This study on “Disasters in Asia and the Pacific: 2014 Year in review”, developed by the Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division of ESCAP, provides an overview of natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region and its impacts. Although there were no major disasters in 2014, over half of the world’s natural disasters occurred in the region. Hydro-meteorological hazards were the most frequent, causing most fatalities and economic losses. The study considers lessons which show that building resilience to disasters remains a key priority and areas in need of urgent attention, namely strengthening existing regional cooperative mechanisms for cyclone/typhoon early warning, establishing regional cooperative mechanisms for transboundary floods and landslides, utilizing innovative technologies for disaster assessment and addressing slow-onset disasters.

Report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific