30 May 2014: Participants at the Fourth Session of the Americas Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) recommended developing “indicators of resilience” in a Communiqué. The Communiqué highlights the post-2015 development agenda and processes, such as the process to develop a post-2015 Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) and to define a climate agreement through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as an opportunity to ensure coherence among initiatives on climate change, development, humanitarian action, risk management and sustainable urban development by developing common indicators and objectives.

The Regional Platform in the Americas was one of a series of consultations leading up to the Third UN World Conference on DRR in March 2015, where a global framework on disaster risk is expected to be adopted to replace the HFA.

The Communiqué includes a series of recommendations to be included in the discussions on the agreement for the post-2015 HFA. The recommendations include: placing community participation at the center of risk management; incorporating local governments within the framework; strengthening preparedness and response at all levels; improving coordination in international disaster response; and strengthening the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) to help it fulfill its mandate.

The Communiqué also commends the “substantial contributions” of the HFA to the formulation of policies and strategies for disaster reduction while also noting that economic losses and damages from disasters have continued to rise. It notes that the combination of urbanization trends and weak governance structures leads to greater levels of vulnerability and higher levels of exposure.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Regional Office for the Americas and the Secretariat of Risk Management and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador organized the conference, which took place in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from 27-29 May 2014. It brought together DRR professionals, policymakers, community representatives, youth and other stakeholders from the Caribbean and North, Central and South America. [UNISDR Press Release] [Communiqué] [Fourth Regional Platform for DRR in the Americas Website] [IISD RS Story on DRR in the Americas Conference]