Rome, October 13th 2018
Enel Foundation celebrated the International Day for Disaster Reduction ahead of an important European Forum taking place in Rome in November 2018.
The International Day for Disaster Reduction celebrates, every October 13, how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters by encouraging individuals and governments to take part in building more disaster resilient communities and nations.
The 2018 edition was part of the "Sendai Seven" initiative, focused on the seven targets of the Sendai Framework, and its main goal was to highlight the importance of reducing the economic losses from disasters.
The International Day is an opportunity to draw global attention to what cities around the world are doing to foster disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness. In Italy more than 150 Municipalities have already joined the UNISDR “Making Cities Resilient” Campaign promoted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and supported by Enel Foundation.
Pescara has become the latest Italian Municipality to adhere to the Global Campaign, in September 2018, joining cities such as Milan, Rome, Florence and Macerata.
Enel Foundation is part of the global steering committee of the “Making Cities Resilient” Campaign and leads the effort at territorial level in Italy, in collaboration with ANCI (National Association of Italian Municipalities), to increase local knowledge sharing of disaster risk reduction best practices and to support sustainable urban development.
The Italian commitment to implement concrete actions and increase the level of security of cities around the country will be on display when Rome will host the European Forum on Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR), taking place from November 21 to 23, with the active contribution of Enel Foundation.
Italy will play host to 55 European countries in this high-level biennial meeting that will address key issues to accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework in coherence with the SDGs and Paris Agreement. In line with its commitment to study how to increase resilience in energy systems from global to local perspectives, Enel Foundation is one of the key contributors to this Forum.
The Prime Minister of Italy, Mr Giuseppe Conte invited all European heads of state to designate a member of their Government to attend the 2018 EFDRR in Rome. Hundreds of European government and civil society representatives will be joined for the first time by delegates from Central Asia and South Caucasus.
Mr Conte said: “Exacerbated by climate change, disasters caused by natural and man-made hazards represent a fundamental challenge in protecting the development growth attained by our nations and communities. From this perspective, this year’s European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction will be held under the theme of ‘Securing Europe’s Prosperity – Reducing Risks of Disasters”.
Furthermore, the UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Ms Mami Mizutori, said: “Europe has experienced tragic loss of life in a summer marked by heatwaves and wildfires. This conference will help accelerate implementation of the global plan to reduce disaster losses, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Europe needs more countries with national and local strategies for disaster risk reduction in place by 2020, the deadline agreed by UN member states in the Sendai Framework.”