Disasters getting worse as 1.35m people killed in 20 years-UN report

Disasters getting worse as 1.35m people killed in 20 years-UN report

As the World marks the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, a new UN report  on  global mortality rates and the inter-relation between poverty and death shows over 7,000 disasters resulted in the death of 1.35 million people globally, over the twenty year period between 1996 – 2015.

Sadly too, 2016 will replace 2015 as the hottest year on record. That can only increase the challenges facing low- and middle-income countries trying to implement the global plan for reducing mortality and disaster losses, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, adopted by all UN member States in March 2015.
The first target of the Sendai Framework is to save lives. And that is the theme of this year’s International Day for Disaster Reduction on 13 October.

Kenya marks International Day for Disaster Reduction 2016

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) shows that Earthquakes and tsunamis are the biggest killers overall, followed closely by climate related disasters.

The number of weather- and climate related disasters more than doubled over the past forty years.

Evidence is mounting that 2016 will replace 2015 as the hottest year on record. This can only increase the challenges facing low- and middle-income countries trying to implement the 15-year global plan for reducing mortality and disaster losses, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, adopted by all UN member States in 2015.

The Sendai Framework aims for the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries.

Kenya to access US$150m World Bank disaster kitty- official

There are still far too many lives being lost in predictable events because of failures to deploy early warning systems, strengthen building codes, learn lessons from past events and to grasp the growing threat of climate change and its impact on extreme weather events including storms, floods and drought.

The 2016 edition of the International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) that will be celebrated on Thursday 13 October 2016, marks the launch of the new “Sendai Seven” campaign, to promote each of the seven targets of the Sendai Framework adopted in Sendai, Japan in March 2015.

A report  on global mortality rates and the inter-relation between poverty and death will be launched on this day. The report, published by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) shows that whereas people from high income countries suffer huge economic losses in disasters, people in low income countries pay with their lives – 90% of disaster deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.

The United Nations General Assembly designated 13 October as the date to celebrate and to promote a global culture of risk-awareness.  Since it began 25 years ago, IDDR, has grown into a major event that celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face.

International Day for Disaster Reduction marked in Nanyuki, Kenya

 

Hits: 990
Share