International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction 2021

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is an annual opportunity to celebrate the progress being made toward reducing the risks of disasters and the loss of lives, livelihoods and health. The 2021 focus is on “international cooperation for developing countries to reduce their disaster risk and disaster losses.” This is now more important than ever in Afghanistan.

With the current crisis in Afghanistan unfolding against the backdrop of the climate crisis and corresponding natural disasters, and with COP-26 just around the corner, we're highlighting the need to protect climate action in Afghanistan. Despite contributing very little to greenhouse gases, Afghanistan is one of the countries most aggressively experiencing the impacts of climate change, with communities hit by extreme weather and natural disasters like floods, drought and snow avalanches on a yearly basis. At this important moment in the country's history, we must not forget the multitude of challenges facing the people of Afghanistan, and we must not let progress be lost.

Please watch our film, A Source of Hope, to see the local Afghans who are at the forefront of climate action in Afghanistan, and our work leading the Afghanistan Resilience Consortium to help them.*

*Please note this film was produced in Spring 2021, prior to the change in government. For more information about the current situation please read our update.

Want to find out more about the situation in Afghanistan?

Come to our event in November and hear from experts, including the BBC's Chief International correspondent, Lyse Doucet, who will be joined by:

Anthony Loyd, English journalist and noted war correspondent at The Times.

Shaharzad Akbar, Chairperson for Afghanistan's Human Rights Commission and former Deputy on the National Security Council on Peace and Civilian Protection.

Andrew Scanlon, former Country Manager for Afghanistan's UN Environment Programme.

Find out more and get your ticket

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