UNDRR releases Human Cost of Disasters 2000-2019 Report

News: United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction(UNDRR) has released a report titled “The Human Cost of Disasters 2000-2019”.

Facts:

Key Highlights from the report:

  • In the period 2000 to 2019, there were 7,348 major recorded disaster events claiming 1.23 million lives, affecting 4.2 billion people resulting in approximately US$2.97 trillion in global economic losses.
  • Asia has suffered the highest number of disasters in the past 20 years followed by the Americas and Africa.
  • Climate change is largely to blame for a near doubling of natural disasters in the past 20 years.
  • Major floods had more than doubled in 20 years.India is the 2nd most affected country by floods after China.

Additional Facts:

  • UNDRR (formerly UNISDR): It is the United Nations focal point created in 1999 for disaster risk reduction.
    • It oversees the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 supporting countries in its implementation, monitoring and sharing what works in reducing existing risk and preventing the creation of new risk.