International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is observed on October 13 every year. The day is a chance to recognize the progress made in addressing vulnerability to disasters and the loss of lives, economies, and health. Every year, the day honors people and communities all over the world who are working to reduce their vulnerability to disasters and raise awareness about the urgency of lowering the dangers they face. Disaster resilience in response to catastrophic weather events and other natural and man-made disasters requires international cooperation in the form of Official Development Aid (ODA) as well as capacity building.
HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is an annual event that urges citizens and governments to work together to make their communities and countries more disaster-resilient. As part of its declaration of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, the United Nations General Assembly established October 13 as the International Day for Natural Disaster Risk Reduction.
After the United Nations General Assembly called for a day to foster a global culture of risk awareness and catastrophe reduction, International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction was born in 1989.
In 2022, the General Assembly resolved to keep the yearly commemoration as a tool for promoting a global mindset of natural disaster mitigation, covering prevention and preparedness. The United Nations General Assembly resolved in 2009 to make October 13 the official date, and to rename it International Day for Disaster Reduction.
The international community was informed in 2015 at the third U.N. World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, that disasters strike worst at the local level, with the possibility of creating tremendous social and economic devastation. Every year, millions of people are displaced by sudden disaster outbreaks. Catastrophic events, many of which have been aggravated by global warming, have a detrimental influence on sustainable development investment and its desired outcomes.
Disasters significantly affect low- and middle-income countries, especially in terms of fatalities, the number of persons injured or displaced, and damage to key infrastructure. While other global problems might seem more pressing, hunger and poverty cannot be eradicated if we do not address disaster risk reduction.
