Overall, the Asia-Pacific region has made progress in disaster risk reduction (DRR), enhancing the resilience of countries and communities. All countries in the region have guiding documents on disaster risk reduction, in several cases backed by regulatory provisions, and structured institutional mechanism for disaster risk management. Inclusiveness has increased, and the role of managing disasters and disaster risk has expanded from the sole remit of governments to the civil society and the private sector.
However, despite these remarkable achievements, challenges remain. Economic losses continue to rise. Exacerbated by climate change, the frequency and magnitude of disasters have increased with extreme events becoming the norm. Unplanned urbanization and environmental degradation continue to act as risk drivers. COVID-19 has also highlighted and exposed many of social inequalities that exist and exacerbate disaster risk to certain population groups. It has also demonstrated that a narrow focus on a small set of hazards, by one or two government agencies, is not enough to prevent or respond to complex disaster risks.
A fundamental shift in risk governance at the national and local levels is required. Stronger leadership, active engagement of all sectors, and multi-stakeholder participation must feature prominently if countries are to mitigate the disasters of today and tomorrow. The post-COVID recovery process offers unique opportunities to rebuild and reshape risk-informed socio-economic development processes.
2022 brings new opportunities to make even more progress towards implementing the Sendai Framework for DRR as well as taking stock of the journey that Member States and development partners have been on since the Sendai Framework was adopted in 2015. Oppportunities include the new Asia Pacific Action Plan (2021-24), the Global Platform for DRR (May 2022), the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) (late 2022) and the Mid-Term Review of the Sendai Framework.
OBJECTIVES OF THE 2021 APPDRR FORUM
The APP-DRR Forum will be organized against the backdrop of these challenges and opportunities, as the key event in the run-up to the Global Platform and the next APMCDRR. To meet the targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sendai Framework by 2030, a fundamental transformation must take place to ensure inclusive disaster risk is scaled up in every sector, including planning at regional, national and sub-national levels. The APP-DRR Forum will:
- Share and review the regional progress in disaster risk reduction.
- Launch the new Asia Pacific Action Plan (2021-24).
The APP-DRR Forum
The Asia-Pacific Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction (APP-DRR) is a multi-stakeholder forum for disaster risk reduction focused on the implementation of the Sendai Framework and the associated Asia Pacific Action Plan for Implementation of the Sendai Framework. The forum includes representatives from government, stakeholder groups, regional inter-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, UN and international organizations and donors.
The APP-DRR serves as the main consultation forum for the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference for DRR (APMCDRR). Collectively, the APP-DRR and APMCDRR form the regional platform for disaster risk reduction in the Asia-Pacific region.