‘LIVING WITH RISK’, GLOBAL REVIEW OF DISASTER-REDUCTION INITIATIVES, TO BE LAUNCHED AT HEADQUARTERS, 14 JULY

Note to Correspondents

‘LIVING WITH RISK’, GLOBAL REVIEW OF DISASTER-REDUCTION INITIATIVES,

TO BE LAUNCHED AT HEADQUARTERS, 14 JULY

“Living with Risk:  A global review of disaster reduction initiatives” is an unprecedented compilation of concrete examples of what people are doing to make the world a safer place.  The Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) will launch its 2004 version of the book on 14 July in New York.

Jan Egeland, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, will present this new publication to the media at the noon briefing, room S-226, United Nations Headquarters.

In recent years, there has been a major shift in people’s attitudes and behaviours towards coping with natural disasters.  In the past, more emphasis was placed on humanitarian response and relief activities, with little attention being paid to disaster-reduction strategies that have the potential to save thousands of lives by even the simplest of measures.  “Living with Risk” offers concrete examples of these life-saving measures.

Copies of “Living with Risk:  A global review of disaster reduction initiatives” available on request –- contact Nicole Rencoret, UN/ISDR, tel:
+41 78 861 9849 or e-mail: rencoret@un.org.

One-on-one interviews available on request –- contact Stephanie Bunker, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, tel: 917 367 5126 or e-mail: bunker@un.org.

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