International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
2015 Theme: Knowledge for Life
The Step Up initiative started in 2011 and will be focusing on a
different group of partners every year leading up to the World
Conference for Disaster Reduction in 2015 - children and young People
(2011), women and girls (2012), people living with disabilities (2013),
the ageing population (2014), and traditional, indigenous and local
knowledge (2015).
The International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) encourages every citizen and government to take part in building more disaster resilient communities and nations.
The International Day for Disaster Reduction started in 1989 with
the approval by the United Nations General Assembly. The UN General
Assembly sees the IDDR as a way to promote a global culture of disaster
reduction, including disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness.
Originally celebrated on the second Wednesday of October (resolution
44/236, 22 December 1989), the UN General Assembly decided to designate
October 13th as the date to celebrate the IDDR (resolution 64/200, 21
December 2009).
2015: Knowledge for Life
The focus of this year’s International Day for Disaster
Reduction is on the traditional, indigenous and local knowledge which
complement modern science and add to an individual’s and societies’
resilience.
2014: Resilience is for Life
The world is ageing. This year's day will highlight the need
for a more inclusive approach for older people in disaster risk
reduction and recognize the critical role they can play in
resilience-building through their experience and knowledge.
2013: Living with Disability and Disasters
Persons living with disabilities are among the most excluded
in society, and their plight is magnified when a disaster strikes. More
often than not, their unique contribution to helping communities prepare
for and respond to disasters is also often overlooked.
2012: Women and Girls: the [in]Visible Force of Resilience
Women and girls are powerful agents of change. They have
unique knowledge and skills - crucial when addressing or managing
disaster risks. They must participate in poverty reduction, climate
change adaptation and disaster risk reduction that will shape their
future and those of their families and communities.
2011: Making Children and Young People Partners for Disaster Risk Reduction
Repeatedly portrayed as victims of disaster and climate
change, children and young people can and should be encouraged to
participate in disaster risk reduction and decision making.
2010: My City is Getting Ready!
UNISDR is calling on its partners to play a more active role
to protect cities against disasters. Earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and New
Zealand; floods and heavy rainfalls in Pakistan, Eastern Europe,
Mozambique; forest fires in Russia; and volcanic eruptions in Indonesia
and Iceland - Cities have never been so at risk.
2009: Hospitals Safe from Disasters
Beyond their practical importance, hospitals and health
facilities have a unique value as symbols of public well-being. Making
them safe from disasters is essential. UNISDR, WHO and the World Bank,
marked the International Day by highlighting the campaign dedicated to
Hospitals Safe from Disasters.
2008: Disaster risk reduction is everybody's business
Governments, civil society, international financial
institutions and the private sector are urged to step up implementation
of the Hyogo Framework. Disaster risk reduction is everybody's business.
Only by investing in tangible risk reduction measures can we reduce
vulnerability and protect development.
2007: Challenging the world's education authorities
Disaster risk reduction is about stronger building codes,
sound land use planning, better early warning systems, environmental
management and evacuation plans and, above all, education. It is about
making communities and individuals aware of their risk to natural
hazards and how they can reduce their vulnerability.
2006: Disaster risk reduction begins at school
Disaster risk reduction is about stronger building codes,
sound land use planning, better early warning systems, environmental
management and evacuation plans and, above all, education. It is about
making communities and individuals aware of their risk to natural
hazards and how they can reduce their vulnerability.
2005: Microfinance and disaster risk reduction
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and more recently Hurricane
Katrina in the United States and the earthquake in Pakistan and India
demonstrated that the poor usually suffer most from disasters.
Microcredit is a useful tool for poverty reduction, but its potential to
reduce the impact of disasters needs to be further explored.
2004: Today's disasters for tomorrow's hazards
After a disaster, government authorities, businesses,
community groups and individuals should all ask whether appropriate
actions were taken to save life and property. All should work together
to improve the chain of information and decision-making, so that their
communities are better prepared should hazards strike again.
2003: Turning the tide...
This theme reminds us, during the International Year of
Freshwater, that the task is not just to preserve water resources to
sustain life, but also to reduce the capacity of water to take life
away. More than 90 per cent of all disasters occurring around the world
today are related to water.
2002: Sustainable mountain development
No community is immune from the threat of natural disasters,
but mountain communities are particularly vulnerable. Poor land-use
planning, environmental mismanagement, the lack of regulatory mechanisms
and other human activities increase the risk that a disaster will
occur, and worsen their effects when they do.
2001: Countering Disasters, Targeting Vulnerability
Vulnerability is increasing. While no country is entirely
safe, poorer countries in particular lack the capacity to and prevent
and prepare for disasters. With the urban population of developing
countries having reached more than 1.3 billion, people are forced to
inhabit disaster-prone areas such as flood plains and deforested lands.
2000: Disaster Prevention, Education and Youth
It is important for future generations, as the leaders of
tomorrow, to learn about the long-term aspects of environmental
protection and to provide them with the necessary early education for a
better understanding of both natural hazards and the way to prevent
their disastrous impact on societies.
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