By Denis McClean

GENEVA , 17 May 2019 - The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction closed today with a warning that not enough countries are yet putting in place national and local strategies to prevent future disasters and reduce the existing level of disaster losses.

While 116 UN Member States are reporting against the seven targets of the Sendai Framework, the global plan to reduce disaster losses, just 92 countries have reported putting these strategies in place to meet the 2020 deadline set out in target (e).

By Jovana Miocinovic

GENEVA, 17 May, 2019 - “If investors do not address disaster risk properly, their business performance will be directly affected,” stressed Sandra Wu, Board Member of UN Global Compact. “They have to understand that if they do not incorporate risk-informed investments, they will lose their business.”

This is the main message of the very well-attended third High-Level Dialogue held at the Global Platform 2019, which focused on risk-informed public and private investments.

GENEVA, 16 May 2019 – The Department of Civil Defence of Campinas, Brazil, the Mahila Housing Sewa Trust, India, and Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, Additional Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, are the three laureates of the 2019 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction. They have been recognised for initiatives which protect vulnerable communities from disaster risk.

By Jovana Miocinovic

A series of High Level Dialogues kicked off at the Global Platform yesterday with a discussion on progress made in implementing the global plan to reduce disaster losses, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

To date, 116 countries have started using the Sendai Framework Monitor to report against their progress on reaching the seven Sendai targets.

By Omar H. Amach

GENEVA, 16 May 2019 - The large-scale drop in disaster mortality in Bangladesh in recent times was due to a deliberate policy of promoting women's leadership in all sectors, a Special Session on Women Leadership was told yesterday at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.