Media

Press Release

UN Secretary-General warns: “World threatened by dangerous and unacceptable levels of risk from disasters”
[English - PDF 439KB]

Global economic losses from disasters up to $300 billion every year, warns UN report, calling for higher investment in risk reduction strategies [UN Department of Public Information]
[English - PDF 90KB]

EU welcomes progress shown on Disaster Risk Reduction by UN Report ahead of Sendai World Conference [EUROPEAN COMMISSION - WEB RELEASE]
[English - PDF 151KB]

The GAR at a Glance

Fact Sheets
[Arabic - PDF 1.9 MB]
[English - PDF 1.5 MB]
[Chinese - PDF 1.7 MB]
[French - PDF 1.5 MB]
[Spanish - PDF 1.5 MB]
[Russian - PDF 1.5 MB]
[Japanese - PDF 2.2 MB]

#GAR15 Tweets

Official launch

The fourth edition of this biennial publication, titled "Making development sustainable: The future of disaster risk reduction" examines whether the way in which disaster risk governance has evolved is appropriate to address increasingly accelerated generation and accumulation of disaster risks.

As the HFA draws to a close, GAR15 questions whether the way in which disaster risk governance has been approached under the HFA is really fit for purpose in a world threatened by catastrophic increases in disaster risk. In GAR15, new evidence on contemporary patterns and trends in disaster risk will be presented to assess to what extent the Expected Outcome of the HFA has been achieved or not.
The conclusion will show how disaster risk management can contribute to the transformation of the underlying drivers of risk, and why a reform of disaster risk governance is necessary.

Programme of official launch - New York

Wednesday, 4 March 2015, 11-12.30 am Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations Headquarters, New York
11:00 – 11:30 am
Welcome remarks by H.E. Mr. Gustavo Meza Cuadra, Permanent Representative of Peru to the United Nations
Remarks by H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations
Introductory remarks to GAR15 by Ms Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR
Overview of the key findings of the 2015 Global Assessment Report Making Development Sustainable: The Future of Disaster Risk Management by Mr. Andrew Maskrey, Lead Author and Head of the Risk Knowledge, UNISDR

Remarks by H.E. Mr. Ahmed Sareer, Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations

11:30 – 12:30 am
Invitation to panellists to join the podium by Ms Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR
Remarks by Mr Thibault Devanlay, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of the European Union to the United Nations – TBC Remarks by Ambassador Alfonso E. Lenhardt, Acting Administrator, USAID – TBC

Remarks by Mr Magdy Martinez-Soliman, Assistant Administrator and Director Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP – TBC
Remarks by Mr Albert Binger, Energy Science Advisor at the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre
Interactive discussion, moderated by Ms Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR

Watch the video

Launch of the Global Assessmenr Report
[full video - 1:43:47]

Ban Ki-moon, launch of the Global Assessmenr Report
[video - 6:59]

UN Secretary-General remarks [English]

Programme of official launch - London

Thursday, 5 March 2015, 10-12pm The Royal Society, London

Welcome by Chair, Professor Sir John Skehel, Vice President of the Royal Society

Opening remarks by Ms Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR

Overview of the key findings of the 2015 Global Assessment Report Making Development Sustainable: The Future of Disaster Risk Management by Mr. Andrew Maskrey, Lead Author and Head of the Risk Knowledge, UNISDR
Introduction to Panel Discussion by Professor Virginia Murray, Consultant in Global Disaster Risk Reduction, Public Health England and Vice-Chair of UNISDR Science and Technical Advisory Group

Panel discussion with:
Sir Mark Walport, Government Chief Scientific Adviser
Professor David Satterthwaite, International Institute for Environment and Development
Mr Robert Muir-Wood, Risk Management Solutions
Remarks by Mr Ian Clark, Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, European Commission and Mr Roberto Ridolfi, Directorate-General for Development and Co-operation, European Commission (tbc)

Closing remarks by Professor Virginia Murray and Ms Margareta Wahlström

Programme of official launch - Sendai
Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction

Sunday 15 March 12:00 - 13:30
Venue: Sendai International Centre Room N°: Main Hall See Map

The session will introduce the 2015 Global Assessment of Disaster Risks Report (GAR) and provide an update on global risk trends and patterns based on results from the first ever probabilistic risk assessment covering the world. Participants will be informed about current and emerging risks and projected economic losses associated with exposure and vulnerability to hazards, including cyclones, earthquakes, floods, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic ash. In addition, there are new findings on drought risk with a focus on Africa. The session will explore how to ensure effective loss and impact data collection - the evidence-base for the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction. Accessible: No Live broadcast available: No Access: Open to Conference participants, on a first-come, first-serve basis

See Event Details