Disasters in the State of Rio de Janeiro have occurred with frequency and intensity and accompany the disorderly expansion of urban areas due to global climate change. The government of the State of Rio de Janeiro, through the Secretary of State for Civil Defense, concerned with this increase in adverse events, implemented several public policies aimed at reducing the risk of disasters in the summer period. This is when there is the greatest increase in occurrences.

Rio de Janeiro State developed a Contingency Plan for heavy rains in the summer period 2021-2022. This contingency plan aims to guide complementary actions in support of local governments that have their response capacity partially or substantially compromised. The plan guides preparedness and response actions in the event of a disaster caused by heavy rains. These rains cause multiple disasters with geological and hydrological consequences (landslides, floods, flash floods).

This recording presents the framework for integrating human rights and gender equality (FIRE) into DRR. It describes the six dimensions of the Framework and introduces a number of practical tools that have been developed based on FIRE. The Framework is a major output of the Building Resilience through Inclusive and Climate-Adaptive Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia-Pacific (BRDR) programme, which brought together the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, Stockholm Environment Institute and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency.

DARAJA, which means ‘bridge’ in Swahili, is a service and partnership that aims to improve weather and climate information services (WCIS), including early warnings of extreme weather for urban users. By adopting a systems-wide approach, DARAJA builds ‘bridges’ and operational partnerships between the actors critical to the co-design of the products, dissemination channels and feedback loops for weather forecasts and extreme weather alerts. The DARAJA service has been piloted already in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam with strong impact results. These included a 20:1 benefit cost ratio (BCR) in enhanced productivity and avoided climate related damage and loss to users. The service is also being adapted for deployment into Small Island States (SIDS) via a demonstrator for the Caribbean based in Kingston, Jamaica (IDB).

Exposure to natural disasters and changing weather patterns caused by climate change are making it harder for farmers in Indonesia to provide their families with adequate levels of food security and a decent household income.

Rural communities bear the brunt of protracted droughts, and extreme and unpredictable rainfall result in a compromised natural resource base and a reduction in resilience to cope when disasters strike.  Rains increasingly do not arrive at the expected time; or at other times they arrive in the form of severe weather events resulting in catastrophic flooding and landslides that damage or destroy agriculture land and essential infrastructure.

To assist farmers faced with these conditions, World Neighbors and the Institute Technology Bandung have developed climate smart agricultural digital technology, which is helping rural communities adapt their farming cycles to the changing climate and to be better prepared for potential hydrometeorological disasters.  

These digital tools provide short weather and long-term climate forecasts, together with guidance on adjusting crop and agricultural cycles to match the conditions. The information is detailed down to the village level, giving farmers critical information on when, where, and how much rain will fall, the opportune time to plant and what type of crops are most suitable for the conditions. 

The Android and Windows-based apps are multi-functional, and among the many benefits they bring are the capacity to better predict the potential for hydrometeorological disasters and to plan accordingly.  So through the app, we’re able to provide early warnings to villages that there will be heavy rainfall with the potential for flooding. A major part of our work at World Neighbors is training village-level disaster management groups who, with this information, are then able to take appropriate preparedness action.  

By improving climate adaptive capacities, farmers improve their yields, leading to increased food security and economic returns.  And while we cannot stop hazards from arising, through increasing resilience to climate change, and by getting the information to those most at risk so that they can adequately anticipate and prepare, we can minimize the risk of hazards turning into disasters.

In honor of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) Conference taking place in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, the Host Government is inviting delegates and accompanying families to take part in the Host Government Field Trip Program on Saturday, May 28, 2022. The program is designed to showcase the uniqueness and diversity of Indonesian culture and heritage, including cultural activities, handicraft workshops, music and dance lessons, nature and landscapes, temples and houses, as well as the Balinese hospitality. The field trip participants will learn how Balinese people protect the environment and prevent environmental disasters. You are welcome to choose one of three field trip programs, all escorted by English speaking guides. The Field Trips are free of charge for the first 600 participants, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Participants who are interested are invited to register for the field trips on the Host Government Field Trip page as soon as possible.

Session objectives

1. Learn how Balinese people protect the environment and prevent environmental disasters.
2. Showcase the uniqueness and diversity of Indonesian culture and heritage.

When a disaster occurs, governments grapple with many questions: How extensive is the damage? Where are the impacts greatest? What are the priorities for response and recovery? And how quickly can we assess the resulting costs and social impacts? Since 2020, these questions became even more complex, and the compound impact of natural hazards and COVID-19 lockdowns made disaster response much more challenging.

The World Bank’s Global RApid post-disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) methodology, first deployed in 2015, was adapted as needed to address the new complexities posed by COVID-19. GRADE is a remote, desk-based approach, that answers many of the above questions, typically within one to two weeks. Using sophisticated catastrophe modeling techniques, historical damage data, census and socio-economic data, engineering, satellite imagery and social media, the approach estimates the direct costs of damage with a high degree of accuracy.

GRADE assessments support in determining the appropriate levels of financial and technical support and provide decision-makers with a first order of the disaster’s impact. Assessments can also contribute to baseline information needed for the design of rehabilitation and recovery plans. 

Interested participants are invited to register for the Learning Labs as soon as possible through this link.

Session objectives

1. Introducing the concepts of the GRADE methodology 
2. Highlighting a case study where a GRADE is conducted 
3. Help in interpreting the GRADE results 
4. Highlighting the FAQs of GRADE 
5. Developing a community of practice in the Asia-Pacific on GRADE.

This learning lab provides knowledge and tool for local and regional governments to:  

• Enhance understanding of risk and resilience 
• Explore how decision making and budgeting scenarios can impact cities’ risk reduction and resilience in the short, medium and long term 
• Reflect on workable decision making and financing solutions to risk reduction with multi-sectoral engagement 

Interested participants are invited to register for the Learning Labs as soon as possible through this link.

Session objectives

The session objectives include: 

1. To discuss why it is important to invest in resilience and develop financing mechanisms for DRR 
2. To examine challenges local governments face in financing DRR and resilience actions 
3. To showcase instruments and examples to develop governance and financing mechanisms to accelerate local DRR and resilience actions

Participants will learn about additional resources for risk analysis such as the National Risk Information Portal (NRIP), Global Resilience Index, Climada, GEM, global hazard models and more. 

•  Hear first-hand the views and challenges experienced by countries, including city administrators, working in risk policy and operational decision-making. 
• Build a vision for what a desired outcome might be for countries and cities building risk analytics capability. 
• Assess and understand the value of open access risk information to underpin risk analysis. 
• Build awareness and engagement with UNDRR’s Global Risk Assessment Framework (GRAF) and the Global Risk Modelling Alliance (GRMA) spearheaded by the Insurance Development Forum (IDF), and a clear understanding of next steps. 

Session objectives

• What characteristics make a high-functioning risk analytics programme at sovereign or city level, combining local and global knowledge and bringing together multiple departments, agencies and sectors in a shared view of risk? 
• What benefits that might bring, both in resilient behaviours and movement of finance. 
• What free or subsidised resources are available to countries wishing to move further in their journey of risk understanding, from public and private sectors - attendees may be pleasantly surprised! 
• What domestic obstacles do government or city authorities see in developing this collaborative approach to risk understanding, and are there barriers to drawing on global resources? 

Participants will learn about additional resources for risk analysis such as UNDRR's Risk Information Exchange (RiX), the Global Resilience Index, the GEO Earth Observation Risk Toolkit, Climada, global hazard models and more. 

•  Hear first-hand the views and challenges experienced by countries, including city administrators, working in risk policy and operational decision-making. 
• Build a vision for what a desired outcome might be for countries and cities building risk analytics capability. 
• Assess and understand the value of open access risk information to underpin risk analysis. 
• Build awareness and engagement with UNDRR’s Global Risk Assessment Framework (GRAF) and the Global Risk Modelling Alliance (GRMA) spearheaded by the Insurance Development Forum (IDF), and a clear understanding of next steps. 

Interested participants are invited to register for the Learning Labs as soon as possible through this link.

Session objectives

• What characteristics make a high-functioning risk analytics programme at sovereign or city level, combining local and global knowledge and bringing together multiple departments, agencies and sectors in a shared view of risk? 
• What benefits that might bring, both in resilient behaviours and movement of finance. 
• What free or subsidised resources are available to countries wishing to move further in their journey of risk understanding, from public and private sectors - attendees may be pleasantly surprised! 
• What domestic obstacles do government or city authorities see in developing this collaborative approach to risk understanding, and are there barriers to drawing on global resources? 

Watch this session on-demand 

Session objectives

• Acknowledge and thank the host country (Indonesia), sponsors, speakers, and participants
• Summarize the key findings from WRC5 by sharing joint communique
• Set the scene for WRC6
• Welcome participants to the GPDRR

Expected Outcome:

Participants will leave the session with a clear understanding and sense of enthusiasm about new approaches to recovery and will advocate for their adoption in the GPDRR as well as their work in the future.