Strengthening partnerships in disaster risk reduction WMO, XV Congress, Geneva, 2007

International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies 185 National Societies supported by a Secretariat in Geneva as well as 16 regional and 60 country offices National Societies act as auxiliaries to the public authorities of their own countries in the humanitarian field National Societies provide a range of services including disaster preparedness, disaster relief, health and social programmes, and assistance to people affected by war

Worrying trend: more disaster events and more people effected Disasters are a humanitarian and a development concern Climate change & unplanned urbanisation are two major engines of disaster risk Disaster preparedness pays but is not enough We have a role to play in reducing vulnerability/risks and increasing resilience at local level Want to scale up work at local level; partnerships are key to this Early Warning is crucial mitigation strategy; but we need to reach the users International Federation and disaster risk reduction

Potential scope for cooperation in reducing disaster risk through Community Based Disaster Preparedness (CBDP) Early Warning early response Seasonal Forecasting disaster preparedness & mitigation Climate Change adaptation

The way forward Partnerships between the International Federation & Meteorological Offices at national level are reducing hazard/disaster impacts Reaching the first mile means providing timely, relevant and understandable information to those most at risk Early Warning must be multi-hazard and built around local people The International Federation Strategic Alliance with ISDR provides a framework to scale up Early Warning where it matters the most