How can I use International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths in My Setting 

Consider International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths as an opportunity to advance avoidable disaster death prevention messaging and action, relevant to your local, national or regional context.  ADN’s Regional Coordinators, Organisational Partners, Advisors, Affiliates, and new followers will have different priorities, based on their varied contexts and settings, but consider using International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths to do any or all of the following:

This guidance is meant to help inspire and plan activities and events, to celebrate the International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths on 12 March.

  • Draw attention to the global scale of avoidable disaster deaths (direct, indirect, missing);
  • Draw attention to your national, or local scale of avoidable disaster deaths and people affected by disasters;
  • Draw attention to the causes and circumstances of avoidable disaster deaths at national or local scale;
  • Draw attention to the challenges and levers for reporting and recording disaster deaths at global, national or local levels;
  • Start, or continue capturing the voices of the deceased family members who have lost their loved ones in disasters and their impact on livelihoods;
  • Start, or continue conversations on reducing avoidable disaster deaths through systems thinking and map and identify the key stakeholders who are responsible for reducing avoidable disaster deaths at global, national or local levels;
  • Start, or continue conversations on the lessons that can be learned to reduce avoidable disaster deaths at global, national or local levels;
  • Start, or continue conversations on preventative measures to reduce avoidable disaster deaths at global, national or local levels;
  • Start, or continue conversations on amenable or timely measures to reduce avoidable disaster deaths at global, national or local levels;
  • Start, or continue conversations on how to improve coordination, communication and collaboration for effective risk governance to reduce avoidable disaster deaths at global, national or local levels;
  • Generate awareness and action on measures and tracking systems recommended by UNDRR to reduce disaster deaths by 2030;
  • Governments, with support from civil society, academia, the private sector and the international community, are all encouraged to plan activities or events to mark International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths;
  • Non-governmental organisations, with or without support from governmental organisations are all encouraged to plan activities or events to mark International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths;
  • Schools, colleges, universities and departments are all encouraged to plan activities or events to mark International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths.

The International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths is a unique opportunity to make progress on reducing avoidable disaster deaths and the number of people affected by disasters in low/lower-and middle-income countries.

The International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths is a unique opportunity to stop event violence occurring during and after disasters.

Organising your activities and messaging for International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths

Reducing avoidable disaster deaths requires a systems approach that involves all the relevant key stakeholders at local, national, regional and global levels. Reducing avoidable disaster deaths is achievable because theoretical and practical solutions exist.

 It is important that the advocates for reducing avoidable disaster deaths promote the  same approaches and communicate the same messages.  For this, we have provided 13 key global messages for the campaigners for the purpose of consistent communication. These global messages are dynamic and will be adjusted and changed over time. We are conscious that some of these global messages will require adjustments at national and local levels to meet the need for vernacular languages.

  1. The first International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths will be observed on Sunday and Monday, 12 and 13 March 2023.
  2. The International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, offer a unique opportunity to draw attention to the issue of reducing avoidable disaster deaths and galvanise action to avert and avoid disaster deaths and injuries.
  3. Globally, direct disaster deaths are declining despite an increase in climate-related hazards. However, the number of indirect disaster deaths and the number of affected people by disasters are increasing. It is important to understand the ‘causes and circumstances’ of indirect disaster deaths to promote interventions that can save lives.
  4. The recommended time period to capture indirect immediate deaths is after 24 hours to six months from the disaster event; and seven months to present day for indirect delayed deaths.
  5. Lower-middle and low-income countries carry a high burden of avoidable disaster deaths.
  6. The high burden of avoidable disaster deaths is largely carried by the poor, vulnerable and marginalised sections of society.
  7. Avoidable disaster deaths are event violence. Event violence must be stopped at any cost.
  8. Reducing avoidable disaster deaths is an opportunity for state and non-state actors to redress justice.
  9. Disaster deaths are avoidable.
  10. Disaster deaths are avoidable through preventable, amenable and risk governance measures.
  11. We can all take action to reduce avoidable disaster deaths.
  12. Every life is a treasure. Every life is precious.
  13. International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths can reduce the number of lives from disaster, value the number of lives saved, and value the saved lives.