Following the publication in 2020 of a report on the scope and definitions of hazards relevant to risk reduction, in 2021 the ISC and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) published a report compiling definitions for over 300 hazards grouped around 8 hazard types (meteorological and hydrological, extraterrestrial, geohazards, environmental, chemical, biological, technological and societal hazards). Building on existing authoritative definitions, the report provides a resource for governments and other stakeholders to support a more comprehensive approach to hazard identification and risk reduction based on robust hazard definitions.
Several ISC Members and affiliated bodies participated in this publication, as well as a number of UN organizations, with over 100 authors and 130 peer reviewers involved in the compilation of the profiles.
Watch the launch of the Hazard Definition and Classification Review:
The report has received interest from government agencies in Australia and Sierra Leone, and was referenced in the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework for Strengthening Health Emergency Preparedness in Cities and Urban Settings. The Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Disaster-related Statistics is using the classification and hazards definitions with national statistical offices and is exploring integration in databases and reporting systems.
