The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) was created in December 1999 to ensure the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (General Assembly (GA) resolution 54/219[1]).[2]
UNDRR’s vision is anchored on the four priorities for action set out in the Sendai Framework.[2]
UNDRR is led by a United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG) and has over 100 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, 5 regional offices (Africa: Nairobi, the Americas: Panama City, Arab States: Cairo, Asia-Pacific: Bangkok and Europe: Brussels) and other field presences in Addis Ababa, Almaty, Bonn, Incheon, Kobe, New York-UN Headquarters, Rio de Janeiro and Suva.[4]
UNDRR coordinates international efforts in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and it reports on the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. It convenes the biennial Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction.[5]
On 1 May 2019, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction officially changed its acronym to UNDRR (from UNISDR) to better reflect its name. The former acronym had not been changed since the office was called the International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (see History below).
History
1989 International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction
Given the increasing concern about the impact of disasters, the UN General Assembly declared 1990-1999 the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). Initially, IDNDR was influenced largely by scientific and technical interest groups. However, the broader global awareness of the social and economic consequences of disasters caused by natural hazards developed as the decade progressed.[6][7]
1994 First World Conference on Disaster Reduction and the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World
The Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World: Guidelines for Natural Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation and its Plan of Action was adopted at the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction, building on the mid-term review of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.[8]
1999 International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)
The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) was launched 3 by the Economic and Social Council and endorsed by the General Assembly as an international framework for responding to the challenge presented to the international community by the increasing incidence and scale of disasters. UNISDR was created as an inter-agency secretariat of ISDR together with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction. The UNISDR mandate was then expanded to serve as a focal point within the United Nations System for the coordination of disaster reduction and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the UN system and regional organizations and activities in socio-economic and humanitarian fields. Further mandates are to promote public awareness and commitment, to expand networks and partnerships, and to improve knowledge of disaster causes and options for risk reduction, building on the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action and as follow-up to the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.[1][9][10][11][12]
2002 The Johannesburg Plan of Action
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa, noted that “an integrated, multi-hazard, inclusive approach to address vulnerability, risk assessment and disaster management, including prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, is an essential element of a safer world in the twenty- first century.”4 The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation provided UNISDR and the Inter-Agency Task Force with a concrete set of objectives for integrating and mainstreaming risk reduction into development policies and processes. [13]
2005 Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction and the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015
The World Conference on Disaster Reduction was held in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan and adopted the “Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters”, which is currently serving as the guiding document in strengthening and building international cooperation to ensure that disaster risk reduction is used as a foundation for sound national and international development agendas.
2007 First session of the Global Platform on Disaster Reduction
The UN General Assembly established a biennial Global Platform on disaster risk reduction to support the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, allowing government representatives, NGOs, scientists, practitioners, private sector, IFIs and UN organizations to share experiences, identify remaining gaps, formulate strategic guidance and advice for the implementation of the HFA. Six Regional Platforms and over 80 National Platforms have also been established as multi-stakeholder forums.5 Regional Platforms also assess progress but focus on the details of the regional plans of implementation and National Platforms act as the national coordinating body for disaster risk reduction.[14][15]
2011 Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020
The Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA) charts out the international community’s vision and strategy for the sustainable development of LDCs for the next decade with a strong focus on developing their productive capacities. The Programme recognized that the scale and impact of natural disasters has increased over recent decades, threatening hard-won development gains of LDCs. It encourages LCDs to take action in implementing and integrating disaster risk reduction in their national and long-term planning and policies.[16]
2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development - Rio+20
The outcome Document - The Future We Want – of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development – Rio 20+ held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 20–22 June 2012 contains a section (Chapter V-A) on disaster risk reduction that sets a firm foundation for discussions on a post-2015 framework to continue guiding nations after the Hyogo Framework expires in 2015.[17]
2014 Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States and the SIDS ACCELERATED MODALITIES OF ACTION (S.A.M.O.A.) Pathway
The S.A.M.O.A. Pathway recognize that Small Island Developing States continue to grapple with the effects of disasters, some of which have increased in intensity and some of which have been exacerbated by climate change, which impede their progress towards sustainable development. It recognize that disasters can disproportionately affect small island developing States and that there is a critical need to build resilience, strengthen monitoring and prevention, reduce vulnerability, raise awareness and increase preparedness to respond to and recover from disasters.[18]
2015 Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
The Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction was held in Sendai, Japan from 14 to 18 March 2015, drawing 6,500 delegates to the conference itself and 50,000 people to the associated Public Forum.[19] The Conference adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (Sendai Framework) as the first major agreement of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, with seven global targets and four priorities for action.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. The HFA was conceived to give further impetus to the global work under the International Framework for Action for the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction of 1989, and the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World: Guidelines for Natural Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation and its Plan of Action, adopted in 1994 and the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction of 1999.[20]
It is a 15-year non-binding agreement which recognizes that the State has the primary role to reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local government, the private sector and other stakeholders. It aims for the following outcome:
"The substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries."[20]
2017 Fifth session of the Global Platform on Disaster Reduction
The 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Cancun, Mexico on 22-26 May drew in more than 5000 participants, among which were policy makers and disaster risk managers. Thousands of governments, international organizations and civil society representatives were in attendance. It was the first time the forum was organized outside Geneva and the global progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction adopted in Japan in 2015 was reviewed.[21][22][23] During the forum, Nigerian climate change activist, Olumide Idowu, who was a member of the organizing committee and represented youth and children, was assigned to lead the social media team.[24]
Mandate
UNDRR’s mandate has been defined by a number of United Nations General Assembly Resolutions, the most notable of which is “to serve as the focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of disaster reduction and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations system and regional organizations and activities in socio-economic and humanitarian fields”.[12]
Its core areas of work includes ensuring DRR is applied to climate change adaptation, increasing investments for DRR, building disaster-resilient cities, schools and hospitals, and strengthening the international system for DRR.[2]
Management
UNDRR is led by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction. Mami Mizutori took up office in this role on 1 March 2018, succeeding Robert Glasser of Australia. Prior to this, the organization was led by Margareta Wahlström of Sweden, who was the first Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and had been appointed in November 2008.[25] Robert Glasser took up his post in January 2016.[26] From 1999 to 2008, UNDRR had been led by a UN Director-level official, under the auspices of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The functions of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction include leading and overseeing UNDRR in the executions of its functions entrusted by the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Economic and Social Council and the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) and its successor the Sendai Framework, as well as policy directions by the Secretary-General, overseeing the management of the Trust Fund for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and carrying out high-level advocacy and resource mobilization activities for risk reduction and implementation. The Special Representative also ensures the strategic and operational coherence between disaster-reduction and humanitarian disaster preparedness and response activities, as well as socio-economic activities of the UN system and regional organizations.[27][28]
Risk Knowledge
Global Assessment Report
The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) is the United Nation’s biennial global review and analysis of the natural hazards that are affecting humanity. The GAR monitors risk patterns and trends and progress in disaster risk reduction while providing strategic policy guidance to countries and the international community. The Report is produced in collaboration and consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including various UN agencies, governments, academic and research institutions, donors and technical organizations and specialists.[29]
The Global Assessment Report 2015 is titled ‘Making Development Sustainable: The Future of Disaster Risk Management’ and reviews the disaster risk governance under the HFA and assess to what extent the expected outcome of the HFA has been achieved. The report can be accessed here Global Assessment Report 2015.
PreventionWeb
Launched in 2007, PreventionWeb provides a common platform for institutions to connect, exchange experiences and share information about DRR. Readers can submit content to PreventionWeb, as well as syndicate PreventionWeb content to their own websites. The website is updated daily and contains DRR news, events, online discussions, contact directories, policy documents, reference documents, training and academic programmes, jobs, terminology, and country information, as well as audio and video content.[30]
Initiatives
Making Cities Resilient
The Making Cities Resilient: 'My City is getting ready!' campaign, launched in May 2010 initially for five years, addresses issues of local governance and urban risk while drawing upon previous UNDRR Campaigns on safer schools and hospitals, as well as on the sustainable urbanizations principles developed in the UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign 2009-2013. As of August 2015, over 2,600 municipalities and local governments participate in “The Making Cities Resilient: 'My City is getting ready!'” campaign.[31]
Ten Essentials
The Making Cities Resilience campaign offers a Ten-point checklist to serve as a guide for local level action:[32]
Essential 1: Put in place organization and coordination to understand and reduce disaster risk, based on participation of citizen groups and civil society. Build local alliances. Ensure that all departments understand their role to disaster risk reduction and preparedness.
Essential 2: Assign a budget for disaster risk reduction and provide incentives for homeowners, low-income families, communities, businesses and public sector to invest in reducing the risks they face.
Essential 3: Maintain up-to-date data on hazards and vulnerabilities, prepare risk assessments and use these as the basis for urban development plans and decisions. Ensure that this information and the plans for your city's resilience are readily available to the public and fully discussed with them.
Essential 4: Invest in and maintain critical infrastructure that reduces risk, such as flood drainage, adjusted where needed to cope with climate change.
Essential 5: Assess the safety of all schools and health facilities and upgrade these as necessary.
Essential 6: Apply and enforce realistic, risk compliant building regulations and land use planning principles. Identify safe land for low-income citizens and develop upgrading of informal settlements, wherever feasible.
Essential 7: Ensure education programmes and training on disaster risk reduction are in place in schools and local communities.
Essential 8: Protect ecosystems and natural buffers to mitigate floods, storm surges and other hazards to which your city may be vulnerable. Adapt to climate change by building on good risk reduction practices.
Essential 9: Install early warning systems and emergency management capacities in your city and hold regular public preparedness drills.
Essential 10: After any disaster, ensure that the needs of the survivors are placed at the centre of reconstruction with support for them and their community organizations to design and help implement responses, including rebuilding homes and livelihoods.
Role Model Cities
“Role Model Cities” are cities, municipalities or local governments that are participating in the Campaign and have demonstrated good practices and innovation in DRR and resilience.
Role Model Cities demonstrate achievements in at least five areas out of the 10 Essentials in the “Ten-point checklist of Essentials for Making Cities Resilient”. The nominated cities or local governments must show innovation, sustained results in measuring and reducing disaster risk, their aims to continue to do so as well as must be interested to showcase and share experiences. They implemented innovative, creative, inclusive and efficient measures and action plans to realize strong political will in the field of DRR at local level. They inspire, share experience, create learning opportunities and provide support to other cities to boost their efforts towards committed resilient cities and communities.[33]
The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) started in 1989 with the approval by the United Nations General Assembly. The UN General Assembly sees the IDDRR as a way to promote a global culture of disaster reduction, including disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness. It encourages every citizen and government to take part in building more disaster resilient communities and nations. Originally celebrated on the second Wednesday of October, the UN General Assembly decided to designate October 13 as the date to celebrate the IDDRR.[7][34]
The Step Up initiative started in 2011 and has focused on a different group of partners every year leading up to the Third United Nations World Conference for Disaster Reduction in 2015 - children and young People (2011), women and girls (2012), people living with disabilities (2013), the ageing population (2014), and traditional, indigenous and local knowledge (2015).[35]
In 2016 the "Sendai Seven Campaign" was launched to encourage implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction through IDDRR advocacy campaigns focused on each of the seven SFDRR targets. The Sendai Seven Campaigns have focused on reducing mortality from natural and man-made hazards (2016, "Live to Tell"), reducing the number of people affected by disasters (2017, "Home Safe Home"), reducing economic losses due to disasters (2018), and reducing disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services (2019, "Build to Last").
UN Sasakawa Award
The United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction is awarded to an individual or institutions that have taken active efforts in reducing disaster risk in their communities and advocates for disaster risk reduction. Together with the World Health Organization Sasakawa Health Prize and the UN Environment Programme Sasakawa Environment Prize, the United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction is one of three prestigious prizes established in 1986 by founding Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, Mr. Ryoichi Sasakawa.[36]
Municipality of Amadora, and the Organization for Development, Renovation, and Equipping Schools (DRES)[38]
Portugal, Iran
2015
Dr. Allan Lavell
United Kingdom/Costa Rica
2013
Belo Horizonte and National Alliance for Risk Reduction and Response Initiative
Brazil, Bangladesh
2011
Cities of San Francisco, Santa Fe and the District of North Vancouver
Philippines, Argentina, Canada
2009
Dr. Eko Teguh Paripurno
Indonesia
2007
Professor Yoshiaki Kawata and Mr. Tony Gibbs
Japan, Grenada and Barbados
2005
Mr. Chimeddorj Batchulluun
Mongolia
2004
Dr. Omar Dario Cardona
Colombia
2003
Mrs. Tadzong, née Esther Anwi Mofor
Cameroon
2002
Dr. Serguei Balassanian
Armenia
2001
Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC)
Germany
2000
Fondo para la Reconstrucción y el Desarrollo Social del Eje Cafetero (FOREC)
Colombia
and ... 1993
Professor Oladapo Alabi Ladipo and Mrs Grace Ebun Delano (Nigeria) and the Arpana Research and Charities Trust (India)[39]
Nigeria and India
ARISE
The UNDRR Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies, known for short as ARISE, builds on and integrates the work of the UNDRR Private Sector Partnership and the R!SE Initiative to support the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The overall goal of ARISE, which was launched in November 2015, is to create risk-resilient societies by energizing the private sector in collaboration with the public sector and other stakeholders to deliver on the targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. ARISE will expand the number of private sector organizations and others involved in supporting the implementation and allow the private sector to implement tangible projects and initiatives that deliver results critical to the achievement of the outcomes and goals of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. ARISE facilitates exchange of experience and knowledge on how to implement tangible disaster risk reduction projects through seven work-streams: Disaster Risk Management strategies, investment metrics, benchmarking and standards, education and training, legal and regulatory, urban risk reduction & resilience, and insurance.[40]
A disaster is a serious problem that happens over a period of time and causes so much harm to people, things, economies, or the environment that the affected community or society cannot handle it on its own. In theory, natural disasters are those caused by natural hazards, whereas human-made disasters are those caused by human hazards. However, in modern times, the divide between natural, human-made or human-accelerated disasters is more and more difficult to draw. In fact, all disasters can be seen as human-made, due to human failure to introduce appropriate emergency management measures.
The World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction is a series of United Nations conferences focusing on disaster and climate risk management in the context of sustainable development. The World Conference has been convened three times, with each edition to date having been hosted by Japan: in Yokohama in 1994, in Hyogo in 2005 and in Sendai in 2015. As requested by the UN General Assembly, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) served as the coordinating body for the Second and Third UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction in 2005 and 2015.
The United Nations General Assembly designated the 1990s as International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR).
Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is an approach for planning and taking steps to make disasters less likely to happen, and less damaging when they do happen. DRR aims to make communities stronger and better prepared to handle disasters. When DRR is successful, it decreases the vulnerability of communities because it mitigates the effects of disasters. This means DRR can reduce the severity and number of risky events. Since climate change can increase climate hazards, DRR and climate change adaptation are often looked at together in development efforts.
UN-SPIDER is a platform which facilitates the use of space-based technologies for disaster management and emergency response. It is a programme under the auspices of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).
Organized and hosted by the Global Risk Forum The International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC is a global gathering of experts for risk reduction, disaster management, and climate change adaptation. IDRCs are held as a biennial conference in Davos, Switzerland and complemented every other year with regional conferences hosted in different regions of the world and endorse the UNISDR Global Platform meetings.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030) is an international document that was adopted by the United Nations (UN) member states between 14 and 18 March 2015 at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan, and endorsed by the UN General Assembly in June 2015. It is the successor agreement to the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015), which had been the most encompassing international accord to date on disaster risk reduction.
Robert Glasser is the former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and head of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. Australian national Glasser was nominated in November 2015 by Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon to succeed Margareta Wahlström of Sweden, who was the first such Special Representative and had been appointed in November 2008. Glasser took up his post in January 2016. He was succeeded on 1 March 2018 by Mami Mizutori.
Asian ministerial conference for disaster risk reduction (AMCDRR) is an intergovernmental conference held to discuss disaster mitigation. Its inaugural meeting was held in Beijing, in August 2005, after the adoption of Hyogo Framework for Action (2005-2015). The conference has been held seven times in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). The motive of such conference was to mitigate the disaster risks. After the Indian Ocean tsunami came in 2004, India was among the five countries that were very badly impacted and took prime initiative to endorse for creating new laws for disaster risk management.
Established in 1992, the Major Group for Children and Youth is the United Nations General Assembly mandated, official, formal and self-organised space for children and youth to contribute to and engage in certain intergovernmental and allied policy processes at the United Nations.
Mami Mizutori is a Japanese diplomat. She has been the Assistant Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction in the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction since March 2018.
The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is an international coalition of countries, United Nations (UN) agencies, multilateral development banks, the private sector, and academic institutions, that aims to promote disaster-resilient infrastructure. Its objective is to promote research and knowledge sharing in the fields of infrastructure risk management, standards, financing, and recovery mechanisms. It was launched by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019.
The International Recovery Platform (IRP) is a joint initiative of United Nations agencies, international financial institutions, national and local governments, and non-governmental organizations engaged in disaster recovery. IRP was founded in 2005. It came after the Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction, to support implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). The group works to identify and address gaps in recovery knowledge, practice and constraints. In 2015, IRP aligned its work to support implementation of the newly adopted Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. It concentrated on Priority Four – building back better in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Building Back Better, or more frequently termed Build Back Better (BBB), is a strategy aimed at reducing the risk to the people of nations and communities in the wake of future disasters and shocks. It is a conceptual strategy that has continued to evolve since its origination in May 2005. However, what continues is the overall goal of enabling countries and communities to be stronger and more resilient following a disaster by reducing vulnerability to future disasters. Building resilience entails addressing physical, social, environmental, and economic vulnerabilities and shocks.
Sustainable Development Goal 13 is to limit and adapt to climate change. It is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The official mission statement of this goal is to "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts". SDG 13 and SDG 7 on clean energy are closely related and complementary.
Sustainable Development Goal 11, titled "sustainable cities and communities", is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The official mission of SDG 11 is to "Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable". The 17 SDGs take into account that action in one area will affect outcomes in other areas as well, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.
The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) is a global partnership program established on September 29, 2006, to support developing countries on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. The facility is administered by the World Bank and governed by a Consultative Group including the World Bank Group, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and several other international organizations and countries.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) are connected through their common goals of addressing global challenges and promoting sustainable development through policies and international cooperation.
Vasiti Soko is a Fijian geographic information system (GIS) specialist and the director of the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) of Fiji. In October 2021, she was the recipient of the inaugural Women's International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction Leadership Award, from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
Olumide Idowu, is a Nigerian youth campaigner and climate change activist. He is the co-founder of the International Climate Change Development Initiative, Climate Wednesday and Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition. Olumide was an Atlas Corps fellow, State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni, social media and communications officer for Association for the Development of Education in Africa, Triennale 2017 in Senegal, and the senior communication director for African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC). He was the Organizing Committee Member for 7th Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Mexico, African Youth Champion for the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and he received the 2015 Save the Children Award for his Contribution towards Sustainable Development in Nigeria.
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