International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR): Call for blog contributions
Geneva - The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) is launching a blog ahead of International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR), which will be celebrated on 13 October. The theme of this year’s edition of IDDR is traditional, indigenous or local knowledge and its role in helping communities manage and reduce the risks posed by natural and man-made hazards. The blog will be hosted on UNISDR’s dedicated IDDR website.
The goal is to provide insights in a way that is accessible to a non-expert audience. UNISDR are looking for thought-provoking posts on a range of themes, including how knowledge may help with early warnings; the physical protection of the community from hazards such as floods, heatwaves and earthquakes; the education of the community about the principles of disaster risk reduction and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction; improving disaster preparedness; better disaster response; and building back better after a disaster.
Examples could range from how local masons are trained to use traditional materials and methods to make buildings earthquake-proof, to traditional tsunami warning systems, or how songs help pass on disaster knowledge to future generations, or community-led initiatives that protect lives and assets, such as building embankments.
The ideal tone for a blog post is relaxed and non-institutional, but informative. First-person posts are welcome. The target length is 400-500 words, but will more or less will be readily taken as well.
There are no fixed deadlines, but with IDDR coming soon, UNISDR is aiming to gather a good range of blogs posts from mid-September onwards.
Posts should be submitted to iddr2015@un.org, accompanied by a brief biographical note about the blogger, and a head-shot or similar photograph. Posts can be in any UN language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish).