The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and the way forward

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was adopted by Member States on 18th March 2015, at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) held in Sendai, Japan, and endorsed by the UN General Assembly in June 2015. The Sendai Framework is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015 and is a 15-year, voluntary, non-binding agreement which recognizes that the State has the primary role to reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local government, the private sector and other stakeholders.The goal is to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risk. The Sendai Framework therefore promotes shifting focus from managing disasters to managing risks. This requires a better understanding of risk in all its dimensions of vulnerability, exposure and hazards. It aims to ensure that the multi-hazard management of disaster risk is factored into development at all levels as well as within and across all sectors. The Sendai Framework addresses 7 targets, 4 priorities for action, and 13 guiding principles focusing on substantially reducing disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries.The global disaster mortality, the number of affected people, the direct disaster economic loss in relation to global gross domestic product, and the damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, shall be substantially reduced. To achieve these targets, the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies shall be increased, international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support enhanced, and the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments substantially improved. These targets shall be addressed in the following four priorities for action (1) understanding disaster riskin all its dimensions of vulnerability, capacity, exposure of persons and assets, hazard characteristics and the environment, (2) strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk at the national, regional and global levels for prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and rehabilitation, (3) investing in disaster risk reduction for resiliencethrough structural and non-structural measures to enhance the economic, social, health and cultural resilience of persons, communities, countries and their assets, as well as the environment, and (4) enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction. As one of the first follow-up actions to Sendai, the UNISDR Science and Technology Partnership has organized an international conference, held in Geneva, Switzerland from 27–29 January 2016. A road map has been defined with the contributions of the science and technology community and the expected outcomes under each of the four priority of actionsup to 2030.

Keywords:

Build Back Better , 7 targets , 4 priorities for action , and 13 guiding principles