Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada
Skip to content | Skip to institutional links

Common menu bar links

Home > Canada in the World > International Policy > Global Issues > International Day for Disaster Reduction

Institutional links

International Day for Disaster Reduction

October 10, 2007

Overall, we are witnessing an increase in many countries’ vulnerability to natural hazards and the severity of the damage caused by natural disasters. The International Day for Disaster Reduction is an opportunity to raise awareness of disaster risks and promote a global culture of disaster risk reduction.

Disaster risk reduction is the spectrum of activities – from disaster preparedness to disaster-resilient building practices - that aim to limit the impact of natural disasters on communities.

The United Nations Secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) is the focal point in the United Nations system for the promotion of disaster risk reduction. This year, the ISDR is using the International Day for Disaster Reduction to raise awareness of its global campaign to promote education on disaster risk reduction in schools, and advocate for schools to be made safe from natural disasters.

For more information on this campaign, visit the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction website.

Canada and International Disaster Risk Reduction

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is responsible for coordinating, in close partnership with other federal government departments, the Government of Canada foreign policy on disaster risk reduction.

The international community, including Canada, made important commitments to disaster risk reduction at the 2005 UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Kobe, Japan: the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005-2015): Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters provides a set of agreed actions for international disaster risk reduction efforts.

 Canada’s objectives at Kobe

BY THE NUMBERS...

An average year sees:

  • 12 million earthquakes;
  • 100,000 thunderstorms;
  • 10,000 floods;
  • Hundreds of landslides and tornadoes; and
  • Dozens of hurricanes, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, droughts and tsunamis.

In the last ten years:

  • An estimated 600,000 people around the world have been killed by natural disasters (half of these in 2004 and 2005 alone);
  • The reported economic cost of natural disasters around the world was well over $600 billion. Some estimates for post-Katrina reconstruction are over $200 billion.
Last Updated: 2007-10-09
Top of Page
Top of Page
Important Notices