Vulnerability to natural hazards is increasing to alarming rates, as their frequency intensifies, and exacerbated by rapid population growth and ageing populations. The 2014 International Day for Disaster Reduction is dedicated to older people, to their needs and to their contribution to better planning and understanding disaster risks in their communities.
自然灾害频发，人们面对自然灾害的脆弱性正以惊人的速度加剧，而人口的快速增长与老龄化使这一问题更加严峻。2014年国际减灾日以老年人为主题，关注他们的需要以及他们对改善自己社区灾害风险的规划和认识的贡献。
We know well that age is a major factor for evacuation during emergencies. Older people are also more vulnerable than younger groups to injuries resulting from such weather extremes as heatwaves, storms and floods. It is projected that by 2050, people over the age of sixty will represent 22 percent of the world’s population, twice the current number. This is why we must start today to include the concerns of older people in all planning and preparations to mitigate the risks of disasters.
我们深知老年人是紧急疏散的一个重要考虑因素。与年轻人相比，老年人也更容易在热浪、暴雨和洪灾等极端天气灾害中受伤。预计到2050年，六十岁以上人口将占世界总人口的22%，比现在的数字高出一倍。因此，我们必须从现在开始，在所有减灾规划和防备工作中纳入老年人关切的问题，以减少灾害风险。
We must also listen more carefully to the voices of older people, whose contribution to tackling environment challenges is underestimated. Our elders are forces for resilience, thanks to their understanding of natural phenomena, including within traditional knowledge systems and those of indigenous people. This vast reservoir of knowledge can help in improving preparedness as well as in preventing disasters, thanks to the wisdom that older people can share about local phenomena. Mitigating the risks of disasters must build on local foundations, drawing on the views and needs of local communities, who are the first affected by natural disasters.
我们还务必更加仔细地倾听老年人的声音，他们对应对环境挑战的贡献没有得到应有重视。老年人是提高复原力的力量，因为他们对自然现象有着深入的认识，这种认识也是传统知识体系和土著人知识体系的一部分。老年人拥有可与他人分享的有关当地自然现象的智慧，这一巨大的知识宝库有助于加强防灾抗灾。降低灾害风险必须以地方为基础，吸收并关注在自然灾害中首当其冲的当地社区的意见和需求。
This was a key message that UNESCO sent at the 3rd International Conference on Small Island Developing States, held in Apia, Samoa, during the High-Level Event on Coping with and adapting to Ocean Threats for Resilient SIDS Communities. UNESCO is acting across all areas of its mandate and across the world to build a global culture of resilience for local communities. In Viet Nam, we have been working with media institutions to train journalists in producing written and broadcast material that highlights the vulnerability of older people, as well as women and children, during evacuation situations and calling for more inclusive prevention plans.
这是教科文组织在第三届小岛屿发展中国家问题国际会议（萨摩亚阿皮亚）期间举行的高级别活动“小岛屿发展中国家应对和适应海洋威胁，建设具有复原力的社会”中所发出的关键信息。教科文组织正在其各主管领域开展工作，在世界各地努力营造有复原力的地方社区这一全球文化。我们在越南与媒体机构一道，开展记者培训，帮助他们制作相关文字和广播资料，重点介绍老人、妇女与儿童在疏散情况下的脆弱性问题，呼唤更加包容的预防计划。
Resilience is more than simply recovery from adversity – it must be about building stronger societies today to prepare for tomorrow. On this International Day for Disaster Reduction, I call on all Governments and all relevant actors to integrate older people in programmes and plans of disaster risk reduction, and to ensure the participation of local communities into all stages of planning. This is essential to lay the ground for a more sustainable world for all.
复原力不仅仅是走出逆境，它要求夯实今天的社会根基，未雨绸缪。值此国际减灾日，我呼吁各国政府和所有相关方把老年人纳入减灾方案和计划当中，确保地方社区参与各阶段的谋划。这是奠定一个可持续世界之基础的关键。