ISTANBUL, Turkey, 26 March 2017 Efforts to curb the threats posed by natural and human-induced hazards will go off track if they keep women and girls out of the picture, experts told Europes top disaster risk forum today.
Sidelining half of society is completely wrongheaded, Ms. Hiba Qasas, Chief, Crisis Prevention, Preparedness and Response at UN Women, told a special session of the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction, which runs from Sunday to Tuesday.
Its a simple maths issue when were talking about disaster risk reduction and resilience-building, Ms. Qasas said.
The Sendai Framework Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction a 15-year global blueprint adopted in 2015 with the aim of saving lives and curbing economic damage puts gender front and centre due to its whole-of-society approach.
It was also be a prominent issue at the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, in Mexico in May.
Disasters affect men and women, and boys and girls, differently for an array of reasons.
For example, gender inequalities can hamper the influence and control of women and girls over decisions governing their lives and those of their families. And due to socio-economic conditions, cultural beliefs…
