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Children need to stay safe in disasters

By Suzanne Dvorak - posted Friday, 13 May 2011


Hardly surprising since there is ample evidence that investment in disaster risk reduction yields economic and development benefits. The United Nations estimate that for every $1 invested in risk management before the onset of a disaster, $7 of losses can be prevented. According to the World Bank, economic losses worldwide during the nineties could have been reduced by $280 billion if $40 billion has been invested in mitigation and preparedness.

For a long time now we have put children at the centre of disaster risk reduction activities – recognising both the specific vulnerabilities children face from disasters and their inherent capacities to ensure children are appropriately considered in disaster risk reduction programs and policies.

Recent research by Children in a Changing Climate Coalition found children in disaster prone countries named safer school buildings as a top priority in emergencies. The research by Save the Children, World Vision and Plan International involved more than 600 children in 21 countries and identified education, child protection and access to basic information among the main needs to reduce the devastating impact of disasters and climate change upon their families and communities.

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It is this message from children I take this week to a United Nations conference in Geneva on Disaster Risk Reduction. At the conference I will call for government, donors and agencies to adopt a child centred approach to disaster risk reduction in order to protect children before, during and after a disaster.

For me the lesson is a clear one. In order to ensure that every child survives a disaster we must listen to their voice and include them in our plans to lessen the effects of disasters on vulnerable communities.

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About the Author

Suzanne Dvorak is CEO of Save the Children in Australia.

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