Geneva Press Club invites all press to introduce the Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

Countries around the world have incurred massive and costly damage in the first quarter of 2011 alone, including (among others) US$300 billion as a result of Great East Japan Earthquake; US$8.5 billion from the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand; and US$9.5 billion from the floods in Australia, perhaps a foreshadowing of what to expect in the year ahead. UNISDR and the Swiss government invite all media based in Geneva to attend a press conference where they will be briefed on the expected outcomes of the Global Platform.

For more information contact:

Brigitte Leoni, Acting Head of Communications, UNISDR (Geneva).Phone: +41 229178897 or +41 794445262. Email: leonib@un.org.
Anita Gordon, Communications officer, World Bank. Phone: (Washington) 202-473-1799, (Cell) 202-436-4791. Email: agordon@worldbank.org

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Press conference
Venue: The Geneva Press Club (Club Suisse de la presse), Route de Ferney 106 - 1202 Genève GE
Time: 28 April 2011 at 11 am.

Speakers:
Margareta Wahlstrom, Special representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Disaster Reduction.
Toni Frisch, Ambassador, Deputy Director General, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
Ms. Selina Jackson, Special Representative to the UN and the WTO, the World Bank