GPDRR 2022 Concludes with Bali Agenda for Resilience

President Jokowi officially opens the Seventh Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2022. (Photo by: PR of Cabinet Secretariat/Rahmat)

The Seventh Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) has concluded with Bali Agenda for Resilience.

Head of the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) Suharyanto delivered the Bali Agenda during the closing ceremony of the GPDRR, Friday (05/27) at Bali Nusa Dua Convention Centre, Badung Regency, Bali Province.

The seven-point Agenda is as follows:

First. Disaster risk reduction must be integrated at the core of development and finance policies, legislation, and plans to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The Global Platform called for transformation of risk governance mechanisms to ensure that management of risk is a shared responsibility across sectors, systems, scales and borders.

“Examples show that working transversally across ministries and departments at all levels can help governments break the institutional silos,” Suharyanto said.

Second. Only through systemic changes can we account for the real cost of disasters as well as the cost of inaction, and weigh it against investments in disaster risk reduction.

“Good examples of demonstrated political commitment in the form of legislated budgetary targets and tracking mechanisms for disaster risk reduction are emerging, which should be promoted and replicated,” Head of the BNPB said, adding that dedicated disaster risk reduction financing strategies can direct and prioritize investment and should be included in integrated national financing frameworks.

Third, Convened at the mid-point between COP 26 and COP 27, the Global Platform observed that current emission levels far exceed their mitigation, resulting in increase in frequency and intensity of catastrophic events, threatening the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

“The Global Platform called upon governments to honour the commitments made in Glasgow to drastically enhance financing for and support to adaptation and resilience,” Suharyanto said.

He went on to say that there is an urgent need to scale-up disaster risk reduction as part of the solution to address the climate emergency, while raising and achieving the climate ambition.

The Head of the BNPB further said that the Global Goal on Adaptation, and the Santiago Network as part of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage, offer timely opportunities to make disaster risk reduction mechanisms and instruments an integral part of the climate action.

Fourth, people are affected differently by disasters. This calls for a participatory and human rights-based approach to include all under a principle of “nothing about us without us” in disaster risk reduction planning and implementation of people at risk. Investments in youth and young professionals should be enhanced to stimulate innovation and creative solutions.

“There should be a recommitment to community engagement, and to disaster risk reduction that is community-driven and supports existing local structures and resilience building,” Suharyanto stated.

Fifth, The Global Platform provided recommendations that can support the implementation of the call by the United Nations Secretary-General to ensure every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems within five years. The response to the call should consider the end-to-end people-centered early warning value chain – from risk assessments to infrastructure and last-mile outreach. Development of Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (MHEWS) should be inclusive of communities most at risk with adequate institutional, financial and human capacity to act on early warnings.

“Better availability and quality of data, financial resources, effective governance and coordination arrangements among stakeholders will strengthen MHEWS particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and African countries,” Suharyanto added.

Sixth, Potentially transformative lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic must be applied before the window of opportunity closes. Current approaches to recovery and reconstruction are not sufficiently effective in protecting development gains nor in building back better, greener and more equitably.

“There is a need to encourage an adaptive, responsive disaster risk management system with multi-stakeholder collaboration accompanied by empathy, solidarity, cooperation, and a spirit of volunteerism in particular to address inequity,” Suharyanto stated.

Seventh, Comprehensive and systematic reporting, including a robust review of progress made against all Sendai Framework targets by Member Countries will help draw clear recommendations for the Mid-Term Review of the Sendai Framework.

“The Global Platform made a strong call to all Member States, regional organizations, and stakeholders to engage in the Mid-Term Review of the Sendai Framework to clearly understand the implementation challenges and obstacles and accelerate efforts to achieve the intended goal by 2030,” Suharyanto remarked. (PR of the BNPB) (RI/MUR)