Gendering disaster risk reduction: global and regional contexts.

This Spring 2009 issue of the Regional Development Dialogue (RDD) presents examples of, and gaps in, gendered disaster risk reduction (DRR) initiatives and issues from around the world. The articles illustrate the intrinsic relationship between disaster and development: more specifically, between DRR and sustainable development. They further underline how the integration of gender is vital for realizing the key global policy initiatives of the Millennium Development Guide (MDGs) and the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) (see tables 1 and 2), which are explained in more detailed below. The fact that we must deal with two major policy initiatives, plus a cross-cutting concern (gender), hints at the challenge we face.