Highlights and images for 26 May 2022

The seventh Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction 2022 (GP2022) continued its work with another dense day, which included two plenary sessions on the Mid-term Review of the Sendai Framework (MTR SF), a high-level dialogue, a ministerial roundtable, six thematic sessions, as well as side events, learning labs, and a special session on the Centre of Excellence on Climate and Disaster Resilience established by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The plenary sessions on the MTR SF enabled delegates and participants to: take stock of progress in implementation; address emerging issues and changing circumstances; and examine innovations to risk governance and risk management. The outcomes will guide a high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the MTR SF to be held in New York from 18-19 May 2023.

The first MTR SF plenary focused on global financing frameworks and macro-economic governance, specifically in relation to addressing risk and building resilience. Delegates and participants: discussed progress on integrating multi-hazard risk reduction within public and private investment; highlighted the needs of least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and small island developing states (SIDS); reiterated the importance of the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples, women and girls, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups in environmental decision making; economic shortcomings when external costs are not priced into public goods; and innovative funding mechanisms to stimulate DRR.

The second MTR SF plenary focused on the multi-hazard nature of risk that governments and stakeholders must contend with in order to realize global goals including those of the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Delegates discussed among others: strengthening of subnational government implementation; innovative tools and technologies; actions to restore ecosystems and tackle multiple global crises; moving beyond natural disasters and potentially including technological or biological disasters; empowering vulnerable groups; and information exchange for improved monitoring.

The high-level dialogue addressed the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, particularly upon the most vulnerable. Panelists underscored that the four Sendai Framework priorities for action are central to address systemic risks; the need for multi-hazard and multi-sectoral responses; the world’s interconnectedness as a double-edged sword facilitating the spread of the pandemic, but also enabling mitigation efforts through concerted endeavors on vaccines and treatments; adaptive and anticipatory governance; and the need for a system-wide, inclusive action approach, pointing to the central role of civil society and Indigenous Peoples.

The ministerial roundtable was devoted to financing under the Sendai Framework. Ministers, other high-level government representatives, and officials from intergovernmental organizations discussed experiences, solutions, and strategies to meet the growing cost of both DRR and disaster recovery. They outlined national funding programmes and multilateral contributions for adaptation and development.

The six thematic sessions focused on:

• data challenges and solutions for disaster risk management;
• implementing nature-based solutions to reduce systemic risk;
• inclusive and resilient recovery in urban contexts;
• strengthening governance to reduce disaster displacement risks;
• financing local investment through risk-informed and bankable strategies; and
• building resilience through recovery.

On the margins of the fourth day of GP2022:

• seven side events discussed leaving no one behind, child and youth engagement, disability inclusion, using art to inspire change, nature-based solutions, biological hazards, and learning from award winning projects;
• four learning labs focused on the online platform for voluntary commitments, disaster management training, disaster loss accounting, and shared risk analytics; and
• a special session addressed the Centre of Excellence on Climate and Disaster Resilience.