World Vision celebrates progress on Int. Disaster Reduction Day

The International Day for Disaster Reduction, celebrated on Oct. 13 each year, serves as a way to promote a global culture of preparedness in an effort to prevent, mitigate and reduce the impact of disasters that do occur. This year, the international community is celebrating the strides that have been made by individuals and entire communities to reduce their risks of being affected by a disaster as well as a continued drive to raise awareness about the importance of Disaster Risk Reduction.

SECOND ARAB CONFERERNCE ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

In September, World Vision delegates from the local, regional and global offices attended the Second Arab Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt.  The conference brought together Arab Governments, policy makers and scholars as well as representatives from the United Nations and civil society to review the progress of Disaster Risk Reduction efforts and also to provide regional recommendations on a new 10-year Global Disaster Risk Reduction framework which will be adopted in March 2015. More information on the sessions and outcomes of the conference is available here.  

During the conference, World Vision was able to use our programming experiences and expertise to contribute to the following sessions: urban resilience in the Arab region; community-based early warning systems and informal safety nets in the Somalia resilience programme, and the role of civil society organisations in Disaster Risk Reduction. Children and youth also share their thoughts about disasters, climate change and conflict, through a compilation of consultations done with 1,800 children across nine countries. This last session was led by World Vision.  This regional and global initiative on Children and Youth on Disaster Risk Reduction was led by the Children in a Changing Climate Coalition (CCCC), of which World Vision is a member.

WORLD VISION, A LEADER IN DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

As part of its long-term community development goals, World Vision helps reduce the risk of disasters, where possible, and strengthen the capacities to be able to respond to emergencies when they do occur by working with community disaster management committees, training volunteers and building the equipping local government authorities, in line with the National Disaster Management Strategy.

By adopting the ‘Sharm El Sheik Declaration’ the countries in the Middle East and North Africa Region have committed to developing and implementing policies to further reduce the risks of disaster, including agreeing to work with civil society organisations like World Vision. 

In 2015, when the new 10-year Disaster Risk Reduction framework is ready to be adopted, World Vision will play a key role in ensuring its implementation through our long-term development and emergency response programmes.