Essay on “International Day for Disaster Reduction” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

International Day for Disaster Reduction

2^nd Wednesday of October

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

In 2001, the General Assembly decided to maintain the observance of the Day on the second Wednesday of October as a vehicle to promote a global culture of natural disaster reduction, including disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness.

The theme of the International Day for Disaster Reduction and campaign for 2006 “Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School” highlights the need to keep our children safe and to involve them directly in our work to strengthen disaster preparedness

International Disaster Reduction Day provides an important opportunity to remember that prevention, mitigation and preparedness are the key elements in reducing the loss of life, suffering and material damage caused by disasters. In order to reduce the world’s vulnerability to natural disasters, we must establish new partnerships that draw together stakeholders from all levels of society, across  different regions, sectors and disciplines. Government, academic and  scientific communities, NGOs, international organizations, local communities and the media are essential players in promoting safety measures. The concerted efforts of all these stakeholders are essential to building a culture of disaster resilience.

Primarily, we need to educate people — in particular, young people — about disasters and their far-reaching implications on our life. To mitigate the risks stemming from natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, windstorms, landslides, volcanic eruptions, droughts and wildfires, people must be informed of dangers and the protective measures available, and tutored on the skills of prevention and resilience.

In June 2006 UNESCO launched a world wide campaign on education entitled “Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School”. The campaign aims to promote disaster reduction education in school curricula and to improve school safety by encouraging the application of strict construction standards.

Disaster reduction initiatives should be rooted in schools and in educational programmes, but also in social community programmes and activities. In this way, societies can assure the basic, practical knowledge that communities must have in order to confront the dangers of natural disasters and to survive them with the least possible loss to human life.

International Disaster Reduction Day, which is in vogue since 1990, is certainly of special concern to developing countries, and the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-2010, inscribes disaster reduction among its priorities. However, recent events have shown that all societies are vulnerable to natural hazards. In this sense, International Disaster Reduction Day is both a reminder of the common challenges faced by humankind, and a call for determined and sustained common action by the international community to meet them.

Major Objectives

1. To promote a shift from a mentality of response to disasters to one qmanagement of risks

In many countries around the world, disaster management and training are mainly seen as part of the short-term preparedness International Day for Disaster Reduction… 201 for responding to the impact of a natural hazard on a community. Response activities will always be needed; they are essential but rely, by essence, on the existence of damage and of victims. Disaster prevention, on the contrary, is a long-term activity that prevents the occurrence of the disaster itself by the utilization of basic policies and techniques such as land-use planning, hazard mapping and vulnerability indicators. Disaster reduction therefore protects vulnerable communities against the impact of disasters, but necessitates a shift in mentality that can be best achieved through early education of young generations for a better understanding of both natural hazards and the way to prevent disastrous impact on societies.

2. To promote stronger commitment to incorporate disaster reduction in education curricula

Education and young people are powerful forces for change. The whole educational system, including schools and universities, may contribute to modify mentalities, perceptions and behaviours, in particular with regard to the protection of our planet against the outburst of natural elements. Disaster reduction has been gradually integrated into education curricula and awareness-raising programmes; but a lot still needs to be done to fully empower younger generations to take the necessary measures to reduce the vulnerability of their communities to natural hazards, and to learn to live with risk. Disaster reduction must be incorporated as an integral part of major education programmes from the very first stages of education, particularly in disaster prone countries.

3. To promote greater participation of youth in disaster reduction activities

Young people are concerned about ensuring a better quality of life. They are at the top of their learning capacities. We should capitalize on this force for change, and encourage their enthusiasm and idealism to spur action and move it in the right direction. Young people should be allowed direct participation in the decision-making process for the protection of their environment, and be given the opportunity to develop their own sense of responsibility.

Secretary-General Message

Following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message for International Day for Disaster Reduction, which is observed on 11 October:

“Our world is more vulnerable to hazards than ever before. The number of lives lost in disasters is rising steadily. The economic cost of disasters is rising even faster. Yet, we, as a community of nations, remain relatively passive. There is a growing awareness that what used to be called “natural” disasters are not so natural as they might appear. Indeed, the community of professionals dedicated to the reduction of disasters has now dropped the word “natural” altogether. The Professionals’ message is clear. One can easily deduce that the main cause of rising losses is uncontrolled human activity.

At the most dramatic level, human activities are changing the natural balance of the earth, interfering as never before, with the atmosphere, the oceans, the polar ice caps, the forest cover and the thousand natural pillars that make our world a livable home.

New technologies make it possible to provide us sufficient power to achieve economic progress without gross interference with the earth’s vital ecosystems. There are also technologies that can reduce risk in earthquake-prone areas. In addition, planning tools and forecasting technology can help mitigate the devastation regularly wrought by floods.

Nevertheless, those tools and technologies are too seldom used to help the poorest and most vulnerable that makes up the silent majority of the world’s disaster victims. Unless we learn to take, the tools and technologies already developed in universities and research centers in various parts of the world, and apply them in the world’s vulnerable communities, the prognosis will only be the pampering of the undeserved human ego.

The international community has adopted an International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, which is a three-way alliance between the United Nations, regional groupings and civil society. This strategy, which is still in its infancy, offers some hope for a growing and coordinated global effort to roll back the tide of disasters.

However, new efforts are also required. Two constituencies need urgently to be brought to the table: women- and young people. If given a voice, they could give political weight to a cause that has hitherto been too technocratic. Many of the technocratic solutions are already available. As powerful forces for change, women and young people across the world can help these solutions reach the communities that need them most.”

Learning to Live with Risk

The theme of this year’s International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction is, “Learning To Live With Risk” and it aims to provide practical examples of how educational activities and public awareness can help societies be less vulnerable to natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, droughts and landslides. The theme reflects the 2005 World Disaster Reduction Campaign in the lead up to the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) as well as the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) showing the importance of learning in disaster reduction to raise public awareness and understand in relation to past experience, share information as well as conduct educational services.

According to a recent study, Asia and the Pacific is the region most severely affected by natural disasters. Water-related disasters affected over 1,500 million people. The floods caused a total flood damage of over US$ 110 billion during the last decade. Lately, in this year, the floods in Bangladesh, China and India have killed more than a thousand people and affected over 100 million people in these three countries. These floods have caused economic damage of several US$ billion.

Education,. professional training, and the exchange of information are one of the most powerful forces to cut disaster risk. Knowledge, management, education and the building of a culture of resilient communities are an efficient way to learn how to live with the risk of natural disasters.

Knowledge management can include the following topics:

• Education for sustainable development – disaster risk reduction in schools
• Disaster risk reduction at university and postgraduate levels
• Research agendas
• Training: formal and informal (community action)
• Media and disaster risk reduction – public awareness raising tools
• The voice of the civil society in disaster risk reduction

Natural Disasters and Sustainable Development

The challenge of coping with disasters and the need to integrate disaster reduction into sustainable development planning, must number among our major concerns. Natural disasters result in loss of lives, serious economic damage and severe impacts on the social conditions. However, natural disasters have received very little contemplation in development policies, especially policies towards alleviating poverty. For more information on the ranking of countries in the Asia and Pacific, please see the attached Disaster Risk Index of Selected Countries in the Asia Pacific as well as the UNDP Human Development Indicators and Environmental Sustainability Index.

The UN Resolution on IDNDR (42nd General Assembly, 1987) says, in particular, that the effect of natural disasters may severely damage the delicate economic infrastructure of developing countries, especially the least developed landlocked and island countries, and thus impede their development. According to the World Commission on Environment and Development Report (Brundtland Report) in 1987, sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.