By UN resolution 44/236 (22 December 1989), the General Assembly designated the second Wednesday of October International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. The International Day was to be observed annually during the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, 1990-1999. By resolution 64/200 of 21 December 2009 the General Assembly decided to designate 13 October as the date to commemorate the Day and to change the Day’s name to International Day for Disaster Reduction. The objective of the observance is to raise awareness how people are taking action to reduce their risk to disasters.
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
13 October 2011
Related News & Events
03 June 2026
IRDR is pleased to announce the upcoming 15th Anniversary Public Forum for IRDR ICoE-CCOUC, which will be held under the theme “Disaster Risk and Health Resilience: Insights from Academia, Education and Practice”.
02 June 2026
Prof. Huadong Guo, former Ex-officio of IRDR and Chair of the IRDR National Committee of China, was honored with the highest individual recognition “Special Achievement Award” of the 2025 Disaster Prevention Science and Technology Awards at the 2026 Disaster Risk Reduction Conference.
01 June 2026
Ms. Kerry-Ann Morris, IRDR's Science and Communication Officer, presented a review of IRDR's ongoing partnership with UNESCO during a parallel session at the 5th Huangshan Dialogue on UNESCO-designated Sites and Sustainable Development.
