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UN Secretary General sends message on the International Day for Disaster Reduction

08 October 2008 08:58 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. APA. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sent message on the International Day for Disaster Reduction, UN Baku Office told APA. The observance of the International Day for Disaster Reduction for 2008 takes place in a year that has seen more than its fair share of natural calamities, and falls on the third anniversary of the earthquake in South Asia, said the Secretary General. â€œWe must do more to turn commitments on paper into deeds that can keep the next major disaster from taking so many lives and destroying so many livelihoodsâ€. The Secretary General said that the World Disaster Reduction Campaign for 2008-2009 focused on making â€œHospitals Safe from Disastersâ€. â€œI urge all partners â€“ Governments, civil society, international financial institutions and the private sector -- to step up implementation of the Hyogo Framework. Disaster risk reduction is everybodyâ€™s business. Only by investing in tangible risk reduction measures can we reduce vulnerability and protect developmentâ€.