UNOOSA has contributed to a new publication by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and the European Space Agency (ESA) on the use of satellite-based Earth observation (EO) for disaster risk reduction. "Satellite Earth Observations in Support of Disaster Risk Reduction" is a special edition developed for the upcoming Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) in Sendai in March. It includes case studies and examples for EO applications for a variety of hazards around the world to emphasize how the use of EO will be fundamental to reaching the new sustainable development goals and post–2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.
In her foreword, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, states: "This informative volume provides good examples that illustrate why cooperation and collaboration between relevant stakeholders including end users will feature prominently in the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction which will be adopted at the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan in March 2015."
UNOOSA, jointly with UNOSAT and ESCAP, elaborated a chapter on "UN use of EO for Disaster Prevention and Response" presenting the different programmes and activities in place to support countries in making the best use of Space-based tools for disaster risk reduction.
