Humanitarian actors colorfully celebrate the 2019 IDRR day

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) commemorated under the theme ‘Build to Last’, 14 October 2019, Hilton Addis focusing on reducing disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.

During the celebration, messages conveyed on avoiding or preventing disaster damage through risk-informed approach to the development, construction and maintenance of critical infrastructure, in order to ensure that the creation of new risk is avoided, and that critical infrastructure continues to function before, during and after a disaster.

In his opening remarks The National Disaster Risk Management Commission Commissioner, Mitiku Kassa said that economic losses and social impacts resulting from displacement and disasters can be greatly reduced through innovative national policies and programming, early warning and rapid response systems in all high-risk areas and integrating disaster risk reduction approach into humanitarian assistance and development programs.

The commissioner added Ethiopia continues to strive to achieve disaster risk informed decision making for development and investment plan which implemented through making a paradigm shift from crisis management to disaster risk reduction mainly focusing on disaster risk reduction development programs owned by sector lead agencies.

On the occasion Ethiopian Red Cross Society is awarded a recognition certificate for its contribution in terms of disaster risk reduction as a humanitarian organization.

Celebration of the IDDRR day began in 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of risk awareness and disaster reduction.