Highlights

The wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada in May 2016 consumed more than 2,400 structures and nearly 600,000 hectares of forest. Considered as Canada’s costliest disaster, it was a case showing the need to have proactive (and not reactive) disaster risk management measures in place –fire risk maps for ensuring safe evacuation in fire prone areas or designating the areas as unsafe for human habitation.

Management and leadership skills can and should be consciously trained, and prevailing gender patterns must be actively countered.

The worst torrential floods in over 120 years! 90,000 Bosnians displaced and more than 40 dead! The most likely and indeed justified response to such disasters is saving lives and supporting short-term recovery efforts.

Imagine this: you just had an amazing weekend-escape. Now you’re back in the office, feeling the post-vacation blues. As a little pick-me-up, you start scouting for your next holiday gem. Now, hands-down, would Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) even feature in your search? Most likely not.

In remote parts of rural Benin, many children do not attend school, or rapidly drop out. Reasons include the long distances to schools, overcrowded classrooms, difficulties in understanding the teachers and the cost involved.