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WorldRiskReport 2020 - Focus: Forced Displacement and Migration

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WorldRiskReport 2020: Covid-19 pandemic increases risks for refugees

Berlin, September 15, 2020 – Insufficient hygiene standards and infection protection measures in overcrowded camps, border closures and the impairment of aid measures and structures of self-subsistence:

The Covid-19 pandemic is aggravating the already precarious circumstances in which many of the almost 80 million refugees and displaced persons worldwide live. Migrant workers are also highly affected by the consequences of the pandemic. In case of an extreme natural event, they are particularly vulnerable and there is a high risk, that such an event will turn into a humanitarian crisis. The particular vulnerability of refugees and displaced persons is one of the key findings of the WorldRiskReport 2020 with the focus on "Forced Displacement and Migration". It is published by Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft and the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) of Ruhr University Bochum (RUB).

"The living conditions of refugees and displaced persons must urgently be improved, in order to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic from causing additional crises and catastrophes", says Peter Mucke, Project Leader WorldRiskReport and Director of Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft. "For many people, the Covid-19 pandemic is already a crisis in a crisis.
Therefore, effective disaster prevention and preparedness are vital."
The central element of the report is the WorldRiskIndex 2020 which calculates the disaster risk of 181 countries through a combined analysis of natural hazards and the vulnerability of society. The index has been calculated by the IFHV since 2018. The three countries with the highest disaster risk are the small island states of Vanuatu, Tonga and Dominica. Due to improved data availability, the risk for Dominica was calculated for the first time. Overall the hotspots of disaster risk are located in Oceania, Southeast Asia, Central America and West and Central Africa.

"Droughts or storms, as well as newly emerging viral diseases, have one thing in common: When societies are insufficiently prepared for such natural hazards, they can unleash a catastrophe", says Dr. Katrin Radtke, Scientific Lead WorldRiskReport.
Hence the calculation of the WorldRiskIndex is based on the combination of natural hazards and social vulnerability. Considered in the WorldRiskIndex as extreme natural events are earthquakes, storms, droughts, floods and sea-level rise.

The WorldRiskReport will be presented and discussed on September 22 at an online conference of the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) of the European Commission. The WorldRiskReport has been published annually by Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft since 2011. The therein contained WorldRiskIndex was developed in cooperation with the United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNUEHS) and has been calculated by the IFHV since 2018.

Notes to editors:

• The full report will be available to download at the end of the news embargo at www.WorldRiskReport.org

• Infographics, maps and other images are available on demand.

• The authors of the report are available for telephone or personal interviews.

For more information visit:
www.entwicklung-hilft.de | www.ifhv.de

Contact:

Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft
Press Office
Schöneberger Ufer 61
10785 Berlin
Germany
presse@entwicklung-hilft.de
Phone: +49-30-2787-7393

Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft is comprised of the aid organizations Brot für die Welt, Christoffel Blindenmission, DAHW, Kindernothilfe, medico international, Misereor, Plan International, terre des hommes, Welthungerhilfe and the associated members German Doctors and Oxfam. In contexts of crises and disasters the members provide emergency relief as well as long-term support in order to overcome poverty and prevent new crises

The Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) of Ruhr University Bochum is one of the leading institutions in Europe for research and teaching on humanitarian crises. Coming from a long tradition in scientific analysis of international humanitarian law and human rights, the Institute today combines interdisciplinary research in the fields of law, social science, geoscience, and public health.