International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

15th MEETING Geneva, 5-6 November 2026 with thematic focus on Strengthening disaster and emergency preparedness and responsivenessof water and sanitation systems Focus on effective disaster and emergency preparedness and responsiveness of water and sanitation systems . The 15th meeting of the Task Force on Target Setting and Reporting under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) - World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe Protocol on Water and Health will take place in Geneva, on 5 and 6 November 2026.  The meeting will be organized under the leadership of Switzerland, Chair of the Task Force, and lead Parties under Protocol programme area 1 - Portugal and Romania - in cooperation with lead Parties for programme area 2 - Belarus and Norway, programme area 5 - Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and programme area 7 - Italy and Kingdom of the Netherlands. The main focus of the Task Force meeting will be to support Par...

Focus on effective  disaster and emergency preparedness and responsiveness of water and sanitation systems . The 15th meeting of the Task Force on Target Setting and Reporting under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) - World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe Protocol on Water and Health will take place in Geneva, on 5 and 6 November 2026.  The meeting will be organized under the leadership of Switzerland, Chair of the Task Force, and lead Parties under Protocol programme area 1 - Portugal and Romania - in cooperation with lead Parties for programme area 2 - Belarus and Norway, programme area 5 - Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and programme area 7 - Italy and Kingdom of the Netherlands. The main focus of the Task Force meeting will be to support Parties in their efforts to strengthen disaster and emergency preparedness and response of water, sanitation and health systems , including consideration of ope...

 Focus on strengthening  disaster and emergency preparedness and responsiveness of water and sanitation systems . The 15th meeting of the Task Force on Target Setting and Reporting under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) - World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe Protocol on Water and Health will take place in Geneva, on 5 and 6 November 2026.  The meeting will be organized under the leadership of Switzerland, Chair of the Task Force, and lead Parties under Protocol programme area 1 - Portugal and Romania - in cooperation with lead Parties for programme area 2 - Belarus and Norway, programme area 5 - Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and programme area 7 - Italy and Kingdom of the Netherlands. The main focus of the Task Force meeting will be to support Parties in their efforts to strengthen disaster and emergency preparedness and response of water, sanitation and health systems , including considerat...

Homes are where people live, sleep, and care for one another, and seek shelter and security. For many, they are central to wellbeing and stability. However, the ways homes are planned, built, financed and maintained determine whether risk is reduced or created. When houses are located in high-risk areas, built without disaster-resilient designs, or inadequately maintained to withstand growing hazards, homes become sites of vulnerability, contributing to loss of lives, displacement and economic losses. These risks often have differentiated impacts on women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, low-income households and gender-diverse groups, particularly where inequalities in housing, land tenure, access to resources, mobility, caregiving responsibilities and decision-making persist. The Midterm Review of the implementation of the Sendai Framework found persistent challenges in enforcing risk-sensitive land-use and building regulations, and in effectively involving commu...

  To ensure homes remain safe for everyone, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has selected " Resilience Starts at Home " as the theme for the 2026 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR), observed on 13 October. This theme recognises that the home is both the primary site where disaster impacts are felt and the frontline of resilience-building . It calls on all actors: governments, the private sector, civil society, organizations of persons with disabilities, women's groups, youth networks, diverse community leaders and households themselves, to take concrete actions to reduce disaster risk, where it matters most. At the household level , people have a clear stake in their own safety and must be empowered to take action to protect themselves. However, the ability to act is often shaped by unequal access to information, resources, land tenure, finance, social protection and decision-making power within households and communities. When ho...

Governments must protect people in their homes through developing and enforcing risk-informed land-use planning and resilient construction practices, increasing public investment in housing resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable populations, and ensuring that accessible, localised risk information reaches every community. Specifically, governments must: Adopt global standards and approaches , such as the Principles for Resilient Infrastructure, that integrate inclusive resilience into infrastructure planning and housing systems. Develop and enforce disaster-resilient building codes , including universal accessibility and inclusive design standards. Ensure land-use planning is risk-informed and responsive to the differentiated needs and vulnerabilities of diverse population groups. Expand inclusive multi-hazard early warning systems that are people-centred, gender-responsive and accessible to all. Provide communities with accessible, local-level risk information through inc...