December 22, 2025
Dear readers and the ADN community,
Welcome to our seventh Newsletter for the Avoidable Deaths Network (ADN). I am delighted to step into the role of Editor-in-Chief, following Professor Nibedita Ray-Bennett, who has done a fantastic job of launching and leading this Newsletter since 2020. It is truly a privilege to continue this journey and share the incredible activities and achievements of 2025.
ADN is a global-local membership network comprising over 1,100 members representing more than 800 organisations across 94 countries. The network is committed to identifying both theoretical and practical solutions to reduce avoidable deaths from disasters.
The ADN community has experienced a notable and dynamic year. We commemorated the second anniversary of our global initiative, the ‘International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths (IAD4AD)’, under the theme ‘Do One Thing’. The campaign achieved remarkable success, being observed in more than 20 countries through over 40 activities. In 2026, our objective is to expand the scope of celebration through additional activities. We invite you to join in commemorating this significant global campaign; please contact us for further details.
ADN successfully conducted multiple research projects this year, yielding benefits to community members, academics, and policymakers. All project updates are documented in the newsletter, with links to the publications.
This Newsletter presents a brief overview of notable work undertaken by the ADN Team, Regional Coordinators, Advisors, and Organisational Partners across the globe. Photographs have been included to offer a visual sense of the location, timing, and context wherever feasible.
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Anil Kumar Gupta, Professor of Policy-Strategies and Capacities at the Department of Water Resources Development and Management, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, for graciously accepting our invitation to participate in an interview concerning the section on ‘Perspectives on Avoidable Deaths.’
Additionally, I extend my appreciation to all the contributing authors for their efforts in bringing this Newsletter to fruition.
I hope you will enjoy reading and viewing the photos in this Newsletter.
I wish you all a Happy New Year.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Lasith Dissanayake
Editor-In-Chief