Policy reflections from the Global Platform for DRR 2022

A month on from the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) in Indonesia and our attention here at GNDR is swinging to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York in July.

As the dust settles from all the hard work at GPDRR, it’s now time to reflect on the impact our network has made on the next phase of the Sendai Framework implementation – and how to connect this to wider agenda 2030 processes at HLPF and COP27.

This article aims to provide top-line, initial policy reflections on the outcomes of GPDRR and the Co-Chairs’ Summary: Bali Agenda for Resilience. Plus map out future opportunities to further strengthen our collective policy work. 

If you would like more information, the chance to share your reflections, and connect with other members, please join our policy webinar on Monday,  27 July 2022.

Our calls to action outlined eight specific policy messages for GPDRR 2022 and beyond. Here, our members in the global south outlined eight key areas they feel everyone working on risk reduction globally must focus time, resources, and energy on if we are to reach the Sendai Framework targets by 2030.

Civil society leads whole of society approach

The first positive outcome from the Global Platform was feedback from the UN on the Stakeholder Forum. As co-chair of the Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (SEM), GNDR co-hosted the Forum as part of the official GPDRR preparatory days.

The first ever UNDRR SEM Stakeholder Forum was held as part of the 2019 Global Platform. The 2022 Stakeholder Forum was much bigger and significantly increased the visibility of the SEM. This year’s Global Platform was an opportunity for the SEM to demonstrate civil society’s role in convening an all of society approach.

Feedback from the UNDRR team was incredibly positive and confirmed the important role GNDR has in co-chairing the SEM; that civil society has in convening the whole of society approach; and confirmed that the Stakeholder Forum would become part of the official preparatory days of future Global Platforms. This is a big win for civil society organisations.

Analysis of co-chairs’ summary

In the immediate days and weeks following GPDRR, the  co-chairs’ summary is the policy document that provides insight into how policy efforts will be shared for the next three years. 

The topics outlined will guide where effort and resources are invested in the next phase of the Sendai Framework implementation and monitoring.

A quick analysis shows that many of our key messages have all been specifically included in the co-chairs’ document, including our statements on: collaboration, conflict, gender, listening to local knowledge and voices, investing at the local level, the importance of young people, inclusion, displacement, and learning from Covid-19. 

We would have liked to have seen a stronger commitment on local leadership and listening to local voices.  And we’d have preferred a stronger statement on making sure disaster risk reduction not only reaches the local level, but decision making on how risk reduction finance should be spent is guided by local leaders. 

We also would have liked the role of civil society to be clearly identified and committed to – particularly in the current climate of shrinking space for civil society. However, the very specific call to make sure women lead organisations – and are at the forefront of decision making and leadership – feels like a big win.

Future opportunities

We now need the entire GNDR network to come together to advocate for our calls to action at the upcoming High-Level Political Forum and COP27. We see a huge opportunity for our network to raise the voices of local leaders and civil society in the Mid-Term Review (MTR) – not only of the Sendai Framework, but also across all the 2030 agenda stocktaking.

Specifically, integrating the recommendations from our members’ reflections on the Sendai Framework MTR and the resulting calls to action into the review processes for both the SDGs and the Paris agreement. Here, we aim to bring together local voices, perspectives and recommendations on risk-informed development, localisation and the role of civil society to the UN General Assembly in 2023 where all the agenda 2030 stocktaking conclusions will be shared, and a roadmap forward outlined.

Please join GNDR to meaningfully bring civil society voices to all major global spaces.