Message from the Executive President of the World Association for Development on the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
A disaster becomes all the more destructive when it strikes populations that are already vulnerable, fragile housing, ill-prepared areas or regions with inadequate early warning systems. Progress made in the areas of prevention, risk mapping, early warning and building standards now shows that a significant proportion of losses can be avoided when risks are identified and factored into public decision-making at a sufficiently early stage. The 2026 theme, ‘Resilience starts at home’, thus serves as a reminder that people’s safety is built first and foremost in the places where they live.
However, this capacity for protection remains very unevenly distributed. In many areas, families continue to live in highly exposed zones without the necessary resources to reinforce their homes, relocate or prepare for a crisis. When a disaster strikes, the consequences go far beyond material destruction: loss of livelihoods, disruption to schooling, difficulties in accessing healthcare, population displacement, increased poverty and a reversal of development gains already made. Inadequate prevention measures thus transform a natural or climate-related risk into a social, economic and humanitarian crisis.
For the World Association for Development, disaster risk reduction must be regarded as an integral part of development policies, rather than a response mobilised only when a crisis strikes. Prevention means protecting lives, homes, essential services, livelihoods and the investments on which the progress of communities depends, in advance. The AMD therefore calls for risks to be systematically integrated into spatial planning, housing policies, infrastructure, public information and funding mechanisms, with particular attention paid to the most exposed areas and households. Our aim must be to move away from a mindset where societies are constantly rebuilding what they could have protected better: truly sustainable development is development that is capable of anticipating shocks, reducing vulnerabilities before they turn into disasters, and safeguarding the achievements of communities in the face of future crises.
13 October 2026
Chief Executive
Hugues B. GNIMADI
World Association for Development — AMD
Let us work towards the sustainable development of peoples and communities