Days Until International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

About International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

A 1989 General Assembly resolution created the October 13 observance to promote a global culture of disaster risk awareness and reduction, later formalized under the UN's broader Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction adopted in 2015.

The observance highlights how proactive planning, early warning systems, and resilient infrastructure can reduce the human and economic toll of natural disasters, from earthquakes to floods.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction coordinates the day's global messaging, typically publishing disaster-impact statistics from the preceding year as part of the observance, often highlighting the disproportionate economic toll disasters take on lower-income countries relative to the size of their economies.

The Sendai Framework the day now operates under sets specific measurable global targets for reducing disaster mortality and economic loss by a set target year, giving the observance a concrete policy benchmark beyond general awareness-raising.