 THE
SECRETARY-GENERAL, UN
--
MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR DISASTER REDUCTION
New York, 12 October 2005
The past year has reminded people everywhere that no place in
the world is immune from natural disaster. From the massive
Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami to the drought- and
locust-ravaged countries of Africa, from the devastation
caused by hurricanes and cyclones in the United States, the
Caribbean and the Pacific to heavy flooding across Europe and
Asia, hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives,
and millions their livelihoods, to natural disasters.
The lesson
we must draw is encapsulated in the theme of this year’s
International Day for Disaster Reduction: “Invest to prevent
disaster.” We cannot stop natural calamities, but we can and
must better equip individuals and communities to withstand them.
Those most vulnerable to nature’s wrath are usually the poorest,
which means that when we reduce poverty, we also reduce
vulnerability.
In this
International Year of Microcredit, we should recognize that
microfinance can do much to help empower those with little or no
access to traditional financial institutions, thereby reducing
disaster risk and improving disaster management. By diversifying
the income of high-risk populations and promoting disaster
insurance, microfinance can strengthen coping mechanisms before
disasters, while hastening recovery afterwards.
These are
the type of innovative approaches called for in the Hyogo
Framework for Action 2005-2015, adopted at the World Conference
on Disaster Reduction in January, and reaffirmed in September at
the World Summit at United Nations Headquarters in New York. On
this International Day, after a year in which we should all have
learned profound lessons, I call on governments at all levels,
international organizations, civil society groups, and the
private sector to implement this framework and invest in poverty
reduction and disaster prevention, in order to build resilient
communities and save lives.
|
