk reduction (National Platforms). (This latter number has risen to 86 with the recent inauguration of a new National Platform in India).

While noting that almost 90% of countries report the integration of disaster risk reduction in some form within public investment and planning decisions, the report also finds that a key challenge is finding the resources to ensure that frameworks and principles become operational.

UNISDR Director, Elizabeth Longworth, said today: "Since the HFA was introduced there has been a significant change in mindset. We are seeing lots more planning, legislation and new policies. There are 56 national disaster loss data bases and their numbers are growing all the time. Nearly every country in the world now has a HFA focal point.

"There is evidence that the HFA is making a difference, even if a lot more needs to be done to address the gap between policy and implementation and arrest the continuous rise in economic losses from disasters."

"Future of planet depends on local action" - Mayors

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

By Andy McElroy

GENEVA, 23 May 2013 - City mayors today urged national and international leaders to trust and invest more at the local level to transform rapidly expanding urban areas into safe and resilient 21st century cities.

The 50-plus mayors from around the world who attended this week's 4th Global Platform were united in their message: the future of this planet will be decided at the local level.

The value of urban investment over the next 40 years will be more than all in previous history. A packed forum on Building Resilience into Urban Planning and Investments was told "if we get it wrong the results will be catastrophic".

Ms. Emiko Okuyama, the Mayor of Sendai, Japan, badly affected by the March 2011 earthquake said: "We paid a tremendous price to learn the lesson that disasters cannot be prevented solely by improving facilities and taking other 'hardware' approaches.

"During the chaos that ensued after the Great East Japan Earthquake, we were able to make progress thanks to the bonds and mutual support that had been previously fostered in communities.

"Such situations require self-reliance among local residents and community bonds as well as disaster prevention and mitigation efforts via international collaboration."

When asked what her priorities were for the coming two years Mayor Okuyama unveiled 10 focus areas with seven focused on community-based initiatives and three more on infrastructure and systems oriented.

'HFA-2 should include provisions addressing efforts by residents, companies, community groups, and others to acquire knowledge and undertake training and education in preparation against disasters.'

The Mayor of Beirut, Hon. Bilal Hamad, said in Lebanon local government was a source of greater stability. "There is generally less turnover at the local level and central governments should work more with the local municipalities," he said.

Dr Faut Oktay, Director General of Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of Turkey (AFAD) agreed that the focus should be at community level.

"It is impossible to succeed with any initiatives unless we educate families and work with the community," he said. "One of the biggest challenges is lack of empowerment of local authorities."

The Mayor of Chacao, Venezuela, Emilio Grateron, also emphasized the power of public participation to build broad based support and to get things done. He shared one example of women community leaders who have transformed a flood-prone area into a safe public space.

Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, Dawn Zimmer, recalled how her city "filled up with water like a bath tub" during Super Storm Sandy in 2012 and she reaffirmed her determination to lead her city and its residents to a safer and more resilient future.

Beirut Mayor Hamad also highlighted the difficulty to keep DRR at the forefront of thinking: "People have short memories. In Lebanon through all the civil war and instability within and the instability from outside with refugees and other issues people understandably are busy with other things and forget that in the past we have had earthquakes that have destroyed Beirut."

He added: "There is a large gap between paper plans and implementation. Our central government has a problem in convening. We must work in partnership."

Launched by UNISDR in 2010 at a time when half the world's population was already living in cities, the Making Cities Resilient Campaign is guided by three principles to know more, invest wiser, and build more safely.

Guidance on these principles is outlined in the campaign's Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient, the building blocks for urban disaster risk reduction, developed in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action.

Governments identify challenges ahead

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

By Anthony Drummond

GENEVA, 23 May 2013 - Senior Government officials from around the world today reaffirmed their commitment to disaster risk reduction to save lives and reverse the trend of mounting economic losses caused by impacts from natural disasters and climate change.

Speaking on the third and final day of 4th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, Government representatives from Brazil, Chile, China, India, Lebanon, Tanzania and Turkey debated how best to secure sustainable risk management while pledging, within their means, to "invest more today for a safer tomorrow" -- the central theme of the Global Platform session.

While acknowledging that "one size does not necessarily fit all countries" in terms of effective risk reduction measures, all participants agreed on the importance of establishing public-private partnerships and prioritizing awareness-raising and action at the local community level.

Chinese Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs, Jian Li, said China was shifting emphasis from disaster response to a multi-hazard risk reduction approach, which was being mainstreamed into national economic and social developments plans.

Deputy Minister Li said that 80% of Chinese provinces had set up disaster risk committees and that the necessary scientific tools were being developed to mitigate disaster impacts, while 2.5 volunteers could be mobilized for disaster risk reduction, response and recovery operations nationwide. Furthermore, plans were afoot to ensure that every community in the country had a disaster risk focal point.

"It is also important that all of us work with and learn from each other," she added.

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs Secretary, Mr. A.K. Mangotra, said that even though awareness of disaster risks and climate change impacts had grown in official circles over the past two decades, "it has not seeped down to village level."

He added: "First we need to break down the barriers between the various Government departments" to adopt a common and cohesive central approach to this problem before reaching out to local communities. "This is where UNISDR could come in and play a role," he said. Mr. Mangotra also cited lack of funding as an obstacle to initiating risk reduction studies and projects in India.

Picking up on a theme evoked by many developing country representatives, the Minister of State for the Environment in Tanzania, Dr. Terezya Huvisa, said that indigenous knowledge of nature was the main means of forecasting hazards. The main challenge was the lack of expertise technology. But it would be a mistake not to take traditional know-how into account in risk reduction planning, she said.

Dr. Huvisa also stated that gender issues should be included in risk reduction planning "because when disaster strikes it is women who bear the main burden of taking care of children and the elderly".

The Mayor of Beirut, Mr. Bilal Hamad, recalled that his city had been destroyed by earthquakes several times in past centuries but that the memory of them had been erased by the violence his country had suffered in more recent years.

He emphasized that nothing could be done without private-public engagement, although he stressed that the main work on risk reduction had to occur at the municipal level "because of the political instability and frequent change of government".

The head of the Chilean Interior Ministry's National Emergency Office, Mr. Ricardo Toro, said that despite the fact that Chile was one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world it was fully committed to supporting global risk reduction initiatives. He said it was crucial that local Government voices are part of risk reduction and response planning. "Often it is not known what is going on at local level, which is why communications and coordination are so important," he said.

The Director-General of Turkey's national emergency services (AFAD), Mr Fuat Oktay, said that his country had "come a long way in managing disasters" in recent years, but acknowledged that lack of awareness and concrete projects were among the main challenges that needed to be addressed. Another problem was to clearly identify ownership of risk reduction policy, planning and implementation.

Mr. Sergio Simoes, Head of Civil Protection in Brazil, said that a main challenge was to integrate scientific and technological advances into national disaster risk, response and recovery planning.

New €100,000 Risk Award announced at close of 4th Global Platform

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

GENEVA, 23 May 2013 - Details were announced today of the 2014 RISK Award -- "Disaster Emergency -- Resilience for the Most Vulnerable" and a call was made for applications for the Award which includes a grant of €100,000 for a project in disaster emergency planning which focuses on the most vulnerable. The deadline for applications is 31 December 2013.

The Risk Award is a partnership between the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), the Global Risk Forum Davos and the Munich Re Foundation. It is the second time the Award is to be given and the call for entries was issued today during the closing ceremony of the 4th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Welcoming the announcement, UNISDR Director, Elizabeth Longworth, said: "In the event of an emergency it is important that early warning systems work well and that nobody is forgotten in the planning process. This Award focuses on ensuring that planning takes into account everyone and that nobody is overlooked because of their social or economic status or because of any factors to do with gender, language, race, religion or disability."

Thomas Loster, chairman of the Munich Re Foundation emphasised: "Disaster risk management will only succeed if we manage to reach the most vulnerable at the last mile. They are the ones who are hit the worst."

Walter J. Amman, President of the Global Risk Forum Davos, said: "The most vulnerable people are the first hit, yet the last who get support. It is urgent to empower them to better protect themselves."

The RISK Award is dedicated to operational projects improving disaster risk management and prevention. The 2012 RISK Award titled "Early Warning in Urban Areas" -- inspired by UNISDR's Making Cities Resilient Campaign - went to an early flood warning project implemented in the Mozambican city of Beira.

Sendai welcomes next World Conference on DRR

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

By Anthony Drummond

GENEVA, 23 May 2013 - Sendai City in Japan has been selected to host the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015. The city of one million people in the northern region of Tohoku was one of the hardest hit zones in the March 2011 Great Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

Announcing the decision today, Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Yoshitami Kameoka of Japan, said: "We hope that holding the conference in Sendai, one of the cities affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, will provide a significant opportunity for us to share the reconstruction status of the affected areas, and to contribute to the international community by sharing experiences and knowledge of disaster risk reduction obtained through recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake."

Sendai City Mayor Emiko Okuyama said:"I am most honoured to host the next World Conference and Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. I hope it will provide an opportunity for us to share our experiences and lessons learnt from the earthquake/disaster with the international community."

The announcement was well received by the more than 3,000 participants from around the world attending the Fourth Session of the Global Platform which finishes today in Geneva, Switzerland. Participants acknowledged that given Japan's high exposure to natural hazards and its state-of-the-art expertise in addressing them it is particularly well placed to pass on its knowledge to other countries.

Since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, Sendai City has made remarkable progress in recovery and strengthening its resilience both in terms of its infrastructure and its disaster reduction and awareness preparedness.

In March 2012, UNISDR recognized Sendai City as a role model in the Making Cities Resilient Campaign for its success in promoting community-based disaster risk reduction and private-public-academic collaboration on resilience building.

Akira Doi is an Executive Officer with Kokusai Kogyo which is a member of the UNISDR Private Sector Advisory Group and one of the major Japanese companies selected to help implement the Sendai City Earthquake/Tsunami Disaster Reconstruction Plan.

Mr. Doi said: "Sendai City is more resilient than before the 2012 disaster. Our company has contributed to this increased resilience by, for example, launching the Tago-Nishi Eco Model Town Project and securing energy in emergency situations by combining diverse energy sources. This will ensure the continuity of energy supply unlike in 2011 when power outages left people without lighting or heating in very cold weather".

Mayor Okuyama, one of the more than 50 Mayors attending the Global Platform Fourth Session, said she looked forward to welcoming participants in the Fifth Session and to contributing to work on the successor to the Hyogo Framework for Action, which was endorsed by all members of the United Nations after the 2005 tsunasmi in Japan.

Global Platform calls for immediate start on developing targets for risk reduction

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

GENEVA, 23 May 2013 - The three-day 4th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, attended by a record 3,500 people and representatives from 172 governments, ended today with a call for "the immediate start of work to develop targets and indicators to monitor the reduction of risk" in the Chair's Summary at the closing plenary.

Global Platform Chair, Martin Dahinden, Director-General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, said: "This Global Platform confirmed that the process to develop a successor to the existing global agreement on disaster risk reduction, the Hyogo Framework for Action or HFA, is well underway.

"There is consensus that the new instrument should build on the HFA and introduce the necessary innovations to address the challenges of increasing risk over the next 20 to 30 years. We need to enable local action, address climate risk and recognize the central roles of both the scientific community and the private sector which were both very present at this Global Platform."

Mr. Dahinden also welcomed the announcement by the Government of Japan that it would be hosting the 2015 World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Yoshitami Kameoka of Japan, said: "We hope that holding the conference in Sendai, one of the cities affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, will provide a significant opportunity for us to share the reconstruction status of the affected areas, and to contribute to the international community by sharing experiences and knowledge of disaster risk reduction obtained through recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake."

The Head of UNISDR, Margareta Wahlström, said: "The UN General Assembly asked us to develop a post 2015 framework for disaster risk reduction in an inclusive process reflecting the views of all stakeholders. We have had a great diversity of voices here on site in the three plenary sessions, the 43 featured and side events, the 60 Ignite Stage presentations, the 37 booths of the market-place and across the frontiers of social media. This type of networking brings us closer to the all-of-society ideal envisioned in 2005 by the HFA and will help us on our way to the HFA2 in 2015."

The Price of Resilience: Interview with Emiko Okuyama Mayor of Sendai, Japan

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

Some of the most dramatic images of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami came from Sendai City where tsunami waves travelled up to 10 km inland resulting in many deaths, flooding of the airport and the sweeping away of cars and airplanes. In July 2012, the Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR, Margareta Wahlström, formally welcomed Sendai City as a member of UNISDR’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign, which now has over 1,400 participating local governments.

Ms. Emiko Okuyama, the Mayor of Sendai, Japan is one of more than 50 Mayors from around the world attending the Fourth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2013, taking place in Geneva this week. The “Meet the Mayors” interview series aims to showcase the actions local governments participating in the Making Cities Resilient Campaign are taking to reduce disaster risk and strengthen the resilience of their communities. Meet the Mayor of Sendai during the Global Platform at the Making Cities Resilient Marketplace stand on Thursday morning, 23 May from 10 am.

For more information on the Global Platform, visit http://www.preventionweb.net/globalplatform/2013.

Q. What are your top 2 or 3 priorities for addressing disaster risk in the coming year and through 2015?

EO. Developing a disaster resilient city in terms of both “hardware” and “software”
• Implementing comprehensive tsunami countermeasures through “defense-in-depth”
• Establishing disaster resilient urban infrastructure
• Enhancing disaster response capabilities, etc.
Building communities through mutually supportive self-reliance and cooperation
• Promoting community-based mutual support activities
• Developing mutually supportive human resources responsible for recovery and disaster prevention efforts
Developing human resources with heightened awareness of the need for disaster prevention
• Fostering “community disaster prevention leaders” and providing backup for their activities
• Offering new and improved disaster prevention education
• Holding disaster prevention symposiums for the general public, etc.

Q. In which of the Ten Essentials is your city achieving the most success? Which are the most challenging?

EO. Essential No. 7: We are preparing new supplementary reading materials for disaster-prevention education and offering year-round disaster prevention education at elementary and junior high schools to boost the disaster prevention capabilities of these students as the bearers of Japan’s future. Efforts are also being made to improve local disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities by conducting comprehensive community coordinated disaster prevention training and fostering community disaster prevention leaders.

Essential No. 6: In connection with building ordinances and land-use plans, we have designated those areas that suffered extensive tsunami damage as disaster hazard zones and proceeded with collective relocation, but we face major challenges in providing support which is carefully tailored to the circumstances of disaster victims.

Q. What are you hoping to learn and achieve from the Global Platform 2013?

EO. We hope to gather information on examples from around the world of approaches adopted to deal with disasters, and of forward-thinking and practical efforts to prepare for disasters. In addition, we would like to convey to the rest of the world the experiences of our city and the lessons learned during the recent unprecedented disaster to ensure that they are passed on. We hope to play a role in disaster prevention/mitigation around the world as a role model city.

Q. What are the key messages you would like to give the global leaders attending the Global Platform in terms of where they should prioritize policies and investments?

EO. We paid a tremendous price to learn the lesson that disasters cannot be prevented solely by improving facilities and taking other “hardware” approaches. During the chaos that ensued after the Great East Japan Earthquake, we were able to make progress thanks to the bonds and mutual support that had been previously fostered in communities. The efforts of domestic and foreign NPOs, companies and various other entities also provided a strong foundation.

Such situations require self-reliance among local residents and community bonds as well as disaster prevention and mitigation efforts via international collaboration.

Q. What is the one critical area you think should be included in the next international framework on disaster risk reduction which is expected to be adopted in 2015 – the successor to the current Hyogo Framework for Action?

EO. It is extremely important to deepen knowledge on a continuing basis and pass it on to future generations to prevent and mitigate disasters. HFA-2 should include provisions addressing efforts by residents, companies, community groups, etc., to acquire knowledge and undertake training and education in preparation against disasters. Additionally is should include the need for people worldwide to share a common awareness and provide support transcending national borders when disasters strike.

About the Making Cities Resilient Campaign
Launched by UNISDR in 2010 at a time when half the world’s population was already living in cities, the Making Cities Resilient Campaign is guided by three principles to know more, invest wiser, and build more safely. Guidance on these principles are outlined in the “Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient”, the building block for disaster risk reduction, developed in line with the Five Priorities of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters (HFA). Agreement to the Ten Essentials forms the basis of a city’s commitment toward improving their resilience, and is the organizing principle around which campaign signatories pool good practices, tools, resources and frameworks for reporting and monitoring of progress. The Ten Essentials checklist is supported the Handbook for Local Government Leaders and the Local HFA Government Self-Assessment Tool. Both are designed to help urban leaders assess their risk and implement sustainable disaster risk reduction plans. For more information, visit http://www.unisdr.org/campaign/resilientcities/

SIDS reach out to partner on risk reduction

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

By Anthony Drummond

GENEVA, 21 May 2013 - Senior government officials from developing small island states and climate change experts have warned of a massive increase in human, economic and material losses in these countries if risk reduction measures are not taken urgently to mitigate the impacts of major hazards and climate change.

The warning was issued by representatives from some of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, including Cuba, Haiti, the Maldives, Mauritius, Cape Verde and New Zealand, all States that are highly exposed to hazards such as tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones and major storm surges.

The meeting was convened on the opening day of the 4th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and aimed to increase disaster-risk partnerships between these island States and with specialist institutions and the private sector. Some experts noted that climate change impacts such as rising sea-levels and increasingly frequent extreme weather patterns threaten the very survival of some low-lying island States.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson noted: "These States suffer disproportionately from the effects of climate change -- and they deserve additional assistance. They collectively contribute less than 1 per cent of total carbon emissions, but losses from disasters [caused by the latter] may ... endanger their very existence."

After noting that small island developing States are ":on the frontlines of climate crisis", Mr. Eliasson affirmed that political commitment and multi-stakeholder partnerships, including the private sector, had to be strengthened to address extreme weather and natural hazard challenges.

Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chairman of the UN intergovernmental panel on climate change, recalled the extreme vulnerability of these island States to sea level rises. But he noted that preventive measures were more cost-effective than post-disaster relief and recovery operations.

The Interior Minister of Haiti, David Basile, thanked the international community for its assistance following the 2010 earthquake that killed over 220,000 people. He said that the common threat of disasters was fostering closer cooperation between Caribbean States on disaster reduction and assessment issues.

Dr. James Fletcher, Minister of Public Service, Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology for Saint Lucia, deplored the devastating impacts of recurrent hurricanes on lives, livelihoods and the economy of his island nation but praised efforts to increase cooperation on risk reduction at the Caribbean regional level.

New Zealand's Civil Defense Minister, Nikki Kaye, detailed the response of her country to earthquake disasters and described how the country was sharing its expertise and experience with other countries and offering them on-site risk reduction training such as drills in local communities.

Cape Verde Home Affairs Minister, Marisa Helena Nascimento Morais, said that since her country's economy was primarily based on tourism disaster risk reduction was "a question of life and death" for its future.

Maldives Defence Minister, Mohamed Nazim, said that the climate change clock was ticking and that urgent action needed to be taken by Caribbean countries to address common disaster threats or face a highly uncertain future.

Kristalina Georgieva, the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, recalled that the EU had respected its assistance commitments to vulnerable island States and was continuing to provide financial aid and expertise to help them address disaster and climate change issues.

The Ministers and climate experts from participating island States pledged to strengthen their cooperation. UNDP representative Christophe Legrand said that given the experience of small island States they have much to offer in terms of "innovation" to address the challenges.

Vanuatu civil society representative, Aunies Simon, described how she had authored, published and distributed a brochure on traditional cooking for use by isolated communities in emergencies.

Tangible Earth opens new window on risk

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

By Andy McElroy

GENEVA, 22 May 2013 - The inventor of the world's first interactive digital globe that graphically depicts the vulnerability of our planet to disasters today challenged global policymakers to show more leadership in tackling the growing risks facing populations worldwide.

"What is important is not the technology but our vision for the future of the planet," said Prof Shinichi Takemura, the inventor of the Tangible Earth as he demonstrated his interactive globe at the 4th Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction and showed how users of tablets and smartphones can now link to an interactive digital version of UNISDR's new Global Assessment Report.

"We are in a time of new ways of communicating about disaster risk reduction. We need to change our mindset to understand more fully the risk we have created for ourselves, such as through the rapid urbanisation of the developing world," he said.

Prof Takemura challenged global leaders to "shift the paradigm from perceiving disasters as an external event and seeking to protect ourselves to a more proactive approach of disaster risk management that includes reducing underlying risk drivers such as poor urban development."

During his demonstration Prof. Takemura, who is Director of the Earth Literacy Program, a partner of the UN Office for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), showed how 150 million people living on the rapidly developing Chinese coast reside in hazard-prone low-lying plains.

'It's an enormous number, even bigger than the population of the whole of Japan,' Prof Takemura said.

He added that the Tangible Earth was an open platform for policymakers, researchers, and DRR practitioners that could raise awareness, standardise risk datasets, improve assessments and be used as a basis for well-informed risk management initiatives.

The Tangible Earth allows users to view and understand the condition of our planet. It dynamically visualizes scientific data such as earthquake and tsunami-prone zones, climate variations, global warming progression, biodiversity, and more.

Users are able to spin the globe, interact and query the information and zoom in on locations and events of interest.

The globe is linked to the updated global risk and disaster data of the new 2013 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction: From Shared Risk to Shared Value (GAR13) as well as case studies and in-depth analyses from the previous two GARs (2009 and 2011).

For instance, users can link to the latest GAR13 data, which predicts estimated annual global losses from earthquakes and cyclonic winds of USD189 billion a year.

Tablet computer and smartphone users can upload the GAR for Tangible Earth (GfT) free application and then point their devices at various icons in the printed GAR13 report, which will link them to enhanced content providing access to dynamic maps, risk scenarios, disaster maps, videos, photos, and case studies.

Government ministers call for support to disaster-proof schools and hospitals at Global Platform

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

GENEVA, 22 May 2013 - Representatives from 35 governments who met with business executives and senior experts at the 4th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, have issued a call "to develop nationally agreed standards for hazard risk assessments especially of critical infrastructure (including schools, health centers, electricity and water supply systems, nodal ITC centres, road and transport systems) by 2015."

The call comes in a communique made public today by the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, following a High-Level Meeting which took place yesterday in the wake of revelations from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction that economic losses from disasters are in the range of $2.5 trillion so far this century. The High-Level Dialogue was moderated by Tarja Halonen, former President of Finland.

The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, said: "Who can forget the shocking fact that 97% of the schools in Port-au-Prince collapsed in the 2010 earthquake? It is of huge concern that the lives and education of millions of children living in seismic zones and flood plains around the world are at risk. Over the last ten years, earthquakes and tsunamis have killed almost 700,000 people, the majority of them children. Economic losses are also a deep concern.

"We have agreed today to support a global safe schools and safe health structures campaign in disaster-prone areas with voluntary funding and commitments to be announced at the World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015. From national level data collected from governments by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction we know that thousands of schools and health centres are damaged or destroyed in disasters each year. Hazard risk assessments are essential before investing in critical infrastructure which can lead to loss of lives if not disaster-proof."

Martin Dahinden, Director-General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and Chair of the Global Platform, said: "We believe that disaster risk reduction is essential to global efforts at poverty reduction and to achieve sustainable development. We have agreed to advocate for disaster risk reduction and the building of resilience to be a central part of the post-2015 development agenda together with mitigation and adaptation to climate change. All of which will be supported by a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction when the current Hyogo Framework for Action comes to a conclusion."

In addition to a campaign to start a global safe schools and safe health structures campaign in disaster-prone areas, the High-Level communiqué called on the private sector to integrate disaster risk in its risk management practices and for collaboration between the public and private sectors at local and national levels in risk management.

The following 35 countries were represented at the High-Level Dialogue: Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, China, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Gabon, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Maldives, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam.

Rich tales of community resilience

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

By Anthony Drummond

GENEVA, May 22, 2013 - Community voices from around the world today urged disaster management and climate change adaptation practitioners to take greater account of indigenous knowledge and expertise in building community resilience to withstand natural hazards.

While acknowledging technical and scientific advances in climate change adaptation and disaster management, participants in this Global Platform plenary session on strengthening community resilience called for a closer watch on the outward signs of change in nature to help address these issues.

Ugandan parliamentarian, Alex Byarugaba, said that climate change adaptation and disaster risk practitioners should build on the ancestral knowledge of community elders who recognize the tell-tale signs of nature such as sudden bird migrations.

Mr. Byarugaba recalled that disasters had a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable population groups such as women and children. "Communities must play a leading role in disaster risk planning and implementation because they know the situation on the ground better than anybody. Community resilience must be built from the bottom up," he said.

Ann Akwango, Programme Director for the Uganda-based Development Network of Indigenous Voluntary Associations, said that in Uganda and across Africa "we have a saying that 'We are because I am', which drives communities to work together for the common good." She said local populations in Uganda suffered from daily small-scale disasters that were rarely reported but which inflicted great harm on lives and livelihoods. Community voices should be "listened to more closely" and factored into the HFA2 formulation process, she added.

Haydee Rodruiguez, President of a women farmers cooperative in Nicaragua, detailed how her group helps members build resilience to preserve their crops and livelihoods. She described how she won a long battle to engage national authorities to provide support to a resilience process pioneered at the local level.

Jiuta Korovulavula, the Fiji-based Regional Disaster Programme Officer for the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International, described how this grouping had pooled expertise and resources to bring disaster reduction programmes to some 300 grassroots communities in the South Pacific. He noted that the fact that nobody died in the most recent cyclone to strike Fiji was evidence that implementation of disaster reduction at community level was working in his country. But he deplored the adverse impacts of rising sea
levels and climate change on populations in the region.

Jacqueline Araya Montero, the Community Emergency Committee Coordinator for Puerto Viejo also engaged in the promotion of rural water systems in Sarapiqui, both in Costa Rica, said effective early warning systems for flooding had reached out to the most isolated communities, saving lives and livelihoods and noted that a "a culture of rapid intervention" had developed at all levels.

Godavari Dange, Director of the Sakhi Federation in India, explained how the Federation was working to develop women's leadership and empowerment to make communities more resilient to climate change. In particular, she noted the success in organizing collective farming projects that enabled poor women to gain control over small land plots and to have a voice in decision-making on agriculture policy.

New Zealand's Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye described how the 2010 Canterbury earthquake had reinforced the country's disaster risk assessment, preparedness and response capacity, noting that 80 per cent of emergency response personnel were volunteers.

A senior civil defence official for Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) said early warning systems and disaster risk awareness programmes in schools had been put in place in Rio and throughout the country.

Brazil and Bangladesh share UN Sasakawa Award at Global Platform

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

GENEVA, 22 March 2013 - Two of the world's most disaster-prone countries, Bangladesh and Brazil, today shared the biennial UN-Sasakawa Award which was presented to the laureates by the Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, in the presence of the sponsor and chairman of the Nippon Foundation, Yohei Sasakawa.

Mr. Sasakawa said that the theme of this year's Award was "Acting as One" which the Nippon Foundation had put into action following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami by working with businesses and NGOs to conduct training workshops on how to operate accessible evacuation shelters for the disabled in times of emergency.

Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais State, Brazil, with a population of 2.75 million, has 80 danger points for floods and several landslide risk areas. It received the Award for fostering cooperation between local residents, public utility companies and private businesses on regular inspection of these potential disaster zones.

The Award was shared with the National Alliance for Risk Reduction and Response Initiative (NARRI) from Bangladesh which comprises ten international NGOs which have demonstrated the scale of impact which can be achieved through working in collaboration. NARRI has notably developed mass media campaign materials, supported the HFA monitoring process and engaged with communities on disaster risk reduction.

The Tehran Disaster Management and Mitigation Organization (TDMMO) received a Letter of Distinction for its Amaken Project which encourages residents and office workers to take part in disaster training to mitigate risk at home and in the work-place.

The Municipality of St. Bernard, Leyte Province, Philippines, was recognized with a Letter of Merit for an early warning system developed after 1,354 people lost their lives there in a landslide. Karlstad Municipality in Sweden and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) were also recognized with a Letter of Merit for innovative use of social media to raise disaster awareness, particularly of flood threats. Karlstad's website even offers "flood risk walks."

The two laureates, Belo Horizonte and NARRI received $20,000 each and the TDMMO received $10,000. The independent panel of judges comprised: Prof. Murat Balamir, Franklin McDonald, Rowena Hay and Samura Tioulong.

Global disasters event opens with condolences for Oklahoma city tornado victims

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

GENEVA, 21 May 2013 - A global gathering which will prove critical for the future of reducing risk from disasters opened to a record attendance today with many expressions of sympathy to the people of Oklahoma City over the loss of life caused yesterday by a deadly tornado that damaged schools and took many lives including those of at least 20 school children.

Speaking at the opening of the 4th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, the President of Switzerland, Ueli Maurer, extended his country's condolences to the victims of the tornado in Oklahoma City and said that disasters were of concern to everyone, no matter where they occurred.

UN Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, said: "Disaster risk reduction is essential to reach the Millennium Development Goals. There can be no sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation if water sources and latrines are vulnerable to natural hazards. Hospitals and other community structures must be resilient. It is not acceptable that so many people die in disasters because of shoddy building standards."

He urged conference participants to build on the achievements of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) -- the existing global agreement on disaster risk reduction - and to address the gaps and challenges in the creation of the HFA2. The Global Platform is an opportunity to build consensus ahead of the 2015 World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction. Over 40 consultations have already taken place on the HFA2.

Declaring the conference open, Mr. Martin Dahinden, Director-General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, told the packed conference centre : "This coming together of such a tremendous wealth of expert knowledge and experience sets the stage to further reduce disaster losses of lives and social, economic and environmental assets in communities and countries."

Some 4,800 have registered to attend the Global Platform -- organized by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - including delegates from 165 governments, 130 academic institutions, 209 NGOs and 67 private sector companies.

Private sector pioneers take on resilience challenge

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

By Andrew McElroy

GENEVA, 21 May 2013 - Leading figures from the private sector said today they were ready to "come in from the cold" and play a stronger leading role to reduce disaster risk.

CEO of Titan America, Aris Papadopoulos, praised 'pioneer' business leaders who were championing the cause of resilience, on the opening day of the 4th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, but warned a long road lay ahead.

Mr Papadopoulos, who is also the Chair of UNISDR's Private Sector Advisory Group, said the private sector needed to be a central actor in building the successor to the Hyogo Framework for Action, the HFA2, and help on implementation of the framework agreement for disaster risk reduction.

"There are three main action points to make this happen: first we need to increase awareness of DRR as a means to protect business as well as an avenue for value creation; second, in this era of rapid urbanisation we need to invest smartly in resilient 'city ecosystems'; and third, we need a clear division of labour between the public and private sectors and for each to concentrate on what they do best," Mr Papadopoulos said.

"We've seen both the problem and the solution - and it is us. If we make the right decisions then we can really build resilience. If we do not make the right decisions then the consequences could be catastrophic," he said and added that "we take the decisions that create disasters and we make the investments that create risk."

Although both public and private sector were more aware of the issues than in the past, said Sandra Wu, Chairperson and CEO, Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd., it was now time to “move on and set goals and find solutions”, as well as to develop further private-public sector initiatives. Getting involved was not a choice but necessary for survival.

Roger Sutton, the Chief Executive of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, spoke of his lessons from the disaster frontline in the wake of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand. The cost of recovery was over 20% of the country's GDP.

'Successful recovery crucially depends on speed, using the best experts possible so that you start on the right track, and finally, good institutions and government, which really count,' Mr Sutton said.

Business representatives welcomed the Disaster Risk Framework put together after extensive consultations with 14 global corporations ABB, ARUP, BG Group, Citigroup, General Electric, HCC Group, HIRCO Group, Hitachi Group, InterContinental Hotels Group, Nestlé, NTT East Corporation, Roche, Shapoorhi Pallonji&Co. Ltd., and Walmart in a joint initiative between UNISDR and PwC.

The Framework is driven by standard risk management processes -- identification, assessment, response, and mitigation -- and is structured in three sections.

Dr Paul Robertson, head of PwC's Crisis Leadership practice in London said "good crisis management creates value" and without it, firms could potentially be in "company killer territory".

Risk reduction expert Dr Satori Nishikawa, of Japan, said "just in time" global supply chains are premised on resilient networks yet the disasters of 2011 in Thailand (floods) and Japan (earthquake, tsunami and nuclear emergency) exposed how vulnerable these networks really are to major interruption.

Dr Nishikawa highlighted the example of one Japanese medical waste processor that was only out of action briefly after the earthquake because of the robustness of its continuity planning.

Emiko Okuyama, Mayor of Sendai City, Japan, said that the city had worked with various sectors to increase its disaster risk capacity even before the earthquake and tsunami of 2011, and had been recognized as a role model for disaster management by the United Nations.

Open debate on “Disaster risk reduction measures at the local level in South Eastern Europe”

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

GENEVA, 21 May 2013 - On the opening day of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mayors and local government representatives took part in an open debate on ‘Disaster Risk Reduction Measures at the local level in South Eastern Europe”.

Floods, droughts and forest fires – all of which are cross-border hazards – are the main risks in South Eastern Europe, and projections indicate that climate change and variations could lead to more frequent and severe disasters related to weather, water and climate in the region.

Set against this background, the discussion revolved around the following topics: The main disaster risks faced in relation to natural hazards in cities and communities; the prevention and risk reduction measures adopted by local administration to mitigate the impact of disasters; and the main challenges and lessons learned in managing disaster risks.

Participants included mayors and local government representatives from: City of Lezhe (Albania), Mr. Viktor Tushaj; City of Sarajevo Centar (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Mr. Dzevad Becirevic; City of Dubrovnik (Croatia), Ms. Anita Buric; City of Cetinje (Montenegro), Mr. Momcilo Martinovic; City of Pristina (Kosovo under UNSCR 1244/99), Dr. Avdullah Hoti; and City of Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (France), Ms. Marie-France Beaufils.

The mayors of Lezhe and Cetinje also took the opportunity to join the UNISDR 2010-2015 Campaign “Making City Resilient: My City is Getting Ready”, signing the Campaign Certificate in the presence of Ms Helena Molin Valdes, UNISDR Deputy Director and Head of the Campaign.

The moderator Ms. Helena Molin Valdes, UNISDR Deputy Director and Coordinator of the global UNISDR Campaign “Making City Resilient: My City is Getting Ready” said: “It is important to build partnerships at international, regional and national level to support the capacities of local decision makers in disaster prevention and risk reduction. Sharing the experience and expertise among cities, and linking this work to urban development plans and challenges, is an important way of improving and innovative new solutions. The forum today is an example of successful partnership between the European Commission, UN Organizations and Local Governments. As a result, the exchange of ideas and knowledge has led to strengthened networking and collaboration among European cities and mayors.”

The participants are part of the regional project “Building Resilience to Disasters in Western Balkans and Turkey,” a regional intervention implemented and co-funded by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The project is supported by European Commission's Directorate General for Enlargement, under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA).

This initiative aims to strengthen national disaster risk management, along with meteorological and hydrological services. The three main areas of work include: Building and enhancing regional networking and co-ordination for disaster risk reduction at national and local level; strengthening cross-border co-operation on disaster risk management; and increasing regional capacity to monitor and predict hydro-meteorological hazards.

More information can be found at the project website: http://www.preventionweb.net/ipadrr/

Disaster-prone cities call for inclusion

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

GENEVA, 20 May 2013 -- City mayors and municipal councilors from around the world today called on governments to ensure greater participation of local authorities in decision-making on mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in national policy and regulatory frameworks.

In consultations held a day before the opening of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, participants also stressed the importance of promoting greater public-private cooperation and financial investment in the battle to make cities more resilient to natural disasters and adaptable to climate change.

Many participants, in particular those from Africa and Latin America, highlighted the problem of the rapid growth and extreme vulnerability of informal settlements to natural disasters.

Mr. Javier Pava, the Director General of disaster risk activities in Bogota, Colombia - another Campaign champion city - deplored the fact that "it is the poorest segments of society living in these settlements that are most exposed to natural disasters. We must strengthen their resilience and eliminate this inequitable situation."

Ms. Khady Ba Niang, Mayor of Diamaguene Sicap Mbao, Senegal, also raised the issue and said after one month after her election she had to deal with a flood which threatened informal settlements and overwhelmed the drainage system.

Opening the meeting, UNISDR's Helena Molin Valdes who coordinates the Making Cities Resilient Campaign, said: "This represents a unique opportunity for local authorities from different regions to exchange experiences, lessons learnt and best practices and to agree on the way forward."

Participants, many of whom came from cities in disaster-prone countries such as Colombia, El Salvador, Iran, the Philippines and the United States that have championed the Making Cities Resilient Campaign, agreed to create a task force amongst themselves to formulate recommendations from a local government perspective for inclusion in the HFA2 consultation process.

Mr. Oscar Ortiz, the Mayor of Santa Tecla, El Salvador, Campaign role model city, underlined the success of the city-to-city exchanges of experiences and good practices and how to go from good intentions to implementation. Many cities in the region intend to create their own forum.

Overall, participants agreed that the Making Cities Resilient Campaign had been a success, with some 1,500 cities signing up to it across all five continents. There was consensus that it had contributed to the empowerment of local authorities in risk reduction as well as to collaboration between cities.
"It is crucial that national authorities invest in disaster risk reduction at the local level," said Mayor Ortiz. "Above all we must ensure that we place more emphasis on building resilience rather than focusing almost solely on disaster response."

Mr. Richard Walton, the Mayor of North Vancouver, Canada, described how severe flooding affected his region shortly after he took office and that since then he had pledged to be better prepared to address natural hazards in future. Mayor Walton, who recalled that experts predict an 8.5 earthquake will strike the Vancouver area any time within the next 100 years, detailed how he created a collaborative risk planning system across all 25 municipalities in his city.

Ms. Violeta Somera Seva, Senior Advisor to the Mayor of Makati City, Philippines, recalled the recommendations made at the Asia-Pacific Ministerial conference in 2012, in particular that local governments must have a voice in the formulation of HFA2.

Dr. Muhannad Harrah, the Environment Commissioner for Aqaba (Jordan), said that his citz had engaged all stakeholders in an integrated approach to risk reduction as part of the follow-up to the Aqaba Declaration agreed earlier this year at the first-ever Arab Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Mayor of Mashad, Iran, Mr. Muhammad Pejman Syed, said that his city had implemented 30 projects in the framework of a comprehensive disaster risk reduction programme which could be replicated elsewhere.

The Director of Public Health and Safety for Dubai, Mr. Redha Salman, detailed Dubai's four-year strategic plan to build resilience, including regular prevention drills in schools and hospitals. He said that Dubai had acquired the latest early warning technology as it faced the threat of rising sea levels among other hazards.

Mr. Jaime Valdes, responsible for disaster risk reduction in the Telica, Quezalguaque and La Reynag communities in Nicaragua, called on the international community to do more to promote action for risk reduction at the community level.

There was general agreement that UNISDR's local government HFA implementation assessment tool was a useful instrument but that many more cities and countries needed to use it.

Launch of European Regional HFA Implementation Report

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

GENEVA, 20 May 2013 - Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) challenges are becoming greater every year. It is well known and understood by all disciplines in disaster prevention that previously unidentified threats are emerging, changes in technology are rendering formerly state-of-the-art systems obsolete or less effective, and migration patterns are causing population shifts to increasingly hazard-prone areas.

However, despite the goal posts moving constantly, consistent progress is being made in efforts to reduce damage and losses inflicted by disasters on people, their communities and livelihoods. This is one of the findings of the European Regional HFA Implementation Report, launched today during the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR) at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland.

The report, covering 26 European countries and two countries from Central Asia, provides an overview of the progress and challenges in implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters (HFA) between 2011-2013.

Paola Albrito, Head of UNISDR Regional Office says: “The HFA Regional Implementation Report illustrates that European countries are moving from a culture of reactive response and recovery from disasters, to one of proactive risk reduction safety. This has required a significant change from a ‘crisis mindset’, to one of resilience.”

Mr Vladimir Vaschenko, Minister for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus adds: “The European HFA Regional Monitoring Report represents an important source of information and valuable guidance on the gaps to be addressed in building resilience to disasters, both at the national and regional levels.”

Meaningful progress has been made, as shown in the country-specific reports. While many challenges still remain, such as ensuring adequate resources for DRR and addressing risks in a comprehensive manner, progress has been achieved in some of the HFA’s five priority areas since the last reporting cycle.

This progress includes advances in cross-sectoral risk management; integration of DRR into climate change adaptation strategies and support of DRR in international development work. Furthermore, addressing new hazards such as food security and the explicit consideration of disaster-proofing in investment decisions, along with increases in training and raising awareness, are all positive signs of progress.

Furthermore, there has been an increase in the establishment of national platforms (Serbia; Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina; the Netherlands; Turkey; Greece; and Norway) and legal and policy frameworks have evolved and been updated to reflect both emerging risks and new insights into hazards.

The report also lists areas to take forward in the future, such as further engagement of the insurance sector, analysis of financial and social returns on public DRR investment, the promotion of greater public-private partnerships, and the use of creativity in leveraging lessons learnt from other successful initiatives where financial resources are limited.

Life After Sandy: Interview with Hoboken, NJ Mayor Dawn Zimmer

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

Dawn Zimmer, Mayor of Hoboken, NJ (USA), is one of more than 50 Mayors from around the world who will attend the Fourth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2013, taking place in Geneva, 19-23 May. The “Meet the Mayors” interview series aims to showcase the actions local governments participating in UNISDR's Making Cities Resilient Campaign are taking to reduce disaster risk and strengthen the resilience of their communities.

Q. Hurricane Sandy focused the world’s attention on the fact that disasters can strike anywhere and are not limited to impacting cities in low and middle-income nations. How do you think Hurricane Sandy has raised awareness of disaster risk reduction in your city and what are some of the steps you are taking as Mayor to reduce disaster risks in Hoboken?

DZ. For the first time in Hoboken history, the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy caused the Hudson River to overflow into our city, causing widespread flooding and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. This has drastically raised awareness of the need to reduce disaster risks in our community. We are pursuing a comprehensive approach to make our community more resilient. This includes green initiatives to reduce flooding from storm-water runoff, exploring the use of floodwalls, and installing additional flood pumps. In addition, we are actively working to make our city more resilient to power outages through the use of micro-grids, permanent backup generators, and elevating and protecting our electrical substations.

Q. What are the big challenges you face as Mayor in reducing disaster risks?

DZ. Many existing federal and state policies for disaster relief and construction were designed with suburban areas in mind. Urban areas like Hoboken have unique challenges that require changes to these policies.

Q. What are you hoping to learn and achieve from the Global Platform 2013?

DZ. I hope to learn from the experiences of other communities that have faced and overcome similar challenges including urban flooding and power outages.

Q. What are the key messages you would like to give the global leaders attending the Global Platform in terms of where they should prioritize policies and investments?

DZ. In the United States, regulations regarding hazard planning and mitigation are heavily biased towards suburban areas. We need to prioritize the development of policies that address the unique needs of both urban and suburban communities.

Q. What is the one critical area you think should be included in the next international framework on disaster risk reduction which is expected to be adopted in 2015 – the successor to the current Hyogo Framework for Action?

DZ. I am interested in further exploring the idea of designing cities and preparing communities for sheltering ‘in-place’, as opposed to evacuating.

UN Secretary-General warns: “Economic losses from disasters are out of control”

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

NEW YORK, 15 May 2013 - The United Nations today issued a stark warning to the world's business community that economic losses linked to disasters are "out of control" and will continue to escalate unless disaster risk management becomes a core part of business investment strategies.

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said: "We have carried out a thorough review of disaster losses at national level and it is clear that direct losses from floods, earthquakes and drought have been under-estimated by at least 50%. So far this century, direct losses from disasters are in the range of $2.5 trillion.

"Economic losses from disasters are out of control and can only be reduced in partnership with the private sector which is responsible for 70% to 85% of all investment worldwide in new buildings, industry and small to medium sized enterprises. The principles of disaster risk reduction must be taught at business schools and become part of the investor's mind-set."

The UN Secretary-General was speaking today at the launch of a ground-breaking new report from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) which is built on important new data sets including reviews of national disaster loss data bases in 40 countries, survey responses from 1,300 SMEs in disaster-prone locations in the Americas, and a review of risk management in 14 major corporations including ABB, ARUP, BG Group, Citigroup, General Electric, HCC Group, HIRCO Group, Hitachi Group, InterContinental Hotels Group, Nestlé, NTT East Corporation, Roche, Shapoorhi Pallonji&Co. Ltd., and Walmart.

The UNISDR 2013 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR13): Creating Shared Value: the Business Case for Disaster Risk Reduction highlights how the transformation of the global economy over the last 40 years has led to rapid increases in disaster risk in low, medium and high income countries.

A new global risk model developed by UNISDR and partners, demonstrates that annual average losses from just earthquakes and cyclonic winds can be expected to be in the range of $180 billion this century. The report makes a strong case that globalization, the search for lower costs, higher productivity, and just-in-time delivery are driving business into hazard-prone locations with little or no consideration of the consequences on global supply chains.

UNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlström, speaking also at today's launch said: "In a world of on-going population growth, rapid urbanization, climate change and an approach to investment that continually discounts disaster risk, this increased potential for future losses is of major concern.

"In the wake of the global financial crisis, disaster risk stands as a new multi-trillion dollar class of toxic assets of unrealized liabilities. The catastrophic economic losses from the Japan earthquake/ tsunami, floods in Thailand and the destructive Super Storm Sandy show clearly the extent of what is at stake."

GAR2013 analyses three key global investment sectors -- urban development, agribusiness, and coastal tourism -- and reveals that prevailing business models in each sector continue to drive disaster risk.

The UNISDR teamed with PwC to conduct some of the research and analysis for the report.

Mr. Oz Ozturk, PwC partner and the firm's global leader for the UNISDR initiative, said: "Working with some of the world's leading businesses, we have been able to identify critical elements for good practice in reducing risks posed by natural disasters. It is clear from our discussions that senior executives are increasingly aware of the vulnerability of their businesses to disasters and are beginning to prioritize the strengthening of their risk management. For the private sector, the business case for stronger disaster risk management is clear: it reduces uncertainty and builds confidence, cuts costs and creates value."

The report also identifies encouraging signs of change. Public-private partnerships in risk management have proven their worth during several disasters, including the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand.

GAR2013 surveys 1,300 small and medium-sized businesses in six disaster-prone cities in the Americas and finds that three-quarters have suffered business disruptions related to damaged or destroyed power, telecommunications and water utilities demonstrating the inter-dependence between the private and public sectors when it comes to disaster risk management. Yet only a minority of the companies surveyed -- 14.2 percent in the case of companies with fewer than 100 employees -- had even a basic approach to crisis management in the form of business continuity planning.

Ms. Wahlström said: "The beginnings of changing attitudes in the private sector now need to transform into a more systematic approach to disaster risk management in partnership with the public sector to make the world a safer place.

"As we approach 2015 international efforts are intensifying to formulate a new framework for disaster risk reduction to replace the current Hyogo agreement. Ensuring that the business case for disaster risk reduction is explicitly included in that framework will provide a critical incentive for the constructive engagement by business on which future resilience, competitiveness and sustainability depend."

For further information/ media interviews contact the UNISDR press office:
Denis McClean: +41-79-444-5262 (mobile)
Maria Hasan: +1-917-367-72070 or +1-917-856-2014 (mobile)
Andrew McElroy: +41-79-217-3023 (mobile)

UNISDR welcomes India's new National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

GENEVA, 14 May 2013 - UNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlström, today welcomed yesterday's inauguration by the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, of the country's National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction which brings to 86, the number of such platforms around the world. These National Platforms provide important support to the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, the global agreement on reducing disaster losses.

Ms. Wahlström said: "The creation of this National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction is the culmination of many years work at both central and local levels. Its establishment sends a clear sign of leadership and willingness to ensure that strong measures are taken to prevent and reduce disaster risk."

Dr. Singh said the inauguration was the fulfilment of its commitments to strengthen its partnership with the International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction.

He said: "Disaster management is an area of vital national importance to our country. As we all know, India is vulnerable to a large range of natural and man-made disasters. Events like earthquakes, floods, droughts, cyclones, landslides and industrial accidents have been a cause of great misery and suffering in our country. In recent years, climate change has posed fresh new challenges that our disaster management strategies should be able to cope with. We must therefore ensure that disaster preparedness and development of adequate disaster response mechanisms receive priority attention."

The Prime Minister also said: "The theme of today's conference is about making risk reduction an intrinsic part of our development processes by including prevention and mitigation strategies in them. This is indeed a very prudent course of action and would avoid possible losses that could be devastating in nature and could cause significant setbacks to the development of a State or a region."

He said he was "confident that the Platform will emerge as a very useful forum for exchange of ideas and experiences and will be a great help to our country in building systems for preventing disasters and dealing with their fall-out."

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Watch the Prime Minister's address

UK government welcomes first-ever HFA peer review

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 CEST

BRUSSELS, 14 May 2013 - The UK has become the first country to undergo a peer review to assess its progress in implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), the world's first comprehensive agreement on disaster risk reduction, adopted in 2005 following the Indian Ocean tsunami.

Accepting the report today, Chloe Smith, the UK Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, said: "I am proud and delighted to receive this report on behalf of the UK Government. Thank you to the Peer Review Team for all their hard work, and to the UN, EC and OECD for all their support. The UK was the first country to undertake this Peer Review process and we look forward to assisting in developing it more widely in the future. We will study its recommendations carefully, and respond accordingly in due course. We hope others will follow our example and have their efforts at implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action reviewed by their peers."

The review confirmed that the UK has achieved a high level of preparedness at both national and local level to respond to natural hazards and that it is continuing to build the resilience of society to mitigate the impact of disaster events. It said the UK authorities "at all levels have an understanding of the medium-term risks that they face as well as the ability to identify emerging risks over the shorter and medium-long terms".

While also praising the UK's focus on business-continuity issues and partnerships with the private sector as well as its establishment of multi-agency local resilience forums to minimize damage caused by natural hazards, the review recommended the UK authorities to shift emphasis from a reactive disaster management focus to a more pro-active risk reduction approach, in line with the priority action areas of the HFA.

Conducted by a seven-member team from Finland, Italy, Sweden, the European Commission, OECD and UNISDR, the review involved interviews with some 90 people from 45 entities including government departments, NGOs and businesses conducted across the UK from 16 to 26 September, 2012.

Paola Albrito, Head of UNISDR's Europe office, said: "The HFA peer review has provided an opportunity for the reviewing countries to learn about key issues in the UK that are helping to build disaster resilience. The experience of this valuable European effort to reduce vulnerability to disasters will also contribute to ongoing consultations on the shape and direction of the HFA2 which will be agreed in 2015."

European Commission representative Ian Clark said: "The European Commission is delighted that the UK volunteered to pilot this initiative and supports the wider use of this governance tool at European and international level. The successful UK pilot peer review project demonstrates the benefits of sharing good practices between countries and the potential to improve national and European policy-making in disaster risk management. The Commission is strongly committed to further promote and support peer reviews within the context of EU cooperation on disaster management. This will help steer progress in critical areas in our cooperation such as risk assessment and risk management practices whilst fostering wider policy dialogue."

OECD representative, Charles Baubion, said: "The UK showed throughout this review its capacities as a leading country in risk management, which can inspire other OECD countries and beyond to adopt innovative approaches in risk assessment, business continuity and risk governance. The all-hazards approach is well aligned to best practices promoted at the G20 level, and is a key reference for OECD best practice."

The review report will also be presented at the EU Civil Protection Forum in Brussels on the 16 May 2013 and to the Fourth Session of UNISDR's biennial Global Platform for Disaster Reduction set to take place on 21-23 May 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The UK volunteered to undergo the peer review and more countries are expected to follow suit as the importance of building disaster resilience gathers momentum worldwide. Finland has volunteered to be the next European country to be peer reviewed in 2013.