It is commonly acknowledged that although impact may be elusive, its effects are real and mainly felt by the most vulnerable. Several efforts have been implemented worldwide so that both the disaster risks can be reduced and the communities' resilience strengthened. The UN ISDR Hyogo Framework for Action is a reflection of such commitment and is now increasingly utilised to guide risk reduction efforts.

UN-ISDR recognizes that when human rights and economic opportunities are lacking, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people affected by disasters over the past 20 years. This is a number that is likely to increase further as the tendency is clear, the intensity and frequency of natural disasters will be higher and the population growth will continue, especially in developing countries. India's population growth is expected to be at 1.4 % through 20151, 26 million newborns a year.

Sharing and exploring across boundaries and disciplines with the HFA as an underlying framework for our work, we strive for a mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction, both in India and beyond. AIDMI believes that shared goals and joint learning through various partnerships are the key for a sustainable disaster risk strategy. AIDMI action has been linking the community level with the national and international policy level. Being a partner of the ProVention Consortium offers a milieu for addressing the complexity of natural disasters and its impacts on both environment and people. AIDMI is conducting research projects in cooperation with the Consortium; a survey on the impact of climate change in coastal India is being carried out as this annual report was written.

AIDMI contributes in several ways to provide international partners with local insights and project evaluations, but the common factor among all these contributions is its inclusive strategy and emphasis on building resilience among the most vulnerable. Partnerships across disciplines and geographical boundaries are fruitful and offers the possibilities for identifying risks and creating plans for action on disaster risk reduction.

The research on disaster risk reduction has been increasing substantially over time, but the transformation of this knowledge into action is still slow. ProVention Consortium, AIDMI and other partners are working for a more efficient, action-oriented user-driven approach to knowledge management and learning.

Making the HFA Inclusive

Hyogo Priorities and AIDMI's Contributions

Making TEC Inclusive

Including the Delhi Declaration

Why Inclusion is so Important?