The United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting in New York on 18-19 May, 2023 will mark the conclusion of the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 2015-2030, and will provide an opportunity for a concise and action-oriented political declaration to renew commitments and accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework.
The network will be participating in the following sessions. We hope to see you there!
Risk Reduction Hub Side events:
Human mobility in the context of disasters
7 May 2023, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm EDT
Displacement is one of the main ways in which disasters affect people and is exacerbated by the adverse impacts of climate change. Between 2012-2021, an average of 23 million persons were displaced by disasters annually. The Türkiye-Syria earthquakes of early February 2023 resulted in over 50,000 deaths with more than 2.6 million persons living in temporary housing, reinforcing the reality that every year, tens of millions of people are displaced or relocated from areas affected by the impacts of disasters. In the years to come these figures are anticipated to continue to expand as more vulnerable people will face more severe and frequent hazards in the context of climate change.
Human mobility (migration, displacement, and planned relocation) considerations need to be well represented in all disaster prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.
Providing protection and assisting people on the move and ensuring that human mobility decisions are taken in dignity is a primary responsibility of States and a critical challenge for all stakeholders engaged in reducing disaster risk, including civil society.
This event will provide an opportunity to learn about effective practices and approaches that DRR practitioners and governments can adopt, in different contexts, to avert, minimize and address disaster displacement by: enabling people at risk to stay in their communities; protecting and assisting people who are already on the move; and supporting and empowering those who may need to move in the face of disasters and climate change.
Synergizing Climate Action and Disaster Risk Reduction
17 May 2023, 3:00 – 4:30 pm EDT
- What are the enabling factors that facilitate successful integration of disaster risk reduction and climate action at the national and local levels?
- What role can donors and financial institutions play in creating an enabling environment for integrated approaches to planning and implementation of disaster risk reduction and climate change action?
- How can local action be leveraged as a key basis for synergy in implementation?
This event will primarily target decision-makers and -shapers in governments, with active participation from experts and practitioners from disaster risk reduction and climate action domains, besides sectoral representatives in an attempt to answer these questions.
Watch the live stream here.
A Whole of Society Approach – The role of Non-state Actors in the Sendai Framework Implementation
17 May 2023, 4:30 – 6:00 pm EDT
Partnerships and all-of-society approaches lie at the heart of effective disaster risk reduction (DRR). Building resilience and promoting risk-informed decision-making are collective challenges and responsibilities, which call upon collaboration among governments, the United Nations, and other entities as well as stakeholder groups at large.
Established in 2018, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (SEM) offers representational space for all ‘non-state’ Sendai stakeholders as set out in Paragraphs 36 and 48 of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (Sendai Framework).
This session will contribute critical thinking from the perspective of non-state actors working on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) in policy and practice, and how to best leverage non-state actors in the second half of SFDRR implementation. We will also encourage strengthened collaboration with wider UN frameworks and processes, to bolster stakeholder collaboration for risk-informed implementation across all the 2030 agendas.
Watch the live stream here.
Financing Early Warnings and Early Action in Contexts of Protracted Humanitarian crises
19 May 2023, 1.15 – 2.45 pm EDT
This interactive roundtable discussion hosted by the Risk Informed Early Action Partnershipa and the UAE COP28 Presidency will discuss and develop deliverables for COP28 on the financing of early warning and early action (EWEA), in particular in contexts of protracted humanitarian crises.
The session will be conducted in two parts:
- A reflection on the current situation in Somalia and how early warning, early action (EWEA) has been and could be better leveraged to promote resilience
- A discussion of EWEA mechanisms and targets that can simultaneously support action in contexts of protracted
humanitarian crises, and mobilise key stakeholders at COP28
Leaders roundtable:
Risk reduction governance in fragile states
18 May 2023, 1:15 –2:45 pm EDT
2023 is a critical juncture for multiple global agreements and processes including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries, the SAMOA Pathway for small island developing States and Vienna Programme of Action for the Landlocked Developing Countries and their successor frameworks.
Led by at least one Member State and partner, this and other “Leaders’ Roundtables” will provide participants with the opportunity to delve deeper into the synergies between the implementation of the Sendai Framework, to ensure a coherent relationship between global stock-takes and other intergovernmental processes with a view to ensuring a risk-informed and prevention-oriented approach to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
High-Level Session 4:
A collective responsibility – Localizing disaster risk reduction
19 May 2023, 4.30 – 5.45 pm EDT
Effective disaster risk reduction calls for a whole-of-society approach. While an expanded and strong interface between science, policy and practice is important, the enhanced participation at the regional level as well as local levels among communities, youth, women’s groups, grassroots organisations and local authorities in understanding and managing disaster risk is crucial. Furthermore, local, indigenous and traditional knowledge present substantial value in understanding, preventing and mitigating risks, minimising disaster impacts and building resilience.
This panel event will present approaches to developing risk knowledge, that tap into broad and diverse parts of our communities, offer new perspectives and approaches, and open up possibilities and partnerships that have previously seemed impossible. The panel will also discuss the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders and State institutions at subnational and local levels, explore how contextual specificities can be systematically integrated in risk understanding and risk management, with appropriate means of implementation, to reduce vulnerabilities of the most vulnerable and build systemic resilience for people and planet.
- More information on GNDR’s contribution to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) Mid-Term Review, including our call-to-action and policy analysis can be found here.