Global Assessment Report On Disaster Risk Reduction 2023

Global warming will surpass 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels during the next decade, due to greenhouse gas emissions. The constant rise in temperatures and related impacts combine with other pressures, thus increasing risk and undermining resilience. The increasing interconnectedness of people and human systems increases the risk of compound and cascading crises. The maps in this report highlight a number of these resilience deficits that are holding back achievement of key sustainable development goals. At the same time, the report’s action case examples show that this is not inevitable, and how action is possible on every continent to stop the worsening spiral of risk and disasters and to accelerate SDG target achievement. Addressing resilience gaps will require the unprecedented scaling-up of resilience investment and adaptation action both from within the public and private sectors, particularly for the most vulnerable countries. As these investments take time to mobilize and prepare, delay will increase the inevitable costs. Action is needed now. Disaster risk reduction sits at the nexus between development, humanitarian and climate change action, and can help foster more-sustainable resilient action in each. Readjusting development pathways requires a re-examination of how prosperity is measured, and a greater emphasis on resilience as key element of sustainable development today and in the future.

Global warming will surpass 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels during the next decade, due to greenhouse gas emissions. The constant rise in temperatures and related impacts combine with other pressures, thus increasing risk and undermining resilience. The increasing interconnectedness of people and human systems increases the risk of compound and cascading crises. The maps in this report highlight a number of these resilience deficits that are holding back achievement of key sustainable development goals. At the same time, the report's action case examples show that this is not inevitable, and how action is possible on every continent to stop the worsening spiral of risk and disasters and to accelerate SDG target achievement. Addressing resilience gaps will require the unprecedented scaling-up of resilience investment and adaptation action both from within the public and private sectors, particularly for the most vulnerable countries. As these investments take time to mobilize and prepare, delay will increase the inevitable costs. Action is needed now. Disaster risk reduction sits at the nexus between development, humanitarian and climate change action, and can help foster more-sustainable resilient action in each. Readjusting development pathways requires a re-examination of how prosperity is measured, and a greater emphasis on resilience as key element of sustainable development today and in the future.

The central question for this year's report is how governance systems can evolve to better address the systemic risks of the future. In today's crowded and interconnected world, disaster impacts increasingly cascade across geographies and sectors, as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are rapidly making clear. Despite progress, risk creation is outstripping risk reduction. Disasters, economic loss, and the underlying vulnerabilities that drive risk, such as poverty and inequality, are increasing just as ecosystems and biospheres are at risk of collapse. The report highlights that a) the climate emergency and the systemic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic point to a new reality; b) understanding and reducing risk in a world of uncertainty is fundamental to achieving genuinely sustainable development; and c) the best defense against future shocks is to transform systems now, to build resilience by addressing climate change, and to reduce the vulnerability, exposure, and inequality that drive disasters.

The central question for this year's report is how governance systems can evolve to better address the systemic risks of the future. In today's crowded and interconnected world, disaster impacts increasingly cascade across geographies and sectors, as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are rapidly making clear. Despite progress, risk creation is outstripping risk reduction. Disasters, economic loss, and the underlying vulnerabilities that drive risk, such as poverty and inequality, are increasing just as ecosystems and biospheres are at risk of collapse. The report highlights that a) the climate emergency and the systemic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic point to a new reality; b) understanding and reducing risk in a world of uncertainty is fundamental to achieving genuinely sustainable development; and c) the best defense against future shocks is to transform systems now, to build resilience by addressing climate change, and to reduce the vulnerability, exposure, and inequality that drive disasters.

This brochure explains why voluntary standards have a key role to play in the prevention and management of disaster risks, disruptions and crises. It is based on original analysis as well as an update to the paper produced by the UNECE secretariat as background for the United Nations publication “Global Assessment Report” (GAR) which was issued in early 2015 to support the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) that was held in Sendai, Japan in March 2015. Standards need to be brought into the toolbox of disaster risk reduction by both encouraging their use by business and by enhancing their role in legislation and regulatory practice. The analysis concludes with recommendations for actions that authorities can undertake to further the implementation of standards in the context of disaster risk reduction (DRR), and with an overview of current and future activities by the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies which support implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030, adopted at the 3rd WCDRR and endorsed by the UN General Assembly in June 2015.

The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) is the flagship report of the United Nations on worldwide efforts to reduce disaster risk. The GAR is published biennially by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and is the product of the contributions of nations, public and private risk-related science and research, amongst others. The GAR contributes to achieving the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through monitoring risk patterns and trends, as well as progress in disaster risk reduction, while providing strategic policy guidance to countries and the international community. The GAR aims to focus international attention on the issue of risk and encourage political and economic support for risk reduction.

2015 is a critical year for the future of sustainable development. The 2015 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction highlights the connections between disaster risk and development and shows that decades of experience in managing disasters and reducing climate and disaster risk have produced a wealth of knowledge and good practice which can be applied to achieve sustainable development. The reduction of poverty, the improvement of health and education for all, the achievement of sustainable and equitable economic growth and the protection of the health of the planet now depend on the management of disaster risks in the day-to-day decisions of governments, companies, investors, civil society organizations, households and individuals. Strengthened disaster risk reduction is essential to making development sustainable.

This book presents selected papers from the 3rd Global Summit of Research Institutes for Disaster Risk Reduction – Expanding the Platform for Bridging Science and Policy Making, which was held at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, Uji Campus from 19 to 21 March 2017. It was organised by the Global Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes (GADRI), which was established soon after the second Global Summit and the UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in March 2015, and is intended to support the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. The conference not only provided a platform for discussion and exchange of information on key current and future research projects on disaster risk reduction and management, but also promoted active dialogues through group discussion sessions that addressed various disaster research disciplines. In this book, authors from various disciplines working at governmental and international organisations provide guidance to the science and technical community, discuss the current challenges, and evaluate the research needs and gaps in the context of climate change, sustainable development goals and other interlinked global disaster situations. Expert opinions from practitioners and researchers provide valuable insights into how to connect and engage in collaborative research with the international science and technical communities and other stakeholders to achieve the goals set out in the agenda of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. In addition, case studies and other evidence-based research papers highlight ongoing research projects and reflect the challenges encountered in information sharing by various stakeholders in the context of disaster risk reduction and management. Chapter “Science and technology commitment to the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.