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I welcome this publication of the World Meteorological Organization, which examines some of the key
instruments needed to tackle today’s development challenges.
Vulnerability to floods, droughts, wildfires, storms, tsunamis, earthquakes and other natural hazards is
affecting more people around the world. In the decade 1976-1985, close to a billion people were affected by
disasters. By the recent decade, 1996-2005, the decade total had more than doubled to nearly two-and-a-half
billion people.
A series of extremely high-profile disasters – the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, Caribbean hurricane season,
the Pakistan earthquake and the East African drought in 2005 – all underscored the importance of better
cooperation between information service providers, government authorities and the international community
for mitigating risks and saving lives.
Overall, disaster deaths have markedly reduced over the past 50 years, despite the rapid growth in global
population and significant growth in the number of people affected by disasters. Today, we are better prepared,
with meteorological services, early warning and response systems, to prevent massive mortality. The challenge
we now face is how to use our formidable knowledge and technology to reduce our vulnerability to natural
hazards, beginning with actions taken at the household level and extending up through the highest reaches of
government.
In January 2005, a ten-year plan of action, the
Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015; Building the Resilience of
the Nations and Communities to Disasters
, was adopted by some 160 governments at the World Conference on
Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan. In tandem with the World Meteorological Organization and our other
partners in the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), we are working to support governments in
implementing the Hyogo Framework. Together, we can reduce the risks posed by natural hazards, and in so
doing, help save countless lives.
Margareta Wahlstrom
Officer-in-Charge
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
and Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator
STATEMENT FROM MARGARETA WAHLSTROM, OFFICER-IN-CHARGE
OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS