Decade to Reduce Natural Disasters
The Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) was declared by the United Nations for the decade from 1990 to 1999 in the face of devastating natural disasters in the 1970s and 1980s . The program was then continued under the name International Disaster Reduction Strategy (ISDR).
Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR)
With the aim of reducing the social, ecological and economic damage and the consequences of extreme natural events, the international community of states called on its member states to intensify their discussion and implementation of disaster risk reduction measures . Particular attention should be given to developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters due to various (primarily socio-economic) factors . The decade was initially strongly scientifically and technically oriented and aimed at using existing technologies everywhere, even where they had not yet been used. The following measures to be implemented by all countries were formulated as targets:
- all hazards occurring in the country due to natural extreme events should be identified and displayed on maps,
- Disaster prevention and response plans should be drawn up across the country,
- all countries should have access to global, regional, national and local early warning systems.
However, this scientific and technical approach largely ignored social aspects of disaster risk management. Criticism has been raised that technical solutions for the protection of societies alone are not enough; rather, social factors that determine the vulnerability of a society should be more closely integrated into solutions. Potentially affected people should be informed more about risks in order to include them in the design of their living spaces, and local self-help structures should be strengthened. With the conference on reducing natural disasters in Yokohama in 1994, these socio-economic aspects of disaster risk reduction were put on the agenda for the first time. Disaster risk management was now recognized as a component of sustainable development and the original IDNDR goals were expanded to include this aspect. During the decade, the IDNDR Secretariat based in Geneva at the United Nations was the center of all activities; the member states were also called upon to meet their national responsibilities by setting up national committees. Germany responded to this call back in 1990 by setting up a German IDNDR committee, which later became the German Committee for Disaster Preparedness .
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)
At the end of the decade , this was replaced by the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). The aim was to pursue the experience gained during the decade and the projects and collaborations initiated, as well as to ensure that disaster risk management measures are also taken into account in the future. Specifically, the following four are the guidelines for the ISDR:
- Obtaining political commitments from those responsible
- Public awareness and participation
- Promote knowledge and understanding of the causes of disasters
- Promotion of interdisciplinary and intersectoral partnerships
The ISDR Secretariat (IDNDR successor secretariat) was set up in Geneva and was supplemented by the Inter Agency Task Force for the implementation of the strategy. This is under the direction of the UN Special Envoy for Disaster Reduction.