{"id":9185,"date":"2026-10-15T02:01:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T00:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/?p=9185"},"modified":"2026-10-15T02:01:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T00:01:52","slug":"international-day-for-disaster-risk-reduction-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/en\/international-day-for-disaster-risk-reduction-2\/","title":{"rendered":"International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2026 Theme: \u201cResilience Starts at Home\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ref: PRS 2026\/10\/1078<\/td>October 13, 2026<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Theme: \u201cResilience Starts at Home\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LHRS: \u201cEvery Rainfall Should Not Become a Disaster\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Human Rights Solidarity (LHRS) joins the global observance of this year’s United Nations theme, \u201cResilience Starts at Home.\u201d<\/strong> The message is both simple and urgent: every person has the right to live in a home and community that is safe from foreseeable hazards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many Libyans, however, this fundamental expectation remains unmet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, as the world marks this international day, heavy rainfall struck Tripoli and surrounding areas, causing widespread flooding, severe traffic disruption, damage to property, and the tragic loss of life. Among the victims was prominent Libyan lawyer and former President of the Tripoli Bar Association, Abdul Salam Ali Dqeimish, who reportedly drowned after becoming trapped by floodwaters while travelling to attend a court session. Another citizen reportedly died after being electrocuted in flood-related circumstances while on his way to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These tragic deaths were not caused solely by rainfall. They are the foreseeable consequence of decades of neglect, inadequate urban planning, deteriorating infrastructure, and the continued failure of successive Libyan governments and local authorities to invest in disaster risk reduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flooding witnessed today is not an exceptional event. For decades, rainfall in Libya has repeatedly resulted in the flooding of residential neighborhoods, roads, public facilities, and agricultural areas. Last month, severe rainfall and flooding affected communities in central and southern Libya. Similar incidents have occurred year after year across the country, exposing the absence of effective drainage systems, flood management measures, risk assessments, and preparedness plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The catastrophic flooding of Derna in September 2023 should have marked a turning point in Libya’s approach to disaster risk reduction. Instead, despite the devastating loss of life and repeated promises of reform, many of the same structural weaknesses remain unaddressed. Communities continue to be exposed to known and preventable risks, while critical infrastructure remains vulnerable to increasingly frequent extreme weather events associated with climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year’s United Nations theme highlights an essential principle: resilience begins before disaster strikes. A warning that does not reach communities, infrastructure that cannot withstand predictable hazards, and institutions that fail to prepare for known risks all represent failures of governance. Disasters do not only destroy buildings; they destroy lives, livelihoods, and the public’s confidence that authorities are capable of protecting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Access to safe housing, functioning infrastructure, clean water, sanitation, electricity, and protection from foreseeable environmental hazards are fundamental components of the right to an adequate standard of living. The repeated exposure of Libyan communities to preventable flood risks raises serious concerns regarding the fulfilment of these obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LHRS therefore calls upon all Libyan authorities, at both national and local levels, to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Develop and implement a comprehensive national disaster risk reduction strategy<\/strong>, consistent with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015\u20132030.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Invest substantially in flood prevention and mitigation measures<\/strong>, including the rehabilitation and expansion of storm-water drainage systems, flood-control infrastructure, and protective works in vulnerable communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Conduct independent, science-based assessments of flood risks and infrastructure vulnerabilities<\/strong>, particularly in urban areas with a history of recurrent flooding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Strengthen national meteorological, monitoring, and early warning systems<\/strong>, ensuring that warnings reach all communities in a timely and accessible manner.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Integrate climate adaptation and disaster resilience into urban planning, housing policy, and infrastructure development.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Ensure transparency, accountability, and public oversight regarding disaster preparedness and infrastructure spending.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Engage civil society, technical experts, and affected communities in disaster planning and risk reduction efforts.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The cost of prevention is always lower than the cost of disaster. Yet the true cost of official inaction cannot be measured solely in financial terms. It is measured in lives lost, families devastated, communities damaged, and opportunities squandered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Every year that passes without meaningful action increases the likelihood that today’s tragedy will be repeated tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No citizen should lose their life because roads become rivers. No family should fear that ordinary rainfall will flood their home. No community should be left exposed to hazards that responsible governance can prevent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    On this International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, LHRS calls on Libyan authorities to move beyond expressions of sympathy and undertake the structural reforms necessary to protect lives, communities, and future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Resilience starts at home. In Libya, it must start with accountability.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Human Rights Solidarity Organization<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tripoli, Libya<\/strong>
    October 13, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    2026 Theme: \u201cResilience Starts at Home\u201d Ref: PRS 2026\/10\/1078October 13, 2026 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2026 Theme: \u201cResilience Starts at Home\u201d LHRS: \u201cEvery Rainfall Should Not Become a Disaster\u201d On the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Human Rights Solidarity (LHRS) joins the global observance of this year’s United Nations theme, \u201cResilience Starts …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,32,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-library","category-press-release","category-reports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9185"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9189,"href":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9185\/revisions\/9189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}