The recent World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) held in Kobe-Hyogo, Japan, in January 2005, adopted a framework for action calling on States to put disaster risk at the center of their political agendas and national policies.

The “Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters” provides a strategic and systematic approach to reducing vulnerabilities and hazards by identifying ways to build the resilience of nations and communities to disasters and setting priorities for action for the next 10 years.

The WCDR also adopted the Hyogo Declaration recommending, among other things, “a culture of disaster prevention and resilience must be fostered at all levels” and recognizing the relationship between disaster reduction, sustainable development and poverty reduction.

In the context of the preparatory process to the above world conference, the UN/ISDR Secretariat invited national authorities and platforms on disaster risk reduction in every country to report on their respective achievements and progress in disaster reduction based on the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World adopted at the First World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction held in Yokohama, Japan, in 1994.

A total of 113 national reports from countries around the world were submitted to the UN/ISDR Secretariat through August to December 2004. Countries reported on five key areas of disaster risk reduction:

a) Political commitment and institutional aspects;
b) Risk identification;
c) Knowledge management;
d) Risk management applications and instruments; and
e) Preparedness and contingency planning

See Summary of national information on the current status of disaster reduction, as background for the
World Conference on Disaster Reduction

One of the specific issues addressed by the countries in their reports was the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction concerns in their national plans for implementation of the MDGs, Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP), National Adaptation Plans of Action, National Environmental Plans (NEPs), National Environmental Action Plans and/or their follow-up action to the WSSD Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

More than 50 % of the countries stated that they had incorporated, at different extents, disaster risk reduction into their plans for implementation of the MDGs or PRSPs. Many reported the adoption of programmes and strategies that envisage special action in the priority areas of the MDGs PRSPs and NEPs (Figure 1). In a few cases, such as those of Hungary, South Africa and Romania, a very detailed account of DRR activities with an explicit link to the implementation of the MDGs was provided.

Figure 1 shows an encouraging indication of disaster risk reduction being integrated into development plans. However, a significant number of countries (32% of the reports) neither stated nor denied this integration process, which indicates the need to strengthen the fundamental links between disaster risk reduction and development.

In addition, a number of good practices relating disaster risk reduction to development activities were provided by countries like Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Hungary, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Romania, South Africa and Uganda. While they are expressed in different specifications, disaster risk reduction is part of their Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), Common Country Assessments (CCAs), United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAFs) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In the Djibouti experience for instance, disaster risk reduction was identified as a priority issue in their CCA, included in the PRSP and considered as a cross-cutting issue in the UNDAF.