4 October 2012: Participants at the third annual meeting of the European Forum on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) were presented with the results of a survey carried out by the European Working Group on Climate Change Adaptation (CCA). The Forum was co-organized by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) Europe, the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA), and the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).

The survey was completed by 23 countries: Albania, Andorra, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK. According to UNISDR, 11 countries stated they have DRR legislation that enables climate change adaptation to be part of national and local work on DRR. For 18 countries, legislation was viewed as the main driver of links between DRR and climate change adaptation.

Survey respondents also highlighted obstacles to forging links between DRR and CCA Among the obstacles to forging links between DRR and climate change adaptation were: lack of political will and awareness; financial restrictions; absence of legislation; uncertainties about impact at local level; and lack of communications between policy makers and the scientific community.

Another climate-related outcomes of the Forum was the presentation of the first-ever peer review of a country implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). The HFA Peer Review in the UK was financed by the European Commission and the final report will be available early in 2013. It will be presented at the Global Platform for DRR in May 2013. [UNISDR Press Release, 3 October 2012] [UNISDR Press Release, 4 October 2012]