The Guardian: The world’s humanitarian burden is too big. How can we lessen it?
Robert Glasser, head of disaster risk reduction for the U.N., and Stephen O’Brien, undersecretary-general for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

“…Sustainable development cannot be achieved unless we roll back the tide of economic loss suffered by developing countries that find themselves at the mercy of biological and natural hazards, often driven by climate change. … Progress has to be made in substantially reducing economic losses [from these disasters], particularly in least developed countries where there is entrenched poverty, increased exposure, and low capacity to manage weather forecasting and early warning systems. The world needs to embrace the Sendai framework. More than anything this means a change in emphasis from managing disasters to managing the risks that are driving those disasters. We need more local and national disaster risk management plans in place to avoid the creation of new risk by promoting compliance with building codes, proper land use, environmental protection, and poverty reduction…” (4/25).