United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction was created in December 1999 to ensure the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
The UNDRR is part of the United Nations Secretariat and it supports the implementation and review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction adopted by the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction on 18 March 2015 in Sendai, Japan. The Sendai Framework is a 15-year voluntary people-centred approach to disaster risk reduction, succeeding the 2005–2015 framework.
UNDRR's vision is anchored on the four priorities for action set out in the Sendai Framework.
UNDRR is led by a United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and has over 100 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, 5 regional offices and other field presences in Addis Ababa, Almaty, Bone, Incheon, Kobe, New York-UN Headquarters, Rio de Janeiro and Suva.
UNDRR coordinates international efforts in disaster risk reduction and it reports on the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. It convenes the biennial Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction.
On 1 May 2019, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction officially changed its acronym to UNDRR to better reflect its name. The former acronym had not been changed since the office was called the International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction.
History
1989 International Decade for Natural Disaster ReductionGiven the increasing concern about the impact of disasters, the UN General Assembly declared 1990–1999 the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. Initially, IDNDR was influenced largely by scientific and technical interest groups. However, the broader global awareness of the social and economic consequences of disasters caused by natural hazards developed as the decade progressed.
1994 First World Conference on Disaster Reduction and the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World
The Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World: Guidelines for Natural Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation and its Plan of Action was adopted at the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction, building on the mid-term review of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.
1999 International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction was launched 3 by the Economic and Social Council and endorsed by the General Assembly as an international framework for responding to the challenge presented to the international community by the increasing incidence and scale of disasters. UNISDR was created as an inter-agency secretariat of ISDR together with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction. The UNISDR mandate was then expanded to serve as a focal point within the United Nations System for the coordination of disaster reduction and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the UN system and regional organizations and activities in socio-economic and humanitarian fields. Further mandates are to promote public awareness and commitment, to expand networks and partnerships, and to improve knowledge of disaster causes and options for risk reduction, building on the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action and as follow-up to the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.
2002 The Johannesburg Plan of Action
The World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, noted that “an integrated, multi-hazard, inclusive approach to address vulnerability, risk assessment and disaster management, including prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, is an essential element of a safer world in the twenty- first century.”4 The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation provided UNISDR and the Inter-Agency Task Force with a concrete set of objectives for integrating and mainstreaming risk reduction into development policies and processes.
2005 Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction and the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015
The World Conference on Disaster Reduction was held in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan and adopted the "Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters", which is currently serving as the guiding document in strengthening and building international cooperation to ensure that disaster risk reduction is used as a foundation for sound national and international development agendas.
2007 First session of the Global Platform on Disaster Reduction
The UN General Assembly established a biennial Global Platform on disaster risk reduction to support the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, allowing government representatives, non-governmental organizations, scientists, practitioners, private sector, IFIs and UN organizations to share experiences, identify remaining gaps, formulate strategic guidance and advice for the implementation of the HFA. Six Regional Platforms and over 80 National Platforms have also been established as multi-stakeholder forums.5 Regional Platforms also assess progress but focus on the details of the regional plans of implementation and National Platforms act as the national coordinating body for disaster risk reduction.
2011 Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011–2020
The Istanbul Programme of Action charts out the international community’s vision and strategy for the sustainable development of LDCs for the next decade with a strong focus on developing their productive capacities. The Programme recognized that the scale and impact of natural disasters has increased over recent decades, threatening hard-won development gains of LDCs. It encourages LCDs to take action in implementing and integrating disaster risk reduction in their national and long-term planning and policies.
2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development - Rio+20
The outcome Document - The Future We Want – of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development – Rio 20+ held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 20–22 June 2012 contains a section on disaster risk reduction that sets a firm foundation for discussions on a post-2015 framework to continue guiding nations after the Hyogo Framework expires in 2015.
2014 Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States and the SIDS ACCELERATED MODALITIES OF ACTION Pathway
The S.A.M.O.A. Pathway recognize that Small Island Developing States continue to grapple with the effects of disasters, some of which have increased in intensity and some of which have been exacerbated by climate change, which impede their progress towards sustainable development. It recognize that disasters can disproportionately affect small island developing States and that there is a critical need to build resilience, strengthen monitoring and prevention, reduce vulnerability, raise awareness and increase preparedness to respond to and recover from disasters.
2015 Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
The Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction was held in Sendai, Japan from 14 to 18 March 2015, drawing 6,500 delegates to the conference itself and 50,000 people to the associated Public Forum. The Conference adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 as the first major agreement of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, with seven global targets and four priorities for action.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. The HFA was conceived to give further impetus to the global work under the International Framework for Action for the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction of 1989, and the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World: Guidelines for Natural Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation and its Plan of Action, adopted in 1994 and the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction of 1999.
It is a 15-year 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. It aims for the following outcome:
"The substantial reduction of 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."
2017 Fifth session of the Global Platform on Disaster Reduction
The 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Cancun, Mexico on 22–26 May drew in more than 5000 participants, among which were policy makers and disaster risk managers. Thousands of governments, international organizations and civil society representatives were in attendance. It was the first time the forum was organized outside Geneva and the global progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction adopted in Japan in 2015 was reviewed.
During the forum, Nigerian climate change activist, Olumide Idowu, who was a member of the organizing committee and represented youth and children, was assigned to lead the social media team.
Mandate
UNDRR's mandate has been defined by a number of United Nations General Assembly Resolutions, the most notable of which is "to serve as the focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of disaster reduction and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations system and regional organizations and activities in socio-economic and humanitarian fields".Its core areas of work includes ensuring DRR is applied to climate change adaptation, increasing investments for DRR, building disaster-resilient cities, schools and hospitals, and strengthening the international system for DRR.