United Nations Observes International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) 2025 Highlighting the Theme “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters”.

The United Nations (UN) annually observes the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) on 13 October to promote global awareness, preparedness, and resilience against disasters. The 2025 theme, “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters,” urges a global shift from reactive disaster response to proactive investment in resilience-building measures.

      - The observance originated from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution A/RES/44/236, which in 1989 proclaimed 1990–1999 as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). Initially observed on the second Wednesday of October, the first IDNDR took place on 10 October 1990.

      - In 2009, the UNGA passed Resolution A/RES/64/200, officially designating 13 October as the permanent date for the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR). Since 2010, it has been observed annually to promote disaster preparedness and reduce global vulnerability.

      - The IDDRR reinforces the global commitment to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030), adopted at the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan, in 2015.

Main Point :-   (i) The 2025 theme, “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters,” underscores the importance of redirecting global financial priorities from emergency response to preventive action and resilience financing.

      (ii) The UNDRR (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction) released the report titled “Resilience Pays: Financing and Investing for our Future.” The report revealed annual global disaster-related losses exceeding USD 202 billion, yet less than 1% of public budgets and 2% of aid projects are directed toward DRR, highlighting a critical investment gap.

(iii) The UN urges nations to make risk-informed investments and enhance financial resilience in both public and private sectors. Given that the private sector controls 75% of total investments, it must adopt sustainable risk assessment models to reduce climate vulnerabilities and future economic losses.
About United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)