United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

OFFICIAL STATEMENT
2020 High-level Political Forum Session on “Bolstering local action to control the pandemic and accelerate implementation”
Thursday 9 July, 9:00-10:30 EST
Virtual

As delivered by Chief of the UNDRR New York Liaison Office, Mr. Marco Toscano-Rivalta

Thank you very much, Mr. Moderator, for the opportunity.
Protocol observed.
Hazards may have local, national, regional and global reach, but disaster risk is local by nature. The Sendai Framework is clear: local action is the way to manage disaster risk. It is critical to provide financial capacity and authority to local governments, and empower local actors to prevent the creation of new, reduce existing, and manage residual risks. And integrate DRR in the implementation of all SDGs.
The COVID-19 crisis has exposed our high vulnerability and exposure to all hazards, the systemic nature of risk and the cascading impact across all sectors and scales.
Countries committed to adopt multi hazard, including biological hazards, local disaster risk reduction strategies and plans by 2020, in line with the Sendai Framework’s target (e) and SDG Target 11.b. They must be complemented by disaster risk reduction financing strategies.
The Bangkok Principles for the implementation of the health aspects of the Sendai Framework, and tools such as the Public Health Addendum to the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities, provide guidance to develop such strategies, recover better from COVID-19, and are instrumental to the implementation of the International Health Regulations.
Much more remains to be done to support local action and local actors to manage disaster risk. Enhanced local action and partnership is the focus of the Making Cities Resilient 2030 facilitated by UNDRR and to be launched in late 2020.
Thank you.