World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction

World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction is a series of United Nations conferences on preparing for, responding to and mitigating the risk of natural disasters. The conferences bring together government officials, non-governmental experts and other specialists from around the world to discuss the growing trend of people affected by natural disasters. The third conference was held in 2015 in Sendai, Japan coinciding with the natural disaster Cyclone Pam.[1] The World Conference has been convened since 1994, and in 2005 the second world conference adopted the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015.[2]

2015 Sendai conference

Sendai is the largest city in northeastern Japan hit by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[3] In 2015, many developed nations announced they would partner with smaller countries to prepare for future disaster relief operations.[4]

The conference included discussion of the Japanese response to the 2011 earthquake[5] and how Japan's early warning system can save lives when earthquakes and tsunamis strike.[6] The conference included an announcement of a US$4 billion dollar fund to prepare for disasters over four years.[4][7]

The conference coincided with Cyclone Pam hitting Vanuatu, and Vanuatu President Baldwin Lonsdale urgently requested international assistance for his people.[8][9]

The conference formally adopted the successor accord to the Hyogo Framework (2005-2015). It is known as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030).

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) was an outcome of the 2015 conference held in Sendai, Japan.

The Sendai Framework sets four specific priorities for action:

  1. Understanding disaster risk;
  2. Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk;
  3. Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience;
  4. Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to "Build Back Better" in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

To support the assessment of global progress in achieving the outcome and goal of the Sendai Framework, seven global targets have been agreed:

  1. Substantially reduce global disaster mortality by 2030, aiming to lower average per 100,000 global mortality between 2020-2030 compared to 2005-2015;
  2. Substantially reduce the number of affected people globally by 2030, aiming to lower the average global figure per 100,000 between 2020-2030 compared to 2005-2015;
  3. Reduce direct disaster economic loss in relation to global gross domestic product by 2030;
  4. Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, among them health and educational facilities, including through developing their resilience by 2030;
  5. Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020;
  6. Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of the framework by 2030;
  7. Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to the people by 2030.

2005 Kobe conference

A World Conference on Disaster Reduction conference was held in Kobe, Japan January 18–22, 2005.[10] This conference took on particular poignancy coming almost 10 years to the day after the Great Hanshin earthquake in Kobe and less than a month after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and resulting tsunami. Japan's long history of severe natural disasters, prominence in international humanitarian aid and development and scientific achievements monitoring dangerous natural phenomena also made it a suitable conference venue.

The Conference adopted plans to put in place an International Early Warning Programme (IEWP), which was first proposed at the Second International Conference on Early Warning in 2003 in Bonn, Germany.

Conference objective

To find ways to reduce the toll of disasters through preparation, ultimately to reduce human casualties. Due to the proximity to the devastating tsunami, developing a global tsunami warning systems was high on the agenda. Other topics include:

The Pacific Rim Tsunami Warning system is an example of a cost-effective warning system; its yearly operating cost is approximately US$4 million. The yearly operating cost of a hypothetical global warning system is estimated at $30 million. This cost, compared to the international aid donations of nearly $8 billion for the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, clearly demonstrates the cost effectiveness of such a system.

Participants

Initially the conference did not garner much attention but due to the recent disasters, the attendance grew dramatically and the international media focused on the event. Emperor Akihito opened the conference and welcomed 4,000 participants from around the world from the following organizations and functions:

Hyogo Framework for Action

The Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015) was an outcome of the 2005 conference held in Kobe, Japan. The HFA, which ran from 2005 to 2015, set five specific priorities for action:

  1. Making disaster risk reduction a priority;
  2. Improving risk information and early warning;
  3. Building a culture of safety and resilience;
  4. Reducing the risks in key sectors;
  5. Strengthening preparedness for response.

See also

References

External links