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In 1989, the United Nations General Assembly designated the second Wednesday of October as the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction (resolution 44/236, 22 December 1989). The International Day was observed annually during the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, 1990-1999.
In 2001, the General Assembly decided to maintain the observance of the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction (resolution 56/195, 21 December 2001), as a vehicle to promote a global culture of natural disaster reduction, including disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness.
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"Hospitals Safe from Disasters"
International Day for Disaster Reduction
2008 |
From a human perspective, all disasters are a health issue, and damage to health systems affects every part of society and nations as a whole. As such, everyone should be made aware of the importance of the issue and be committed to helping ensure that hospitals and health facilities are resistant to natural hazards. Awareness and commitment are the major ingredients: awareness and commitment from both policy/decision makers and the public at large.
The Campaign’s objectives are to effect change that helps to: (1) protect the lives of patients and health workers by ensuring the structural resilience of health facilities; (2) make sure health facilities and health services are able to function in the aftermath of emergencies and disasters - when they are most needed; (3) improve the risk reduction capacity of health workers and institutions, including emergency management.
- Sálvano Briceño, Director, UN-ISDR
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The price we pay for the failure of hospitals or health facilities due to disasters is too high. In comparison, the cost of making hospitals safe from disasters is tiny. Disaster damage to health systems is a human tragedy, results in huge economic losses, deals devastating blows to development goals, and shakes social confidence. Making hospitals and health facilities safe from disasters is an economic requirement, and also a social, moral and ethical necessity.
Special attention must be given to ensuring the physical and functional integrity of health hospitals and facilities in emergency conditions. This is about more than just protecting buildings. Health facilities are only truly safe from disasters when they are accessible and functioning, at maximum capacity, immediately after a hazard strikes.
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GDRC has been working on themes related to this international day/observance, in the Disaster Management theme of its programme on Urban Environmental Management
GDRC therefore reaffirms its committment to uphold the objectives of the International Day for Disaster Reduction, and work towards better understanding of, and action on, promoting the betterment of disaster resilience under the overall umbrella of a safe and sustainable society.
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