The High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) concluded with calls for “better governance, investments in resilience, and a focus on disaster prevention,” the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) reports. The meeting addressed the linkages between the Sendai Framework and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with many highlighting the importance of disaster risk planning to achieving the SDGs.

The Midterm Review took place against the backdrop of a global “polycrisis” of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, which poses additional challenges for DRR. According to the Report of the Midterm Review, issued shortly before the meeting, progress has only been achieved on two of the seven targets.

During the meeting, delegates highlighted examples of the “growing challenges of managing not just major hazards, but also smaller ones, especially where basic capacities for emergency response or data collection are limited, and in the case that multiple hazards occur in sequence.” The ENB analysis of the meeting also points to perceived unanimity on the need for “a fundamental shift to focus on prevention and a move from managing disasters to managing risk.”

At the conclusion of the Midterm Review, delegates adopted a Political Declaration, which focuses on understanding and investing in DRR, strengthening governance and preparedness, and “building back better,” the ENB summary report of the meeting notes. In the Declaration, delegates renew “commitment to work across and align with various international agendas, particularly those on climate and biodiversity,” ENB writes. Other initiatives established during the conference aim to strengthen this work, with the UN Office for DRR (UNDRR) Investment Advisory Board, for example, seeking to de-risk the financial sector.

The High-Level Meeting on the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework took place from 17-19 May 2023 in New York, US. It included formal as well as informal events, such as a Risk Reduction Hub that featured standing room-only roundtable events. A formal plenary, a Leaders’ Roundtable lunch, and a day of multi-stakeholder panels on core issues also convened. [ENB Coverage of High-Level Meeting on the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for DRR]