The International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS) joins the global community in observing the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The 2026 theme, “Resilience Starts at Home,” foregrounds the household and community settings in which risk is experienced and managed. It invites a broader understanding of resilience, extending beyond the physical safety of homes to the social, psychological and material conditions that shape preparedness, response and recovery. These processes are influenced by how risk is perceived and understood, how individuals and communities respond under conditions of uncertainty, and the resources and support available to enable protective action.
The theme also reflects the people-centred approach of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, which recognises that exposure to risk and the consequences of disasters are unevenly distributed. Recent data from the Sendai Framework Monitor illustrate the extent of these disparities: Least Developed Countries comprise approximately 12% of the population of reporting countries, yet account for almost 29% of reported disaster-related mortality. The conditions in which people live, their access to resources and information, and their capacity to influence decisions that affect their safety therefore have important implications for disaster risk and resilience.
The human dimensions of disaster risk reduction are central to psychological science. Psychological science contributes to understanding how risk is perceived and acted upon, how decisions are made under conditions of uncertainty, and how individuals and communities adapt across preparedness, response and recovery. It also provides an important evidence base for understanding the mental health and psychosocial consequences of disasters and for informing approaches that are responsive to differing vulnerabilities, capacities and social contexts.
These contributions are increasingly significant as conflict, displacement, climate-related hazards and public-health emergencies intersect with wider social and structural inequalities. Greater integration of psychological evidence within disaster risk reduction can strengthen preparedness, support more contextually responsive interventions, and contribute to more sustainable recovery and resilience. In doing so, psychological science can also contribute to the wider Sustainable Development Goals, including efforts to promote health and wellbeing, strengthen safe and resilient communities, respond to climate-related risks and build effective partnerships.
For IUPsyS, this work forms part of a broader commitment to strengthening psychology’s contribution to crisis preparedness, response and recovery. The Work Group on Response to Crisis supports the Union’s engagement with emerging global challenge, while IUPsyS has a long history of working with its members to strengthen psychological capacity internationally. This includes earlier capacity-building initiatives such as the Psychology in Africa and the Developing World (PIAD) workshops and continues through contemporary initiatives of the Standing Committee on Capacity Building.
The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction provides an opportunity to build on this work and to consider more closely where psychological knowledge and expertise can strengthen disaster risk reduction at national, regional and global levels.
On this International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, we are asking the global psychology community: Where can psychological science make its greatest contribution to disaster preparedness and resilience in your country or region?
We encourage psychologists, psychological organisations, researchers, educators and students worldwide to share their perspectives and examples of how psychological science is contributing — or could contribute — to stronger preparedness and more resilient communities.
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