Four of the world's largest broadcasting alliances have pledged to join forces to create a near-global network committed to reducing the impact of the risk from disaster.

The EBU, the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) and the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) have responded to a call from the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).

The group’s membership spans Europe, Africa, the Arab States and the Asia-Pacific region, making it the largest network of its kind. It reaches billions of people and includes many areas at risk from disaster. The plan is to leverage and channel support among members to raise awareness of the risks before, during and after a disaster strikes.

The formal pledge was issued at the recent Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Japan.

As well as the overarching approach, the broadcasters have called on the international community to make concrete commitments and investments. Safeguarding digital terrestrial broadcasting as a reliable information source, engaging media in the development and implementation of policies and providing funding for journalist training and programme content are among those mentioned.

Awareness is the key, according to the EBU’s Head of Institutional Relations, Giacomo Mazzone; “Look at the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Typhoon Hayyan in 2013 – media organisations are quick to react when disasters actually occur. What we are talking about here is playing to our strengths by joining forces with our fellow professional alliances around the world to take a pro-active stance; not just helping vulnerable communities to get back on their feet in the wake of a disaster but also helping them build resilience during quieter times.”

“The EBU has 73 members across 56 countries. In combination with the other three alliances, that means we can reach a phenomenaI number of people. Imagine the power that would create.The media’s role in mitigating the effects of disaster is likely to come under renewed scrutiny at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris at the end of the year – and must not be neglected."