Press Room

After the constant earthquakes that have occurred in this city located southeast of Mexico, Tuxtla Gutierrez 's government announced that it has come up with a system to provide greater security and confidence to families through Project Early Warning System multi- threat called "Red alert Multi 360”.

In the wake of the extreme tornadoes that struck the United States over Christmas, freak snowfalls in Mexico and heavy flooding in South America and the United Kingdom, Ms. Margareta Wahlström, head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction today urged governments to take more prevention actions to reduce human and economic losses caused by weather related disasters.

While in North America, cities such as New York and several others in the United States are witnessing the hottest Christmas on record and with extreme flooding and tornados resulting in more than 40 deaths in states such as New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois; Mexico is experiencing unusual snowfalls whereas flooding is being faced in the United Kingdom as well as in South America where heavy rains and severe flooding have led to more than 170 thousand people being evacuated in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.

With the aim of increasing social demand and political commitment towards a resilient and sustainable national development that adapts to climate change, the Ministry of the Presidency of the Dominican Republic in coordination with the National Emergency Commission (CNE), led the closing of the "Capacity Building Training Workshop for Making Cities Resilient to Disasters”, held recently in Santo Domingo.

“2015 has been a watershed year in the international arena with respect to the setting of a global agenda for resilience” noted Most Hon. P. J. Patterson, ON, OCC, PC, QC on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and its importance for its implementation in the Caribbean States, during his opening ceremony speech of the 9th Caribbean C

With the aim of increasing social demand and political commitment towards a resilient and sustainable national development that adapts to climate change, the Ministry of the Presidency of the Dominican Republic in coordination with the National Emergency Commission (CNE), led the closing of the "Capacity Building Training Workshop for Making Cities Resilient to Disasters”, held recently in Santo Domingo.

The Americas are paying a high price as one of the worst El Niños on record continues to strengthen. The World Meteorological Organization this week singled out “considerable concern” about the impact of El Niño on the Amazon basin in the context of long-term climate change.

On behalf of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) we are pleased to invited you to promote and support the availability and application of science and technology for decision-making in Disaster Risk Reduction by attending this important international event on science and technology.

A new report issued today by the UN, “The Human Cost of Weather Related Disasters”, shows that over the last twenty years, 90% of major disasters have been caused by 6,457 recorded floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts and other weather-related events.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Margareta Wahlström, today described the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano which claimed 25,000 lives in Colombia on November 13, 1985, as “a major turning point in the history of disaster risk management.”

Mayors from the 250-member strong Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) have called for member cities to include protection of cultural heritage in disaster risk management plans as set out in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Ten days ago, the news broke that “the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere” was about to slam into the Pacific coastline of Mexico.

What’s a family emergency tool kit? 9 Haitian families answered this question very well during a somewhat peculiar contest hold on October 16 in Port au Prince: Yon kit byen vit! (Creole meaning 'Your kit, quickly!').

The Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Margareta Wahlström, today opened the 2015 Pacific Regional Disaster Resilience Meeting amidst fears that El Niño will result in more extreme weather events across the hazard-prone region of small islands and atolls.

The Metropolitan Government of Caracas is the entity responsible for the coordination and planning of environmental and urban issues for the Metropolitan area of Caracas, which includes the municipalities of Libertador, Chacao, Baruta, Sucre and El Hatillo.

National flags are a mark of pride and patriotism in every country around the world. But there is only one flag that belongs to all of us. That blue flag of the United Nations was a banner of hope for me growing up in wartime Korea.

Four out of nine Panamanians think that disaster risk has increased, and inhabitants of Panama Metro attribute this increase to both the construction of housing developments in flood zones and the lack of disaster risk information. This shows the need for a plan which aims to educate and empower people to take action to face disasters.

Eight communities living with the threat of floods, storms, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions were today recognised as Champions of Disaster Risk Reduction by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

This year’s observance of the International Day for Disaster Reduction is dedicated to the power of traditional, indigenous and local knowledge. In March 2015 in Sendai, Japan, I met with the President of Vanuatu, His Excellency Baldwin Lonsdale, at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. On that very day, his island nation was devastated by Cyclone Pam, one of the strongest storms ever to strike the Pacific.

The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) through its Directorate of Disaster Risk Reduction convened the 23rd Meeting of the Special Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction at the ACS Secretariat in Port of Spain on 9th October, 2015.

In order to collect information on the ancestral practices of indigenous peoples on issues of risk prevention, mitigation and management, the municipality of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua developed the “Socio Cultural Diagnosis on strategies for risk prevention, mitigation and management traditionally practiced among indigenous peoples”.

The tiny community of El Solís in rural Guatemala is tapping into its local knowledge on biodiversity and maintaining a native seeds bank to help it cope with drought, food insecurity and climate change.

For our district of Carabayllo - Lima, this opportunity to participate in the “My City is Getting Ready” campaign, is critical because it involves actions informed by Disaster Risk Management. We have been working on risk assessment, prevention measures, risk reduction, disaster preparedeness, disaster response, rehabilitation after a disaster and reconstruction of the affected. These actions have been developed since 2011 to the present.

To address this increasing concern, the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), jointly with its partners the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, will be gathering in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 21st to 23rd September with regional and national stakeholders and promoters of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), in a planning workshop.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Margareta Wahlström, will take part tomorrow in the 30th anniversary commemoration of the earthquake which struck Mexico City on September 19, 1985.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Margareta Wahlström, today congratulated the Chilean government on its successful efforts to reduce disaster risk and minimise the number of casualties from the 8.3 magnitude earthquake and tsunami which occurred last night.

With the objective of consolidating a resilient country against disaster risk through strategic linkages among the public and private sectors, the Colombia National Chapter of the Private Sector Alliance for Risk Sensitive Investment (AR!SE) was launched.

With the objective of coordinating actions, efforts, capacities and knowledge to build the resilience of institutions, businesses and communities under the National System for Disaster Risk Management, the “Articulation of the Private Sector on Disaster Risk Management” publication was launched.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Margareta Wahlström, today extended her condolences to the people of the small island state of Dominica as they enter a second day of national mourning for the 31 people who have died and the 35 reported missing in the wake of a tropical storm which arrived with little or no warning.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Margareta Wahlström, today extended her condolences to the people of the small island state of Dominica as they enter a second day of national mourning for the 31 people who have died and the 35 reported missing in the wake of a tropical storm which arrived with little or no warning.

The overall objective of this prestigious award is to promote increased awareness of and to encourage deeper engagement in advancing the Comprehensive Disaster Management approach to disaster risk reduction, including the climate change phenomenon, in the CDEMA Participating States.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the Colombian NGO Corporation for Risk Management - Solidarity Fund (CorpoRiesgos), have recently signed a Collaboration Agreement to strengthen efforts for the promotion of actions aimed at reducing the risk of disaster and building resilience at the local level in Colombia.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, adopted at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction on 18 March 2015 in Sendai, Japan, calls upon the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) to facilitate consultative processes to develop practical guides for implementation.

Ms. Wahlström said: “Hurricane Katrina exposed weaknesses in disaster risk management which are common to many hazard prone locations around the world. We can learn a lot from New Orleans if we are to achieve substantial reductions in disaster losses as called for in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction which was adopted by governments earlier this year.

In the framework of the Global Workshop of Focal Points and Advocates of the Global Campaign “Making Cities Resilient”, twenty advocates of the Campaign as well as staff of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) from 18 countries in Africa, the Arab States, Asia, Europe and the Americas, proposed measures to enhance the dissemination, relevance and implementation of the campaign and its New Ten Essentials, such as the development of Resilient Cities.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), through its Regional Office for the Americas, and the Municipality of Bugaba, Panama signed a Partnership Framework for advancing the sustainable and resilient development of the municipality, based on the Global Campaign “Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready ", promoted by UNDRR since 2010.

Put in place by Architecture students from the Central University Marta Abreu de las Villas, the project Rescate de Cayo Gramma, in Santiago de Cuba, received one of the two awards given throughout the VII International Competition of Architecture for Disaster Risk Reduction, with its headquarters in London, United Kingdom.

The United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States defines small island developing states, or SIDS, as “a distinct group of developing countries facing specific social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities”. These countries are across the globe in the Caribbean, the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and the Mediterranean and South China Sea.

Experts from the region of the Americas pledged to help meet the expected outcome, scope, purpose, priorities for action, goals and guiding principles of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, adopted last March by the Member States of the United Nations in Sendai, Japan.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) today launched a search for communities that demonstrate excellence in managing disaster risk in order to draw attention to the importance of local knowledge, traditions and customs in the struggle against extreme weather events, climate change and earthquakes.

The NGO Inclusiva, winner of the 2014 Risk Award, together with the National Emergency Office of Chile ONEMI, the Metropolitan Technological University, Southern University of Chile and PAHO/WHO, launched the printed version of the “Manual for Inclusive Emergency Management: Human rights of people with disabilities in emergencies.”

With the aim of conducting a process of institutional strengthening on the principles of protection and support the actions of relevant bodies on issues of disaster risk reduction to promote the protection of the most vulnerable people at the territorial level, starting in July 2014, the regional project “Protecting vulnerable groups in Central America through the inclusion of protection principles in preparedness and response” is being implemented in Guatemala in the framework of the IX DIPECHO Project 2014-2015.

The United Nations launched today in Lima the Spanish version of the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 (GAR) prepared by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The launch ceremony, organized jointly by the UN and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM), was led by Maria Luisa Silva, UN Resident Coordinator in Peru and Manuel Mesones, Secretary General of the PCM.

In the words of the mayor of the municipality of Duran, Ecuador, Alexandra Arce Pluas: The participation in the Campaign is our commitment to strengthening our capacities (technical, social and cultural), to address climate change, to be a resilient territory and to achieve a replicable process in others cities to ensure “Good Living”, so that it may be carried out under similar conditions and with similar objectives.

As part of the 70th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations, of the 70 years of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the arrival of the NGO Peace Boat at the Port of Colon, Panama; a Forum of testimonies was held with atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha in Japanese), who shared their experiences of personal resilience after succeeding to overcome such a tragic event.

The NGO Inclusiva, winner of the 2014     Risk Award”, alongside the Under Secretary for Coordination of Policy Integration of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina and the Provincial Council on Disability (COPRODIS) of the Province of Buenos Aires presented the “Inclusive Plan for Emergency and/or Disaster Situations” (PISEC), which provides for the coordination of actions for disaster risk reduction with an inclusive approach involving local governments, organizations of and for disabled people and the government of the province of Buenos Aires.adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

Approximately 900 million people live in mountain areas in the world and another large part of the population in cities located downstream who depend on vital services provided by mountain soils for food production, biodiversity, and adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

"Don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution. Become Resilient! '' is the proposal from the Volunteer Network of Professionals for Resilience in Nicaragua, which use comics and visual language to present everyday situations to convey that disasters are not natural but a result of a collective failure as a community to cope with natural hazards.

The European Union granted 2.5 million euros to Peru to strengthen the National System for Disaster Risk Management (SINAGERD), in order to prepare the most vulnerable populations in the different regions of the country and implement disaster response measures.

Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative for the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, thanked the Central American region for their contributions to the recent adopted Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, and emphasized that “the challenge now is to go from disaster risk reduction management to an effective disaster risk reduction strategy as a development plan.”

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) through its regional office for the Americas is carrying out a call for good practices throughout Central America and the Caribbean on integrating gender and women empowerment in Early Warning Systems (EWS).

In 2005, following the effects of a tornado - a rare event in the region - the administration of Indaiatuba / SP / Brazil understands that resilience requires that all actions be aimed at human development, beyond the collective welfare.

Within the theme “Towards Sustainable Development: The Future of Disaster Risk Management”, the United National Disaster Risk Reduction Office in Colombia published the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 (GAR).

This month, the United States Agency for International Development/Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance Abroad (USAID/OFDA) newsletter highlights the programmes implemented in the field in Latin America, in collaboration with local programmes and in preparation for the hurricane season.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, today welcomed the UN General Assembly’s endorsement of a new global plan to reduce deaths and injuries, the numbers of people affected and economic losses arising from disasters. Ms. Wahlström said: “The UN General Assembly has moved quickly to endorse the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction which is a sign of strong political support to move ahead on implementation. It is also significant that it agreed a second resolution calling for the creation of an intergovernmental working group on indicators which will enable measurement of progress in achieving the targets over the next 15 years.”

The main objective of the May and June workshops is to contribute to the development and optimization of national development priorities that incorporate comprehensive disaster risk management in the framework of existing policies and with the support of international cooperation. These workshops are being held in Central America to discuss the strategic lines of the recently adopted Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 to 2030 (SFDRR) and its links with the priorities identified.

More than 80,000 people in the Dominican Republic will benefit from over $2.7 million in investment through the Disaster Preparedness Programme (DIPECHO) 2015-2016 to reduce the impact of natural hazards by preparing vulnerable populations and the strengthening of state institutions in disaster risk management issues.

The European Union has allocated 10 million dollars (9.33 million euros) for risk reduction activities in the Caribbean. Communities highly exposed to floods, hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes will benefit from disaster preparedness projects funded by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO), through its DIPECHO Programme (Disaster Preparedness ECHO). A total of 14 projects will be implemented in the region between 2015 and 2016 in order to reduce the vulnerability to natural hazards and to better prepare communities and authorities to respond to emergencies.

An invitation to the leaders of local governments to reaffirm their commitment to the sustainable and resilient development of their communities in disaster situations, in order to contribute to the development of their competencies (knowledge, skills, etc.) and management skills (organization, regulatory frameworks, etc.) on issues related to disaster risk reduction.

The Declaration of Guatemala, product of the “VII Meeting on International Mechanisms of Humanitarian Assistance (MIAH)”, included a reference to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR) as a global reference for comprehensive risk management on the post-2015 developmental agenda.

Prefeitura de Manaus. For the city of Manaus, Brazil, its participation in the campaign is seen as an opportunity to strengthen the work of reducing the risk that the municipality anticipates and to exchange experiences with stakeholders at national and international level.

Two and a half years after the impact of Hurricane Sandy in Santiago, the second most important province of Cuba, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Cuba in collaboration with the Faculty of Construction of the University of Oriente, developed the multimedia application "The Recovery of Santiago de Cuba after Hurricane Sandy " based on the premise that learning from this experience is key to strengthening resilience..

The British Virgin Islands; the States of Arkansas, Arizona, Nebraska and Connecticut; the USACE Kansas City and Seattle Districts; the Commonwealths of Kentucky and Pennsylvania; the Dixie County, Fla., Montgomery County, Md. and Saint Charles Parish, La.; and the Idaho State University Programs have earned accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP).

The ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness of Canada launched the first call for proposals within the CAD$ 200 million (approx. US$ 165 million) National Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP), as part of the Government’s commitment to build safer and more resilient communities.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon urged the presidents and heads of state of the Americas to continue their efforts to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and promote development, as he reiterated the commitment of the organization to accompany and support countries in meeting the challenge of further progress in the pursuit of prosperity, during the opening ceremony of the VII Summit of the Americas held in Panama City, Panama.

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, will meet this Friday with regional and national UN personnel based in Panama, to exchange ideas on the future of the organization and its impact on the development of the Americas, within the framework of his participation at the VII Summit of the Americas.

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, will meet this Friday with regional and national UN personnel based in Panama, to exchange ideas on the future of the organization and its impact on the development of the Americas, within the framework of his participation at the VII Summit of the Americas.

The Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (#WCDRR), is being hailed by participants as the first international meeting of its kind to provide a wide range of accessibility features for people living with disabilities. As a result, more than 200 persons with disabilities are actively participating in the Conference proceedings as delegates, speakers, panellists, and contributors. Thirty-four events from the Official Conference Programme and Public Forum address issues of disability. The five-day Conference closes today.

Representatives from 187 UN member States today adopted the first major agreement of the Post-2015 development agenda, a far reaching new framework for disaster risk reduction with seven targets and four priorities for action.

The Jury of the 2015 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction today said the work of this year’s winner – Allan Lavell – that he represents “A timeless model; a model for all times.” The Head of the Sasakawa Award Jury Prof. Dr. Murat Balamir said: “This personal performance is a perfect example of how grand achievements are possible with individual dedication, despite humble resources and grants. The enduring and most influential individual efforts of Mr. Lavell, in undertaking various roles in a multi-actor environment, make him a leader in the DRM community.”

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, today opened the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, stating that annual economic losses now exceed US$ 300 billion annually. “We can watch that number grow as more people suffer. Or we can dramatically lower that figure and invest the savings in development. Six billion dollars allocated each year can result in savings of up to US$360 billion by 2030, the Secretary-General said.

he Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Shinzo Abe, today pledged $US 4 billion to support implementation of the “Sendai Cooperation Initiative for Disaster Risk Reduction” over the next four years. Speaking at the opening of the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Abe said: “Disaster risk reduction is the most important challenge for both developed and developing countries. For developing countries in particular, where 90% of disaster victims are concentrated.”

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) today agreed to help pioneer a new ISO Standard in 45 cities already recognized for their commitment to keeping their citizens safe from a range of natural hazards including floods, storms and earthquakes. The new ISO standard for resilient and sustainable cities – ISO 37120 – is based on 100 indicators which steer and measure the performance of city services and quality of life. It is being implemented by the Toronto-based World Council on City Data (WCCD).

For the municipality of Nocaima, Cundinamarca - Colombia, participation in the campaign is an opportunity not only to raise awareness of our ongoing efforts against to build resilience in our population, but also an opportunity to share knowledge and actions to strengthen our work in Nocaima´s community.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today warned that “growing global inequality, increasing exposure to natural hazards, rapid urbanization and the overconsumption of energy and natural resources threaten to drive risk to dangerous and unpredictable levels with systemic global impacts.”

The judges of the 2015 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction have today announced their final short-list of three. The nominees are Allan Lavell, a disaster risk researcher and consultant based in Costa Rica; the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities; and the Jeffrey Town Farmers’ Association of Jamaica.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has designated the City of Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, as a Role Model City of the Making Cities Resilient campaign for its flood risk management practices. These include plans to retain over a million gallons of stormwater runoff through green infrastructure.

Margareta Wahlström, the UN Head of the Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) met yesterday with the Prime Minister of Japan Mr. Shinzo Abe in Tokyo and discussed with him the preparations for the next UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction that will be hosted by Japan in Sendai from 14 to 18 March. 

Peace Boat arrived in Callao port to receive proposals from Peruvian children and youngsters to be later taken to the III United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) to be held in Japan. Peace Boat's goal is to share experiences with Japan at a regional level, in order to promote commitments through the production of resilience for the next world conference.

Ten years ago this month, representatives from 168 United Nations member states met in Kobe, the capital of Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture, to decide how to manage risk better in the wake of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, which claimed more than 227,000 lives. Over five days, which included the anniversary of the 1995 Kobe earthquake, they crafted the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), composed of a raft of measures designed to “reduce the losses in lives and social, economic, and environmental assets of communities and countries.”

With the conviction that strengthening resilience is key to the sustainable development of the region, experts from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Honduras, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Japan will discuss proposals and challenges in this area, during the 86th Global Voyage organized by the Japanese NGO Peace Boat, arriving at ports of Valparaiso, Chile and Callao, Peru. The regional meeting is part of the international actions that are taking place in preparation for the Third United Nations World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (#WCDRR) to be held in Sendai, Japan, from 14 to 18 March, and will provide the opportunity for Latin America and Japan to share experiences on the advances and challenges in the region on both disaster risk reduction strengthening resilience from community level and involving all sectors.

The Latin America and Caribbean regional office of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), published the “Hazard-specific Disaster Risk Reduction Implementation Guide”, intended to guide analysis of which USAID/OFDA sectors and sub-sectors may be most relevant to reducing risk related to an identified hazard in the programme location. As set out in USAID/OFDA’s DRR conceptual framework, the broad context of the area exposed to a given natural hazard, and the capacities that exist within that area, will also serve to guide the development of appropriate DRR programmes.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), through its Regional Office for the Americas, published the ‘Proceedings of the Fourth Session of the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas,’ a document which includes among other things, the progress and challenges of the region in resilience building and disaster risk reduction, as well as key contributions to the new post-2015 disaster risk reduction framework, which will be approved during the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (Sendai, Japan, 14 to 18 March, 2015).

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) recognized the “Risk Management and Climate Change Information System (SIRE)” in Bogota, Colombia, and the “Civil Defence Information System (SIDS)” of Parana, Brazil as the most innovative in support of local development sensitive to disaster risk and climate change adaptation. They will be presented at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) to be held in Sendai, Japan from 14 to 18 March.

In its December newsletter, the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID/OFDA) highlights its disasters risk reduction (DRR) projects in vulnerable areas of Haiti, Peru, Jamaica and Colombia, which were recently awarded US$ 9.6 million.

As the year comes to an end, it is time to not only highlight this year´s achievements, but to assess the challenges, and draw a strategic course toward a historical 2015; where key events such as the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction will contribute to a new global framework for community resilience to be widely recognized as a priority for sustainable development, for which new objectives will be agreed in 2015, as will a global agreement regarding climate change.

Preventionweb is launching today the Guest Editorial titled "The importance of tsunami early warning systems for human security". This theme bears a very special connotation as exactly 10 years have passed since the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. As you know, in many places remembrance events will take place.

Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet, signed the bill that will replace the National Emergency Office by the National Risk and Emergency Management Service, which will be responsible for planning, coordinating, advising and supervising all institutions in this area.

The 2015 Sasakawa Award has generated a huge response with 88 nominations of individuals and organizations received from a remarkable 44 countries. And the four judges – from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania – have taken the first important step by announcing their first long list of 33 nominations that remain in contention for the prestigious award. The full list still under consideration is found below.

The IGNITE Stage is a special venue where WCDRR participants are allowed 15 minutes to present a disaster risk reduction topic, project or initiative. Its aim is to widen the array of topics that are discussed at the World Conference beyond those that are presented in the main sessions and events.

This space is dedicated to promote the work of the local governments participating in the Global Campaign "Making Cities Resilient: Mi City is Getting Ready". Every month, experiences on how local governments deal with risk management in the Americas will be presented.

The impact of disasters in Central America is growing despite government efforts to address disaster risk reduction. This is due, among other things, to the lack of investment and rapid population and urban growth. In countries like Panama, there is an increased risk of disasters primarily in provinces like Panama, Veraguas, Chiriqui, Colon and Cocle. A sustainable development approach could therefore reduce the impact of disasters in the region.

The High-Level Panel will reflect on how a range of financial mechanism could unlock action for building resilience by supporting the implementation of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA). The Panel will introduce opportunities to make financial resources available through dedicated funds, risk transfer mechanisms, national budget processes and providing incentives for private sector investments, and will examine the relevance of the post 2015 framework for disaster risk reduction as a support to guide implementation.

Financial accounting for disaster risk is an opportunity to strengthen national resilience, leaders from the public and private sector were told today. The Assistant Director of Risk from Colombia’s Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, Ms Sandra Lucero Rodriguez Samacá, said: “We have looked at risk as an opportunity. This means we are better prepared to face disasters.”

More than 50 experts in disaster reduction and management in the Caribbean will gather from October 16th to 17th in Montego Bay, Jamaica, to promote disaster risk reduction in the region through the exchange of knowledge and experiences.