What's New from GFDRR

Central America’s diverse population includes more than 60 groups of Indigenous Peoples, whose systems of cultural, economic, political, and social organization have developed over centuries.  These ethnic groups have been contributing throughout that time to what we now call disaster risk management (DRM) and adaptation to climate change with their own brand of knowledge, science, and traditional practices. 

A building can be a home, a shelter, a place of work and learning. It can also be the most significant investment of a lifetime, the wealth-base of a household, and the foundation for a resilient society.

Images of Earth taken at night are revolutionizing our ability to measure and understand nearly every dimension of human activity on Earth and allow us to get a glimpse into human-Earth interactions in close to real time. The COVID-19 outbreak exemplifies how nighttime lights can help understand the impacts of shocks on populations, economies, and markets.

Risk is something we can collectively work to mitigate, and well-designed risk communication can play a vital role in ensuring that everyone – communities, producers, and decision-makers alike – understands this.

Disasters triggered by natural hazards can strike at a moment’s notice, with devastating consequences on people, infrastructure, assets, and entire economies.  And the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) fits into this category.