Silent Disasters
At the European Parliament, Michèle STRIFFLER, 1st Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Development Committee and Permanent Rapporteur for Humanitarian Aid, hosted the launch of the Silent Disasters Campaign.
Watch our photo gallery and video interviews.
The Silent Disasters campaign, led by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies , the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department and eleven European Red Cross societies (Austrian, Belgian, Bulgarian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Irish, Netherlands, Portuguese and Spanish), aims to raise awareness about silent disasters*, disasters that are often unnoticed around the world.
*Silent disasters are typically small or medium-sized, sudden or slow-onset disasters or crises with fewer casualties than major disasters, but nevertheless with catastrophic consequences for the individuals, families and communities affected. These disasters invariably go unreported in international media and are often out of the public eye, subsequently failing to attract sufficient funding and resources to provide essential humanitarian aid for those affected. For silent disasters and crises, we need to not only provide immediate relief and recovery assistance, but also to support preparedness measures to reduce vulnerabilities and increase the resilience of people and their communities who regularly encounter silent disasters.
more on www.ifrc.org/silentdisasters
