The World Conference on Disaster Reduction was held from 18 to 22 January 2005 in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, and adopted the present Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. The Conference provided a unique opportunity to promote a strategic and systematic approach to reducing vulnerabilities and risks to hazards. It underscored the need for, and identified ways of, building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters.

The Hyogo Framework for Action addresses:

• Challenges posed by disasters
• The Yokohama Strategy: lessons learned and gaps identified
• WCDR: Objectives, expected outcome and strategic goals
• Priorities for action 2005-2015
• Implementation and follow-up