The PDF version of
the report can be viewed at http://Newsletter/WCDRR_Report_160315_from_Sendai.pdf and to view photos of the second day proceedings of
WCDRR, please visit http://www.iisd.ca/isdr/wcdr3/16mar.html
Thanks.
G. Padmanabhan and Mahendra.R.
Third Day
-16 March 2015
The
Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Sendai, Japan. 14-18,
March 2015.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The
third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction continued its
deliberations with two ministerial roundtables taking place on “Governing
Disaster Risk: Overcoming Challenges” and “Reducing Disaster Risk in Urban
Settings.” A high-level partnership dialogue convened in the afternoon, on
“Risk-sensitive Investment: Public-private Partnerships.”
Working
sessions addressed several topics, including resilient tourism and preparing
for disaster-induced relocation. The World Bank, the Government of Japan and partners
hosted a special round of the Resilience Dialogue series, exploring how to
scale up and sustain funding and implementation of disaster and climate risk
programs to advance post-2015 resilience goals.
In
the evening, two separate award ceremonies took place, recognizing achievements
in DRR and documentary film.
MAIN
COMMITTEE
Following
a full day of “informal informals,” the Main Committee reconvened at the end of
the afternoon, aiming to clean up the text as far as possible so as to leave
time for discussion of the proposed political declaration. Several edits to the
text were agreed, but the issues of international cooperation, technology
transfer, a reference to human rights and the right to development, as well as
CBDR remained unresolved by early evening. Discussions continued into the
night.
GENERAL
EXCHANGE OF VIEWS
Country
delegations:
Delegates delivered formal statements throughout the day, highlighting national
actions on DRR.
Hungary
noted the importance of transboundary cooperation, citing successful
cooperation with Slovenia and Croatia to limit Mura River flood damage in 2014.
Israel said assistance for DRR, response and recovery should be on a mutually
agreed basis. Ethiopia noted links between DRR and the broader post-2015 development
agenda, strongly committing to the success of the Third International
Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa in July.
A
number of delegates expressed their support for Vanuatu, as it contends with
the havoc wreaked by Tropical Cyclone Pam.
Intergovernmental
and other organizations: Representatives of intergovernmental and other
organizations delivered formal statements throughout the day. The UN High
Representative for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS said the post-2015 framework for DRR’s
recognition of the special situations of these vulnerable countries is
encouraging, and noted that the Global Assessment Report on DRR 2015
found that future annual losses in SIDS will amount to almost 20% of their
total social expenditure.
MINISTERIAL
ROUNDTABLES
Governing
Disaster Risk - Overcoming Challenges: María del Pilar Cornejo, Minister Secretary
for Risk Management, Ecuador, chaired the roundtable, inviting ministers to
share their national experiences of promoting DRR policies. Many speakers outlined
legislative and policy measures taken in their countries to support disaster
preparedness and response at the national level, as well as establishment of
structures to strengthen district and village-level preparedness. Several
countries stressed the need for strong leadership and community involvement,
poverty reduction, private sector engagement, development of early warning
systems, prevention and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Heads of UN
Agencies emphasized accountability, equity and implementation of legislation as
essential elements of DRR and DRM.
Sudan
highlighted the negative implications of land degradation and biodiversity loss
for disasters. Mauritius highlighted national and regional preparedness
measures, including a food security fund, a climate change information exchange
center for the Indian Ocean region and a toolkit of adaptation options for
local authorities. The United Arab Emirates said cooperation among all
government agencies and NGOs is the best way to succeed in governing disaster
risk. Spain said capacity building is “irreplaceable,” noting that its civil
protection system is built into the state administration. The Holy See said
religious and cultural traditions are rich sources of resilience, and that the
conference outcome should mention not only indigenous but also other religious
traditions. The African Union reported that there is increased appreciation and
political will regarding DRR in her region, with most national DRR offices
established within the office of the President or Prime Minister.
Reducing
Disaster Risk in Urban Settings: Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan, Minister, Cooperative
Governance and Traditional Affairs, South Africa, chaired the session, noting
that urbanization trends present new challenges for policymakers, and that
lessons learned need to be incorporated into future planning processes.
Ministers
and high-level delegates then considered the importance of building codes and
effective land-use planning, noting that the most vulnerable city-dwellers bear
the brunt of disasters. Many spoke of the risks posed to urban areas by
climate-related disasters, with Ghana calling for DRR-compliant building plans.
China drew attention to his country’s adaptation plan, which contains
strategies to shift to green energy sources. Brazil reported on national
actions to address urban risk including the “urbanization of favelas.”
Among
many others, Uganda and Ghana called for decentralization of urban industries
and amenities, while Trinidad and Tobago highlighted the work of the country’s
Ministry of the People in encouraging a people-centered approach to resilience.
Egypt shared her country’s experience in urban planning, including the
establishment of a government-led urban upgrading policy and the implementation
of a real estate tax used to upgrade rural settlements. Japan shared the
experience of rebuilding Hyogo after the 1995 earthquake, highlighting
livelihood restoration and preparedness activities including engaging the
community in preparedness drills.
Some
others, including Zambia, Jordan, Nepal and Madagascar, spoke on mainstreaming
DRR policies into urban and national planning processes, and the need for
public-private partnerships to encourage investment in disaster-resilient
infrastructure. UN-Habitat outlined the importance of empowering local
authorities and creating public awareness among urban residents.
HIGH-LEVEL
PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE
Risk
sensitive investments - Public-private partnerships: Chair Fuat Oktay,
Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, Turkey, introduced
the dialogue, noting that strong public-private partnerships can make DRR a
driving force for sustainable development.
Keynote
speaker Gaëlle Olivier, AXA Asia, noted there are now five times the number of
disasters annually compared with 50 years ago, with the costs having increased
tenfold. She noted the insurance sector has US$30 trillion of assets under
management, representing a third of global assets. She stressed the sector
needs to be more proactive in working with government and regulators to invest
responsibly, including by better understanding, preventing and managing risk.
In
a panel discussion, moderated by journalist David Eades, senior public and
private sector representatives agreed on the critical importance of
public-private partnerships in achieving DRR and managing recovery to “build
back better,” given that every taxpayer dollar invested could leverage between
US$3 and US$8 from the private sector. Panelists noted that there are strong incentives
for the private sector to seek partnerships, given increased costs from
interruptions to supply chains in a globalized economy, and stressed that
trust-building across governments and societies would be crucial. They
highlighted the need for the public sector to “lay down codes” for a disaster
resilience framework, and for the private sector to consider its role in
effective investment to ensure business continuity in the aftermath of a
disaster.
WORKING
SESSIONS
Towards
a Resilient Tourism Sector: Veronica Pedrosa, media correspondent, moderated the
session. In a keynote speech, Thomas Silberhorn, Federal Minister for Economic
Cooperation and Development, Germany, called for including the tourism industry
as a private-sector partner in all DRR and DRM processes.
Panelists
then considered the need to incorporate the tourism sector into the post-2015
framework for DRR, and heard about Australia’s national strategy for disaster
resilience. They also recounted how Cuba, despite a weak economy, implemented
new disaster preparedness measures in the recovery process following storm
damage, and discussed Samoa’s experience of establishing a climate early
warning system to communicate effectively with tourists on potential risks.
Panelists further presented on the role of the hotel industry during disasters,
and on the Hotel Resilient Initiative that aims to develop an auditable system
to enable hotels and resorts to be more prepared and resilient to disasters.
Participants raised questions on, inter alia, building resilience in the
tourism industry in the face of terrorism, engaging the insurance industry in
promoting resilience, and developing a multi-sector approach to addressing
disasters.
Preparing
for Disaster-Induced Relocation: The session was chaired by Nadeem Ahmed,
Lieutenant General and former Chair of the National Disaster Management
Authority, Pakistan. Introducing the session, he noted that relocation is often
the most difficult component of DRR and disaster response. Panelists agreed that
planned relocation, whether pre- or post-disaster, needs to be a measure of
last resort, as part of a comprehensive DRR and development strategy, and not
as an isolated measure. William Lacy Swing, Director-General, International
Organization for Migration, noted the increased movement of populations
requires a stronger focus on mobility and relocation in the post-2015 framework
for DRR. Alexander Pama, National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council,
Philippines, shared practical examples of how enhanced pre-disaster risk
assessments have guided authorities’ decisions on temporary relocation in the
context of typhoons. Panelists also highlighted the importance of providing
livelihood support and not creating new socio-economic vulnerabilities in the place
of relocation, stressing that, “planned relocation is not merely a housing
project.” Others noted the importance of legal frameworks, a rights-based
approach, participation and capacity building of local authorities and
communities. Sanjula Weerasinghe, Georgetown University, noted the need for
international guidelines for planned relocation, particularly in the context of
climate change adaptation. Participants also shared experiences of relocation
from Pakistan, Latin America and the Caribbean, Syria and other places.
AWARD
CEREMONIES
Film
Awards:
Veronica Pedrosa, media correspondent, hosted the event and announced the
winners of the first edition of the International Award for Best TV Documentary
on DRR, organized by UNISDR, the Asia Broadcasting Union and the European
Broadcasting Union. Among twelve shortlisted films, four were selected as
winners. “Rebuilding Sichuan” from Discovery Channel won the category Best TV
Documentary Award, while “The Kamaishi Miracle” by NHK (Japanese Broadcasting
Corporation) won Best Human Story. The prize for Best Investigative Story was
shared by “It’s Time” by GMA Network Philippines and “Britain Underwater” by
BBC Panorama. Best Innovative Documentary went to “Vets in the Disaster Zone”
by Dragonfly Film and Television Productions. The ceremony featured trailers
presenting the films in competition per category.
Risk
Awards:
Walter Ammann, Global Risk Forum, introduced the 2015 awards ceremony and
Margareta Wahlström outlined how the award recognizes community-focused
innovation, an essential part of managing risk in advance. Thomas Loster,
Munich Re Foundation, informed guests that many innovative projects had been
submitted among the 145 applications from 62 countries. The All India Institute
of Local Self-Government won the 2015 award for a project engaging women in
hillside and riverbank slum communities in Pune, India, in conducting
self-assessment and planning for risk, using participatory visual tools.
IN
THE CORRIDORS
Many
delegates hoped that Monday’s informal informals would “break the deadlock,”
underlining the need for ownership of the final product: in the words of one
delegate, “If you want a global framework, you need global buy-in.” A seasoned
delegate remained unconvinced that issues that had been discussed throughout
the preparatory process, including language on occupied territories, would be
easily resolved here. On the content, a negotiator noted that it is unwise to
“put too many elephants in the same room,” a veiled reference to attempts to include
human rights-based approaches to disaster risk management in the framework.
With only two days left, and discussions
behind closed doors still ongoing, one delegate confided that, “Not all
expectations will be met.”
IISD
Reporting Services,
WCDRR, Sendai,
Japan.
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