For more information
Please contact:
Brigitte Leoni
Media Relations
Tel: +41 22 917 8897
leonib@un.org
www.unisdr.org
PRESS RELEASE
UNISDR 2009/5
Monday 18 May 2009
Gulf States highly committed to reduce disaster risk
Bahrain- The Kingdom of Bahrain and Gulf States’ countries renewed their commitment towards
reducing disaster risk at national and regional level and proposed a number of initiatives and
partnerships that will better protect people against disasters in the Gulf region, during the launch of
the United Nations first Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction yesterday (Sunday)
in Bahrain.
Speakers and participants at this landmark event were unanimous that Gulf States are far from
immune to catastrophe and more action is needed now to face weather related hazards that already
represent more than 90 per cent of world disasters.
Drought and rising sea levels are among the major weather related disasters threatening the region:
earthquake risk is also very high.
The Secretary-General of Gulf Cooperation Council, H.E Abdulrahman Hamad Al Attiya,
announced that a new regional disaster management center will be established in Kuwait to enhance
cooperation on disaster risk reduction and management among Gulf States.
UN Messenger of Peace, HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, a compelling advocate of the
imperative to reduce human suffering caused by disasters, called for the introduction of urgent and
practical measures to review hospital and school safety worldwide leading to a structural
assessment of all schools and hospitals. This is a practice already adopted in Dubai, with surveys of
the first 50% of the buildings to be completed during next year and the remainder by the end of
2011.
Her Highness also recommended to move the disaster risk reduction agenda forward and proposed
that at least ten percent (10%) of humanitarian aid and one percent (1%) of development
investments should be allocated to disaster risk reduction measures.
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon thanked the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain,
and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting the launch of the
Report. He applauded the region’s pioneering role in placing disaster risk reduction efforts in the
context of adapting to climate change. Based on the conclusions of the Report, he urged more
governments to invest in disaster risk reduction and place climate change adaptation and poverty
reduction even further up national agendas.
2
Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General for the World Meteorological Organisation called for collective
action at international, regional and national level to ensure that vital climate information is
available to decision makers and operationally appropriate. He noted that the upcoming Third
World Climate Conference in Geneva in August, offers another opportunity to raise the issue.
Ibrahim Osman, Deputy Secretary General for the International Federation of the Red Cross and
Red Crescent stressed the importance and the role of community based organisations in preparing
and persuading people to adopt priorities and practices which reduce disaster impacts.
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Margareta Wahlstrom said: “Unveiling
the Global Assessment Report in Bahrain has added an important dimension to the risk reduction
imperative across the whole Arab region. The various initiatives and activities proposed are
substantive, also with global application. In the lead up to the Copenhagen Climate Change
conference (December 2009), the launch of this landmark Report has proved a pivotal event in
focusing world attention on the causes and consequences of disaster.”
The Report recommends 20 actions to reduce risks that will be considered in detail at the
forthcoming Second Session of the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction, to be held in
Geneva, 16-19 June 2009.
Notes for Editors
1.
The full Report and related documentation is available via: www.preventionweb.net/gar09.
2.
The Report is a collective effort of the ISDR partnership, including the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the ProVention Consortium,
regional inter-governmental and technical institutions, national governments, civil society
networks, academic/scientific institutions and many other specific contributors.
For media request please contact:
In Bahrain
Brigitte Leoni (UNISDR Geneva) at leonib@un.org. Tel: + 41 79444 52 62 (mob)
United Nations, secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Geneva
International Environnent House II, 7-9 Chemin de Balexert CH 1219 Châtelaine, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. :(+41 22) 917 8908/8907 - Fax : (+41 22) 917 8964 - isdr@un.org - www.unisdr.org
Postal Address: Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland