IFRC Disaster Research and Campaign Launch - Press Conference

Great, good afternoon colleagues. My name's Dylan Winder. I'm the permanent observer to the UN for the International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent societies. And today, IFRC is launching Earth's Missing Treaty. It's a global campaign calling for the world's first comprehensive international treaty dedicated to protecting people before, during, and after disasters. The idea behind the campaign is simple. International treaties protect astronauts in distress. But if a flood strikes in your city, there's still no comprehensive global treaty to help countries cut through red tape and coordinate international assistance on Earth. But next year, UN member states will come together to negotiate the treaty on the protection of persons in the event of disasters. This represents a historic opportunity that we at the IFRC are pleased to be supporting with our decades of experience in disaster preparedness and response. I'm also delighted to be joined today by Dr. Sian Proctor, one of a number of leading astronauts supporting Earth's Missing Treaty campaign. And Sian, thank you, and I'll hand over to you in a moment. I'm also joined by my colleague Isabelle Granger, who leads IFRC's work on disaster law and is here to answer your questions on the treaty and disaster law itself. So why is a treaty needed? In 2025 alone, 358 natural hazard related disasters affected more than 110.2 million people worldwide and caused an estimated 169.7 billion US dollars in economic losses. We've also published new global analysis looking at some of the practical barriers that can make disaster response more difficult, as well as the importance of doing much more before disasters strike. Some essential humanitarian relief items can face average import tariffs of around 17% globally when exemptions are not in place. This is also double the average tariff applied to manufactured goods overall. Routine customs clearance in many disaster prone regions take around 11 days even in normal times. And around 60% of supplies arriving at large scale disasters are non priority items that should not have been sent, putting additional pressure on already stretched logistic systems. When a major disaster overwhelms national capacity and international assistance is needed, barriers like these can delay humanitarian personnel, specialist equipment and lifesaving supplies. A global treaty would provide a common framework for international cooperation before disaster strike and when international assistance is needed. In practice, this could mean faster deployment of humanitarian teams, simpler customs and border procedures for life-saving supplies, more predictable cooperation between governments and humanitarian organizations, lower costs and fewer administrative barriers, and better protection for people affected by disasters. But this treaty is not about what happens after disaster strikes. It's also about what we do before. We are seeing the importance of this right now in Nepal, where communities are dealing with the impact of catastrophic flooding. The situation is still unfolding, but it demonstrates the importance of investing in disaster risk reduction, preparedness and early action. The draft treaty recognises that states have a duty to prevent, mitigate and prepare for disasters through appropriate measures, including the installation and operation of early warning systems. The treaty would ensure that disaster risk reduction becomes a priority and a duty for all countries before, during and after disasters. For major disasters like the one we're seeing in Nepal, a global treaty would set clear rules for international disaster assistance and help governments and humanitarian actors cut through the red tape and act faster, ensuring assistance is reached people faster. We know that investment matters. Disaster related mortality is nearly six times lower in countries with comprehensive early warning systems than it is in countries with limited capabilities. Just 24 hours of warning of an impeding hazard event can reduce resulting damage by up to 30% and every dollar invested in disaster risk reduction and resilience can save around $15 in future losses. Our analysis also includes examples of good practice, for example in Fiji. New disaster legislation integrates the protection of vulnerable groups throughout disaster risk management and decision-making processes. And in Madagascar, a practical customs clearance guide helps prioritize and accelerate the clearance of humanitarian relief goods during disasters and emergencies. Before I hand over to Dr. Proctor, I also want to thank our partners at Weber Shandwick for their pro bono support in developing this campaign. They brought tremendous creativity and energy to the project and helped us find a compelling way to bring this issue to a much wider audience. Sian, you have seen our planet from a perspective very few of us ever will. You've also spent much of your professional life thinking about disasters and resilience here on Earth. We had a pre-launch event last night actually where Dr. Sian asked the question, who's ever met an astronaut before? I wonder in the room, how many of you have ever met an astronaut? One, two. So we're very privileged to have Dr. Simon Proctor with us today. And I'll pass over to you. Thank you.

Thank you so much for having me. Who here would want to go to space? Nobody? Nobody? Oh, one person. You're like, maybe. I'm here today to share with you why I feel honored and compelled to be a part of IFRC's work on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters Treaty. Like many people, including some in this room, I grew up with a dream of becoming an astronaut. But like the majority of people, those childhood dreams usually slip away into more practical pursuits and careers. Instead of becoming a fighter pilot or an aerospace engineer, I discovered a love for the earth and the processes that make our world dynamic. My undergraduate degree is in environmental science, my master's is in geology, and my doctorate is in science education. For the past 30 years, I've been a geoscience professor. My career focused on educating students on all the ways in which the earth could kill them through the science of disasters. But I also assured them that a big part of the curriculum was to teach them how to be prepared and become more resilient in a world that is always changing. My love of Earth may have shifted my career trajectory, but it didn't stop me from holding onto that childhood dream of seeing the Earth from space. In 2021, I wrote a poem expressing the kind of world that I wanted to live in. The poem is called "Space to Inspire." And that poem won me a three-day trip to space on the Inspiration4 mission. enabling me to become the first woman commercial spaceship pilot and so far the only African-American woman to be a mission pilot. Who knew poetry could win you a trip to space? And then six months after winning that seat to space, me and my crew boarded a SpaceX Dragon spaceship that was appropriately named Resilience. I went to space for three days, and the experience changed me both mentally and emotionally. It's called the overview effect by space philosopher Frank White. It's an emotionally driven shift in perspective that some astronauts experience when seeing the Earth from that orbital perspective. While floating in space, looking at our stunningly beautiful and bright planet, I had this moment of realization that could only best be described through the artistic lens of poetry. Since I was a child, I have felt this calling. I thought it was to be an astronaut, so I've spent part of my life chasing space. But going to space made me realize that the calling wasn't actually space. It was our Earth that had been calling me, and not just me, but all of us, calling us to actively work toward coming back into balance with our planet and helping each other. That is why this means so much to me. So I'm here because the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters Treaty ensures that we can save lives before, during, and after a crisis. That is why I feel both honored and compelled to lend my voice to this effort, and why I am so proud to support Earth's missing treaty. Thank you.

Thanks very much, Dr. Proctor. And we have ten other astronauts signed up to this campaign. Of course, if there is a treaty that protects people coming down from space, we also need a treaty on Earth that protects people there. So this is the narrative around why we thought this is such a brilliant campaign. Anyway, I'm going to open for questions now. So we're monitoring those in the chat as well. So do say who you are. because I'm not familiar with this room, but please.

I'm Carrie Norton from Radio France Internationale, but on behalf of UNCA, the Correspondent Association of the UN. Thank you for giving us this briefing. I have a quick question for Isabelle, a technical question, because I think I got your stories. But Isabelle, it feels a bit surreal that in this day and age, such a treaty doesn't exist yet. We know here, we know about negotiations and frictions. So what have been the frictions for negotiating such a treaty until now?

There are already many treaties that exist, but they are at regional level or also bilateral treaties. So, and also there are many sectoral treaties that would provide for different aspects of a disaster. But what is lacking is this comprehensive overarching treaty that would provide for mutual cooperation between states and other actors in time of disaster. So it's not that nothing exists, there is a lot, but what is missing is a comprehensive global framework that would provide for mutual solidarity and collaboration between states and other actors.

Great. Thank you. Any more questions? Yes.

Thank you so much. This is with Rudaw Media Network. Nepal is asking for help. They're saying they are disproportionately at a disadvantage, you know, because of what's been what happened recently, the glacier and the floods. Do you think they have a legitimate demand, they have a legitimate call to make. And does your treaty cover countries like Nepal that are disproportionately affected by climate change, for example? And my second question is for Sian. Thank you so much for being here and talking to us. You've seen Earth from orbit. Can you tell us how that made you feel, and especially considering all the conflicts that we have on Earth, when you see it from up there, like what, what was your reaction? Thank you.

Maybe I'll take the Nepal question. So yeah, it's a huge And I think where you have these very, very large, difficult crises in remote areas, it's really difficult to respond to them. And quite often, not just in Nepal, governments need support of others to help. Fortunately for us as the Red Cross Red Crescent Society, we have 191 national societies around the world, 18 million volunteers, and we're often present in the very communities. So we're able to reach those communities very quickly. But you're right, the logistics have been really challenging. You know, helicopters, only way in. We now see recovery is a really critical issue as well. and the impacts could be terrible. So we are working full time to see how we can support the actual communities and those affected by the disasters. But I think your question about the draft treaty, well, It would help. We're already doing stuff in Nepal in terms of community level anticipatory action, early warning systems, but that's not enough for these very large scale catastrophes. So having something which would bring together governments around the world to actually provide support to an affected country, to help the country not have to go through the processes of bureaucracy at the point of a disaster, to put those in place beforehand is really important. And that's why we believe this treaty is really But I'll hand over to Dr. Tsai.

Yeah, thank you for that question. You know, I went to space as both an artist and a geoscientist, but my big takeaway from having that orbital perspective, there were a couple of things that struck me right away. One, we live on a water world. The two dominant things that I, well, three dominant things that I saw were ocean, the atmosphere and clouds. And it made me realize how humanity is connected by one sky and one ocean that plays a role in all of our lives. But the thing that really affected me was while I was up there, I realized I was being bathed in Earth light, our planet's unique luminous signature, Earth light. And that's a term that we don't know. We know about sunlight, we know about moonlight, but nobody talks about the fact that Our planet is this amazing place that literally transforms sunlight into its own unique medium, which is Earth light. And that Earth light impacts all of us. And in low Earth orbit, I realized that I wasn't just getting that transformation of sunlight, but I was also getting the energy and the biosignature of all life on Earth, including humans, and our symbiotic relationship with the atmosphere and what is Earth light. And for me, that left me with this, this calling to to come back to Earth and make sure that, you know, humans had this connection to our planet in a new way. And that is through this Earth light world that we live in. And you think about it, who here has heard of that term Earth light? Probably none of you have. And and so how can we make a difference and and something like this treaty makes a difference in everybody's lives. And and to me that is also makes a difference in the way we see the planet and interact. And and so I wish we could all go up and experience what I have experienced, but being able to come down and share that and to share my time and my voice in this way is how I let my earth light shine.

Thank you. Question down there.

Thank you for the interview and for this press conference. My name is Abdul Hamid Sayam from the Arabic Daily, Al-Quds Al-Arabi. I have two questions. First, you, sir, why this treaty has not been reached? Why it's late? Don't you think that it should have been achieved long time before, especially with the frequency of these natural disaster and the intensity of them, which is in the last 20, 25 years, I think it went up 15%. So is it because of the lack of the NGO pressure or the lack of member states, not enthusiastic about such a treaty. And my second question to the astronaut also, how do you expect the commercial space trips in the near future? Do you anticipate that the rich and famous will be taking a flight and going there for their honeymoon or something? Thank you.

Good questions. So on the treaty, so basically this the discussions on this treaty started after the 2004 Asian tsunami where we had real problems in terms of coordinating aid, aid getting in, aid getting left on on runways and there was a recognition that actually something else needed to be done. The other problem was as I sort of said, alluded to earlier, a lot of people brought the wrong stuff in, there was bureaucracy, so negotiation had started at an early stage. in the Red Cross also have resolutions, we have a couple that are specifically on this issue, but it has taken a long time, I agree, to get to this point. I think we have seen much more frequent and volatile impacts of natural disasters and climate related disasters recently, and therefore I think that the political will then was finally there to create new treaties. Governments don't necessarily want new treaties because it's an additional burden, But I think in this context, there is a recognition that for the future, if we are needing to respond to the levels of volatility in our climate, and we've seen wildfires in the North Americas, in Europe, this will help. This will help smooth, it will save lives. And so that's why I suspect that the treaty is now, but again, it is for member states rather than us to comment. But it has taken a long time in gestation. And I think, Isabelle, this is 20 years of your life's work to get to this point, to make the case for it. So, but thank you for the question. Dr. Proctor, over to you.

Yeah, on -- Yes, on the question of commercial astronauts and the role commercial space is going to play in the future, I think it's very important. When you look at my mission, which was five years ago on September 15th, Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit the Earth, we, the four of us, none of us were astronauts. We were four civilians that came together, and yes, it was somebody a billionaire that paid for our mission, Jared Isaacman, who's now head of NASA. But we also did the largest fundraiser in St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's history. We raised $250 million to help end childhood cancer through that mission, that flight. And when we think about people with money and access, the idea is like, how do we also get them to be humanitarian and come back changed? and want to make a difference. You look at people like Richard Garriott, who also is a commercial astronaut and is the head of the Explorers Club, was the head of the Explorers Club. And in this whole idea of making an impact and doing research around exploration, Anousheh Ansari, who came back and is head of X Prize. And if you know X Prize and the kind of work that they do for trying to push technology and innovation. So I think there is a role for individuals who have access and opportunity to be able to go and lead, but leave with intention, lead with intention for the betterment of our planet. And, you know, I'm so proud to have been the mission pilot for Inspiration4 because we set that type of example of how you can go and explore out there, but also be cognizant of the that you can do here on Earth and then come back changed with purpose.

Great.

Thank you.

A question over there and then over.

There. Thank you very much. So I'm from my name is from NHK TV Japan. So my question is could you elaborate a little bit about the schedule from now, you know, before the start of the negotiation and when the negotiation is expected to start next year?

Great, thank you. I'll pass to Isabelle for that one.

Negotiations started in April this year and the international conference of plenipotentiary will take place next year. So states have agreed to conclude the negotiation by the end of 2027 and this week is the conference for procedural matters so we will hear after this conference the exact date for the international conference where the treaty will be negotiated.

Thanks, and of course then there is the whole, if there is a treaty, then there's implementation. And that's where we as the Red Cross are hoping to play a role, particularly on the sort of technical advisory support to member states as they implement. But clearly it's not our remit to have the treaty. That's a decision from member states. So over there.

Thank you. It's Eric Peters with Kyoto News Agency. It's another Japanese news agency. So first, where will the conference be held? Have states parties taken a decision? Do you have any idea? And second, if you could elaborate how this differs from the Sendai framework, which we might be a little more familiar with. Thank you.

Good questions. I understand the negotiations are about to start on the new Sendai framework, so whatever that is. I think the location is, as far as I know, is in the final stage of agreement, or has it now been agreed?

I think in the.

Final stages of the agreement. It's in the final stages of the agreement, but we understand it's somewhere in Asia. And then do you want to pick up the other element?

Yes, so the Sendai Framework is a non-binding instrument. So of course, it provides for a political commitment. It's a soft legal instrument. So in that sense, it does not provide for duty for states to reduce disaster risk. even though states have taken action at national level following the adoption of the Sendai Framework, including by developing disaster risk reduction strategies. But this really would, of course, go a step further because it would create a duty for states to reduce disaster risk. So basically, it provides for risk mitigation and preparation to disaster in the text of the treaty.

Great, thank you. Any more questions I don't think I'm seeing any online, Melis. Okay, well, if there are no more questions, thank you very much for coming. We do have a landing platform which has some of the videos and also it has access to case studies of where around the world and national societies are already doing this kind of work. So I think Melis can probably share that link with you. EarthMissingTreaty.org, so if you'd like to post that as well as you write about us, that would be most welcome. Anyway, thank you very much.