World Commemorates First International Day of Remembrance for Earthquake Victims

Kathmandu. Today is the International Day of Remembrance for Earthquake Victims, and this day is being celebrated for the first time today in various countries around the world with various awareness programs.

The United Nations General Assembly decided in April 2025 to celebrate April 29 every year as this day. Accordingly, it has called on UN member states, bodies under the UN system, and related international organizations to cooperate in its remembrance.

Among natural disasters, earthquakes are considered the most fatal. Recent powerful earthquakes in Myanmar and Afghanistan have destroyed infrastructure and displaced communities. This has had a long-term social, economic, and psychological impact on those countries.

According to the United Nations, at least 12 major earthquakes since 1900 have claimed more than 50,000 lives each. Earthquake-related damage accounts for more than a quarter of global disaster losses, with trillions of dollars in economic damage in recent decades.

Apart from direct destruction, earthquakes have also created additional risks such as fires, tsunamis, and landslides, causing unimaginable damage to housing, health, education, and livelihoods.