International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction is annually observed on the second Wednesday of October to
raise the profile of disaster risk reduction. It also encourages people
and governments to participate in building more resilient communities
and nations.
What do people do?
Activities for the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
usually include media announcements about launches for campaigns that
center on the day's theme. Governments and communities also take part in
the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction through various
events such as drawing, drama, essay or photography competitions that
focus on making people aware of natural disaster reduction and
increasing their preparedness for such situations. Other activities
include: community tree planting; conferences, fairs and seminars; and
street parades.
Public life
The International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction is a global observance and not a public holiday.
Background
Many people around the world have lost their lives, homes or access
to essential facilities, such as hospitals, due to natural disasters,
including earthquakes, droughts, tsunamis, heavy flooding, hurricanes or
cyclones. Some of these disasters have caused economic damage to some
countries. The UN acknowledges that education, training, and information
exchanges are effective ways to help people become better equipped in
withstanding natural disasters.
On December 22, 1989, the UN General Assembly designated the second
Wednesday of October as the International Day for Natural Disaster
Reduction. This event was to be observed annually during the
International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, 1990-1999. On
December 20, 2001, the assembly decided to maintain the observance to
promote a global culture of natural disaster reduction, including
disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness.
Symbols
The UN logo is often associated with marketing and promotional
material for this event. It features a projection of a world map (less
Antarctica) centered on the North Pole, inscribed in a wreath consisting
of crossed conventionalized branches of the olive tree. The olive
branches symbolize peace and the world map depicts the area of concern
to the UN in achieving its main purpose, peace and security. The
projection of the map extends to 60 degrees south latitude, and includes
five concentric circles.
Contributed by Anastasia Streltsova
Some facts about this holiday:
ReplyDeleteThe theme of the 2012 International Day for Disaster Reduction is "Women and Girls - the Visible Force of Resilience".
Women and girls have the right to fully contribute to steady development through disaster risk reduction, particularly in such areas as: environmental and natural resource management; urban and land use planning; social and economic planning.
Link: http://www.un.org/en/events/disasterreductionday/
The International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction is commemorated annually on 13 October. The objective of the observance is to raise awareness of how people are taking action to reduce their risk to disasters. The theme of the 2012 International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) is “Women and Girls – the Visible Force of Resilience”.
ReplyDeleteWomen and girls are often at the forefront of disasters, and amongst the most affected as they ensure the safety of family members before their own. Post-disaster, they are also the ones who often take on the responsibility and create the foundation of rebuilding their families and communities. As mothers, community leaders, teachers, activists, law makers, social workers and role models, women are invaluable in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation processes if sustainable community resilience and disaster reduction are to be achieved.
The experience, knowledge and expertise of women and girls are critical to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies and processes. Studies show household adaptation measures are more likely to take root if women are included in processes from the beginning to end and it is essential that women and girls are actively involved in policy, planning and implementation processes for disaster reduction.