3 July 2012: The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) has announced that five parliamentarians, from Bangladesh, Uganda, Cambodia, Senegal and the East African Legislative Assembly, have been named as parliamentary champions for their ongoing commitment to promoting legislation for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation.

According to UNISDR, the newly-appointed Champions have also joined the first Advisory Group of Parliamentarians for DRR, part of a multi-year initiative by UNISDR to make progress in the realm of national legislation and risk reduction. The first Advisory Group meeting convened in Geneva, Switzerland, from 27-28 June 2012, with parliamentarians from New Zealand, the Latin American Parliament, Canada, and the European Parliament. Advisory Group members agreed to develop regional action plans in their respective regions in collaboration with UNISDR Regional Offices, with a view to meeting again in February 2013.

The Group is also concerned with ensuring that targets for investment in DRR are met from overseas development funds. Part of the terms of reference for Advisory Group members is “to monitor the implementation of laws and policies, including the appropriate resource allocations in the budgetary process, to provide support to the effective realization of the intentions of the legislative and executive decisions.” [UN/ISDR Press Release]