International day marks the issues behind avoidable deaths

The third instalment of an annual global day of awareness of the issues around avoidable deaths takes place this week.

A month of activities worldwide has been planned to mark the International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths (IAD4AD), which falls on Wednesday 12 March.

It seeks to raise the visibility of indirect disaster deaths and missing persons, value the lives saved, and reflect on the achievements of saving lives, worldwide.

The day was established in 2023 by the Avoidable Deaths Network (ADN), which is led by Professor Nibedita Ray-Bennett, Professor of Risk Management at the University of Leicester School of Business.

The network was set up to investigate the causes and circumstances of avoidable deaths and develop workable solutions to prevent them. The network is currently conducting projects related to six avoidable disaster death themes: disaster education; maternal deaths from unsafe abortion and post-abortion complications; direct and indirect deaths; tsunami deaths, snakebite deaths and drowning deaths.

A current example of the network’s positive impact is the development of lifesaving kits for women in India and Bangladesh who are at risk from complications following unsafe abortions during disasters.

The theme for IAD4AD 2025 is Do One Thing. More than 30 activities are planned worldwide throughout March, led by ADN advisory board members, regional coordinators, future leaders, partners, affiliates and operational team members from 30+ institutions across 20 countries.

Activities will include rallies, seminars, community building events, competitions and the launch of case stations. In Leicester, the University will also be lighting up its iconic Attenborough Tower in blue and green.

Professor Ray-Bennett will also be speaking at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Indian Institute of Public Administration, in New Delhi, the Global PANEL Project at the University of Cambridge, and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ annual conference, in Geneva.

As part of this year’s festivities, the network is also working with Custodians for African Literature (COAL) on Art4Life to solicit poetry, photography and flash fiction from youths and adults across the 48 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa on some of the leading causes of avoidable deaths in the continent.

Professor Ray-Bennett, who is also Associate Director at the University of Leicester’s Institute for Environmental Futures, said: “I am humbled by the ADN’s affiliates, regional coordinators, future leaders, advisors and new campaigners for embracing the global campaign.

“We have made huge strides in raising awareness around avoidable deaths from snakebites, drowning, post-abortion complications, and road traffic accidents, among others. Raising awareness is the first step towards positive change.”

She added: “Seeing the global campaign celebrate across 20 countries (eight countries more than 2024) is a real thrill. As part of this campaign, we launched the join the fight to save lives donation page at the Institute for Environmental Futures.

“This awareness-raising campaign is about giving agencies to individuals and organisations to shine a light on avoidable deaths that are taking place in their localities and take positive actions to save precious lives.”

Professor Heiko Balzter, Director of the Institute for Environmental Futures, said: “Launched from the Institute for Environmental Futures and the School of Business, it is wonderful to observe the reach of the global campaign, IAD4AD.

“This year, the Institute has further supported Professor Ray-Bennett to commission a consultant to develop a monitoring, evaluation and learning framework for the IAD4AD so that we can track the impact of this campaign over 10 years.”

He added: “Also, we are supporting the Art4Life campaign to increase its reach across Sub-Saharan Africa. This region, among others, carries the burden of disaster deaths and disabilities from climate-related hazards. I am pleased that this global campaign is increasingly becoming a conduit to raise the issue of equity and environmental justice for the vulnerable populations.”

The first IAD4AD was launched on 13 March 2023 in Izumiotsu, Japan, in collaboration with the city of Izumiotsu Mayor, Minamedi Kenichi, Kansai University academic Dr Hideyuki Shiroshita, and the-then Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Mami Mizutori.

Find out more about this year’s timetable of activities for IAD4AD.