International Day for Risk Reduction: Red Cross Red Crescent stresses the importance of communities

On the eve of International Day for Risk Reduction (Wednesday,11 October), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies stresses the importance of developing and investing in communities to make them safer and more resilient to the potential impact of hazards.

Disasters cannot always be prevented but risks can be significantly reduced. The International Federation believes that by investing in local programmes that help communities identify the risks they are exposed to, and find appropriate solutions, lives and assets can be saved.  

It is at this local level that the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, through their staff and volunteers, play a fundamental role in, for instance, strengthening livelihoods, disseminating safety information, developing preparedness plans and mobilizing teams to respond to both small and large-scale disasters.

“We see examples of our commitment at the community level every day. Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers contribute to building safer and resilient communities through mobilization and mitigation initiatives,” said Mohammed Mukhier, Head of the Federation’s Disaster Policy and Preparedness department, in Geneva.

In Bangladesh, for example, the Red Crescent has long invested in cyclone preparedness. In Vietnam, public awareness campaigns have informed hundreds of thousands of primary school children and families on how best to respond to floods.

In Latin America, the Red Cross is working with ISDR (International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) and UNICEF to promote an innovative game called ‘Riskland’. The game helps children understand the nature of risks and hazards and has an immediate and long term impact on both their lives and that of their families.

With climate change causing more disasters and increasing their impact, the challenge for humanitarian and development organizations will be how to significantly scale up their work to reduce disaster risk.

The Red Cross Red and Crescent Societies believe that it is at the local level where they can begin to meet this challenge.