Recognise the strength of women and girls in reducing disaster risks

"Nations and communities cannot become resilient and reduce disaster related risks if they ignore half of their population, comprising of women and girls. All efforts are needed to put women and girls at the centre of disaster risk reduction policies and action," writes Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam on the pages of DTi News.

Ms Mehta argues that in order to ensure women’s active involvement and participation in disaster risk reduction, it is essential to address the representation issue by formalizing the membership of the Women’s Union at all levels in the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control in Vietnam and to increase the number of female members in the Committees for Flood and Storm Control at all levels to a minimum of 30 percent.

Vietnam will observe the UN International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) on October 13. The theme of this year's IDDR is "Women and Girls, the [in]Visible Force of Resilience”.