Indigenous Disaster Risk Reduction

Indigenous communities around the world have similar histories of marginalization and exclusion from political power, leaving these communities vulnerable to disasters. Paradoxically, however, indigenous peoples exhibit resilience through their highly localized knowledge systems, community unity and cultural practices. This side event will bring together indigenous practitioners, community leaders, researchers and allies to unpack assumptions of vulnerability and reassert collective indigenous resilience in building capacity for managing disaster risks.

Beyond this session, participants and other supporters are invited to meet and strategize before the closing ceremony to enable a collective debrief of experiences that will further inform the opportunity to collaborate for indigenous DRR governance at multiple levels. A working group will plan future collaborative efforts between selected indigenous communities to build capacity and embed indigenous voices at future regional and global platforms.