International day to mark the issues behind avoidable deaths

The fourth 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 Thursday 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 and Dr Hideyuki Shiroshita, Associate Professor in Disaster Education at the Kansai University.

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 and girls of reproductive age who are at risk from complications following unsafe abortions during disasters.

The theme for IAD4AD 2026 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, tree plantations, the launch of ADN Chapters in India and Taiwan, and expert lectures. In Leicester, the University will also be lighting up its iconic Attenborough Tower in blue and green at 6.45pm on Thursday 12 March.

Professor Ray-Bennett will attend the launch of the Country Chapters in Taiwan, led by National Chi Nan University, and the India Chapter, led by Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology. She will also be speaking at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ Humanitarian Networks Partnerships Week Conference, Mount Royal University’s Centre for Land-Based Learning in Canada and at the RESSummit 2047 – Edition 2026 Capacities and Public Policy Conference, India.

Professor Ray-Bennett, who is also Associate Director at the University of Leicester’s Institute for Environmental Futures, said: “I am deeply humbled by the dedication of the ADN’s affiliates, regional coordinators, future leaders, advisors, and our growing cohort of campaigners. Their energy and commitment are transforming this global campaign. They are no longer just participants – they are becoming the voice of the movement.

“Together, we have made significant strides in raising awareness of avoidable deaths from snakebites, drowning, post‑abortion complications, road traffic accidents, and other preventable causes. Awareness is the first step toward meaningful, life‑saving change, and our collective voice is now stronger than ever.”

She added: “Seeing the International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths celebrated across different countries and cultures is both inspiring and encouraging. This year, we launched the monitoring, evaluation and learning framework to capture the impact of the campaigners’ activities.

“This campaign is about giving individuals, organisations, and communities the agency to shine a light on the avoidable deaths occurring in their localities and to take positive, practical actions to save precious lives. The momentum we are witnessing in 2026 shows that this global movement is growing not only in reach, but in confidence and leadership.”

Professor Heiko Balzter, Director of the Institute for Environmental Futures, said: “Launched jointly by the Institute for Environmental Futures and the School of Business, it is inspiring to see how far the global campaign, IAD4AD, has reached.

“This year, the Institute is continuing to support Professor Ray-Bennett with the implementation of the monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework for IAD4AD. This will allow us to track the campaign’s impact from this year through to 2033.”

He added: “We have also supported the launch of two new ADN Country Chapters in India and Taiwan, and we have signed a collaboration agreement between Kansai and Leicester for the ADN. These are significant milestones for Leicester’s strategy for internationalisation and for strengthening research‑led pathways to sustainable environmental futures.

“I am also pleased that this global campaign continues to serve as a conduit for raising issues of equity and environmental justice for vulnerable populations. Its growth demonstrates the power of international collaboration in addressing avoidable deaths and advancing a fairer, more resilient world in the face of climate change impacts and global conflicts.”

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.

If you would like to mark, collaborate on, or sponsor the campaign, please email us or donate through the Join the Fight to Save Lives donation page at the Institute for Environmental Futures.

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