Press release

90% of the world's earthquakes occur in the Pacific Ring of Fire. It requires special when it comes to disaster risk management, says UNISDR chief Mami Mizutori.

This year's run of disaster events worldwide confirms the long term trend of the last forty years which has seen a doubling in the number of recorded extreme weather events which now regularly account for 90% of disasters caused by natural hazards notably floods, storms, drought, landslides and wildfires.

“We owe it to those who have lost their lives in Greece and elsewhere to step up efforts on wildfire suppression and prevention," says UNISDR head, Mami Mizutori.

The lessons learned from this week's floods and landslides in Japan and other similar events need to be applied if we are to succeed in reducing loss of life and the numbers of people affected by disasters.

The Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction closed today with the adoption of the Ulaanbataar Declaration, agreement on a two year plan of action and the news that Australia will host the next Conference in 2020.

PRESS RELEASE: The Prime Minister of Mongolia, Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, urged participants at the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to make progress on reducing disaster losses in the world's most disaster-prone region in his keynote address on the opening day.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today welcomed Thimphu, the capital of earthquake-prone Bhutan, as the newest member of the Making Cities Resilient Campaign.

Governments from the world’s most disaster-prone region will meet in Mongolia in July to discuss acceleration of efforts vital for the sustainable future of the region including how to prevent disasters and tackle climate change while reviewing progress in reducing disaster losses.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today welcomed the creation of a Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems Checklist as a major contribution to saving lives in an age of increasing exposure to extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 will be three years old on March 18 as the first cycle of reporting gets underway.