Borja Santos Porras & Mercedes San Román
Disasters, often mislabeled as “natural,” have a far greater global impact than commonly portrayed. While natural phenomena have always existed, unsustainable human activities have intensified vulnerability and exposure to these events. Poorly planned urbanization, construction in high-risk areas, and climate change are examples of how human actions exacerbate disaster risks.
To address this, the global community has developed various frameworks and strategies aimed at mitigating and managing disaster risks. Below is an overview of these frameworks, their key priorities, and challenges.
Evolution of International Frameworks
In 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) was established to coordinate global efforts following the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). In 2004, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) published the landmark report Living with Risk, consolidating key concepts like hazard, vulnerability, and capacity while emphasizing proactive risk management.
In 2005, the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015) was adopted to significantly reduce disaster losses. Its successor, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030), recognized disaster risks as systemic, interconnected with development models, and introduced four core priorities:
Priority 1: Understanding Disaster Risk
Understanding disaster risk is vital for effective prevention and mitigation. This includes analyzing vulnerabilities, exposure, and hazard characteristics. Technologies like big data and machine learning play a critical role in advancing risk assessments.
A notable example in a low-income country is Ethiopia’s Wereda Disaster Risk Profile, which collects local data from over half of its municipalities to map vulnerabilities. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is currently working with the Ethiopian government to update risk profiles of different weredas (districts) across the country. Similarly, the Copernicus Emergency Management Service uses satellite imagery to monitor floods, wildfires, and earthquakes, offering crucial support for decision-makers.
Priority 2: Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk
Governance of disaster risk remains politically challenging, as its benefits often go unnoticed when disasters do not occur. This is especially true in developing countries with limited budgets. Effective governance requires global, national, and local coordination and integrating disaster risk into development policies.
The World Bank’s City Resilience Program advocates for urban planning that incorporates disaster risk from inception. Additionally, the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism fosters international cooperation for efficient emergency responses. UNDP is working in countries such as Kenya, Burundi, and Togo among others to strengthen risk governance capacities, with the support of the European Union.
Priority 3: Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience
When a frog jumps into a pot of boiling water, it immediately leaps out to avoid getting burned. However, if the frog enters the pot when the water is lukewarm, it will remain there, even as the water gradually heats up until it starts to boil. This metaphor serves as an analogy for the conservative mindset individuals and institutions often adopt when it comes to taking action and investing in disaster risk reduction.
Investing in prevention not only saves lives but also reduces economic losses. The African Risk Capacity (ARC), spearheaded by the African Union, provides contingency funds linked to early warning systems. Researchers from the University of Oxford and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) conducted a cost-benefit analysis on the African Risk Capacity (ARC) and estimated that every dollar invested in ARC saves $4.40 in disaster response costs.
At the community level, initiatives like the R4 Rural Resilience Initiative by Oxfam and the World Food Programme offer affordable insurance for small-scale farmers, helping them escape poverty traps after climate-related shocks.
Priority 4: Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction
Preparation for recovery and reconstruction is crucial for minimizing disaster impacts. The Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), developed by the European Union, World Bank, and UNDP, provides methodologies for estimating damages and setting recovery budgets. Every year this tool is used in different countries, like Somalia or Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2024. Such tools highlight the cost-effectiveness of disaster risk reduction investments.
Challenges and Gaps in Global Agendas
Despite progress, significant challenges remain. The lack of coherence among international agendas is of particular concern. While the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes references to disaster risk in SDG 11 (sustainable cities) and SDG 13 (climate action), it does not integrate disaster risk management systematically across all goals.
Similarly, the Paris Agreement focuses on mitigation and adaptation but fails to address critical issues like forced displacement due to disasters and the interaction of multiple hazards. Climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction need to be mainstreamed together if we aim to achieve better results.
The New Urban Agenda represents a step forward but needs to delve deeper into the unique risks urban settings pose, demanding innovative approaches to urban resilience.
The Sendai Framework and other international instruments have laid a solid foundation for effective disaster risk management. However, their success depends on coordinated implementation and the integration of these priorities into global and local development policies. Systematically addressing risks is essential to building a resilient and sustainable future.