DRR4NAP: Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction into National Adaptation Planning

Organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) with the support of the Government of Germany

Introduction and background

Reducing disaster risk is essential to building a sustainable and resilient world. Over the past decade, investments in disaster risk reduction have led to a decrease in disaster-related fatalities. However, climate change and a variety of other risk drivers continue to result in an increase in human suffering and economic losses every year. The impacts of climate change are already being felt in many regions of the globe and they pose new significant challenges to achieving sustainable development, particularly through increasing disaster risks and losses. With 90% of all disasters being weather, water and climate related, climate change is already impacting the nature of weather-related hazards, leading to more frequent and intense extreme events.

Climate change is expected to further exacerbate natural hazards in the coming decades, “through changing temperatures, precipitation and sea levels…global climate change is already modifying hazard levels and exacerbating disaster risks”, as out-lined in IPCC-SREX and IPCC Fifth Assessment Report. This has the potential to impact negatively development gains, threaten to put millions of people further back into poverty and increase the number of humanitarian crises. The trends for increasing disaster risks, exacerbated by climate change, demand concerted efforts, and building resilient and sustainable societies is becoming an urgent priority that requires addressing both climate and disaster risks, and integrating them into development planning and budgeting.

Disaster risk reduction contributes to reducing the vulnerability of communities to hazards and safeguards development gains, and thus risk-informed development contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

As the focal point in the United Nations system for disaster risk reduction, UNISDR supports the implementation, follow-up and review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015- 2030, including by fostering coherence with other international instruments, such as the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs as well as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at all levels of implementation. This includes the integration of disaster risk reduction into related intergovernmental processes, such as those on sustainable development and climate change, by contributing to coordinated follow-up processes, including the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) as well as the creation of an enabling environment for coherent national action through engagement with UN treaty bodies like the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and human rights committees. This further strengthens the legal basis for international and domestic accountability in disaster risk management and enhances related normative and policy frameworks. At the national level, UNISDR supports countries by providing information, tools, policy and technical advice and in bringing partners together for a comprehensive and integrated approach to reduce disaster including climate risks.

Climate change and disaster risks are inter-twined in many ways, and the question of co-ordination, integration and synergies between climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) has been at the forefront of many international discussions in the recent years. Progressive attention and interest has been given to converging DRR and CCA agendas conceptually and in practice at international, national and sub-national levels. The integration of DRR with CCA is now globally recognized as vital for sustainable development, and has been called for under various decisions of the United Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the outcomes of Rio +20, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

Ensuring an integrated implementation of both agreements has several possible dimensions. One dimension is to “Enhance the understanding of, and promote, comprehensive risk management approaches” in the context of the Work Plan of the Loss and Damage Executive Committee. Another dimension is to focus on catalysing action by governments and stakeholders to deliver on their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Key targets of the Sendai Framework and the Paris Agreement which must be delivered in a coherent and interlinked fashion by 2020 are national (climate) priorities as expressed in NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions), Adaptation Communications and in the finalisation of the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) as well as national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020 under Target E of the Sendai Framework. The collection of comprehensive disaster and climate data at the national and local levels, as well as capacity development and advocacy, are critical for the achievement of these goals.

Furthermore, the Chair`s Summary of the 5th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction specifically recommends integrated policies to achieve the SDGs, the Paris Agreement commitments and the Sendai Framework targets. Indeed, the implementation of Sendai Framework “Target E” (substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020) as well as the National Adaptation Plans – NAPs, provides an opportunity to ensure coherence between disaster risk reduction, climate change and sustainable development policies and practices and also an opportunity to consider human rights obligations including women’s rights, non-discrimination and equality as well as advance risk responsive strategies, that are also gender-responsive, for the most climate vulnerable sectors and communities.

The national adaptation plan (NAP) process was established under the Cancun Adaptation Framework (CAF). It enables Parties to formulate and implement national adaptation plans (NAPs) as a means of identifying medium- and long-term adaptation needs and developing and implementing strategies and 3 programmes to address those needs. It is a continuous, progressive and iterative process which follows a country-driven, gender-sensitive, participatory and fully transparent approach.

The objectives of the NAP process are:

1. To reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, by building adaptive capacity and resilience;
2. To facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation, in a coherent manner, into relevant new and existing policies, programmes and activities, in particular development planning processes and strategies, within all relevant sectors and at different levels, as appropriate (decision 5/CP.17, paragraph 1).

Furthermore, in Paris in 2015, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) was requested to expedite support for the formulation of NAPs and the implementation of programmes, projects and policies identified in the NAPs in developing country Parties. The GCF currently provides financial support for the formulation of NAPs through its Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme.

The NAP process represents an important opportunity for countries to address their medium- and long-term adaptation needs by identifying specific climate risks, adaptation needs as well as capacity gaps and mainstream adaptation options into development plans, policies and programmes at national, sectoral and sub-national levels.

Disaster risk reduction aims to integrating considerations of disaster risks in development planning, addressing the development drivers of disaster risks such as poverty, environmental degradation and climate change and managing the risks inherent in social and economic activity.

The NAP process can provide for the adoption of a cross-sectoral and integrative approach to link DRR and CCA and to mainstream both into other activities on sustainable development. In the past few years, development organizations such as UNISDR, UNDP, the World Bank, UNEP, etc. have developed initiatives for integrating CCA and DRR in development planning and accumulated a wealth of practices and expertise in climate and disaster resilient development. Lessons learned and good practices are emerging particularly in areas of governance, institutional frameworks, climate and disaster risk assessment, risk reduction measures, gender, and social and financial incentives. These provide invaluable insight to inform countries that are or will be developing NAPs.

UNISDR`s is focusing on ensuring coherence between the NAP process and Target E and this will include a) development of technical guidelines for inclusion of disaster risk reduction in national adaptation plans; b) organization of this expert meeting which will review and finalize these technical guidelines: and, c) support over the 2018-2019 biennium, countries in developing and reviewing national and local disaster risk reduction strategies and plans fostering alignment with government plans and strategies to meet sustainable development and climate change commitments.

Objectives of the Expert Meeting

UNISDR is organizing this expert meeting in order to:

• Review the current global status of the development of NAPs and National Risk Reduction Strategies (Target E) 4
• Review the Technical Guidelines for inclusion of disaster risk reduction in national adaptation plans.
• Provide an opportunity to exchange experiences and learn of progress in aligning national and local disaster risk reduction strategies and plans with government plans and strategies to meet sustainable development and climate change commitments.
• Develop a strategy to support, over the 2018-2019 biennium, countries seeking coherence between national and local disaster risk reduction strategies and plans and climate change national adaptation plans.

The draft version of the Technical Guidelines for inclusion of disaster risk reduction in national adaptation plans will be available before the expert meeting.

Expected outcomes

This expert meeting will provide participants with an overall opportunity to better understand how to foster alignment of national and local disaster risk reduction strategies and plans with government plans and strategies to meet sustainable development and climate change commitments.

The following topics will be covered in the sessions:

• The NAP Process  Sendai Target E – National and Local Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies
• The Sendai Framework Monitoring Process focusing on the relevant global indicators
• National Risk Assessments
• National Disaster Loss Databases and available disaster loss data collection tools
• Gender-inclusiveness for DRR and CCA
• Coherence of the Sendai Framework with the 2030 sustainable development agenda and the Paris Agreement, and
• Research and programmes carried out by the UN and other international organizations as well as stakeholders

Target participants

This expert meeting will bring together leading a) experts in disaster risk reduction, more specifically professionals responsible for developing National and Local Risk Reduction Strategies, b) experts leading the development of national adaptation plans, c) experts from the United Nations and other international and regional organizations, as well as relevant d) experts from the private sector, academia and research, and NGOs.

Language of the Expert Meeting

The working language of all activities will be English.

How to apply and application deadline

Please note that the final deadline for application is 20 November 2017. Participation will be limited hence early application is encouraged. Please use the link below to submit your interest in contributing and participating in the expert meeting. Confirmed applicants will receive an invitation letter with additional information including the agenda and logistics.

Registration link

Please register online 

Financial support to experts from LDCs and SIDS

Thanks to the support being provided by the Government of Germany, the organisers will be able to offer support, on a priority basis, to a limited number of experts from LDCs and SIDS. The support will defray the cost of travel (round-trip ticket – most economic fare – between the airport of international departure in their country of residence and neighbouring airport in Bonn) and/or room and board expenses during the duration of the event. Please note that the final deadline for application for the interested experts that require funding support is 3rd November 2017.

Life and health insurance

Life/major health insurance is the responsibility of the participant or his/her institution or government. The organiser will not assume any responsibility for life and major health insurance, nor for expenses related to medical treatment or accidental events.

Point of contact

Please contact for logistics and technical matters (please include in the Subject Line Expert meeting – DRR4NAP): Mr. Rahul Sengupta (sengupta@un.org) with copy to Mr. David Stevens (stevensd@un.org)