United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Q1. How have the COVID-19 pandemic and the current food, energy and financing crises changed the priorities of your organization?
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the systemic nature of risk and its cascading and cross-sectoral impacts. This, as already evidenced by the climate emergency, further demonstrates that bridging institutional silos, and coordination with different sectors and levels of government, as well as cohesive and participatory action beyond government level, are key success factors for effective risk governance. The pandemic has also shown the consequences of systematically underinvesting in resilience.
In 2021, COVID-19 continued to affect millions of people around the world, causing record losses in lives and destruction of livelihoods. In response, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) remained resilient and productive, adapting to new working realities. UNDRR’s COVID-19 Engagement Strategy aimed at aligning new and existing global DRR and early-warning frameworks, policies, and technical guidelines with national and regional health initiatives. This strategy helped stakeholders increase evidence and learning foundations to improve the consolidation of novel, or once fringe, issues like biological hazards into mainstream risk-reduction thinking. The strategy also proved to be a timely instrument for leveraging partnerships and disseminating relevant guidance and information.
The pandemic has informed and influenced UNDRR’s Strategic Framework 2022-2025, that places high priority on recovering from the pandemic while building long-term resilience. UNDRR will place high urgency in strengthening risk knowledge, data and analysis to enable countries to better manage the complex and interconnected risks of today and in the future.
Further, the midterm review process of the Sendai Framework is ongoing and will culminate in 2023. The midterm review was mandated by the General Assembly in 2020, with the adoption of Resolution 75/216 recognizing the important role of the Sendai Framework in a sustainable recovery from COVID-19. It will assess progress on integrating disaster risk reduction into policies, programmes and investments at all levels, identify good practice, gaps and challenges, and accelerate the path to achieving the goal of the Sendai Framework by 2030. Building on the heightened interest and awareness of risk due to COVID-19, UNDRR will deliver evidence-based advocacy initiatives with clear calls to action to invest in prevention, including through communication campaigns highlighting the crucial role of disaster risk prevention. UNDRR has spearheaded efforts to ensure a gender-responsive midterm review of the Sendai Framework, in collaboration with UN Women and UNFPA. This included publishing supplementary gender guidance for member states to support their voluntary national reviews. In addition, UNDRR continues to align with midterm reviews of other international frameworks including the midterm review of the Water Action Decade, creating important linkages to water-related risks, including those that impact public health.
The 2022 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the traditional understanding of risk and disaster risk governance. The Co-Chairs’ Summary: Bali Agenda for Resilience: From risk to resilience: Towards sustainable development for all in a COVID-19 transformed world highlights that lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic can help to accelerate efforts to bring the world on track to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The Summary indicates that current approaches to recovery and reconstruction are not sufficiently effective in protecting development gains nor in building back better, greener and more equitably. There is a need to encourage an adaptive, responsive disaster risk management system with multi-stakeholder collaboration, accompanied by empathy, solidarity, cooperation and a spirit of volunteerism, in particular to address inequity. It further elaborates that there is a need for predictable and sustainable investment in rebuilding and strengthening health systems, particularly at community level, to ensure equity.
With COVID-19 recovery investments allocated to new infrastructure and given that the bulk of funding allocated for recovery will be used to support public investment and key structural reforms, it is critical that considerations of risk reduction and resilience shape how and where these resources are spent. Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will also involve an exceptionally high amount of public funds channeled towards recovery investments, to a large extent through the private sector. The Principles for Resilient Infrastructure developed by UNDRR, and supported by 100+ countries, should guide policymakers for integrating resilience as a core value in planning and implementation of infrastructure projects. UNDRR will also enhance global momentum for investing in resilient infrastructure, for instance by helping countries monitor vulnerability, inter-dependency and exposure to disaster risks of infrastructure systems through stress-testing. To increase private sector mobilization, UNDRR will continue coordinating the implementation of the UNDRR Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Communities (ARISE) network and expand its coverage with a focus on ground level implementation at national level.
Q2. How has your organization supported Member States to accelerate their recovery from COVID-19 and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda? How has your organization cooperated with other UN system organizations in these efforts to achieve coherence and synergies?
As part of the UN joint response to COVID-19, UNDRR has been engaging diverse stakeholders at all levels to promote learning for improved policy and practice to ensure that disaster risk reduction addresses pandemics and biological hazards, as part of a multi-hazard approach, and to ensure that COVID-19 response and recovery is risk-informed. This work includes fostering dialogue amongst Member States, stakeholders and the UN system, developing guidance and tools, and ensuring a multi-dimensional understanding of risk, so that early lessons learned from the pandemic inform current and future disaster risk reduction efforts.
The UN Plan of Action on DRR for Resilience, highlighted in the 2020 QCPR Resolution, guided interagency efforts to strengthen DRR in the context of COVID-19 response and recovery. UNDRR collaborated closely within the UN system, including through UNSDG and the UN Senior Leadership Group on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience (UN SLG) chaired by the SRSG for Disaster Risk Reduction, to ensure a recovery process that not only builds back better, but also strengthens resilience to reduce the risk of pandemics and a wider range of hazards in the future.
This has included the development of technical guidance notes on incorporating biological hazard preparedness into UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks for Resident Coordinators and United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs), active leadership in UN Issue-based Coalitions (IBCs) at the regional level, as well as efforts to bring together health sector and disaster risk management constituencies.
Building on the recommendations of the Review of lessons from UN Coordination mechanisms on the management of COVID-19: strengthening the UN system approach to multi-hazard risk reduction and building resilience to a broad range of hazards, efforts were also strengthened to enhance support to, and engagement of UN leaders at country level through a webinar with UN Resident Coordinators on the topic:
Inclusive Recovery: Risk Reduction and Preparedness.
UNDRR coordinates the International Recovery Platform (IRP), a thematic platform and joint initiative of international organizations, national and local governments, and civil society to promote building back better in recovery and advocate for the implementation of Priority 4 of Sendai Framework. IRP issued a series of publications to support recovery from the pandemic.
Recognizing that countries that had in place multi-hazard DRR strategies found themselves better prepared to respond to COVID-19, UNDRR continued to provide technical assistance to countries in developing multi-hazard disaster risk reduction strategies, incorporating lessons learned from the COVID-19 response. In this context, UNDRR worked closely with WHO to ensure that the Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (EDRM) Framework and the Bangkok Principles for health aspects of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction are implemented in COVID-19 response and recovery.
With WHO, UNDRR also contributed to advocacy to ensure that health systems become more resilient to the health impacts of multi-hazards, including climate-induced, biological and other natural and human made disasters. As part of a multi-agency initiative on comprehensive disaster and climate risk management, UNDRR is collaborating with WHO to develop a supplementary guidance for developing or updating national multi-hazard disaster risk reduction strategies. A public health system resilience (addendum) scorecard has also been developed to inform local resilience strategies. UNDRR has also developed tools and guidance to enhance business resilience against the impact of the pandemic, focusing on the small and medium enterprises.
UNDRR supported Member States in reporting COVID-19-related losses under Sendai Targets A (related to disaster mortality), B (related to disaster-affected persons) and D (related to disruption of basic services from disasters). In collaboration with WHO, UNDRR conducted targeted trainings for national Sendai Focal Points and produced dedicated guidelines on COVID-19 reporting under the Sendai Framework.
Recognizing that a healthy environment is essential for supporting human health and reducing disaster risk, UNDRR developed the Words into Action Guidelines on Nature-Based Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction, in collaboration with the Partnership for Environment & Disaster Risk Reduction. The Guide highlights Nature-Based Solutions as a critical element of recovery and ‘building back better’.
UNDRR has generated a momentum on managing the ‘dual impact’ of the pandemic, as disasters resulting from natural and climate-related hazards continued to rise. This included issuing and revising guidance on preparedness, now considering the impact of the pandemic.
Please highlight up to three high-impact initiatives, especially those that address interlinkages among the SDGs and involves interagency collaboration. Concrete initiatives might be selected to be spotlighted during relevant intergovernmental meetings.
| Initiative | Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework |
| Partners | FAO, UNDCO, UNDP, UNDRR, UNEP, UNFCCC, UNFPA, UNICEF, WFP and WHO |
| Relevant SDGs | SDGs 1, 3, 11, 13 |
| Member States benefiting from the initiative | Global |
| Description | The Guidance Note helps UN RCOs and the UNCTs in formulating and implementing Cooperation Frameworks that support countries, communities and people in using climate and disaster risk management approaches to build disaster resilience. It outlines the impacts of climate and disaster risks on progress towards achieving the SDGs and suggests appropriate actions for each phase in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework lifecycle to make them risk-informed. The Note is one among a larger library of supporting documents to the Cooperation Framework Guidance and is best read alongside the Cooperation Framework Companion Package. The Guidance Note includes a special addendum for integration of disease outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics in Cooperation Frameworks. The Guidance is complemented by a training package, available in English and Spanish. |
| Website | https://www.undrr.org/publication/integrating-disaster-risk-reduction-a… |
| Initiative | Disaster resilience scorecard for cities: Public health system resilience addendum |
| Partners | UNDRR, WHO |
| Relevant SDGs | SDGs 3, 11 |
| Member States benefiting from the initiative | Global, Focus on local authorities and city managers |
| Description | The Disaster resilience scorecard for cities helps local governments understand and analyse the gaps in resilience and develop plans of actions to remedy this deficiency. The health scorecard addendum aims to strengthen and integrate coverage of the many aspects of public health issues and consequences of disasters that are not adequately emphasized in the original Scorecard. While the more obvious health factors such as hospital services capacities and structural and non-structural safety are covered in the Scorecard (under Essential 8), other disaster-related public health issues have not been well addressed. The Addendum, promulgated by UNDRR, with the support of World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, aims to remedy this. The Addendum is used in conjunction with the Scorecard, and WHO’s Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health EDRM) Framework. The Addendum is structured in sections around the same “Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient” as the Scorecard. It helps local governments integrate all health services into their resilience plans aiming for more robust implementation of the SDGs. |
| Website | https://mcr2030.undrr.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/UNDRR_Public%20He… |
| Initiative | Practical Lessons for Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Principles for Recovery & COVID-19 Recovery Policy Brief, International Recovery Platform |
| Partners | ADB, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNDRR, the World Bank, WHO, Japan, Hyogo Prefectural Government |
| Relevant SDGs | SDGs 1, 3, 11, 13 |
| Member States benefiting from the initiative | Global |
| Description | The pandemic has exposed and exploited vulnerabilities and inequalities at the root of the virus' most severe and disproportionate consequences. Preventing future outbreaks from becoming pandemics, and future shocks from causing such scale and scope of damage across the development spectrum, will depend on addressing these root vulnerabilities in recovery. It is not just a moral imperative to do so, it is necessary to ensure the durability of recovery and to build resilience to future global shocks. The Principles for Recovery publication offers a set of guiding, action-oriented principles and practical cases to support recovering communities as they plan and implement recovery. The principles focus on key cross-cutting issues for recovery such as building back better and greener, inclusive and people-centred recovery, and preserving development gains, among others. It offers a roadmap of options to guide recovery efforts, based on applied disaster recovery experience, and established methods and evidence. The policy brief elaborates on the COVID-19 recovery context and to supplement existing guidance with key principles and practices to guide recovery planning. The audience includes recovery decision makers and policy makers, development organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and corporate and private philanthropy. |
| Website | https://recovery.preventionweb.net/publication/practical-lessons-recove… https://recovery.preventionweb.net/publication/covid-19-recovery-policy… |
Q3. Has your organization published or is it planning to publish any analytical work or guidance note or toolkits to guide and support recovery efforts from COVID-19 while advancing full implementation of SDGs at national, regional and global levels?
UNDRR highlighted the existing body of knowledge, expertise and experience in managing disasters and disaster risks to respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. UNDRR published different knowledge resources and products, initiated and accelerated several programmes, and conducted a COVID-19 webinar series and discussions which produced specific key findings and policy recommendations informing efforts to overcome the socio-economic impact of the pandemic, particularly as it relates to some of the world’s most vulnerable populations in complex settings.
PreventionWeb, which is the knowledge-sharing platform for disaster risk reduction for those working on the frontline of disaster risk and vulnerability, continued coverage of the pandemic in 2021, with a dedicated track for COVID-19 stories and reports that demonstrated how governments, cities and local communities tackled the complex nature of the pandemic at local, national, and global levels.
Please select up to three high-impact resources to highlight, especially those that address interlinkages among the SDGs. Selected resources will be highlighted to inform relevant intergovernmental meetings.
| Resource | COVID-19 small business continuity and recovery planning toolkit |
| Publishing entity/entities | UNDRR |
| Relevant SDGs | SDGs 3, 8 |
| Target audience | Private sector (Small and medium enterprises) |
| Description | The toolkit supports SMEs to (i) Protect their employees and customers from contracting and passing COVID-19, (ii) Rapidly take measures that can protect their businesses from the incoming disruptions, especially in countries that have not yet been severely impacted by COVID-19, and (iii) That have been impacted by COVID-19 to utilize all resources that might be available to them to remain solvent and operational. |
| Website | https://www.undrr.org/publication/covid-19-small-business-continuity-an… |
| Language | English, Chinese, and nine vernacular languages in Asia-Pacific |
| Resource | Tsunami Evacuation during COVID-19: A Guide for School Administrators |
| Publishing entity/entities | UNDRR, UNDP |
| Relevant SDGs | SDGs 1, 4 |
| Target audience | Education sector (school administrators and students) |
| Description |
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges to disaster preparedness and response. In planning safe evacuation from disaster events, physical distancing and hygiene practices need to be observed. As a result, disaster and tsunami preparedness plans need to be reviewed and updated to address the challenges brought about by the current pandemic. The Guide provides step by step instructions for School Administrators to take prior to an emergency, during the evacuation and within the evacuation centre, with the view to prevent the spread of infectious diseases during a tsunami event. The Guide is divided into three main sections: (i) Updated facts from recent Tsunami and disaster events, (ii) Challenges associated with COVID-19 and additional evacuation measures, and (iii) Checklist for school evacuation centres in view of COVID-19. |
| Website | https://www.undrr.org/publication/tsunami-evacuation-during-covid-19-gu… |
| Language | English |
| Resource | Increasing global resilience to systemic risk: emerging lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Publishing entity/entities | UNDRR, UNU-EHS, GIZ, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development |
| Relevant SDGs | SDGs 1, 11, 13 |
| Target audience | Multiple, including disaster risk managers, governance experts, planning and development ministries |
| Description |
The analysis of the COVID-19 crisis through multiple case studies unveiled complex and multi-faceted webs of cascading and systemic risks and impacts. Key in the analysis is the characterization of the network and system structure, and network dynamics. Informed by the case studies, expert consultation and literature review, the CARICO conceptual model is a tool to systematize, visualize and explore the most relevant characteristics, connections and cascading effects as they emerged from the case studies analyses. It provides a generalized understanding of the risks associated with COVID-19 from a systemic perspective. Six cross-cutting findings are highlighted from the case studies in this report: COVID-19 interventions had clear cascading effects throughout nearly all of society; COVID-19 and accompanying interventions reinforce pre-existing vulnerabilities; COVID-19 has demonstrated that the dependence on global networks has impacts at the local level; COVID-19 and accompanying interventions have distinct impacts on women and girls. |
| Website | https://www.undrr.org/publication/understanding-and-managing-cascading-… |
| Language | English |
Q4. How has your organization engaged with stakeholder groups to support SDG implementation and COVID-19 recovery at national, regional and global levels? Please provide main highlights, including any lessons learned. For example, what has worked particularly well as a model for effective stakeholder engagement?
The UNDRR Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (SEM) provides an opportunity for stakeholders, currently over 600 members from 90 countries, to strategically engage in and support global and regional policy discussions on the SDGs, Paris Climate Agreement, Addis Ababa Action Agenda, New Urban Agenda, Financing for Development, the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework:
In 2022, the SEM co-designed and actively participated in developing the Stakeholders’ Perspectives report for the MTR SF, coordinated a 2-day Stakeholder Forum during the preparatory days at the GP2022, and issued joint position papers at the HLPF, World Urban Forum, Commission on the Status of Women, and COP27.
The SEM engagement at High Level Political Forum included input to para 89 of the report and promoting a position paper that called for: agility and flexibility to be built into development programmes and activities, ensuring continuous application of learnings in new programmes and activities; and strengthening stakeholder engagement through effective information sharing and resourcing of their action, as well as creating an enabling environment for their full participation in the design, planning and implementation of resilient development processes, capacitate and support women and girls through necessary policy frameworks to fully participate in the Agenda 2030 implementation.
Similarly, at COP27, SEM engagement was designed to share lessons from the DRR stakeholder community to advance climate action through the SEM position paper, which proposed the following measures: dedicate attention to losses and damage, including finance, support communities in becoming partners in the climate change adaptation process, make national adaptation plans effective, support the expansion and effectiveness of the race to resilience, and address the knowledge gap to understand true extent of climate-induced losses and damages.
In collaboration with its partners, UNDRR supports parliamentarians on three action areas under its 2022-2025 Parliamentarian Engagement Strategy: (i) Enhance legislation, planning and financing for DRR through the integration of DRR in national strategies, legal, budgetary, and regulatory frameworks; (ii) engage parliamentarians in global and regional DRR mechanisms, policy processes and advocacy campaigns; and (iii) develop capacity and knowledge products for parliamentarians.
If your organization has established multi-stakeholder partnership(s) in this regard, please describe them (name, partners involved, relevant SDGs, Member States benefiting from the partnership) and provide links to relevant websites for more information.
| Partnership | UNDRR Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (an open and structured avenue for close engagement of stakeholders in the implementation of the Sendai Framework through key global, regional and national policy processes) |
| Partners | Non-State Stakeholders |
| Relevant SDGs | SDGs 1, 5, 10, 11, 13, 17 |
| Member States benefiting from the initiative | Global |
| Description | UNDRR has leveraged its stakeholder engagement to release a series of analytical knowledge tools and policy guidance. Examples include: • Building resilience during COVID-19: lessons learned from Disaster Risk Reduction programming • Action brief: Gender and disaster risk reduction and response in the context of COVID-19: The Asia-Pacific Region • Disaster Risk Reduction and the Caribbean Private Sector: The role of the telecommunications sector in the context of COVID-19 • COVID-19 Brief: Reducing Vulnerability of Migrants and Displaced Populations |
| Website | https://www.undrr.org/implementing-sendai-framework-partners-and-stakeh… |
Q5. In the 2019 SDG Summit declaration (GA Resolution 74/4), Member States outlined ten priority areas for accelerated action in SDG implementation. Please highlight any major integrated and innovative policies or initiatives that your organization may have adopted in these ten priority areas:
5.1 leaving no one behind
UNDRR continues to support gender-responsive, disability-inclusive and universally accessible disaster risk reduction, working closely with member states, UN entities, and wide-ranging stakeholders to jointly promote inclusive and coherent implementation of the Sendai Framework, and risk-informed development that leaves no one behind.
One key avenue for this is through the UNDRR Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (SEM) which provides an opportunity for stakeholders to strategically engage in and support global and regional policy discussions on the SDGs, Paris Climate Agreement, Addis Ababa Action Agenda, New Urban Agenda, Financing for Development, the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework: Under the UNDRR Youth Strategy and Action Plan (2022-2025), UNDRR supports youth-led networks and organizations to enhance youth capacity and risk knowledge, empower youth to drive innovative DRR communication, and engage youth in DRR policy processes and practice. Enhancing participation and engagement of young women is cross cutting across all identified actions under the strategy.
UNDRR also coordinates the Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments (SFVC) initiative to ensure all-of-society engagements for the Sendai Framework implementation by operating the SFVC online platform and publishing, monitoring and analysing voluntary commitments made by stakeholders. By the end of 2022, cumulatively 109 voluntary commitments (VC) by various stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society organizations, academia, and local governments have been successfully published in the SFVC online platform. These VCs are being implemented jointly by 663 organizations and have committed to a total of more than 556 concrete deliverables.
UNDRR promotes and supports women’s leadership in disaster risk reduction, through a flagship initiative entitled Women’s International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR). In the second full year of implementation the WIN DRR network has grown significantly across the Asia-Pacific region with almost 1,000 members, and national networks established in Fiji, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines. Building on the success of WIN DRR, UNDRR has also spearheaded the creation of a Latin American and Caribbean regional Women’s Network for Disaster Risk Reduction. The second annual Women's International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership Awards attracted 420 nominations from 24 countries across Asia-Pacific, with the Excellence award granted to Esline Garaebiti from Vanuatu, and the Rising Star award granted to Homolata Borah from India at the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction. WIN DRR also builds the evidence base for women’s leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction and in 2022 published guidance on inclusive and accessible multi-hazard early warning systems, learning from women-led early warning systems in the Pacific, in partnership with ActionAid Australia and Shifting the Power Coalition. I
n 2022 UNDRR actively engaged in the Commission on the Status of Women given the 66th session’s theme on “Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction” with the SRSG moderating a Ministerial Roundtable and UNDRR organising and speaking in six events. UNDRR is supporting the call from the agreed conclusions of CSW66 to develop a Gender Action Plan for the Sendai Framework, and is coordinating this work with other partners as part of the midterm review process. A guidance note on Sex, Age and Disability Disaggregated Data (SADDD) was also created, which outlined the importance of SADD data to be collected and reported by countries.
UNDRR also hosted a number of events that recognised the leadership of women in COVID-19 response and recovery, as well as the need for gender-responsive COVID-19 recovery that centres women’s experiences. The policy briefs developed from these events provided member states with recommendations to ensure COVID-19 recovery is inclusive and supports gender equality. Special focus is given to how persons with disabilities and, in a broader context, persons most at risk, are considered by governments when developing and implementing national and local disaster risk reduction strategies as prescribed by the Sendai Framework Target (e).
5.3 enhancing national implementation
In line with the acceleration of the new Strategic Framework 2022-2025, UNDRR has initiated a programmatic approach to provide and co-develop quality information and analysis to reduce risks and inform humanitarian and development planning at national and local levels.
UNDRR’s technical assistance to countries is underpinned in a strengthened understanding of risk. UNDRR’s innovative Global Risk Assessment Framework (GRAF) aims to increase use of scalable, systemic risk information to support more resilient development and humanitarian planning.
In this context UNDRR, launched in 2022 a living repository of open-source global and national risk data to improve risk literacy and strengthen national risk data ecosystems: Risk Information System (RiX). Further, through a comprehensive disaster and climate risk management (CRM) approach, UNDRR helps countries better translate long-term climate projections and adaptation goals into short to medium term disaster risk reduction actions.
UNDRR provides technical assistance, in collaboration with partners, to countries to develop climate-sensitive and risk-responsive disaster risk reduction strategies and plans and national adaptation plans. In support of the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on DRR for Resilience at country level, targeted support to UN Country Teams on risk-informed Humanitarian Response Plans and UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks will also be provided in collaboration with UN partners. The strategies and plans will be further enhanced through analysis of the financial landscape in the country, to understand the current level of public financing, planning needs, and (hence) the financing gaps. UNDRR, in collaboration with partners, will support countries to review public financing mechanisms for risk-informed sustainable development, and develop bankable projects.
Finally, using the existing metrics and mechanisms available for monitoring of disaster losses and damages, UNDRR supports countries to adopt and follow an evidence-based monitoring system to track progress in disaster risk reduction. Countries will also be supported to contribute to reporting on global state of disasters and implementation of the Sendai Framework. Lessons learned through the process was widely disseminated through documented knowledge products and leveraging the Global and Regional Platforms for disaster Risk reduction convened by UNDRR.
5.4 strengthening institutions for more integrated solutions
UNDRR follows a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach to strengthen risk governance, in line with the Priority 2 of the Sendai Framework (Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk).
UNDRR’s support in developing and implementing gender-responsive, climate-sensitive and inclusive national disaster risk reduction strategies ensures governments are better equipped to reduce the impact of disasters on sustainable development.
UNDRR has developed policy guidance, training and tools to strengthen gender-responsive and disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction, working with a range of partners to prioritise and improve sex and disability -disaggregated data reporting, women’s and persons with disability leadership in disaster risk reduction, and gender-responsive COVID-19 recovery.
UNDRR leverages its role within the UN system to support the integration of DRR and climate change in UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks and to strengthen humanitarian-development collaboration around DRR. UNDRR also provides UN partners working at the country-level with a wide range of expertise and tools to reduce climate related disaster risks, by integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into development planning processes.
UNDRR promotes inclusive risk governance through Global Platforms and Regional Platforms that are convened periodically to assess and discuss progress on the implementation of the Sendai Framework and to advance concerted implementation of disaster risk reduction, sustainable development and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Each region hosts regional platforms while sub-regional platforms are also organised. The Platforms aim to advance progress in achieving the Sendai Framework’s goal and related targets and indicators, as well as those linked to the SDGs, by sharing good practices and lessons learnt, by energizing the global disaster risk reduction community around new initiatives, and by identifying gaps and making recommendations. Countries have also established National Platforms or equivalent mechanisms for coordination and policy guidance on disaster risk reduction. These Platforms are multisectoral and interdisciplinary in nature, with public, private and civil society participation involving all concerned entities in a country.
5.5 bolstering local action
UNDRR and partners launched the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative as the successor arrangement of the Making Cities Resilient Campaign that ran from 2010 to 2020. The Campaign achieved considerable success in promoting disaster resilience with local governments, reaching out to 4,360 cities globally. Through the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (2021-2030) initiative (MCR2030) launched in October 2020, UNDRR and partners (e.g. ICLEI, JICA, IFRC, Resilient Cities Network, UCLG, UNHABITAT, UNOPS, C40, the World Bank and WCCD) respond to an increasing need for a systemic, joined-up approach to build local resilience. The MCR2030 gathers a global coalition of practitioners, thought-leaders, financiers and donors, policy makers, technical agencies and networks with a collective commitment to provide service to local governments contributing towards achieving the 2030 Agenda at the local level. The coalition links planning, policy and strategy with on-the-ground support, resulting in a significant increase in the number of cities globally implementing integrated climate and disaster resilience strategies by 2030.
5.6 reducing disaster risk and building resilience
In 2022, UNDRR initiated the implementation of the new Strategic Framework 2022-2025 that aims to ‘provide leadership and support to accelerate global efforts in disaster risk reduction to achieve inclusive sustainable development and the goal of the Sendai Framework.’ UNDRR will enhance use of quality risk analysis to inform development decisions, strengthen risk governance, catalyse action and investments in disaster risk reduction through engagement with partners and stakeholders, and mobilise advocacy and knowledge sharing for risk-informed sustainable development.
Some of the innovative programmes initiated by UNDRR include: Global Risk Assessment Framework, comprehensive disaster and climate risk management, disaster loss accounting system, Making Cities Resilient 2030, Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems, Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism, Scaling up DRR in Humanitarian Action, the Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction, Integrating DRR and CCA in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, etc.
In October 2021, UNDRR and WMO launched a Centre of Excellence for Disaster and Climate Resilience with a view to convening climate and disaster risk thought leaders and practitioners to address science to services, joint research, policies, and capacity strengthening to achieve comprehensive disaster and climate risk management at the global, regional, nation and sub-national levels.
In addition, the UNDRR Global Education & Training Institute continues to focus on developing the capacity of national and local government civil servants and non-state stakeholders around the world, helping them to integrate climate and disaster resilience into development plans.
UNDRR will continue to analyse progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and by corollary, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This includes the continued use of the online Sendai Framework Monitor, currently being used by 155 countries, to inform progress measured against 38 indicators to achieve the seven targets of the Sendai Framework.
The Mid-Term Review of the Sendai Framework is taking stock of the implementation of the framework in the period since its adoption, identify challenges and, in considering changes in context, make recommendations for prioritized or accelerated action to 2030 in support of risk-informed sustainable development and climate resilience. It will assess progress on integrating disaster risk reduction into policies, programmes and investments at all levels, identify good practice, gaps and challenges, and accelerate the path to achieving the goal of the Sendai Framework by 2030.
UNDRR is making efforts to ensure that the Mid-Term Review and the Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement benefit mutually from the two concurrent processes. The 7th Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, which was held in May 2022 hosted by the Government of Indonesia, considered several of these topics, enabled knowledge sharing and discussion about the latest developments and trends in reducing disaster risk.
On 2022 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNDRR released a report on the ‘Global status of multi-hazard early warning systems: Target G’ which is the baseline for the SG’s Early Warnings for All initiative which is co-lead by UNDRR and WMO. The report offers good practices in forecasting capabilities, early warning coverage, and systems to act on them. It also responds to the UN Secretary-General's call for “early warning for all”.
The High-Level Meeting on the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework, mandated to take place on 18 and 19 May 2023, will serve as a clear stepping stone towards and beyond the 2023 SDG Summit. It will build on the UN 2023 Water Conference taking place in March 2023, as it looks forward to the high-level political forum under the auspices of the Economic Social Council in July 2023, and then under the auspices of the General Assembly as the SDG Summit in High-Level Week 2023 and the Summit of the Future. A clear objective of the high-level meeting will be to encourage conversation, and demonstrate political will to mainstream disaster risk reduction across the whole post-2015 development agenda, particularly given that disaster risk reduction was identified as one of the ten accelerators for the Decade of Action at the 2019 SDG Summit.
5.7 solving challenges through international cooperation and enhancing the global partnership
UNDRR coordinated the annual observance of the 2021 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (13 October) that focused on enhancing international cooperation for disaster risk reduction, in line with the Target F of the Sendai Framework. To mark the occasion, UNDRR released a report ‘International Cooperation in Disaster Risk Reduction’. The report highlights low levels of investments in disaster risk reduction for the world’s most vulnerable countries against a backdrop of the climate emergency, including a doubling of major disasters over the last 20 years. The report points that such a planetary emergency can only be adequately addressed through impartial and inclusive international cooperation on disaster risk management, underscored by international financing, capacity development and technology transfer.
5.8 harnessing science, technology and innovation with a greater focus on digital transformation for sustainable development
The UNDRR Science and Technology Advisory Groups (STAG) endeavour to improve resilience to disasters through better scientific and technological understanding and enhance science-based decision making at all levels with a particular focus to the needs of developing countries. The STAGs, which are established in five regions, provide technical and policy advice based on their expertise, coordinate strategic engagement of science, research and technology institutions and promote and enhance better cooperation between science and policy for the uptake of science within policies and plans.
UNDRR, in collaboration with the International Science Council and the International Research on Disaster Risk, has coordinated the development of a global research agenda for disaster risk reduction ‘A framework for global science in support of risk-informed sustainable development and planetary health’. UNDRR will advance this research agenda through supporting research to connect evidence to policymaking, bearing the standard for the principles embodied in the Sendai Framework and developing new knowledge in specific areas of focus, such as terminology, and methods to assess risk.
5.9 investing in data and statistics for the SDGs
UNDRR invests in data and statistics for inclusive implementation of the Sendai Framework and SDGs. 155 countries are currently using the online Sendai Framework Monitor to report progress in disaster risk reduction, and also contributing to selected indicators of SDGs 1, 11 and 13. Over 110 countries are also using disaster loss accounting system that provides nationally owned disaster-impact data at national and sub-national levels. Such official statistics have been critical in tracking progress in disaster risk reduction and SDGs, including through knowledge and policy products that enhance better understanding of risk and strengthen the data ecosystem for decision making.
UNDRR developed a Global Risk Assessment Framework (GRAF) that serves as an aggregator of risk information through national risk information portals, followed by bespoke risk analytics. UNDRR has coordinated multi-partner collaboration to establish and strengthen standards and quality for disaster-related data and statistics. These include Hazard Definition and Classification Review and associated Hazard Information Profiles, both done in collaboration with the International Science Council and a wider range of partners.
Further, as a good examples of joint UN system-wide effort, UNDRR has collaborated with the UN Regional Economic Commissions and the DESA/UNSD, to establish an inter-agency and expert group (IAEG) on disaster-related statistics, under the aegis of the UN Statistical Commission. The IAEG, currently co-chaired by UNDRR and UNESCAP, is coordinating with Member States and experts to develop a common disaster-related statistical framework.
UNDRR is also developing an organisation-side Data Strategy to ensure that UNDRR’s data is used and applied by Member States, partners and stakeholders for risk-informed sustainable development.
UNDRR coordinates annual reporting, which is based on a Results Framework, on the UN System’s contribution to implementation the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, through the UN Plan of Action on DRR for Resilience. Five of the UN Plan of Action indicators have been integrated into the QRPR Monitoring and Reporting Framework.
5.10 strengthening the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)
In 2022, UNDRR continued to strengthen the integration of disaster risk reduction into development policies and promoted coherence between the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the 2030 Agenda through the deliberations and outcomes of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) for Sustainable Development. This was done by:
i) Providing data from the Sendai Framework Monitor to the 2022 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report which informs the statistical update and stocktaking of the SDGs;
ii) Leading the Expert Group Meeting on SDG 13 and nominating DRR experts from academia and civil society to participate across the SDG Expert Group Meetings for all Sustainable Development Goals under review
iii) Providing updates to the background papers that inform the HLPF’s thematic sessions;
iv) Participating in the Voluntary National Review (VNR) workshops and developing a guidance note to support countries to assess the impact of disasters and report on successful risk reduction measures and policy gaps in their VNR reports and presentations;
v) Supporting the Sendai Framework Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism and other UNDRR partners to engage and promote the message of risk-informed development during the HLPF, and
vi) engaging high-level representatives of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction in the thematic sessions.
In 2022, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction gave a statement in the session “Working towards the 2023 SDG Summit,” drawing connections between the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework and the 2023 SDG Summit. This multi-pronged approach was successful in embedding risk reduction into the review of the SDGs at the HLPF and in deliberations on issues such as development challenges in the least developed countries and small island developing States, among others.
Disaster risk reduction is well reflected in the HLPF Ministerial Declaration which gives key policy guidance for risk-informed SDG implementation at national level, including embedding disaster risk reduction within public and private investments in all sectors; strengthening multi-hazard disaster risk governance at all levels and in all sectors; and integrating disaster risk reduction into COVID-19 recovery policies and strategies, among others.
As the Sendai Framework is recognised by the General Assembly as an integral part of the 2030 Agenda, UNDRR is actively engaged in strengthening the HLPF to ensure that its deliberations and policy recommendations support an approach to sustainable development that reduces risk and builds resilience to future shocks and hazards, in line with the commitment enshrined in the Political Declaration of the 2019 SDG Summit. The COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis demonstrate that development that is not risk-informed is not sustainable. The HLPF is therefore strengthened when it considers the impacts of all hazards on development progress and explores development solutions that reduce risk for current and future generations.
Q6. Following the adoption of the 2022 Ministerial Declaration, please highlight any major integrated and innovative policies or initiatives that your organization may have adopted related to the below, if applicable:
6.1 Member States encouraged "the United Nations system and all relevant actors to take advantage of emerging technologies and their applications, as appropriate, in order to maximize impact and effectiveness in data analysis and collection and stress the need to bridge the digital gap among and within countries" (Paragraph 86)
UNDRR has drafted a Data Strategy for the organisation, while contributing to the UN system paper on international data governance as a member of the HLCP working group on this topic. Collaborating with UNDP, UNDRR has also developed a report on “Data and Digital Maturity for Disaster Risk Reduction: Informing the Next Generation of Disaster Loss and Damage Databases” that tracks the level of maturity across countries to better understand the level and nature of technical assistance to be provided.
6.2 Member States specifically called upon the UN system "to work with the newly established United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub, hosted by FAO, to support Governments to develop and strengthen SDG-based national pathways for sustainable food systems transformation" (Paragraph 128)
At the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, UNDRR collaborated with FAO to make a commitment on Comprehensive Risk Management for Food Systems Resilience. The two organisations, together with other partners, aim to provide guidance, tools, capacity development and technical support to LDCs and SIDS. The aim is to improve understanding, management and governance of disaster and climate risks, build resilience of agri-food systems to multiple climate- and non-climate risks and their interactions with other socio-economic factors.
UNDRR is also a core group member of the Climate Resilient Food Systems Alliance (CRFS) that aims to make food systems more resilient to climate change induced and other shocks and stressors.
Q7. The 2023 SDG Summit is expected to provide political leadership, guidance and recommendations for sustainable development and follow-up and review progress in the implementation of sustainable development commitments and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, including through national and regional consultations, which will mark the beginning of a new phase of accelerated progress towards the SDGs. In the lead up to the 2023 SDG Summit, please provide your organization’s recommendations on how to overcome challenges to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the SDGs, taking into account the thematic reviews and voluntary national reviews conducted to date.
• Despite remarkable progress in reducing the impact and risk of disasters, the climate emergency, pandemic and rising inequality have rolled back development gains of countries and communities. Countries with high risk of disasters are also the ones with high incidence of poverty. At the same time, risk-blind development decisions may exacerbate existing risks and create new ones. Hence, risk reduction should be at the core of climate action and development policies to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.
• Development policies, plans, and programmes must be designed to operate under a range of risk scenarios. Investment decisions need to be risk-informed and must integrate the real projected costs of future disaster impacts. Infrastructure assets and systems should be prioritised, planned, designed, built, and operated to account for climate change and potential disasters.
• With increasing complexity in risk and in the face of global systemic risks, governance systems must recognize that the challenges of economy, environment and society can no longer be separated. Addressing systemic risks requires a systemic approach to governance, across all sectors and stakeholders. In this regard, particular attention has been given to gender-responsive and disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction efforts, in line with the Sendai Framework’s call to empower women and persons with disabilities to publicly lead and promote gender equitable and universally accessible disaster risk governance.
• The Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which is ongoing at national and local level and will culminate in a High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on 18 and 19 May 2023 and a Political Declaration, will provide valuable insight to 2023 SDG Summit. The General Assembly has invited all Member States to report on their national-level midterm reviews, including by utilizing the 2022 and 2023 Voluntary National Review reports. The synthesis of these reports, as well as the deliberations and outcome of the GA High-level Meeting, will provide inputs to the 2023 SDG Summit on the extent to which the implementation of the SDGs is building resilient societies, and will offer recommendations to ensure development policy and programmes reduce rather than create risk for current and future generations. As one of the accelerators for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, disaster risk reduction will need to be further mainstreamed across all development-related activities.