Science and technology

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, May 31 - June 4, 2010 Volcanic risks are of great urban concern, as many settlements are situated on volcano flanks or in historic paths of mud and lava flows. COV6-Tenerife is an international forum where experts will discuss ways to improve volcanic risk management in densely populated volcanic regions. Henri Gaudru, President of the European Volcanologist Society, will present the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction as well as the 2010-11 World Disaster Reduction Campaign “Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready” at the meeting.

With more than half the world’s population living in urban areas, cities are particularly vulnerable to the risks of natural hazards, such as earthquakes, drought and floods. To strengthen a city’s readiness to reduce disaster impacts, the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction is launching this Sunday, 30 May 2010 in Bonn, Germany, a new campaign to raise awareness and boost commitment for sustainable development practices that will increase a city’s well-being and safety.

These good practices show how building the capacity of local institutions is key to sustaining disaster risk reduction, and demonstrate the immediate impact of local and national political commitments that institutionalise disaster risk reduction. Collaboration between local and national governments, civil society organizations and international agencies is another notable strength of the initiatives showcased in this publication.

Internationally renowned scientists and engineers will converge on the University of Miami campus March 22-23 for a workshop dedicated to rebuilding the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in ways that make it less vulnerable to damage from future earthquakes and other hazards. View full story ->

UNISDR is pleased to share its Management Response to the second external evaluation of the secretariat. The Management Response sets out the process and main activities to implement recommendations arising from the evaluation carried out by Dalberg Global Development Advisers. Initiated by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and major UNISDR donors, the evaluation’s purpose was to assess the secretariat’s performance over the last four years and to provide guidance for UNISDR's future direction. The independent report presents 42 recommendations based on 25 findings, which are summarized in five key messages included in the executive summary. > View executive summary > View full report > View management response

‘Tsunami Revisited’ is a documentary on the EC funded project 'Building Resilience to Tsunamis in the Indian Ocean Region in response to the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004. UNISDR was appointed to manage the project by coordinating, supervising and monitoring the actions of a number of partner organisations in four target countries: India, Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will air the programme at the following times: BBC World News broadcast - Sat 26/12/09 00:30 / 03:30 / 09:30 / 22:30 GMT - Sun 27/12/09 12:30 GMT

The UNISDR secretariat Biennial Work Programme was developed following the second session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in June 2009. It is based on the role and mandate of UNISDR as set by the UN General Assembly. The strategic direction for the 2010-2011 biennium is derived from the outcomes of the Global Platform and from regional consultations. The current programme has been further shaped through broad consultation with the ISDR Support Group in Geneva, donors, the ISDR Inter-Agency Group and other partners. View full story Related links UNISDR secretariat Biennial Work Programme: 2010-2011

UNISDR Briefing note 2 This note reports on examples of recent experience in eight countries where national and local governments and civil society participants have worked to strengthen their disaster risk reduction and adaptation actions. These cases