GPDRR: NGO Major Group Statement

7th Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2022

Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism
NGO Major Group Statement

The seventh session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction is the first time the global community is coming together to reflect on this issue since the Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated the profound need for more coordinated action. Moreover, it represents a key moment as we near the midterm review of the Sendai Framework and the other major 2015 agreements.

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 recognises 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.

The NGO Major Group will continue its efforts to build capacity at the local level and to bring to life the objectives of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. We also call for global decision makers to listen meaningfully to local leaders and civil society and prioritise the challenges and recommendations coming from the local level.

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.

The NGO major group also highlights the important role that civil society has in convening and advancing this all of society approach.

In order to do this effectively, the NGO major group has identified eight specific calls to action recommendations.

1. Listen to the community

• Include local leaders in decision making spaces at local, national and global spaces
• Meaningfully include local leaders in the implementation and monitoring of the Sendai Framework
• Institutionalise including community voice, knowledge and recommendations in decision making
• Promote the analysis of the systemic nature of risk and risk-informed development from the perspective of the communities most at risk

2. Invest at the local level

• Prioritise ensuring risk reduction finance reaches the local level
• Empower and finance locally led action for risk reduction. Meaningfully include local leaders in deciding how risk reduction budget is spent at the local level
• Invest in understanding, developing and integrating nature based solutions into local action plans and budgets

3. Strengthen coordination and coherence for risk-informed development

• Recognise the systemic nature of risk and adopt a coherent approach across all global frameworks for an effective risk-informed development, risk reduction and resilience building for the communities most at risk
• Ensure the lessons learned from DRR are brought to bear on the climate change negotiations. Specifically to conversations on loss and damage and the need for high income countries to increase financial support to other countries
• Incorporate the understanding of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th report in the strategy of implementing the second part of SFDRR
• Integrate climate-related hazards and their impacts in local DRR planning
• Recognise the role that Civil Society Organisations have to lead collaboration. Accept and strengthen the role of local CSOs in convening the all of society approach to effectively achieve Sendai Framework commitments.

4. Recognise gender inequality as a driver of risk, and work to eliminate it

• Recognise gender inequality as a barrier to achieving the Sendai framework targets and invest in action to meaningfully promote gender equality for strengthened disaster risk reduction
• Empower women and women leaders to meaningfully engage in disaster risk reduction at all levels

5. Transition from seeing inclusion as a standalone topic

• Recognise the intersectional dynamics of marginalisation in relation to risk
• Integrate inclusion across all areas of the Sendai Framework

6. Learn from Covid-19

• Understand and address the weakness in governance that Covid-19 demonstrated
• Learn from the social, economic and political elements of risk reduction highlighted by the pandemic
• Increase understanding on how to reduce the risk of biological disasters, such as pandemics in the sendai framework going forward
• Work to ensure everyone has access to the COVID-19 vaccine

7. Strengthen DRR governance in conflict affected states

• Support conflict affected and fragile states to implement disaster risk reduction governance, policy and plans
• Invest in understanding which conflict affected states do not meaningfully include DRR governance, learn about the barriers and identify solutions

8. Adopt an intergenerational approach to disaster risk reduction

• Build on the experiences of older persons and children and youth energy and innovation
• Ensure youth and youth leaders are meaningfully included in decision-making processes