The eight Ministers of Asian countries including China, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Mongolia and India will participate in a meeting on 17th November, 2015 to be held in New Delhi.
The meeting will prepare a regional roadmap for disaster risk reduction for the Asian region. The meeting will be co-chaired by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju and United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction Ms. Margaretta Wahlstrom.
Soon after the Asian Ministers Meeting on 17th November, the second Asian Partnership on Disaster Reduction (IAP) meeting of delegates, sponsored by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and Government of India will be held from 17th to 19th November, 2015.
The main focus of the three-day IAP meeting will be to discuss the substantive preparation of the Asia Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) to be held in New Delhi on November 14-17 next year.
The IAP meeting will also provide an opportunity to discuss substantive issues related to the implementation of the Sendai framework at the regional, national and local level.
As a follow up from the 6th Asian Ministerial Conference outcome and as a requirement of the Sendai Framework implementation, the intended outcome of the AMCDRR in 2016 will be to ensure a political endorsement of an ‘Asia Regional plan for implementation of the Sendai Framework’.
The IAP forum will mainly work as the regional consultation mechanism and provide technical input for the preparation of the AMCDRR 2016 and development of the regional plan.
The AMCDRR is a biennial conference jointly organized by different Asian countries and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
The event represents a unique opportunity for governments to reaffirm their political commitments in implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). The AMCDRR also serves as a forum for other stakeholders to take a shared responsibility and make actionable commitments towards implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
At the same time the conference also provides opportunity for all governments and stakeholders to exchange experiences on successful practices and innovative approaches in reducing and managing disaster risk.
BACKGROUND
The “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030” was adopted during the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan on 14-18 March, 2015 where India was represented by the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh.
The implementation of the Sendai Framework involves adopting integrated and inclusive institutional measures so as to work towards preventing vulnerability to disaster, increase preparedness for response and recovery and strengthen resilience.
This requires a shift from standalone disaster management or risk management to more holistic risk resilient development practice.
This shift of thinking and action from risk management to disaster risk resilient development requires support of regional and international cooperation and thus need to be incorporated in the architecture and thinking of the regional platforms/ ministerial conferences.