Direct and indirect financial losses caused by disasters are rising. Disasters generate significant economic, fiscal, and social shocks. It is estimated that global investments of €1.6 trillion in appropriate disaster risk reduction strategies could avoid losses of €6.4 trillion. However, the current level of resilient investments does not match the scale of the challenges.

The private sector and other stakeholders have been integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria into their work. The negative financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic signals the need to address risks that materialise in complex and interrelated ways. Integrating resilience into ESG investing could entail:

• Develop targeted DRR financing strategies,
• A ‘Think Resilience’ approach to all investments,
• Targeted investment in resilient infrastructure, and
• financial institutions aligning their strategies, operations and activities with the Sendai Framework.

The session discusses gaps, barriers, opportunities, and enabling factors to facilitate and scale-up investments in resilience which ensure that people and the planet are put on the forefront.
 

Session objectives

1. To underline the importance of integrating resilience in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing
2. To incentivize a mindset shift from a short-term outlook and under-prioritising disaster risks to promoting a “Think Resilience” approach for all investments
3. To unpack successful efforts and showcase the benefits of investing in resilience
4. To understand the roles and strategies of the private sector in collaboration with other stakeholders for proactive investments in resilience
5. To discuss gaps, barriers, opportunities, and enabling factors to facilitate and scale-up investments in resilience

Connection details

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In 2021, we have witnessed tragedies from various disasters; wild-fires, storms, flooding, earthquakes, volcanoes, and COVID-19. We are aware that the scientific and technological community holds knowledge, pursues research, and has the capacities to propose solutions; however, the S&T knowledge and solutions are underutilized at local levels due to the lack of mechanisms and incentives for better science uptake. Disasters are site specific and have differentiated impacts depending on the local context, i.e. 50mm/hour rainfall may induce enormous flooding and casualties in one location but no damage in other locations. Knowledge, experiences, and methods suitable for their location should be provided and external experiences and resources should be  effectively utilized so that on-site stakeholders can enhance disaster resilience and sustainable development in an inclusive and participatory manner.
The session will seek to bring forward experiences of science application in dealing with disaster risk at local levels and introduce examples of mechanisms allowing to tap into the necessary knowledge for effective and impactful local action.

Session objectives

1. Underscore challenges related to science uptake at local levels
2. Showcase national and local mechanisms that the local DRR practitioners can use to access knowledge and advice based on S&T
3. Showcase examples of science application in supporting better preparedness and anticipatory actions by local communities
4. showcase examples of good incentives aimed at foster dialogue between S&T communities and local governments

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Recovery from situations where disasters (including COVID-19) occur in a conflict situation is particularly challenging. The first step in preparing a recovery framework for these complex crises is to assess the impact of the interconnected events and the needs for recovery. This requires attention not only to socio-economic reconstruction but also to peacebuilding.

A hybrid approach is warranted for several reasons. There is guidance on how PDNAs can be more conflict-sensitive. However, PDNAs do not assess the nature of conflict and opportunities for peacebuilding. RPBAs are designed to focus on recovery for peacebuilding but do not incorporate resilience to and recovery from disaster risks as part of their framework. Thus, neither approach is adequate for the task of assessing recovery from these complex, interconnected events.

Session objectives

• Understand the current assessment approaches (conflict-sensitive PDNAs and RPBAs);
• Clarify the roles that disaster-conflict recovery assessment should play, including towards the development of integrated recovery frameworks for disaster and conflict recovery and peacebuilding;
• Review recent experience with hybrid approaches that have been used for recovery assessment in complex settings;
• Develop recommendations for improving recovery assessment in complex and interconnected disaster-conflict events.

The Sendai Framework calls for an all of society approach in building disaster resilience. The Stakeholder Forum will provide a space for discussions about how to strengthen collaboration and all-of-society approaches in the implementation of the Sendai Framework in coherence with the other 2030 Agendas.

This Opening Ceremony of the Stakeholder Forum will set the stage for the GPDRR-week. We will hear from a variety of representatives from the United Nation system, national Governments, local, private and community leaders – sharing commitment for engaging stakeholders. 

The UNDRR Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism will also present  the Stakeholder Declaration, which unifies the voices of all parts of the society and provides recommendations on building disaster resilience. The Ceremony culminates with a spiritual blessing from the Indiginous Community.
 

Session objectives

1. Set the stage of all-of-society approach within the 7th Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction, including its preparatory days.
2. Open the 2nd Stakeholder Forum on Disaster Risk Reduction, and welcome all of its attendees.
3. Present the Stakeholder Declaration for the 7th Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction. 
4. Introduce the objectives, formats and expected outcome of the 2nd Stakeholder Forum on Disaster Risk Reduction. 
5. Communicate commitments in ensuring a continuation of an all-of-society-approach in the implementation of the SEndai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction.

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: 

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How institutions are set up to respond, recover and rebuild from complex crises plays a critical role in recovery and reconstruction. Institutions with recovery responsibilities must be identified or established for streamlining or fast-tracking recovery processes. They must be properly resourced to manage and implement what can be long and difficult recovery efforts. This involves clarifying roles and responsibilities across agencies and government partners. Clarity about each institution’s responsibilities is needed to reduce duplication and associated costs, and integrate activities across recovery. Confirming institutional arrangements and clarifying roles/responsibilities is critical at the national, local and community levels. Program implementation requires clear mechanisms to coordinate across private and public sectors, communities, and markets.

The session will share experiences in managing recovery from complex crises. It will focus on successful institutional arrangements, management practices and other innovative solutions to identify elements that can be replicated or adapted to a range of contexts.

Session objectives

• Understand how institutional arrangements can be critical to whether post-crisis recovery succeeds or flounders;
• Highlight the special institutional and managerial challenges that are posed by complex crises, especially those cascading and concurrent events that have coincided with the pandemic;
• Share good practices for institutional arrangements and recovery management at the national, local and community levels that are effective, inclusive and sustainable;
• Identify characteristics of institutional and managerial approaches that can be replicated or adapted to complex crises and a range of country contexts; and
• Elaborate next steps for enhancing resilient recovery through better institutional preparedness.

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The session will address how the environment can be brought back into the recovery agenda. The world has gone through an unprecedented pandemic which affected not only every country but also every domain of human activity. With economic activities curtailed due to health-related restrictions, environmental issues took a backseat across the world. For example, the use of single use plastic exploded around the world, while many governments which were committed to take strong action on single use plastic had to either stop enforcing legislation or delay their introductions.

Countries have planned and are implementing post COVID recovery and stimulus packages around the world. However, the focus remains on livelihoods and employment creation, and environment is once again not a priority. For example, green recovery measures are still a small component of total COVID-19 spending (only 21% of recovery spending, or around 4% of rescue and recovery spending combined). Significant funds are still allocated to measures with likely environmentally negative and mixed impacts.

Session objectives

• To discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by disasters and the post-COVID pandemic recovery for mainstreaming environmental considerations
• To present country examples of environmental challenges as well as opportunities and best practices for mainstreaming environmental considerations in recovery programmes

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The session will highlight the current state-trend toward the exclusion of women as key actors in critical decisions regarding economic recovery in post-conflict, disaster prone settings, especially as it pertains to the COVID-19 pandemic. While women, including young women, are increasingly participating in peace and security processes, this largely precludes participation in disaster risk reduction, recovery and governance efforts, which are important to improving women’s livelihoods and empowerment, but also to preventing future disasters and conflict. To effectively implement post-conflict recovery measures in high climate and disaster risk areas, it is imperative to create, maintain and sustain gender-responsive and inclusive policy, programming and financing efforts, with an effort to scale up the outreach to various excluded groups at large, such as persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, indigenous persons, and LGBTQI+ communities.

The session will focus on the experiences of young women peacebuilders, the LBTQI+ community, local women leaders in disaster resilience, and leaders from persons with disabilities organizations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to share their asks and lessons for a risk—informed, sustainable and equitable recovery for all.  

Session objectives

The objective of the session is to discuss and advocate for the greater inclusion of women of all ages and backgrounds in meaningful socioeconomic recovery efforts in high disaster and climate risk areas, especially as they pertain to the COVID-19 pandemic and post-conflict settings. As such, the session will distinctly situate women of all backgrounds as key actors in these processes, rather than a group of persons simply acting as beneficiaries in these efforts.

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It is vital that countries strategize their recovery actions based on learning from COVID-19, adopting innovations and building on thorough assessments. This will ensure that health systems are consistently building back better towards a sustainable recovery by integrating risk management measures to protect communities from impacts of health emergencies, including future epidemics and pandemics and climate related extreme weather events.

Increasing investment in health systems and all-hazards emergency risk management, e.g. building strong risk informed primary health care, investing in essential public health functions, and institutionalizing mechanisms for whole-of society engagement are necessary for building more resilient and sustainable communities.

In this session, policy options for recovery, pandemic lessons learned, and strategies for strengthening health systems resilience will be discussed. A focus will be put on how research and innovation and capacities built during the pandemic response phase can be systematically leveraged to guide management of health risks in recovery.

Session objectives

• Highlight the impacts of the pandemic on the health sector, including how it affected vulnerable groups, including women and girls disproportionately.
• Share lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and discuss how well informed strategies can be applied to build more resilient health systems that protect communities from crisis.
• Advocate WHO’s policy approaches for health system recovery, that bring together and integrate PHC based health systems for UHC with health security and essential public health functions.
• Promote core concepts that apply to operationalizing risk informed Building Back Better, using whole of society and whole of government principles and partnerships from global to national levels focusing on ‘health’ as central to socio-economic recovery and development for a gender sensitive and inclusive post COVID-19 recovery

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Covid-19 has widened pre-existing inequalities and recent analysis shows that the world is not meeting the Sustainable Development Goals on Inequalities. A recent UNDP report shows that countries have had to adopt technological innovations, implement changes to administrative processes related to social protection, and adapt institutional and governance structures overseeing social protection decision making.

While the crisis is not over, many of the emergency measures, including financing, that were put in place are now running out. As many countries, particularly the poorest, have stretched their budgets, it is now time for the international community to provide the technical and financial support needed to institutionalize the advances made in the COVID-19 response, and build towards the establishment of robust, inclusive, and shock and gender responsive social protection systems, that can also ensure a just transition to resilient, green and sustainable economies.

Session objectives

• To demonstrate national innovative measures in terms of the design, implementation and financing of social protection measures to support local recovery efforts.
• To share lessons learned and best practices.
• To advocate for the leveraging of initiatives under the UN’s Our Common agenda, such as the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection and the High-Level Coalition of Ministers on green and digital economy.

At this side event, the CADRI Partnership brings together government, civil society organizations, and partners to discuss lessons and good practices to effectively integrate those most at risk of being left behind into the decision making process concerning programing and planning of disaster risk reduction interventions. 

Speakers will discuss how to operationalize the “Leave No One Behind” principle addressing issues such as:   

• The use of disaggregated data to provide evidence for identifying the most effective strategies to increase people’s resilience to multiple risks;  
• The use of socially inclusive and gender responsive policies, tools and methodologies to implement integrated multi-sectoral DRR interventions. 
• The definition of accountability mechanisms to guarantee the effective implementation of the “Leave No One Behind” principle.

The side event will also showcase digital solutions jointly developed by the CADRI Partners to support countries to ensure that the needs and demands of the most marginalized and vulnerable groups are considered central to disaster risk reduction efforts.

Session objectives

1. Identify challenges and opportunities, from the perspective of different stakeholders, to integrate the “Leave No One Behind” principle into disaster risk reduction programming and planning  
2. Share good practices to accelerate action to protect and empower the most vulnerable and marginalized in the face of disaster risk, including pandemics  
3. Provide recommendations on the changes required in our practices, our policies, tools, methods, and financing mechanisms  to effectively protect and empower the most vulnerable and marginalized to reduce their exposure to disaster risk. It is expected that the recommendations from the side event can inform the outcome of the Global Platform.