Scene from Codrington town in Barbuda after the category 5 hurricane in September 2017 (UN Photo/Rick Bajornas)

BONN, 17 October 2017 – The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, today announced that next year will see the start of worldwide monitoring of disaster losses from extreme weather events and earthquakes through the Bonn office of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). 

Speaking at the UN Campus in Bonn, Mr. Glasser said: “The accumulation of disasters over the last 12 months underlines how important this work is to understanding how we can prevent and mitigate disaster impacts and switch from disaster management to disaster risk management. We need to get better at identifying what works in reducing disaster losses if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and eradicate poverty, particularly given the impact of climate change.” 

Mr. Glasser continued: “The key task of the Bonn office will be to support governments as they report on progress in reducing loss of life, reducing the numbers of people affected by disasters, reducing economic losses and damage to critical infrastructure as agreed in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction which was adopted by UN Member States in 2015 and has a deadline of 2030.