9 October 2015: European countries have issued a plan for implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), which aims to reduce the number of deaths and economic damage caused by natural and man-made hazards by 2030, and increase the number of countries with national and local DRR strategies by 2020. The 6th Annual Meeting of the European Forum for DRR (EFDRR) aimed to facilitate discussions, exchanges and synergies towards DRR activities in Europe, as well as to provide inputs from the European Forum DRR Focal Points to the implementation of the Sendai Framework.

The Forum, which met from 7-9 October in Paris, France, concluded with the adoption of a five-year roadmap setting out priorities to help achieve the Sendai Framework’s goals over the next 15 years. The roadmap, which is expected to be endorsed during a ministerial meeting in Finland in 2016, identifies risk assessments and disaster loss databases as essential, and focuses on: developing a review of national and local-level strategies for DRR and integrating DRR into such areas as climate change adaptation, environmental and natural resource management in land use planning, and economic management of risks.

In addition, Forum participants, inter alia: called for considering developing appropriate metrics to reflect the sharing of risk and the pricing of future losses; supported elaborating the list of activities in the roadmap by February 2016; stressed the importance of interconnecting DRR efforts and adaptation actions resulting from the Paris climate agreement, and the contribution of DRR to the Lima-Paris Action Agenda; supported increasing DRR awareness in the media community, including through the conference on Mass Media and DRR to be held in Armenia in December 2015; called for synergies among the humanitarian, development and climate change communities in supporting countries disaster risk management; emphasized that preventing damage to cultural heritage contributes to economic development, innovation and job creation; and noted that risk perception analysis is the first step in understanding how local cultures identify and manage risk.

Marc Jacquet, French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, stated that DRR is important for the action agenda that will accompany the Paris climate agreement expected to be adopted in December 2015. According to the UN Office for DRR (UNISDR), globally, disaster losses have increased to US$250-300 billion a year, with over 80% of them caused by weather-related hazards. In 2014, disaster damage in Europe totaled US$7.8 billion, with nine floods costing US$100 billion each.

The meeting was hosted by the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, in collaboration with the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the Regional Office for Europe of UNISDR. The European Forum for DRR is intended to serve as the forum for exchanging information and knowledge, coordinating efforts throughout the region and providing advocacy for action to reduce disasters. France is the current chair of the European Forum, with Finland taking up the role in 2016. [Forum Website] [Forum Outcomes] [UNISDR Press Release] [UNISDR Forum Announcement]