Secretary General’s report on the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

Earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and China have provided stark reminders of the increasing disaster risk in urban areas. Smaller and more frequent disasters in communities around the world attest to rising vulnerability and insufficient capacity to cope with disaster risk at the local level.

The UN Secretary-General has released a report on the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), prepared for the 65th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), which considers trends in disasters and disaster risks, and coordination and guidance through the UN/ISDR. The Mid-Term Review of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015 is well under way and will be concluded by early 2011.

Annexes to the report include:

  • information on progress made in implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action
  • reduction of vulnerability to severe climate-related hazards
  • international cooperation to reduce the impact of the El Niño phenomenon

The Annex on reduction of vulnerability to severe climate change hazards describes UN/ISDR activities linking climate change to disaster reduction, including:

  • supporting the inclusion of disaster reduction staff on climate change delegations
  • training of Latin American Parliamentarians in disaster risk management and climate change adaptation
  • collaborating with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in preparing its Special Report titled «Managing the risk of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation».

acrobat_icon Secretary General’s report on the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

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