Natural Disaster Response and Risk Reduction
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, through START, has lead responsibility for coordinating the Government of Canada’s operational response to major natural disasters abroad, such as the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010.
In this context, we seek to encourage a whole-of-government Canadian response that is timely, coordinated, coherent and focussed on meeting relief and recovery needs in support of affected governments.
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Initiatives
Our disaster response and risk reduction initiatives include, but are not limited to:
- Helping Canadians in distress in the affected country through our consular affairs programme;
- Working with key federal departments and other actors to ensure a timely, effective, coherent and appropriate Government of Canada response to relief and recovery needs identified on the ground;
- Liaising with other donor governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations to see how they will respond and to ensure that Canadian assistance will not duplicate other international efforts;
- Communicating with the government of the affected country(ies) to understand and help to respond to their emergency response needs;
- Communicating to the public about how Canada is responding to a particular natural disaster abroad;
- Encouraging and facilitating the development of policies and strategies on disaster risk reduction in those countries most vulnerable to the impacts of natural disasters; and
Engaging the international community on disaster risk reduction initiatives while reinforcing our commitments as outlined in the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015.
NB: Public Safety Canada is responsible for coordinating Government of Canada responses to natural disasters that occur in Canada.
Other resources
- Frequently Asked Questions - Preparing for the Unexpected: How the Government of Canada Responds to Natural Disasters Abroad.
- How Canadians Can Help - Canadians feel strongly about helping to support communities affected by natural disasters and other emergencies abroad. Find out what you can do.
- How Canadian Companies Can Help - During crises, companies can be most effective in meeting the needs of disaster-affected populations by providing cash donations to experienced international relief organizations.
- October 13, 2010 | International Day for Disaster Reduction - This day provided an opportunity to raise awareness of disaster risks and promote a global culture of disaster risk reduction.
- World Conference on Disaster Reduction - From January 18 to 22, 2005, Canada worked towards reducing the vulnerability of countries to the impact of natural disasters at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan.
