In
September 2005, world leaders will meet again in New York for a
summit to review the MDGs. In January 2005, the World Conference
on Disaster Reduction called for a stronger link between internationally
agreed development goals and disaster risk reduction. The ISDR
Secretariat is hosting an online dialogue on the mainstreaming
of Disaster Risk Reduction into strategies to attain the Millenium
Development Goals. The dialogue opens on the 12th of July and will
continue for a period of three weeks.
The objective
of the online conference is to provide a forum to exchange views
on how disaster risk reduction should be better
represented in the Millennium Development Goals; both for the current
targets and the indicators as well as to identify how the MDGs
can be closer linked to the implementation of the Hyogo
Framework for Action 2005-2015. It seeks to bring into the process voices
from varied professional, geographical and institutional groups.
The two
broad areas which the conference seeks
to address are, firstly, how to make the MDGs indicators more
sensitive to Disaster
Risk Reduction and, secondly, how to better incorporate Disaster
Risk Reduction into the ‘areas of intervention’ to
achieve the MDGs.
- Disaster
Risk Reduction and the Millennium Development Goals, Targets
and Indicators
The ISDR Secretariat has developed a matrix that examines the interrelation
between the Millennium Development Goals, Targets and the Indicators
outlined in the Road map towards the implementation of the United
Nations Millennium Declaration (Secretary-General Report to GA
A/56/326). The original indicators do not measure whether progress
towards the targets is insulated against disaster risk. The table
examines how the indicators can be adapted to measure the extent
of disaster risk reduction. This has been done without adding new
indicators but by using the existing MDG target indicators with
additional time or geographic dimensions to make them sensitive
to the question: is the progress in attaining the MDG target disaster
resilient, or is it susceptible to exogenous shocks from hazard
induced disasters.
We would appreciate your feedback regarding the questions of :
- Whether these indicators are practical instruments which may be
used without necessitating excessive additional data collection
exercises
- Whether these indicators effectively measure disaster resilience
of the process of achieving MDG targets
- Any suggestions for alternatives or modification of indicators
are welcome
- Disaster Risk Reduction and the Areas of Intervention to
achieve the MDGs
The
UN Millennium Project, an independent advisory body to the
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan led by Jeffrey Sachs
published
a report in 2005 on Investing in Development: A Practical
Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals . The report
lays down ‘Areas
of Intervention’ for each MDG so as to upscale investments
and reach the Goals by 2015. However, on closer analysis
these interventions are not risk reducing in themselves and
many may,
in fact, be accumulating new disaster risks. Therefore, we
have also been working towards ensuring that interventions
to achieve
the MDGs are consistent with disaster risk reduction.
This process ensures that further investments directed at
attaining
the MDGs
will not lead to the accumulation of new disaster risk.
We would greatly appreciate your comments on :
- Whether these measures are adequate
- Whether they effectively capture the essence of dovetailing DRR
into the MDG process
- Any examples and methodologies from the field of how disaster risk
reduction has been effectively mainstreamed into efforts to attain
the MDGs and vice-versa.
You are invited to provide comments on how disaster risk reduction
should be better represented in the Millennium Development Goals;
both for the current targets, the indicators and for how the MDGs
can be closer linked to the implementation of the Hyogo Framework
for Action 2005-2015. We are interested in your views on both the content and the actual
processes of how to move forward with the integration, particularly
with reference to the MDG indicators and areas of intervention
to achieve the MDGs.
It will be necessary to fill in an online
registration form in
order to post opinions on the website. The dialogue will be moderated
by Praveen Pardeshi at the ISDR. Please send your comments to:
mdgs-drr@un.org
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