Switzerland hosts the international conference on disaster risk reduction in Geneva
Bern - Natural and man-made disasters are occurring with increasing frequency. To alleviate suffering, preparedness is becoming ever more important. Switzerland is currently hosting, from 19 to 23 May 2012, the Fourth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva. The President of the Confederation, Ueli Maurer, opened the conference. It is being chaired by the director-general of the SDC, Martin Dahinden. About 2,500 specialists from around the world have travelled to Geneva for the event, which is organised by UNISDR, the United Nations agency for disaster risk reduction. The main aims of the conference are to strengthen disaster risk reduction in development aid and to consider future policy following the expiry of the Hyogo Framework for Action in 2015.
Natural disasters and man-made incidents regularly threaten men and women, their environment and food supplies. They have severe repercussions on development activities, in particular in fragile countries. They can also cause considerable material damage and loss of human life in industrialised countries. Effects linked to climate change, chaotic urbanisation and environmental degradation are among the factors that increase the risks of disasters and threaten entire populations.
The Fourth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Geneva this week, brings together high-level government representatives and representatives of local authorities and NGOs, specialists from universities and technical institutes, private sector representatives, as well as parliamentarians and mayors from around the world. A total of 165 countries will be represented. Under the aegis of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), the participants are sharing experiences in this field, aware of the importance of measures to prevent and prepare for natural and man-made incidents. The aims of the conference are in particular to strengthen strategies and practices to reduce risk throughout the world, to link this issue to development policies, and to consider a follow-up to the Hyogo Framework for Action – the reference instrument in this field – which expires in 2015.
Switzerland, which is hosting the event for the fourth consecutive time, was represented at the opening ceremony by the President of the Confederation, Ueli Maurer. In his speech, he spoke about Switzerland’s extensive experience in the management of natural and technological risks. He emphasised the interest of other States in becoming more deeply involved in this field while underlining the importance of global cooperation and the need to address its economic, political and social dimensions. He also pointed out that disaster risk reduction was a priority area of the programmes of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). On the subject of the expiry of the Hyogo Framework for Action in 2015, President Maurer spoke out in favour of a second international regime that would enable the efforts undertaken since 2005 to be continued and their implementation to be strengthened.
Ambassador Martin Dahinden, who chaired the conference, echoed these proposals. The Director-General of the SDC reminded the conference that humankind cannot escape risks but that they can be controlled if they are well understood. He stressed the importance of involving local communities and the private sector in the development of risk prevention policies. Integrating such stakeholders would enable States to lay solid foundations for addressing unforeseeable events and prevent technical incidents both at the local and national levels. Finally, Switzerland paid tribute to the exemplary commitment of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlstöm, and the UNISDR.
In addition, the conference enabled Geneva, which is home to the UNISDR headquarters, to strengthen its status as the world centre of competence on questions of disaster risk reduction.