the former Yugoslav Republic of MACEDONIA

In the last decade, almost 1 million people have lost their lives to disasters caused by natural hazards. 2 billion people have been affected. 1 trillion dollars in damage was caused. Yet only 1% of international aid is spent to minimise the impact of these disasters. We can't prevent disasters, but we can help prevent the human tragedies they cause.

In 2009, the General Assembly decided to designate 13 October as the date to commemorate the International Day for Disaster Reduction. The objective of the observance is to raise awareness of how people are taking action to reduce their risk to disasters. The theme of the 2012 International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) is "Women and Girls - the [in]Visible Force of Resilience".

Disasters put hard won development achievements at risk, reversing economic growth and progress towards the elimination of poverty, cause environmental damage, and result in human suffering. Investing in disaster preparedness before a natural hazard occurs reduces the need for humanitarian action. Every dollar spent on preparing for disasters saves around seven dollars in economic losses. Women and girls are empowered to fully contribute to sustainable development through disaster risk reduction, particularly in the areas of environmental and natural resource management, governance, and urban and land use planning and social and economic planning - the key drivers of disaster risk.

"Across the world, women and girls are using their roles within families and communities to strengthen risk reduction," warns Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message on IDDR. "Such efforts advance understanding of how communities can benefit from encouraging women to take leadership roles in disaster risk reduction, and will only become more valuable as climate change intensifies and as the world struggles to cope with extremen weather and disasters that affect an average of more than 200 million people annually." 

Women and girls are often at the forefront of disasters, and amongst the most affected as they ensure the safety of family members before their own. Post-disaster, they are also the ones who often take on the responsibility and create the foundation of rebuilding their families and communities. As mothers, community leaders, teachers, activists, law makers, social workers and role models, women are invaluable in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation processes if sustainable community resilience and disaster reduction are to be achieved.

The experience, knowledge and expertise of women and girls are critical to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies and processes. Studies show household adaptation measures are more likely to take root if women are included in processes from the beginning to end and it is essential that women and girls are actively involved in policy, planning and implementation processes for disaster reduction.