4 June 2013

Eliasson: disaster risk reduction a shared responsibility

The UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, speaking to reporters in Geneva on 21 May 2013 on the occasion of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, said disaster risk reduction in a complex world is a shared responsibility between governments, the private sector and local communities with the UN acting as a facilitator. Companies should invest in disaster resilience out of enlightened self-interest considering the substantial economic losses caused by damaged infrastructure Eliasson said.

The private sector, accounting for a majority of the world’s critical infrastructure, is encouraged to cooperate with the public sector on disaster risk management through a new platform for collaboration set up by the UN and the consulting firm PwC.

Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation | U.N. pushes business to share responsibility for disaster reduction