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| World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction | |
|---|---|
| Name | World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction |
| Location | Geneva, Yokohama, Kobe |
| Dates | 1994, 1999, 2005 |
| Participants | United Nations, Red Cross, ISDR |
World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction The World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction convened a series of international meetings addressing natural hazard mitigation, disaster risk management, and resilience building. Hosted under United Nations auspices, the conferences brought together representatives from United Nations Secretariat, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and numerous states, agencies, and non-governmental organizations to negotiate frameworks, share best practices, and launch regional initiatives. The process intersected with global policy instruments and multilateral fora including United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Health Organization.
The conferences originated from increasing attention to catastrophic events such as the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone aftermath, and the 1992 concerns highlighted at United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. Objectives emphasized reduction of vulnerability in line with precedents set by International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and coordination among entities like United Nations Development Programme, Asian Development Bank, African Union, and European Commission. Participants sought to harmonize strategies with instruments including the Hyogo Framework for Action, the later Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and cross-cutting agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement where climate-related hazards overlapped. The agenda also referenced operational partners like World Meteorological Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, and humanitarian actors such as Médecins Sans Frontières.
The 1994 meeting in Geneva convened delegations from member states including United States, Japan, France, Brazil, India, China, South Africa, and Australia alongside organizations such as Red Cross, World Bank, ILO, and UNESCO. The 1999 Yokohama conference produced the Yokohama Strategy, incorporating inputs from regional bodies like Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Organization of American States, and Pacific Islands Forum. The 2005 session in Kobe followed the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and engaged disaster-prone administrations including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Maldives, and Somalia. High-profile participants and speakers included representatives connected to Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan, Ban Ki-moon, Margaret Chan, Jim Yong Kim, and leaders from development banks such as Asian Development Bank and Inter-American Development Bank.
Organizing roles were filled by the United Nations Secretariat, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and coalitions of member states including co-chairs from Japan, Switzerland, and Canada. Technical partners ranged from World Meteorological Organization and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to research institutions like International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Tokyo, and Columbia University. Funding and implementation involved multilaterals such as the World Bank and bilateral donors including Japan International Cooperation Agency, United States Agency for International Development, and Department for International Development (UK). Civil society input came from OXFAM, CARE International, Greenpeace, and faith-based networks tied to Caritas Internationalis.
Major outputs included the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action, later informing the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015) and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030). Declarations promoted disaster risk reduction mainstreaming in policies of institutions like UNDP, World Bank Group, and regional entities such as African Development Bank. The conferences produced technical guidelines referencing World Meteorological Organization early warning systems, infrastructure resilience promoted by International Organization for Standardization, and community-based approaches championed by UNICEF and UNHCR. Financial commitments and policy recommendations engaged actors including International Finance Corporation, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, and national ministries of interior and foreign affairs from participating states.
Follow-up mechanisms used reporting to United Nations General Assembly sessions, biennial reviews by UNISDR (now UNDRR), and integration into development planning by World Bank and regional development banks. Capacity-building programs were implemented via partnerships with Japan International Cooperation Agency, USAID, and the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, while scientific collaboration involved Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, International Council for Science, and universities such as Harvard University and University of Oxford. Monitoring relied on indicators later adopted under the Sendai Framework, and financing instruments included risk transfer by insurers like Munich Re and Swiss Re plus sovereign risk pools such as the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility.
The conferences raised global profile for disaster risk reduction, influencing national policies in countries like Japan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Ethiopia and affecting programming at World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Critics argued that outcomes favored donor agendas represented by OECD members and multilateral banks over grassroots priorities voiced by organizations such as Input Output and particular Non-governmental organization networks, and that commitments were not always matched by funding or enforceable obligations, a point underscored after events like the 2005 Hurricane Katrina and 2010 Haiti earthquake. Academic analyses from institutions including London School of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, and Stockholm Resilience Centre highlighted gaps between policy frameworks and local implementation, while think tanks like Chatham House and Brookings Institution called for stronger accountability, financing, and integration with climate diplomacy venues such as United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Category:International conferences