World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction

World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction
Name	World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction
Date	Various (1994–2015 and beyond)
Location	Various (Yokohama; Hyogo; Sendai; Geneva)
Participants	Member States of the United Nations; international organizations; non-governmental organizations; scientific institutions

World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction The World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction is an international series convened to negotiate global approaches to natural hazards, climate-related perils, seismic risk, hydrological extremes and urban resilience through intergovernmental treaties and policy frameworks. The conferences assemble representatives from the United Nations system, regional bodies, multilateral development banks, scientific institutions and civil society to endorse action plans, set targets and mobilize finance for risk reduction and recovery. Major outcomes have influenced instruments adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and regional commissions.

Background and Objectives

The conferences originated amid post-Cold War diplomacy involving the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, World Meteorological Organization, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, African Union, European Commission and national delegations such as Japan, Switzerland, Indonesia, Italy, Canada and United States. Objectives include integrating disaster risk reduction into frameworks advanced by World Health Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, International Organization for Migration, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Labour Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Economic Forum and G20. The conferences aim to align policy instruments from regional actors like Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Economic Community of West African States, Pacific Islands Forum, Organization of American States, Mercosur, League of Arab States and African Development Bank with standards advocated by institutions such as International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and research centers like International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Stockholm Environment Institute and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

Historical Conferences and Key Outcomes

Early summits drew on precedents including the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and ministerial meetings hosted by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. The 1994 Yokohama meeting produced the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action which engaged actors including United Nations Development Programme, World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank and national agencies from Philippines, India, China, Mexico, Brazil and Australia. The 2005 Kobe gathering culminated in the Hyogo Framework for Action endorsed by UNESCO, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund and regional groups such as South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and Caribbean Community. The 2015 conference in Sendai yielded the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction following negotiations involving United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, European Union, African Union Commission, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, G7, G20 and civil society networks like International Council for Science, Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction, IFRC, Oxfam, Mercy Corps and Save the Children. Each summit shaped collaboration among actors such as World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations Population Fund, World Food Programme, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, International Criminal Court, NATO, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility, Climate Investment Funds, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Ramsar Convention, Convention on Biological Diversity and UNFCCC.

Frameworks and Agreements Adopted

The conferences produced major instruments like the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action, the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015 and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, developed with input from entities including United Nations Development Programme, World Health Organization, World Meteorological Organization, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, European Commission, United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Office for Project Services, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization and International Labour Organization. Agreements linked to finance and insurance were negotiated with International Monetary Fund, Green Climate Fund, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, Reinsurance Group of America, Munich Re, Swiss Re, World Bank Group and sovereign partners such as Japan International Cooperation Agency and United States Agency for International Development. Technical annexes referenced standards from International Organization for Standardization, International Electrotechnical Commission, International Association of Emergency Managers and research institutions such as Pacific Disaster Center and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

Implementation and Global Impact

Implementation involved coordination between multilateral lenders like World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, African Development Bank and national actors including Japan, Italy, Nepal, Chile, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Kenya. Impact assessments used data from United Nations Statistics Division, CRED, EM-DAT database, World Meteorological Organization, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, World Health Organization, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank Group and research centers like International Institute for Environment and Development and Stockholm Environment Institute. Outcomes influenced urban planning overseen by UN-Habitat, coastal protection policies shaped by UNESCO, finance mechanisms from Green Climate Fund and Global Environment Facility, and humanitarian responses coordinated with Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, CARE International and World Food Programme.

Organizational Structure and Stakeholders

Governance structures involved the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Secretariat of the United Nations, Economic and Social Council, United Nations Development Programme, World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund, regional commissions like UNECE, UNESCAP, UNECA, ECLAC and ESCAP, and stakeholder networks such as International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, International Council for Science, Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction, Private Sector Disaster Risk Management Roundtables, World Economic Forum, International Chamber of Commerce, Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, academic consortia including International Science Council, Global Earthquake Model Foundation, Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters and funders like Rockefeller Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Ford Foundation.

Criticisms and Challenges

Critiques cited gaps raised by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam, Transparency International, International Trade Union Confederation, Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction and academics from London School of Economics, Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Tokyo, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, National University of Singapore, Australian National University, Peking University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Challenges included financing shortfalls debated by World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund, Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility and Asian Development Bank; measurement issues involving UN Statistics Division, CRED and EM-DAT database; and coordination difficulties across United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNDP, UNEP, WHO, WFP and regional actors like African Union and European Commission. Political contention appeared between blocs such as G77, European Union, G7 and BRICS over responsibilities, while technical disputes involved IPCC authors, national meteorological services from World Meteorological Organization membership and insurers like Munich Re and Swiss Re.

Category:International Conferences