Special Representative of the Secretary General For Disaster Risk Reduction, Head, UNISDR

In November 2008, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Margareta Wahlström as his first Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction. Ms Wahlström has extensive experience in both disaster relief operations and disaster risk management, with the United Nations system and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Her broad experience spans conflict and non-conflict emergencies, and addressing long-term issues of sustainable development.

Ms Wahlström is also the head of UNISDR, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, which is the focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of disaster reduction.

Under the SRSG’s leadership, UNISDR is in charge of supporting the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters throughout the world and facilitating the process of developing a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.