19 November 2012: The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) convened a two-day UN High-Level Retreat to initiate work on a UN strategic plan for disaster risk reduction. Attended by representatives from 20 UN agencies, the Retreat was held from 19-20 November, in Paris, France.

According to UNISDR, together with UNESCO, it aims to produce a plan of action in four months, and the Retreat provided the opportunity to identify key milestones for the finalization, ownership and implementation of the plan. The plan is expected to increase the coherence of the UN system on strengthening resilience and disaster risk reduction as the first line of defence against climate change. The plan is also intended to feed into the development of the Second Hyogo Framework for Action, a key part of the post-2015 development agenda.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the UN World Tourism Organization, the UN Environment Progamme, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, the UN Development Programme, UN-HABITAT, the World Food Programme, the International Labour Organization, the UN Children’s Fund, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN Population Fund, UNAIDS, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UN Office for Project Services, the International Organization for Migration, the World Meteorological Organization, as well as the UN Chief Executive Board Secretariat, and the Coordination Team of the UN High Level Task Force on Global Food Security. [UNISDR Press Release]