CONCEPTUAL NOTE FOR THEMATIC AND PARALLEL SESSIONS

Download Conceptual Note in PDF

• BACKGROUND

Vulnerability and exposure to disasters areincreasing as more people and assets are situatedin areas of high risk. Since the 1970s, the world’s population has grown by 87 %. During the same period, the proportion of people living in flood-prone plains increased by 114% and alongcyclone-exposed coastlines by 192%. More than half of the world's most populatedcities, with populations ranging from 2 to 15 million, are located in areas of high seismicrisk. Rapid processes of urbanization will increase exposure to natural hazards, particularlyin coastal areas. Since the year 2000, deaths related to natural hazards have exceeded 1.1 million; affecting over 2.7 billion people. Another concern is the economic impact of disasters. Over the last 12 years, the losses incurred by disasters surpass 1.3 trillion USD. Thistrend is rising, with the economic losses caused by disasters currently exceeding, on average, 100 billion USD per year over the past decade.

Disaster risk reduction (DRR) thereforeconstitutesone of the main challengestosustainable development.  In this context, reducing vulnerability and exposure to risk, as well as increasing resilience, require an integral approach (public and private) for incorporatingmechanisms to strengthen these processes, such as planning systems andpublic and private investment in infrastructure and social protection.

The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (HFA)is the international agreement that providesgovernments, communities and the private sector with guidelines forpromotinga culture of prevention and disaster management in order to minimize the loss of human lives as well aseconomic and environmental damages caused by natural hazards and forstrengtheningresilience at the regional, national and local levels. The HFAestablishes five priorities for action that outlinepractical guidancefor all key stakeholders involved in DRR.

The evidence of recent decades gathered by the Global Assessment Report (GAR 2013) revealsthat despite the significant progress made in the countries of the Americasto reduce vulnerability, increasing exposure of populations to natural hazards has generated a growing trend in the risk of mortality and high economic losses resulting mainlyfrom hydrometeorological phenomena such as hurricanes and floods.

Thereport by UNISDR and CorporaciónOSSOon the impact of disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean during the period 1990-2011, ‘Impacto de los Desastres en América Latina y el Caribe, 1990-2011’, covering 16 countries in the region, shows that the losses from the destruction of and damage to housing as well asthe number of people affected by disasters are increasingover time and expanding geographically. The increase in losses observed in the region in general and in eachcountry in particular has been largely associated with extensive risks triggered mainly by hydrometeorological and climate events.  Of the 83,000 disaster registries from these 16 Latin American and Caribbean countries during this time period, asignificant amount of loss of life (50 %), housing (86 %) and people affected (90 %) are attributed to extensive disasters triggered by such events.

The data and information available on disaster trends in the region serve to reaffirm the fact that although progress has been made towards reducing disaster risk, the Americas continue to be one of the most vulnerable regions to natural hazards. To address these increasing trends in disaster risk, UNISDR and its partners have continued to work over the last few years towards building a "culture of prevention" in society as an integral part of sustainable development.

Addressing vulnerability in the Americas, however, requires a joint effort to further integrate disaster reduction into development planning processes. DRR is one of the major challenges tothe region. Progress will only be possible if governments, civil society and the private sector integrate DRR and climate change adaptation (CCA) as a key element of development planning and investment.

THEMATIC SESSION 1

RISK REDUCTION AND SPECIFIC SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY: CHILDREN AND YOUTH, PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND ANCESTRAL COMMUNITIES

‘One of the simplest disaster risk reduction measures we can possibly take is to empower young people and to ensure they are actively involved in disaster risk reduction and part of making their cities and communities resilient. To deny them that right would be to deny them a say in their own future.   The planet needs their touch if it is to survive the threat of climate change and the growing intensification and frequency of disaster events.’

‘The results of the global survey on disability are shocking. It clearly reveals that the key reason why a disproportionate number of disabled persons suffer and die in disasters is because their needs are ignored and neglected by the official planning process in the majority of situations.  They are often left totally reliant on the kindness of family, friends and neighbours for their survival and safety.’

‘Our challenge is to learn how to best support communities in understanding how to complement science and technology with their ancestral knowledge with the aim of reducing disaster risk and the impacts of climate change... technology cannot solve everything. There is much work to be done in understanding the ancestral forms of risk management and how to adapt them so that the most complex social structures can also benefit from this knowledge.’
Margareta Wahlström

Statistics on the impact of disasters disaggregated by social groups and segments clearly reveal that children and young people, people with disabilities, the elderly, women and ancestral communities are disproportionately affected in disaster, emergency, and conflict situations.  For this reason, three of these groups have been chosen for the development of a thematic session in order to provide a deeper analysis of the current situation, the achievements made and the challenges being faced in terms of DRR.

The Latin American and Caribbean Coalition for Resilience of Children and Youth, CORELAC, is supporting the movement "Voices of children and youth for resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean". This movement aims to support the strengthening of local, national and regional DRR capacities with a focus on children and youth, and to mainstream the rights of children and youth as a cross-cutting issue in the development and implementation of public DRR policies, empowering children and youth not only as objects of care and response, but as subjects of rights and as people with the ability to defend and enforce their legally recognized rights. This is framed within the understanding of important DRR considerations and the importance of empowering children and youth inthis development issue.

A significant number of people, approximately one billion worldwide, are living with disabilities (equivalent to 15% of the global population), thusrepresenting the most vulnerable group in the event of a disaster. People living with disabilities across the world say that they are rarely consulted about their needs. In fact, the results of a global survey on disability and disasters conducted by UNISDR show that only 20%of persons living with some form of disability could evacuate immediately without difficulty in the event of a sudden onset disaster event,the remainder could only do so with a degree of difficulty and 6% would not be able to do so at all. If given sufficient time, the percentage of those who could evacuate with no difficulty rises from 20% to 38%. The fact that the percentage of those who could evacuate with no difficulty almost doubles if they are given sufficient time, underlines the importance of early warning systems and ensuring that warnings reach all members of the community.

For millennia, indigenous peoples around the world have used their traditional knowledge to prepare for, cope with and survive disasters. Their methods and practices have originated within their communities and have been maintained and passed down over generations. These traditions and knowledge are an important source of available information for building a DRR agenda. A deeper insight intothese experiences couldcontribute significantly to building the agenda for resilience, even more so if emphasis is onactions at the local level, where the transmission and reception of science and technology are often constrained in different ways.

Session objective
To address the status, progress and challenges of disaster risk reduction from the perspectiveof special segments of society such as children and youth, people with disabilities and ancestral communities.

THEMATIC SESSION 2

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

Governments recognize disaster risk management as a key element of sustainable development as expressed in the outcome document of the Rio +20 Summit. Not only this document but alsothe post-2015 development agenda, the climate change negotiations as well as the consultations for the formulation of a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction, will all serve to shape the future of DRR and resilience building.
The level and quality of development of countries and communities largely determines how hazards impact their citizens and economies. There is growing evidence of increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather-related events. Therefore, it is essential that disasters beapproached through the lens of risk reduction and resilience building, rather than responding to isolatedevents.
Given the current trend of the impact of disasters and increasing exposure to risk, mainstreaming DRR and resilience as part of development processes through public and private sector strategies and development planning must be a priority.
Drawing on the results of the Global Platform and previous Regional Platforms, as well as on the guidance of the Advisory Council, it is suggested that the session entitled 'Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change and the Development Agenda' address the following issues during the regional platform:

Session objectives
Identify achievements, challenges and opportunities in integratingDRR and climate change (CC) agendas within development planning at the various territorial levels and areas forsectoral intervention.
Highlight significant experiences in integratingDRR and CC agendas within the development agenda at the different territorial levels and areas of sectoral intervention (systematization of tools, methodologies).
Define a set of recommendations aimed at strengthening the integration of DRR and CC in the development agenda.

THEMATIC SESSION 3

GOVERNANCE AND PUBLIC POLICY FOR DRR

Governance refers to the capacity to govern a public problem. The capacity to govern manifests itself in the continuous and stable management not only by successive governments and administrations in a country but also by the stakeholders in the public and private sectors. To the extent that the capacity to govern a public problem increases, a greater effectiveness of the decisions and the implemented policies oriented to avoid greater negative consequences in case of disasters should be observed.

Particularly, in reference to governance for disaster risk management, the Global Assessment Report (GAR) 2011 indicates that globally, the "institutional structures, legislation and public policies on disaster risk management (DRM) focuses on the management, preparedness and response to disasters.  The GAR notes that even in cases in wherecountries have created multi-sectorinstitutional systems for DRM, the responsibility and public policy often remain anchored in risk management organizations that often lack political authority or technical capabilities to influence the decision making process in key areas such as planning and investment both at national and sector level. The report also notes that DRM responsibilities are also delegated to local governments, which often lack the necessary resources and capacities. This situation creates barriers to the participation of civil society and has resulted in poor accountability."

“There are major opportunities to reduce disaster risk by adapting development instruments, such as national public investment planning systems, social protection mechanisms, and national and local infrastructure investments. In most countries, however, existing risk governance arrangements are inappropriate, and reforming them is therefore fundamental to reducing disaster risk. In central government, this means anchoring overall responsibility for DRM in a ministry or office with adequate political authority to ensure policy coherence across development sectors. Incremental decentralization accompanied by clear mandates, budgets and systems of subsidiarity, promotes ownership and improved risk governance capacities at all levels. Scaling up community initiatives can be enabled by local planning, financing and investment that build on civil society partnerships. Improved accountability mechanisms enshrined in legislation and work processes, social audit processes, and a free press and active media, all contribute to improving the awareness of rights and obligations on all sides.”

The Americas region has recently developed several political reform initiatives to overcome these general weaknesses in governance and public policies for DRM. In addition, efforts are being developed to measure this progress. The session on “Governance and Public Policy for Disaster Risk Reduction” will present an introduction to the general concept of governance and public policies and present instruments designed to measure the progress of countries in this area as well as examples of successful case studies of reform in governance and public policy for DRM developed in the region.

Objectives of the session
Introduce the concept and socialize the instruments for diagnosis and measurement of good governance and public policies for DRM, learn about successful experiences of reform of public policies in the region to improve governance for DRM.

Outline of development of the session and issues to address

The session will be structured in the form of a panel with four panelists and a moderator. The panelists will present the following topics:

·         Introduction to the conceptual framework of governance and public policy (with particular reference to DRM). Institute of Government and Public Policy (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona).
·         Presentation of a tool to diagnose and measure progress in governance for DRM: the Index of Governance and Public Policy for disaster risk management (iGOPP). Inter-American Development Bank.
·         The reform of governance in DRM in Peru from the perspective of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF - Government of Peru).
·         The role of the national platform in the process of reform of governance (country case study).

PARALLEL SESSION 1

EXPERIENCES in GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN Disaster Risk Reduction

Women, as well as children, elderly and disabled people are acutely vulnerable to disasters and constitute the biggest proportion of persons affected by such events and their impacts.  This has been known for some time.  Only more recently, however, are we witnessing a transition from a focus on the vulnerability of these groups, towards their role in reducing disaster risk and leading recovery efforts.

The integration of Gender and Disaster Risk Reduction is substantiated by a number of international frameworks:

The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) adopted during the Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) held in Kobe, Japan from February18-22, 2005 and ratified by the United Nations General Assembly, reiterated the guidelines of the Beijing Platform for Action (1995) and of Objective 3 of the Millennium Development Goals (2000), emphasizing that a gender perspective should be integrated into all disaster risk management policies, plans and decision-making processes, including those related to risk assessments, early warning, information management, education and training.

Prior to the Regional Platform, UNISDR, together with GROOTS International, Huairou Commission and the Community Practitioner Platform (CPP) as the co-organizers of this session, are carrying out a call for good practices and experiences surrounding Disaster Risk Reduction and Gender. 

Experiences of Gender Mainstreaming in Disaster Risk Reduction
The experiences to be presented in this session will be based on a call for good practices, with the final selection to be determined by a selection committee headed by the session organizers and based on predetermined selection criteria.

Gender is one of the cross-cutting issues of the HFA which states that “a gender perspective should be integrated into all disaster risk management policies, plans and decision-making processes, including those related to risk assessment, early warning, information management, and education and training”.  Furthermore, the HFA also recognizes the importance of gender considerations in all areas of risk management and in all phases of the disaster cycle, including response, recovery, preparedness and mitigation.

It is undisputed that disasters have different impacts on the quality of life of women and men of different ages and ethnic groups. As such, that plans for disaster preparedness, mitigation and response should take into account both the needs and potential contributions of men and women.  It is also widely accepted that a gender perspective in the study and analysis of disasters is essential to achieving the goal of communities safer and more resilient to disasters.

Despite such advances however, the specifics of how Gender should be integrated within DRR continues to be somewhat evasive.  Gender as a cross-cutting element all too often implies that Gender is overlooked in the shaping of policies and norms, programmes and planning processes.

Within the HFA Monitor, the global tool for monitoring progress and advances in HFA implementation, the issue of Gender is referred to in Indicator 4.2 which concerns the implementation ofsocial development policies and plans to reduce the vulnerability of populations most at risk and as a ‘Driver of Progress’, which in itself provides no clear indicators or targets for measuring progress.

By incorporating a focus on Disaster Risk Reduction with a gender perspective within the public agenda, resilient development plans have the potential not only to minimize the social inequalities that generate vulnerability and to anticipate the impact on potential human rights violations, but also to reduce disaster risks in a more meaningful and substantive way.

To do this, it is vital to define how Gender should be incorporated within the post-2015 DRR framework (HFA2) to ensure mechanisms for accountability and indicators that ensure that Gender and Women’s Empowerment are factored in to the decision-making process in all phases and at all levels of interaction.  This requires an in-depth look at what is being done to promote the integration of Gender and DRR and what can be extrapolated from successful experiences and good practices forensuring that Gender is institutionally mainstreamed as a core element for moving forward with the international agenda, including an accountability framework, country-to-country peer review and support; clearer targets, indicators and standards; as well as the establishment of baselines and progress markers to chart national and global action.

Session Objectives
This session will look at the vital link between women’s experiences innatural resource management, community-based empowerment and resilience, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and how they can come together to make whole communities strong and sustainable.  It will focus on an exchange of experiences and good practices, including local and national government experiences as well as of grassroots women’s leadership; as well as on examples of practical tools for implementing gender equality and mainstreaming gender perspectives within DRR practices.

PARALLEL SESSION 3

LAND-USE PLANNING AS A KEY ELEMENT FOR DRR

“Apply and enforce realistic, risk-compliant building regulations and land use planning principles. Identify safe land for low‐income citizens and develop upgrading of informal settlements, wherever feasible.”

Essential Six: Global Campaign Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready

The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 ‘Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters’ (HFA 2005-2015), specifies ‘land-use planning’ as one of the essential activities for reducing underlying risk factors. In accordance with the provisions of the HFA 2005-2015, the implementation of sectoral development plans and programmes that are sensitive to territorial features can have a significant impact on reducing the risk associated with the occurrence of natural hazards, including those associated with climate variability and change.
In line with the above, the HFA 2005-2015 proposes a number of activities associated with land-use planningas part of the core activities to reduce risk, including:

• Develop, improve and encourage the use of guidelines and monitoring tools for disaster risk reduction in the context of land-use policy and planning.  

• Incorporate disaster risk assessments in urban planning and management of disaster-prone human settlements, in particular highly populated areas and rapidly urbanizing settlements.

• Mainstream disaster risk considerations into planning procedures for major infrastructure projects, including criteria for the design, approval and implementation of such projects and considerations based on social, economic and environmental impact assessments.  

• Incorporate disaster risk assessment into rural development planning and management, in particular with regard to mountain and coastal flood plain areas, including through the identification of areas that are available and safe for human settlement.

• Encourage the revision of existing or the development of new building codes and regulations, as well as rehabilitation and reconstruction practices at the national or local levels, as appropriate, with the aim of making them more applicable in the local context, particularly in informal and marginal human settlements, and reinforce the capacity to implement, monitor and enforce such codes, through a consensus-based approach, with a view to fostering disaster-resistant structures.

In the Americas, the issue has also been addressed in regional strategy and policy papers for disaster risk reduction such as "The Strategy and Results Framework for Comprehensive Disaster Management in the Caribbean CDM/CDEMA", the Central American Comprehensive Policy on Disaster Risk Management PCGIR CEPREDENAC/SICA and the Andean Strategy for Disaster Prevention and Relief EAPAD CAPRADE/CAN.

Session objective
To identify the main achievements and challenges relating to DRR mainstreaming, including those associated with climate variability, climate change and land-use planning at national and subnational levels.

Analyse the contributionsof the HFA 2005-2015 to the inclusion of DRR, including risk associated with climate variability and change, in land-use planning processes at the national and subnational levels.

PARALLEL SESSION 4

DRR AND SOUTH-SOUTH AND TRIANGULAR COOPERATION

“South-South cooperation offers real, concrete solutions to common development challenges. Sharing best practices, funding pilot projects in far-flung locales, providing the capital to scale-up successful projects, supplying regional public goods, developing and adapting appropriate technologies —these are the opportunities that the international community needs to better leverage. On this United Nations Day for South-South cooperation, I call on all partners to redouble their efforts to harness the wealth of knowledge, expertise and development thinking in the Global South.”
Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations

According to the Ibero-American Program to Strengthen South-South Cooperation, South-South Cooperation (SSC) is highlighted for its focus on horizontality, consensus and equity, based on solidarity in order to expand capacitiesthrough cooperation and on a relationship among cooperants and in conditions ofreciprocity.  The Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) further defines the following modalities of SSC: Horizontal South-South Cooperation (Bilateral —between two developing countries— and Regional —two or more developing countries in the framework of a regional cooperation or coordination scheme—); South-South and Triangular Cooperation (between two or more developing countries, financially supported by northern donors, an international organization, or even by anotherdevelopingpartner).

The knowledge and lessons learned from DRR in the region provide an opportunity to strengthen these capacities, take advantage of resources and, thus, ensure the highest return on both public and private investment - while strengthening articulation and a comprehensive approach towards increasingly resilient nations and communities.

Recent reports on technical cooperation in the region clearly demonstrate a tendency towards strengthening the mechanisms of horizontal and triangular cooperation as opposed to the traditional concept of technical assistance. In this context, cooperation is emerging as a mechanism for capacity-building as well as a forum for collaboration and coordination that promotes and supports processes of regional integration.

In order to fully harness the vast number of solutions surrounding development in the context of the southern hemisphere that are availableto help address existingand emerging development challenges, the United Nations Secretary-General, in his report to the sixty-second session of the General Assembly (A/62/295), called upon the international development community, including the United Nations system, to help scale up the impact of South-South cooperation by:

Given that the region of the Americas is largely composed of Middle Income Countries (MICs), South-South and triangular cooperation are thus particularly relevant for strengthening capacity development.  Furthermore, the significant DRR progress, achievements and trends in the region also provide more timely opportunities for cooperation in the region.

The systematization of cooperation experiences has establisheda clearer picture of the thematic areas defining the supply and demand of cooperation in the regional context (as well as determining the providers and the beneficiaries). It has also enabled the collection ofinformation on the new conceptual frameworks of cooperation in the region and, in particular, the development of South-South and triangular cooperation schemes.

Available information on cooperation in the area of DRR indicates that country efforts largely focus on humanitarian aid in emergencies. Overall, the picture is very positive in terms ofthe dynamics of cooperation projects and the capacity to develop response operations. However, the picture is incomplete if it does not include a systematization of the cooperation mechanisms that, together with development processes, directly impact the implementation of Disaster Risk Management (DRM). In other words, beyond cooperation for post-disaster situations, it is necessary to have information on how technical cooperation (South-South and Triangular) is integrated withand/or impacts DRR and promotes resilience in the face of the increasing level of exposure and adverse effects of climate change in a context of sustainable development.

International and regional frameworks on South-South Cooperation:
The following are, among other,highlighted for their relevance to South-South and Triangular Cooperation:

Report on South-South Cooperation in Ibero-America 2009; Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), November 2009

• Catalogue of Best Practices, Conclusions and Recommendations of the Santa Marta Second Hemispheric Encounter: National Mechanisms and Networks for Risk Reduction “Encounter of Santa Marta: From Theory to Practice”; UNISDR and OAS, June 2011 

• Report on South-South Cooperation in Ibero-America 2012; Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), November 2012

• Ibero-American Program to Strengthen South-South Cooperation

• Regional Workshop on funds and instruments for financing South-South Cooperation projects in Latin America and the Caribbean; Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), Mexico City, Mexico, 28 and 29July, 2011

• South-South Cooperation Fair ‘Knowledge from the South: Regional Exchange of Solutions’; Panama, Panama, 8-10 May, 2012
• Latin AmericanUrban Risk Thematic Platform and the publication “Managing Urban Risk in Latin America: A Compilation of Articles”

Session objective

To identify and provide opportunities for exchanging experiences and goodpractices on the progress made in implementing the HFA during the period 2005-2015, as well asthe criteria for replication and/or growth in the region, at the local, national, subregional and regional levels, through activities and mechanisms for South-South and triangular cooperation.

Identify lessons learned and challenges in the development and consolidation of mechanisms that promote regional cooperation (horizontal/South-South, triangular) for DRR and resilience.

Establish general guidelines for strengthening mechanisms fortechnical cooperation on DRR and CCA in the Americas, in the context of sustainable development (South-South and triangular).

Prompt discussions to promote South-South and Triangular Cooperation in a more explicit and concrete way in the post-2015 framework (HFA2).

PARALLEL SESSION 5

THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND DRR FOR RESILIENCE

‘The biggest question facing us is how to influence behavioural change. Who do we need to convince? How do we do it? The private sector is the perfect advocate for resilient thinking because of its direct relationship with customers, suppliers and everyone in between. A private sector committed to disaster risk reduction can steer public demand towards materials, systems and technological solutions to build and run resilient communities.’
Margareta Wahlström

The significant reduction of loss of lives as well as social, economic and environmental assets of communities and countries when hazards strike, requires a process of awareness-raising, mobilization and cooperation of different key stakeholders, including the private sector. Even though States are primarilyresponsible for the achievement of the HFA goals, the active participation, specialized opinion and contribution from the private sector are relevant for the generation of conditions and strategic partnerships towards the advancement ofthe HFA priorities.

The UNISDR Private Sector Advisory Group, established at the 2011 UNISDR Global Platform , called to action and committed to Five Essentials for business in DRR:

• Promote and develop public-private partnerships.

• Leverage sectoral private sector expertise and strengths to advance disaster risk reduction and mitigation activities, including enhanced resilience and effective response.

• Foster a collaborative exchange and dissemination of data: sharing information on evaluation, monitoring, prediction, forecasting and early warning purposes.

• Support national and local risk assessments and socio-economic cost-benefit analyses.

• Support the development and strengthening of national and local laws, regulations, policies and programmes that enhance disaster risk reduction and improve resilience.

The evident rise of economic and social costs due to the increased magnitude and frequency of disasters at the global level, highlightedin the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR); reaffirms that it is essential for the private sector to guarantee the continuity of its operations and business as well as its investments during disaster situations.

Investing in human talent and technical and financial resources, as well assupporting social actors such as governments in the building of resilience and inthe fundamental task of saving lives and livelihoods is,therefore, not only a philanthropic action and social responsibility, but also a highly lucrativestrategy that convertsthese sectors and at the same time positions themas key stakeholders for disaster risk reduction.

Session objective
To identify and promote processes and mechanisms that engagethe private sectorin DRR. Identify the current situation, obstaclesand limitations, along with ways to enhance DRR action.

PARALLEL SESSION 6

INTEGRATING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TO SUPPORT RESILIENCE BUILDING

The significant reduction of loss oflives as well associal, economic and environmental assets of the communities and countries when hazards strike, requires a process of awareness-raising, mobilization and cooperation of different key stakeholders, including academia and the scientific sector. Even if States are considered primarilyresponsible for the achievement of the HFA strategic objectives, the active participation, specialized opinion and contribution from the academia and scientific community are relevant for the generation of conditions and strategic partnerships towards the achievements of these objectives.

Disaster risk reduction activities aim to reduce the human, economic and environmental costs of such disasters and science can play an essential role in these efforts, uncovering new ways to prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters and determining which technologies are most effective in reducing disaster risk. As a result of scientific research, across the world there are now programmes to forecast floods, detect tsunami waves, prevent outbreaks of infectious disease with vaccination and effectively communicate disaster risk to enhance community resilience.

Science is, therefore, already helping to save lives and livelihoods in some instances. As it relates todisaster risk reduction, science is considered in its widest sense to include the natural, environmental, social, economic, health and engineering sciences, and scientific capacities are interpreted broadly to include all relevant resources and skills of a scientific and technical nature. Recent evidenceshowsthat scientific knowledge maybe used for disaster risk reduction.

Session objective

Identify and promote DRR processes and mechanisms that engagethe scientific community to influence DRR public policies. Identify the current situation, obstaclesand limitations, along with ways to enhance DRR action. Show that science is constantly used in DRR from a variety of scientific disciplines in the region, and analyse regional experiences that promote a more effective interaction of science, policy and practice in support of disaster risk reduction.