WFP: Disaster risk reduction crucial for meeting future hunger challenges

Rome/Tokyo– The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will attend the third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) 14-18 March in Sendai, Japan.

What: Countries are convening in Sendai to produce a new framework, which will define donor priorities, commitments and funding for the coming decade. It is a crucial element of the post-2015 development and humanitarian agenda.

Why WFP:  Disasters drive hunger.  With natural disasters on the increase, helping communities reduce and manage the risks they face is fundamental. More than 80 per cent of hungry people live in disaster-prone areas and in degraded environments that multiply the damage that disasters create.

“Disasters increase food insecurity and malnutrition by destroying land, livestock, crops and food supplies. Food insecure and malnourished people, particularly the poor and vulnerable, experience the most detrimental impact from recurrent disasters, which create a cycle that traps them in chronic hunger and poverty. Over the next ten years, the entire global community must commit to helping these people avoid or recover quickly from disasters.”  Ertharin Cousin, WFP Executive Director

Who: Those attending include heads of states, government ministers, disaster and climate change experts, UN and international agencies and civil society groups. WFP will be represented by Executive Director Ertharin Cousin (14-15 March), Deputy Executive Director Amir Abdulla, and the Chief of Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction Programmes Richard Choularton (13-18 March).  They will be available for interviews upon request.