P K Mishra awarded as UN Sasakawa Award 2019 for Disaster Risk Reduction
Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, Odisha-born IAS officer and Additional Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, has been conferred with the prestigious United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction for the year 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. He received the 2019 Sasakawa award in recognition of his long-term dedication to improve the resilience of communities most exposed to disasters and his personal commitment to social inclusion as a critical principle to reduce inequality and poverty, enhancing the safety net of the socially and economically marginalized. The UN Sasakawa Award is the most prestigious international award in the area of Disaster Risk Management. It was instituted more than 30 years ago and is jointly organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the Nippon Foundation. A total grant of USD 50,000 is distributed among the winners which can be either organizations or individuals. The theme of the 2019 Sasakawa award was “Building Inclusive and Resilient Societies”.