Documents
- Gender Perspectives in Community Based Disaster Management (CBDM)
- International Disaster Management Symposium 2008: Towards Sustainable Communities (English)
- International Disaster Management Symposium 2008: Towards Sustainable Communities (Japanese)
- Words to Action: Implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action through Gendered Community Based Disaster Management (CBDM) (English)
- Words to Action: Implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action through Gendered Community Based Disaster Management (CBDM) (Japanese)
Disaster Management - Topics
The International Day for Disaster Reduction: Women and Girls - the (in)Visible Force of Resilience
The International Day for Disaster Reduction has been designated by UN General Assembly Resolution (64/200) on 21 December 2009. This year's (2012) theme is "Women and Girls – The(in)Visible Force of Resilience."As stated by UNISDR, -"Disasters don't discriminate, but people do." While women and girls are amongst the most vulnerable to disasters they also greatly contribute to disaster reduction efforts before, during and after disasters. Women and are powerful agents of change. They have unique knowledge and skills that are crucial when addressing or managing disaster risks.
For the International Day for Disaster Reduction UNCRD is joining UNISDR in celebrating the contribution made by women and girls in disaster management and promoting ways to empower them to fully contribute to sustainable development through disaster risk reduction.
Since 1985, when the Disaster Management Planning Programme has been established, the Disaster Management Planning Unit has been working with communities towards achieving sustainable development through disaster risk reduction, enhancing communities' resilience and reducing their vulnerability to natural and human-induced hazards and disasters.
Over the years, the Disaster Management Planning Programme has accumulated a strong track record to improving the safety of core community facilities such as schools and hospitals, houses, and cultural heritage sites vulnerable to disasters through participatory, inclusive and gender-sensitive community-based disaster management.
UNCRD believes that a gender-sensitive approach is the most effective way to build disaster-resilient communities and societies. It allows identifying the specific and different needs, concerns and vulnerabilities of the most vulnerable. As well, it is also an efficient tool to develop a deeper understanding of the diverse capacities and coping strategies existing in all segments of the society, and hence, identify the potential contributions everyone can make in enhancing the whole community's coping capacity and resilience.
Links on the right are some of the publications produced by UNCRD taking a gender-sensitive approach to disaster management.