The International Day for Disaster Reduction takes place on 13 October within the framework of the UNISDR Disaster Reduction Campaign 2010-2011 “Making cities resilient”.

About the International Day for Disaster Reduction

On 22 December 1989 the UN General Assembly designated by resolution 44/236the second Wednesday of October as International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. The International Day was to be observed annually during the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, 1990-1999.

In 2001, the UN General Assembly decided to maintain the observance of the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction on the second Wednesday of October (resolution 56/195 of 21 December 2001), as a vehicle to promote a global culture of natural disaster reduction, including disaster prevention, intervention and recovery.

By resolution 64/200 of 21 December 2009 the General Assembly decided to designate 13 October as the date to commemorate the Day and to change the Day's name to International Day for Disaster Reduction.

In celebration of the International Day for Disaster Reduction 2010 which coincides with the tenth anniversary of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), the UNISDR secretariat is organizing an event with Geneva officials, the International Community in Geneva, as well as high level representatives of UN partner agencies and organisations, and the private sector, which will together:

• Acknowledge the 10th Anniversary of ISDR and the role of all partners in advancing efforts towards reducing disaster risk through implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action by 2015;
• Support the current ISDR Campaign to more actively protect cities against disasters by joining the “Making Cities Resilient Campaign” though compliance with the “Ten Essentials Checklist”, and
• Convey a special appeal to the private sector to commit to the “Ten Essentials” that will be presented at the next Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction in May 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland.

GRF Davos as an official partner will participate in this splendid event, represented by Dr. Walter Ammann, President GRF Davos.

The Disaster Reduction Campaign 2010

Many cities have been disrupted this year by disasters: earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, China and New Zealand; floods and heavy rainfallsrain falls in Pakistan, Eastern Europe, Mozambique and other parts of Africa; forest fires in Russia; and volcanic eruptions in Indonesia and Iceland. All have caused huge human suffering and economic and environmental losses.

The 2010-2011 World Disaster Reduction Campaign "Making Cities Resilient" , was launched at the IDRC Davos 2010. The campaign addresses issues of local governance and urban risk while drawing upon previous ISDR Campaigns on safer schools and hospitals, as well as on the sustainable urbanizations principles developed in the UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign 2009-2013. UNISDR will encourage more mayors and local governments to join the 118 cities that have already signed up to the international "Making Cities Resilient" campaign.

Is your city ready? Get involved, reduce risk, get your city ready!


Further Information:

International Day for Disaster Reduction

More information on „Making Cities resilient“