For information only - not an official document

UNIS/MA/151
10 November 2016

MEDIA ADVISORY

UNOOSA to host launch of 2016 World Disasters Report

VIENNA, 10 November (United Nations Information Service) - The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the Norwegian Embassy and the Austrian Red Cross will launch the 2016 World Disasters Report: "Resilience: saving lives today, investing for tomorrow" on Tuesday 15 November 2016, from 14.00 to 16.00 in the Vienna International Centre (VIC), C Building, Room C1.

This year's World Disasters Report makes the case for an approach to humanitarian action that strives to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable and at-risk communities. It shows how levels of investment and of programmatic focus in the development and humanitarian fields have not yet shifted substantially, despite widespread agreement on the benefits of an approach focused on strengthening resilience. By proposing to break the crisis-response cycle, the report suggests that shifting approaches in humanitarian aid by increasing investments in resilience will help the international community make real progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and disaster risk reduction.

Speakers include:

-       David Sanderson (video address), Editor of the World Disasters Report 2016 and Associate Faculty, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative

-       Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General, IFRC

-       Stefan Scholz, Head of Department, Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs

-       Luc St-Pierre, Chief, Space Applications Section, UNOOSA

-       Moderation by Bente Angell Hansen, Norway's Ambassador to Austria

This event will be streamed at www.unoosa.org.

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Media representatives who wish to attend the launch, and who are not accredited to the VIC, should write to press[at]unvienna.org. Please register by 12 noon on Monday 14 November 2016.

Access to the C-building is via Checkpoint One of the Vienna International Centre.

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For more information about UNOOSA, please contact:

Daria  Brankin 
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) 
Telephone: (+43 1) 26060 8718 
Email: daria.brankin[at]unoosa.org

For more information about the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the World Disasters Report, please contact:

Stefan  Müller 
Austrian Red Cross 
Telephone: (+43 1) 58900 352 
Email: stefan.mueller[at]roteskreuz.at