GAR 2013 Main Report

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The third edition of the United Nations Global As- sessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction warns that the worst is yet to come.

This worrying news follows three consecutive years in which direct economic losses from disasters have soared past $100 billion. If uninsured losses were included, the figure would be even more staggering.

Based on a new state-of-the art global risk model, the report’s findings should raise concern among policymakers and businesses. In a world of on-go- ing population growth, rapid urbanization, climate change and an approach to investment that dis- counts disaster risk, the potential for future losses is enormous. The global community continues to mix a destructive ‘cocktail of disaster risk’ despite catastrophic losses in recent years from the Japan earthquake and tsunami, floods in Pakistan and Thailand and the destructive Super Storm Sandy.

At the same time, the report documents encourag- ing signs of progress. Public-private partnerships in risk management have proven their worth dur- ing several disasters, including the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Disaster risk management reduces uncertainty, builds confidence, cuts costs and creates value. More private sector senior executives are coming to recognize this. But growing recognition must be translated into a more systematic approach to disaster risk management that will make tomorrow’s world a safer place.

As we move towards building a new, more inclusive and ambitious post-Hyogo Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction for the period following 2015, I call on governments, civil society and, in particular, the private sector to strengthen their partnerships for a safer future.

I commend this report to leaders from the public and private sectors as well as civil society in the hopes that it will inspire all to redouble our collec- tive efforts to create and maintain resilient com- munities and nations.

Ban Ki-moon

Secretary-General of the United Nations

Foreword