The Fifth Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) issued the Cancún High-Level Communiqué, which commits to implement the Sendai Framework for DRR in coherence with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on climate change and the New Urban Agenda.
The Global Platform for DRR met for the first time since the adoption of the Sendai Framework for DRR at the Third World Conference on DRR in March 2015, and focused on implementation.
Another outcome of the meeting was the Chairs’ Summary addressing the priority action areas that emerged from the meeting, which will be forwarded to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) of the ECOSOC, scheduled to meet in New York, US, from 10-19 July 2017.
26 May 2017: The Fifth Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), which convened under the banner ‘From Commitment to Action,’ issued the Cancún High-Level Communiqué titled ‘Ensuring the resilience of infrastructure and housing.’
The Global Platform for DRR, which took place from 24-26 May 2017 in Cancún, Mexico, was meeting for the first time since the adoption of the Sendai Framework for DRR at the Third World Conference on DRR in March 2015, and focused on implementation. The meeting included plenary sessions on: national and local DRR strategies; reducing vulnerability of countries in special situations; Sendai Framework monitoring; and coherence among the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Two special sessions held during the meeting addressed: availability of and access to multi-hazard early-warning systems and disaster risk information; and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “build back better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
In the Cancún High-Level Communiqué, the leaders commit to promote people-centered, gender-sensitive, accessible and resilient urban development that supports all of society, including the vulnerable, the poor and the marginalized.
A number of working sessions convened throughout the meeting. The topics discussed included, among others: ensuring risk-resilient critical infrastructure; international cooperation in support of the Sendai Framework implementation; risk transfer and insurance for resilience; risk information and loss databases for effective DRR; private sector engagement; health and DRR; and accelerating efforts in building community resilience to disasters.
The event also included a Leaders’ Forum for DRR, which brought together various Heads of State, the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, the Vice-President for Sustainable Development of the World Bank, executives of intergovernmental organizations, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, parliamentarians, local government representatives, business and civil society executives and other stakeholders. In the Cancún High-Level Communiqué adopted at the conclusion of the event, the leaders commit to, inter alia: implement the Sendai Framework for DRR in coherence with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on climate change and the New Urban Agenda; and promote people-centered, gender-sensitive, accessible and resilient urban development that supports all of society, including the vulnerable, the poor and the marginalized.
In addition to the Cancún High-Level Communiqué, the 2017 Global Platform produced the Chairs’ Summary, which addresses the priority action areas that emerged from the meeting, including: creating and implementing strategic methodologies for information management on risks and threats; strengthening institutional coordination and collaboration from the community level to multilateral agreements; and promoting an enabling environment for development of public-private partnerships (PPPs). The Chairs’ summary will be forwarded to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), scheduled to meet in New York, US, from 10-19 July 2017.
The Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 is a voluntary, non-binding agreement which recognizes that the State has the primary role to reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders, including local governments and the private sector. The UN Office for DRR (UNISDR) supports the implementation, follow-up and review of the Sendai Framework for DRR. [IISD RS Summary of the Fifth Global Platform] [IISD RS Coverage of the Fifth Global Platform] [2017 Global Platform for DRR Website] [Sendai Framework for DRR] [2017 Global Platform for DRR Agenda] [Cancún High-Level Communiqué] [UNISDR Press Release on Opening of 2017 Global Platform] [UNISDR Press Release on Early Warning Systems] [UNISDR Press Release on Sendai Framework Monitoring] [UNISDR Press Release on 2017 Global Platform Stressing Action on Sendai Framework] [UNISDR Press Release on Vatican’s Support for DRR] [UNISDR Press Release on Harnessing Data for DRR] [UNISDR Press Release on Cultural Heritage Preservation and DRR] [UNISDR Press Release on Women’s Role in Disaster Prevention] [UNISDR Press Release on Governments and Business Curbing Risk] [UNISDR Press Release on Cancún High-Level Communiqué] [UNISDR Press Release on Strategies for Sendai Progress] [WMO Press Release] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on 2017 Global Platform for DRR]