UN report: 22 M people displaced by natural disasters in 2013

MANILA, Philippines - Around 22 million people worldwide were displaced by natural disasters in 2013 with Asian countries and developing nations, including the Philippines, the worst affected, a United Nations-backed report said.

The report “Global Estimates 2014: People Displaced by Disasters,” conducted by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC), showed that people were displaced by disasters sparked largely by earthquakes or weather-related events almost three times more than by conflict in the same year.

The report also showed that the risk of displacement due to disasters has more than doubled over the last four decades, largely due to the growth and concentration of urban populations, particularly in vulnerable countries.

“This increasing trend will continue as more and more people live and work in hazard-prone areas. It is expected to be aggravated in the future by the impacts of climate change,” said Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

According to the report, both wealthy and poor countries were affected but developing countries bear the brunt, accounting for more than 85 percent of displacement.

As in previous years, Asia was the worst affected, with 19 million people or 87.1 percent of the global total displaced.

In the Philippines, Super Typhoon Yolanda alone displaced 4.1 million people – a million more than in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Oceania combined.

Seasonal floods also caused significant displacement in sub-Saharan Africa, most notably in Niger, Chad, Sudan and South Sudan – countries with highly vulnerable populations who are also affected by conflict and drought.

The report said Africa’s population is predicted to double by 2050, therefore displacement risk is expected to increase faster than in any other region in the world.

The extent to which populations in the most developed countries are exposed to hazards also led to some of the world’s largest displacements. Typhoon Man-yi in Japan displaced 260,000 people, while tornadoes displaced 218,500 in the US state of Oklahoma.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said the report was “extremely timely” as it highlights the need for early warning systems and emergency evacuations in today’s world of increasing and intensifying disasters.

“The number of people who need humanitarian assistance and the cost of helping them are skyrocketing. We need to shift our focus to prevention and preparedness in close cooperation with national partners,” Eliasson added.

The report called for action to be taken to reduce disaster risk and to help communities adapt to changing and more unpredictable weather patterns, to prevent further displacement.

As the world gears up to solidify a post-2015 development agenda, there will also be an opportunity to include the needs and challenges of internally displaced people in negotiations.