Launch of the 2015 World Disasters Report at the United Nations Office at Vienna

On October 5 2015 the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the Austrian Red Cross, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the Norwegian Embassy launched the 2015 World Disasters Report in Vienna. 

The annual World Disasters Report addresses current and future challenges, trends and innovations in disaster risk reduction and crisis management, by using evidence-based research. This year, the report focalizes on difficulties and challenges experienced by local actors in times of humanitarian response. The report calls for a "localization" of humanitarian aid, as well as a closer and equal relationship between international and local actors. 

Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of UNOOSA, strengthened the message of the World Disasters Report 2015: "I believe that good data and adapted information organized in relevant messages, such as this World Disasters Report, is essential to reduce the vulnerability of populations to disaster and to environmental degradation. It is the role of the data providers, including those providing space-based data, to make sure that clear, precise, relevant and timely messages are communicated. We need to find mechanisms to "upload" knowledge from local actors to improve the quality of our outputs."

Further the World Disasters Report 2015 will be a key publication for the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul and its agenda the "localization" of aid in May 2016.   

Link to the 2015 World Disasters Report