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THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

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OPENING REMARKS AT CEREMONY LAUNCHING THE GLOBAL

ASSESSMENT REPORT ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

Bahrain, 17 May 2009 Your Highness, Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime

Minister of Bahrain, Your Excellency, Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al

Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Your Excellency, Mr. Abdulrahman Al

Attiya, Secretary-General, Gulf Cooperation Council, Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen Salamalaikum, Good Morning

Thank you for your hospitality and kind welcome. There is an Arab proverb

that tells us I quote For every glance behind us, we should look

twice to the future. It is precisely that spirit of reflection and

action that summons us here in Bahrain. We have come together to apply

lessons of the past to build a safer tomorrow for communities and families.

The challenge is clear. Last year alone, 236,000 people lost their lives in

over 300 disasters. More than 200 million were directly affected.

Damages totaled over 180 billion dollars. Asia was hit especially hard.

Nine of the top 10 countries with the highest number of disaster-related

deaths were in Asia. The Gulf countries have so far been less exposed to

disasters. But rising sea levels threaten Bahrain, Egypt and Djibouti.Many other Arab countries are stricken by earthquakes and drought. The

Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction that we launch today is

the most comprehensive international effort to identify disaster risk,

analyze its causes and show what we can do to tackle the challenge. It is

founded on an essential modern-day truth: we cannot prevent events such as

earthquakes or cyclones, but we can limit their potential for disaster.

This report comes at the right time. As a result of global climate

change, weather-related hazards are on the riseand we must act

decisively. I commend this regions pioneering role in making

disaster risk reduction a first line of defence in adapting to climate

change. We know that poor people and developing countries suffer the most

from disasters. This new report catalogues just how concentrated this risk

can be, and how similar exposure to hazard can kill people, many or a few.

For example: 75% of those who die from floods live in just three

countries in the world. Or consider cyclones: 17 times more people perish

due to tropical cyclones in the Philippines than in Japan, even though the

two countries exposure to cyclones is the same. Our capacity to cope

with natural hazards is much greater than we realize. The Hyogo

Framework for Action urges all countries to make major efforts to reduce

disaster risk. Every country can and must do more to follow through on this

commitment to preventing, mitigating and preparing ourselves to withstand

natural hazards. Today, I call on heads of governments and political

leaders around the world to invest more in disaster risk reduction. This is

crucial if we are to achieve the goals outlined in the Hyogo Framework for

action as well as the Millennium Development Goals. It is critical to

saving lives and livelihoods. This report offers clear recommendations. In

particular, it urges a major shift in development thinking by emphasizingresilience and pre-emptive measures. It points to the three main underlying

drivers of disaster risk: First, unplanned urban development. Second,

vulnerable rural livelihoods;. And third, the decline of ecosystems. The

report further demonstrates how to limit the impact of disasters on people:

by upgrading squatter settlements and providing land and infrastructure for

the urban poor. By strengthening rural livelihoods and protecting

ecosystems. And by using microfinance, micro insurance and index-based

insurance. Such measures have great potential. Your highness,

distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen, We know the dividends.

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Reducing disaster risk can help countries decrease poverty, safeguard

development and adapt to climate change. This, in turn, can promote global

security, stability and sustainability. In short, taking action now to

reduce disaster risk can be one of the best investments countries can make.

Thank you again for coming together in support of this vital effort.

Thank you for looking twice to the future. Shukran Jazilan.