The global experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that whole-of-society action supported by effective leadership and governance is required to manage the systemic risks associated with biological hazards.  The pandemic has challenged risk governance in countries and catalyzed changes and innovations in policies, legislation, coordination mechanisms, financing and effective risk management that have significant implications for future disaster risk reduction policy and practice. Collaborative partnerships, good practices, lessons learned and evidence generated during COVID-19 will need to be institutionalized in order to strengthen systems and capacities to manage  risks of disease outbreaks and other types of emergencies. 

Panellist will discuss how the experience and insights gained from the pandemic can help leaders, managers, policy makers, planners and practitioners on applying all-hazards, whole-of-society and risk management approaches to national and local disaster risk management strategies. Emphasis will be placed on country efforts to address the needs of the most vulnerable populations and ensure that no one is left behind. 

Session Objectives 

• Promote effective risk governance, partnerships and collaboration on disaster risk management within and across sectors at all levels of society 
• Share experience and good practices on the integration of biological and other priority hazards in national and local strategies and plans for disaster risk reduction 
• Discuss how the governance, innovations and lessons from COVID-19 can contribute to all-hazard, whole of society risk management policies, plans and practice at global, national, local and community levels 
• Contribute to the knowledge base on managing complex and interconnected risks 
• Discuss intersectoral approaches in reducing risk and building resilience  
• Identify best practices to accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework through policy making, research and innovation 

Registration

This Ignite Stage session presents a new online resource called Earth Observations (EO) Risk Toolkit, as an integral part of the National Risk Information Portal (RiX) under the UNDRR’s flagship initiative called the Global Risk Assessment Framework (GRAF). EO Risk Toolkit is a new hub site, launched during the GP2022, and it is designed to provide DRR users with access to open-sourced tools and services that leverage Earth Observations. GRAF was premised on the Global Assessment Report 2019 to improve risk analytics around interconnected and systemic risk, including the multiplier effect climate change has on vulnerability and the risk landscape. By engaging with government partners, the UN development and humanitarian system and other global and national partners, GRAF supports countries to strengthen their risk data ecosystems.

To help achieve GRAF’s aim, RiX is being established to aggregate open-source risk datasets and information to help drive harmonization and standardization aligned to the Hazard Definition and Classification Review.  As an integral part of RiX, EO Risk Toolkit provides DRR users direct links to a collection of open and free disaster risk analytical tools and services to be used at country level, accompanied by supporting documents. More specifically, EO Risk toolkit comes with use cases and technical guidance of the tools and services as well as thematically oriented policy briefs to help policy makers and practitioners understand how to better leverage the EO data and products in policy-making and DRR operations. 

The target audience for this presentation are potential users of the EO Risk Toolkits, such as emergency responding agencies of national and local governments and development agencies so that they can find the tools and services suitable for their operations. The presentation highlights the importance of Earth Observations as the critical science-basis for DRR policy-making and operations. It introduces a brand new EO Risk Toolkit that helps policy makers and practitioners in policy-making and DRR operations. This session emphasises that the Toolkit provides direct links to EO-leveraged open tools and services to monitor and analyse disaster risks, such as those related to floods, crops and wildfires. 

Hazards are increasing in severity and frequency, a trend that is likely to accelerate with global climate change and the large-scale degradation of ecosystems, leading to new humanitarian crises. Disasters cause far-reaching economic and structural disruption, and have long-term socio-cultural and psychological impacts.

Risk reduction, and prevention when possible, is the clearest strategy to reduce negative impacts and encourage a flourishing global society.

The UNDRR Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (UNDRR-SEM) includes all parts of society, from community organisations to large international organisations, as well as youth activists to world known scientific institutions. During the last years SEM has collectively worked together to integrate DRR policy into development agendas, including climate change policy development and follow-up.

This session aims to gather SEM members to further build on its collective and unified mission of contributing towards a resilient and sustainable world for all. Thw session will bring stakeholders together, to communicate their knowledge on how DRR can inform climate change policy, and to strategize for their collective engagement in the upcoming 27th Session of the Conference of the Parties.

Session objectives 

1. Provide a platform for exchange between stakeholders and the 27th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) secretariat and presidency, about plans for integration of resilience in the CO27 deliberations and agendas.
2. Provide a space for knowledge exchange between stakeholders on effective means of engaging within COP.
3. Provide a platform for knowledge exchange on the interlinkages between DRR and climate change, as well as impactful policy-coherence between DRR and climate change.
4. Provide a platform for strategy development on how to enhance the collective engagement of DRR stakeholders within intergovernmental avenues of climate change policy and advocacy.

A key element of good governance is effective preparation. The protection of lives and livelihoods is a vital responsibility and central to a prevention agenda. This requires building consensus among all members of society to know and understand their particular roles and responsibilities. An inclusive, participatory process is required, and there are demonstrated success stories from which we can learn.

In this session we aim to look at a few examples and understand the forces which lead to the success of effective and inclusive processes, the factors which limit the impact, and what can be shared as others also seek to benefit from increasingly diverse participation.

Session objectives 

• Share experiences, good practices and lessons learned of inclusive governance in the implementation of the Sendai Framework.
• Identify elements of successful governance and inclusion that we wish to see replicated.
• Understand how previous barriers to good governance and inclusion were overcome and document those strategies.

In this interactive session, participants will learn the concept of communication for disaster risk reduction for communities in Disaster Risk Assessment through Mandatory Disaster Management Training programs. This good practice has been running for more than a decade as an effort to reduce disaster risk in an effort to form a community disaster-resilience carried out by the Geological Agency in synergy with the Regional Government, Non-Governmental Organizations, communities and volunteers at Merapi volcano.

Session Objectives

• Introduce the concept of Mandatory Disaster Management Training
• Explain the challenges of disaster communication in Disaster Risk Assessment
• Understand the collaboration of disaster management parties in efforts to reduce disaster risk at Merapi Volcano
• Help participants to take practical and strategic steps to start Mandatory Disaster Management Training
• Support the government's long-term collaboration in disaster management from global to regional levels, the business sector, NGOs, communities and volunteers

In the face of climate change threats and disaster crises, local communities are organizing, partnering and devising strategies to scale adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction actions that advance resilient development. These actions, and as the UN Commission on the Status of Women has recently reaffirmed the leadership of women's and girls in communities, are key to achieve progress on the implementation of global policy frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for DRR, the Paris Agreement and the SDGs, yet rarely do grassroots women, local communities and other local actors have a voice in the decisions that most affect them. We need to shift the status quo from current top-down approaches to a new model where local actors have greater decision making power, access to financial resources and institutional support to build resilience 

Partnerships between community-led organizations, local governments, multilateral and bilateral institutions and other development partners reinforces efforts to scale and accelerate the local implementation of national policies and global frameworks through resourcing community-based organizations, including women-led organizations, with flexible funds for learning, capacity building, innovation and integrating them into public decision making and policy spaces. Such collaboration also helps in empowering women and their communities and leads to transformative change. As community-based organizations are familiarized with and contribute to government mechanisms, policies and programs, and as government and other stakeholders become more familiar with the expertise in communities, collaborative plans emerge that accelerate progress in implementing the Sendai Framework.

Through a community of practice, in this session local actors and partners will share progress and lessons learned to enhance understanding of what is needed for effective, equitable locally led adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction, with a particular focus on partnerships and flexible financing.

Session objectives

1. To discuss how local actors, including women-led, community -based organizations in poor communities, scale up and accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework
2. To understand the challenges faced and opportunities for initiating and sustaining partnership between grassroots, community-based organizations, government and other institutional and financial partners to accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework
3. To identify immediate entry points for collaboration

This session invites all civils society organizations to join the NGO Major Group constituency to discuss the SEM NGO Major Group official statement. The official statement sets out 8 key call to action points that civil society urge global decision makers and member states to focus on in order to achieve the targets set out in the Sendai Framework. It will also provide an opportunity for civil society organizations to come together, collaborate and strengthen participation in the NGO Major Group constituency of the SEM.

The past three years have shown that risk compounds risk, and that humanity is quickly approaching dangerous tipping points which require tremendous preventative action. To take but one example, in 2022, an estimated 274 million people will face hunger, conflict, and displacement as a result of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NGO Major Group recognizes conflict and protracted crises as further examples of the systemic nature and global connectedness of risk. The risks we face are often the result of development priorities which do not reflect the true aspirations of people and communities.

This could be remedied by allocating appropriate resources for disaster risk reduction and risk-informed development with an emphasis on reaching the local level. Consensus on this matter should be translated into meaningful action.

Specifically, decision makers at global, national and local level are urged to champion (1) localisation, (2) risk-informed development and (3) collaboration for an all of society approach to disaster risk reduction.
 

Session Objectives 

• Share the NGO Major Group declaration/ official statement that was submitted to UN DRR ahead of the Global Platform. This includes stocktaking on the Sendai Framework for Action and sets out key recommendations for global decision makers and members states moving forward
• Open a space for civil society to discuss the eight key areas included in the NGO declaration / official statement
• Provide the space for civil society to collaboration and strengthen coordination

This session seeks to raise awareness of disaster displacement and the need to integrate disaster displacement into local and national DRR strategies among GP22 participants. The Platform on Disaster Displacement, the Norwegian Refugee Council and partners will present the Platform’s DRR and Displacement Policy Brief and Key Messages and provide an overview of disaster displacement-related events taking place throughout the Platform. These include Ignite sessions, an exhibition on the Words into Action on disaster displacement guidance, checklist and elearning, and the engagement of artists, among others.

Session objectives

• Provide an introduction to the topic of disaster displacement along with an overview of strides made in international, regional and national policy processes and frameworks.
• Share key policy messages on disaster displacement.
• Learn and coordinate how partners plan to engage in disaster displacement advocacy at GP22.

Partnerships and all-of-society approaches lie at the heart of effective disaster risk reduction. Building resilience and promoting risk-informed decision-making and investment are collective challenges and responsibilities, which call upon a collaboration between governments, the United Nations and other international organizations and stakeholder groups at large.

The UNDRR Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (SEM) was created in 2018, to support the implementation of Sendai Framework paragraph (36) and (48) which outlines the role of stakeholders in building resilience.

This session will showcase the commitment of the SEM stakeholders` group in implementing the Sendai Framework, and more specifically the SEM Action Plan. The panel will invite representatives of the SEM stakeholder groups to report on the outcome of the Stakeholder Forums constituency sessions, as well as their work on a whole of society approach in building resilience.

Session objectives

1. Provide a space for SEM stakeholder groups to report on the outcome of the constituency focused sessions in the 2nd Stakeholder Forum.
2. Showcase good practice in an all-of society approach in building resilience, and the benefit it brings to the wider society.

Online Attendance

This session will be live-streamed online. Note that it is live-streamlining and no active online participation. You can access the live streaming through this link: 

To reach a sustainable and resilient world for all it is of importance that there is a policy coherence between all relevant policies at all levels, from local to international level.

The UNDRR Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (UNDRR-SEM) is thereby engaging not just in solely disaster risk reduction avenues, but in all-hazard knowledge generation, climate change policy development, disaster risk financing and most importantly community empowerment. We have seen that resilience is dependent upon the capacity of a community to respond in times of crisis.

During the first half of the 2nd day of the 7th GPDRR Stakeholder Forum, its participants took part in interactive and outcome oriented smaller parallel sessions. The session will serve as an opportunity for all to learn of the outcomes from these parallel sessions.

Session Objectives 

•  Ensure that the knowledge generated from the Stakeholder Forum parallel sessions is shared among all stakeholder groups attendees and other participants in the Stakeholder Forum.
• Reduce the potential of silos among DRR stakeholders, and ensure coherence between actions of stakeholders engaged in implementing the Sendai Framework.
• Demonstrate that while we, as the stakeholders of DRR, may have specific areas of interest, we are working for a common goal, namely ensuring that all parts of society have enhanced capacity of managing striking hazards and that the risks of disasters to occur are minimised through structural changes and integration of risk-reduction in all development plans.

Online Attendance

This session will be live-streamed online. Note that it is live-streamlining and no active online participation. You can access the live streaming through this link: