Live to tell in Mongolia: Training on the Implementation of the Sendai Framework at National Level

Background

Mongolia prioritizes disaster prevention and has been able to set up an early warning system in highly populated areas, and to enhance the capacity of identification and early warning of potential hazards. The measures undertaken by the Government of Mongolia have also produced concrete results in enhancing and mobilizing local communities in disaster risk reduction, equipping people with skills of safe livelihood and strengthening professional capacity of rescuers.

At the Third UN World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) in March 2015, 187 member states adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 – the global blueprint for disaster risk reduction (DRR).

The Sendai Framework was the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda, with seven global targets and four priorities for action. It provides the way forward to prevent and reduce disaster risk and offers a solution to saving lives, livelihoods and assets as well as for reducing the fiscal burden on governments to bail-out the aftermath of failed ‘development’.

The Sendai Framework’s primary focus on stronger risk management is one of the key elements that binds together the whole 2015 Sustainable Development Agenda. Its implementation, addressing a broad scope of both natural and man-made hazards and related environmental, technological and biological hazards, will substantially lower the level of disaster risk and losses. Under the leadership of national governments and embracing all actors at all levels, the Sendai Framework is a means to protect the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of people, communities, businesses and countries.

The Sendai Framework recognizes the primary role of States and emphasizes the importance of local level actions. The framework specifies in its Priorities for Actions activities at local and national level. Within the guidance and spirit of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction the UN member states have requested UNISDR to continue its mandate of facilitating the implementation, review and monitoring of the new framework.

Accordingly, the UNISDR provides capacity development support to countries and relevant stakeholders This objective of this Sendai Framework Resilience Action Planning workshop is to build the awareness of national authorities on the components of the Sendai Framework and develop their capacity on identifying required actions for implementation.

The workshop will further provide:

i.) an opportunity to get feedback and test the use of the draft Sendai Monitor Phase 1 national indicators

ii.) a platform to exchange in-depth learning among national and/or local authorities to undertake self-assessment and develop DRR Resilience Action Plans.

IDDR 2016

This workshop also coincides with the week of the International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR), celebrated on 13 October. The 2016 campaign will seek to create a wave of awareness about actions taken to reduce mortality around the world.

During this workshop, participants will also reflect on how Mongolia is improving how people are becoming more risk informed. The day began in 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction. Held every 13 October, the day celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face. The 2016 edition marks the launch of the new "Sendai Seven" campaign, centred on the seven targets of the Sendai Framework, the first of which is reducing disaster mortality.

Targeted Audience

High-level authorities and experts from National trainers from NEMA.

Objectives:

Overall, the training course will provide an opportunity to:

• Better understand global and urban trends in disaster and risk
• Understand the Sendai Framework and requirements for implementation at national level.
• Enhance knowledge needed towards self-assessment of resilience, using the draft Sendai Monitor Phase 1 to draft actions plans that will help develop or update national disaster risk reduction plans.

Expected Outcomes

• Participants understand the core recommended components of supporting national implementation of the Sendai Framework – in particular, towards the achievement of target (e) by 2020 as well as reflections on target (a) on reducing mortality.
• Participants understand the UNISDR tools available for Sendai Framework implementation assessment at national and use them to identify implementation gaps and opportunities for action planning
• Participants become familiar with disaster risk reduction case studies to highlight and inspire implementation mechanisms and their impact for Sendai Priorities for Action
• Participants understand how to develop a draft action plan with objectives based upon identified gaps during the diagnosis towards the alignment of existing National DRR plans with Sendai Framework
• Participants understand the key elements required to facilitate the development of SMART indicators to implement draft action plans towards the alignment of existing National DRR plans to Sendai Framework.