On 16 July 2013 the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) launched in Switzerland the second Compendium on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience. This provides for the first time an in-depth analysis of the interaction between disasters and mobility.

The document specifies the fundamental role that human mobility plays in the resilience process and indicates the causes of vulnerability for communities at risk. "Migration and displacement is an alternative strategy for coping and ensuring safer living conditions. But we must continue to focus on prevention, so that people do not have to flee their home areas. Local governments and cities can achieve important social gains by giving more attention to such highly exposed populations.", said Margareta Wahlström, UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction. In her opinion prevention should be a key consideration in developing a framework plan between 2005 - 2015 for disaster risk reduction, which should include human mobility. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, 140 million people worldwide were displaced by violent events, including earthquakes and floods, between 2008 and 2012.

More details can be found by downloading the Compendium at: http://www.iom.int/cms/drr-compendium.

Source: http://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/news-and-views/press-briefing-notes/pbn-2013/pbn-listing/compendium-on-disaster-risk-redu.html