In a speech marking the United Nations (UN) International Day for Disaster Reduction, the Head of the UN’s Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Margareta Wahlström, called for more women and girls to take active leadership roles in disaster management. Ms. Wahlström said, “Over half of the 200 million people affected by disasters each year are female. The best disaster recovery programs in the world involve women who have survived such events. If we are to build true disaster resilience we need to put the emphasis on their greater involvement before disaster strikes. Women are responsible for many of the key strategic decisions of daily life. In many parts of the world this includes securing food, water, and energy. They have real impact when they are fully involved in community planning for disaster risk reduction.”

The Gender and Disaster Network has put together an interactive crowd sourcing map featuring resilience in action by women and girls around the world.