Addressing climate and disaster risk in humanitarian and fragile contexts

Time

14:00 - 15:30 PM CEST

About

Countries affected by protracted humanitarian crises and conflict often are among those most vulnerable to the impacts of disasters and climate change. These countries warrant particular attention and support, yet evidence suggests that this support is not yet provided in a coherent and structured manner. Disaster risk reduction, with its focus on understanding risk and its emphasis on reducing exposure and vulnerability, is critical for solid humanitarian-development-peace analysis and for effective programming across climate, disaster and humanitarian sectors. In a world where growing interconnected risks are constantly affecting the work of humanitarian actors, disaster risk reduction enables more systematic approaches to risk reduction, risk analytics, early warning, anticipatory action, and crisis management. 

Under the UN Senior Leadership Group for DRR for Resilience, a number of core UN agency partners are working towards mainstreaming DRR into humanitarian action through a series of related activities including the delivery of risk-informed planning workshops in countries with humanitarian response plans.

This session organized in the context of the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) will draw upon recent reflections and lessons learned from country-level engagement in South Sudan, Madagascar and other settings to highlight progress made and potential opportunities for strengthening collaboration, financing and knowledge sharing on disaster and climate risk reduction in fragile contexts and across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. Panelists and exchanges with participants on good practices will demonstrate ways of treating risk drivers differently, considering common analysis frames that address intersectional vulnerability. Session outcomes will inform policy discussions at the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework taking place in May 2023, as well as work on risk-informing humanitarian action at country level.
 

Objectives

1. Highlight the lack of coherent and structured support for countries affected by protracted humanitarian crises and conflict, which are also vulnerable to the impacts of disasters and climate change.
2. Emphasize the critical role of disaster risk reduction (DRR) in solid humanitarian-development-peace analysis and for effective programming across climate, disaster and humanitarian sectors.
3. Enable more systematic approaches to risk reduction, risk analytics, early warning, anticipatory action, and crisis management in a world where growing interconnected risks are constantly affecting the work of humanitarian actors.
4. Mainstream DRR into humanitarian action through a series of related activities, including the delivery of risk-informed planning workshops in countries with humanitarian response plans.
5. Draw upon recent reflections and lessons learned from country-level engagement to highlight progress made and potential opportunities for strengthening collaboration, financing and knowledge sharing on disaster and climate risk reduction in fragile contexts and across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.

Speakers

• Moderator - Mr. Irwin Loy, Policy Editor, The New Humanitarian
• Ms. Paola Albrito, Director, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
• Mr. Garsiano Mogga Elia Waja, Minister Plenipotentiary, Permanent Mission of the Republic of South Sudan to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva
• Mr. Peter van der Auweraert, Chief of Mission, IOM South Sudan
• Ms. Elham Youssefian, Inclusive Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction Advisor, International Disability Alliance (IDA)
• Presenters: Mr. Marcus Elten, Programme Management Officer, UNDRR, and Ms. Katie Peters, independent consultant