Environment Management and Disaster Reduction: Session Concept Paper

The world is facing an increasing frequency and intensity of disasters – natural and man-made – that has had devastating impacts. As reported by the secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), the last ten years have seen 478,100 people killed, more than 2.5 billion people affected and about US$ 690 billion in economic losses. Disasters triggered by hydro-meteorological hazards amounted for 97 percent of the total people affected by disasters, and 60 percent of the total economic losses. The November 2004 typhoons in the Philippines claimed over 1,000 lives and devastated the livelihoods of many more. The recent Indian Ocean Tsunami was even more distrutive: more than 150,000 lives were lost.