Wednesday 18 March 2015

WCDRR Report of 17th March 2015.


The PDF version of the report can be viewed at http://drm/Newsletter/WCDRR_Report_170315_from_Sendai.pdf  and to view photos of the fourth day proceedings of WCDRR, please visit http://www.iisd.ca/isdr/wcdr3/17mar.html   Thanks. G. Padmanabhan and Mahendra.R.
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Day Four -17 March 2015

The Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Sendai, Japan. 14-18, March 2015.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Negotiations at the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) gathered pace in Sendai, Japan, as delegates worked in informal drafting groups aiming to finalize the post-2015 framework for DRR for adoption at the end of the conference on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a high-level partnership dialogue took place in the morning on “Inclusive DRM: Goals, Communities and Groups,” and a ministerial roundtable convened on public investment strategies for DRR in the afternoon. Several working sessions also took place on food security and disaster-resilient agriculture, children and youth, and the participation of persons with disabilities in inclusive DRR.

Country delegations continued their delivery of formal statements in a general exchange of views that included accounts of disaster impacts and DRR strategies, development of legislative frameworks and education as a key component of national DRR strategies.

MAIN COMMITTEE

The Main Committee convened informally in the morning, after having engaged in detailed textual discussions until 3 am on Tuesday morning.

Delegates noted that implementation of the post-2015 framework for DRR would require UNISDR to be significantly “more activist” in future, especially in relation to interacting with other sustainable development processes, but that UNISDR currently had limited resources compared with many other UN agencies.

Delegates discussed possible review processes for the post-2015 framework for DRR, including the UN General Assembly’s integrated and coordinated follow-up processes to UN conferences and summits, potentially involving one or more of ECOSOC, the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) and the quadrennial comprehensive policy review. Margareta Wahlström, UNISDR, said UNISDR’s existing reporting approaches would be the basis for complying with broader UN review processes.

Delegates also discussed the timing of periodic reviews of progress, and developing country delegates noted that continuing to conduct biennial reviews would involve significant resources.

Delegates discussed establishment of an open-ended intergovernmental expert working group to develop possible indicators to measure progress in DRR. Developing country delegates expressed concern about the potential resource implications and the need for balanced representation. Developed country delegates suggested the experts be appointed by governments, and that the UNISDR Scientific and Advisory Group (STAG) should support the group with technical advice.

At mid-day, the Co-Chairs circulated two non-papers for discussion, capturing the Main Committee’s discussions of key unresolved issues contained in the preambular text, description of the expected outcome and goal of the framework, and guiding principles, as well as paragraphs on international cooperation and technology transfer.

In the afternoon, the Committee reconvened and decided to continue “informal informal” negotiations on the main unresolved issues in two working groups with twelve countries represented in each: one group on climate change and international cooperation, and the other on technology transfer and other issues. The working groups continued discussions late into the night.

HIGH-LEVEL PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE

Inclusive Disaster Risk Management - Governments, Communities and Groups Acting Together: Noel Arscott, Minister of Local Government & Community Development, Jamaica, chaired the session, while Veronica Pedrosa, media correspondent, moderated. Anote Tong, President, Kiribati, delivered a keynote speech, noting the need to establish DRR legislation and overcome international bureaucracy in accessing global funds for DRR and climate change.

Laila Iskander, Minister of Urban Renewal and Informal Settlements, Egypt, underlined the role of NGOs as trust-builders between the government and local communities. Fatimatou Abdel Malick, Mayor of Tevragh-Zeina, Mauritania, emphasized the need to preserve the rights of communities.

Nicola Valluzzi, President of the Province of Potenza, Italy, highlighted work in building resilience at the local level, stressing the need to consider cultural attitudes to risk management in DRR policymaking.

Anthony Lake, Executive Director, UNICEF, called for children in vulnerable communities to be involved in assessing risk, citing examples of youth involved in disaster mapping, reconstruction and restoration efforts in Nepal, Brazil and Japan.

Underscoring the need to “leave no one behind,” Carlos Kaiser Mansilla, ONG Inclusiva, proposed inclusion standards for DRR. Josephine Basibas Castillo, Damayan ng Maralitang Pilipinong Api Inc., the Philippines, said involving grassroots communities in DRR planning and implementation reduces corruption in projects and programmes and facilitates scaling up of DRR solutions.

Participants commented on, inter alia: creating a “partnership of equals” between researchers and local communities; building virtual inclusive DRR communities; and encouraging media to be proactive in providing accurate information as a part of DRR efforts.

MINISTERIAL ROUNDTABLE

Public Investment Strategies for DRR: Raed Arafat, Secretary of State, Department of Emergency Situations, Romania, chaired the event.

Speakers gave examples of national actions, including the establishment of dedicated funds, making use of tax revenue, and allowing a percentage of public investment to be spent on DRR. Participants highlighted the importance of transforming institutional arrangements, for example, by harmonizing funds for climate change and DRR, as well as guiding investments to areas in most need through disaster mapping.

Egypt described three sources of funds for DRR investments: property registration fees for residents of informal settlements who have already invested money in their dwellings; domestic banks; and national budget allocations. El Salvador called for eliminating corruption in the construction industry as part of disaster prevention measures. Vietnam and several other developing countries noted their limited resources for public investment and expressed their need for international support for DRR investment, including through ODA. The East African Community noted its emphasis on investing in, or promoting private sector investment in high quality infrastructure, including through tax incentives. Uzbekistan has put in place a programme aimed at technical and educational measures to address earthquake vulnerability at the local community level. Cabo Verde noted the difficulties faced by small, poorer countries in preparing for severe disaster events, highlighting it has suffered a volcanic eruption for the last three months, destroying infrastructure.

The World Meteorological Organization noted that over the last five years, 90% of disasters have been caused or aggravated by weather and water, the impacts of which could have been significantly ameliorated through better early warning systems (EWS), which generate a very high return on public investment. The UN Economic Commission for Europe noted that cross-sectoral approaches to assessing projects, which also involve finance ministries, will have a better chance of obtaining public funding. Youth Beyond Disasters called for greater public investment in technology. A Palestinian local government participant called for the opening of borders during disaster events.

WORKING SESSIONS

Food security, disaster-resilient agriculture and nutrition: Amir Abdulla, Deputy Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP), moderated the session.

Dominique Burgeon, Director, Emergency and Rehabilitation Division, FAO, highlighted the need to strengthen DRR planning in agriculture and improve EWS on extreme weather and food insecurity. Amb. Shameem Ahsan, Bangladesh, presented national measures to improve crop diversity, resistance to pests and storage systems. David Farrell, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Barbados, recounted efforts to strengthen EWS, including through structures that ensure information is delivered. He highlighted the work of the Global Framework for Climate Services, and the regional Climate Outlook Forums that develop weather, health and agriculture scenarios for the Caribbean.

Other speakers explained how resilience measures had served to mitigate the impacts of floods and drought, with examples from Ethiopia, Kenya and Namibia, also noting Kenya’s establishment of a National Drought Management Authority.

Children and Youth – Don’t Decide My Future without Me: Ahmad Alhendawi, UN Special Envoy for Youth, moderated this session, inviting children and youth to showcase their aspirations and actions to advance an ambitious DRR agenda. Keynote speaker Anthony Lake, Director-General, UNICEF, said that children and youth are part of the solution for coping with disasters. He highlighted the importance of school safety and measures such as swimming lessons as practical steps towards effective DRR. Children and youth representatives called for new avenues to participate in decision making. Themes raised in the debate included: budget allocation for youth engagement; importance of youth in volunteering; global solidarity; and inter-generational equity and links to human rights. Alhendawi concluded the session stating that children and youth must be perceived as “an asset to save the future.”

Proactive Participation of Persons with Disabilities in Inclusive DRR for All: Monthian Buntan, UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, moderated the session.

·        Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman, The Nippon Foundation, Japan, expressed hope that accomplishments at the WCDRR will help to advance disability inclusiveness in global development including the SDGs.
·        Setareki Macanawai, Chair, Pacific Disability Forum, Fiji, called for the implementation of multi-hazard and multi-sectoral disability-inclusive DRR policies.

·        Underlining the importance of planning “with” and not “for” communities, Marcie Roth, Federal Emergency Management Agency, US, stressed that the role of people living with disabilities must not be “tokenized.”
·        Satoko Akiyama, Bethel’s House, Japan, performed a role play demonstrating a process of developing early warning messages with people with disabilities, as well as those with post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and depression.
·        Sonnia Margarita, The World Federation of the Deaf Blind, called for government support for measures including educating children on communicating with the deaf-blind.
·        Paul Njoroge, Senator, Kenya, lamented that only 16% of people with disabilities in his country held paid employment, which, he stressed, deepened their vulnerability.
·        In closing, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Latvia, highlighted the efforts made by the EU in creating a disability-inclusive regional DRR framework.

IN THE CORRIDORS

Tensions ran high on Tuesday morning in the Main Committee, as delegates resumed discussions after a very late night. The mood was sufficiently overcast to prompt the host country to make an appeal from the podium, urging delegates to show “the spirit of compromise” to enable the post-2015 framework for DRR to be agreed and a political declaration to be crafted. While most remained confident of agreement being reached by Wednesday, the slow pace of progress on sensitive text led one delegate to make “a firm prediction of an all-nighter” for already weary delegates.

Commenting on the relatively intense politicization of the DRR process at this conference, one delegate sighed, “If this was being held after the SDGs and the climate COP, instead of beforehand, it would be so much easier.” Another, however, welcomed the sudden injection of new energy through the leadership of countries that are “politically far apart,” but united in their ambition to move the process forward. While some countries protested that they did not feel represented by the newly formed drafting groups, the majority seemed willing to fall in line with some delegations’ calls for a greater level of trust and goodwill. They were encouraged, in this, by the appearance of roses in the meeting room, flown in courtesy of one of the negotiating countries. With the hosts having generously provided dinner in anticipation of a long night, delegates hunkered down to thrash out their differences.

IISD Reporting Services,
WCDRR, Sendai, Japan.


WCDRR Report of 16th March 2015

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.