10 October 2011: In a new post to his blog, Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), discussed the increased frequency and severity of disasters and the need to enhance resilience. He linked resilience to the protection and management of the environment, which serves as the base for social and economic development.

Sha noted that disasters are a critical and emerging challenge, and that sustainable development is critical to building resilient societies. However, he lamented, resilience capacity is not at par with the increased frequency and severity in disasters. He emphasized the lack of awareness of the environmental impacts of disasters, in particular the lack of action in addressing their impact on ecosystems. He stressed the need to improve the protection and management of the natural resource base of social and economic development.

Worldwide economic losses from natural catastrophes and human-made disasters reached approximately US$218 billion in 2010, more than triple the 2009 figure of US$68 billion, Sha said, and he highlighted that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had stressed the importance of disaster-risk reduction and preparedness in his address to the 66th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Finally, Sha said despite the UN’s work, supported by humanitarian organizations and NGOs, the multilateral system remains overwhelmed. He expressed hope that Rio+20 would provide an opportunity to strenghten governance and institutional frameworks for appropriate multilateral action. [Rio+20 News]