17 May 2009: The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction was launched on 17 May 2009, in Manama, Bahrain.

The Report was coordinated by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) Secretariat, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the ProVention Consortium, the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute and a wide range of other ISDR partners.
The Report reviews and analyzes disaster frequency, geography and impacts as well as recommends priorities for reducing risks. Its central message is that disaster risk and poverty are strongly linked and are in turn intertwined with the unquestionable reality of global climate change. The Report also shows that the risk of both mortality and economic loss in disasters is highly concentrated in a very small portion of the Earth’s surface. For example, 75% of global flood mortality risk is concentrated in three populous countries: India, China and Bangladesh.
The publication provides solutions to mitigating disaster risk and gives examples of good practices. It proposes a 20-point action plan to reduce risk, focusing on stepping up efforts to respond to climate change; strengthening the economic resilience of small and vulnerable economies; supporting community initiatives; enhancing national and local governance; encouraging the adoption of high-level development policy frameworks (in which disaster management strategies and early warning systems are integrated); and, above all, investing in sustainable disaster risk reduction measures. [WMO Press Release] [The Report]