Statement on the establishment of a G20 Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction
I congratulate India on assuming the Presidency of the G20 from Indonesia and commend India’s Presidency on the decision to establish the first G20 working group on Disaster Risk Reduction.
Growing disasters around the world, the majority of which are currently driven by climate change, but also bearing in mind the destructive power of deadly geophysical hazards, threaten the lives of millions and are taking an increasing toll on economic development.
As disasters impact all countries and threaten our collective future, the establishment of this working group is a clear demonstration of the Presidency’s commitment to the theme of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ – ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future.’
Moreover, it is in line with India’s leadership in strengthening international cooperation around disaster risk reduction, as it has done through the creation of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.
As the lead United Nations agency for disaster risk reduction, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction is supporting this timely workstream, where the issue of financing, inclusive multi-hazard early warning, infrastructure resilience and ecosystem-based DRR will be important components.
Disasters know no boundaries and their impacts cascade across sectors and supply lines, entrenching poverty and inequality along the way. On our current trajectory, by 2030, the world will face some 1.5 significant disasters per day but only a small fraction of funding is going into disaster risk reduction. We need to start investing now to protect long-term development against climate and other disaster risks. To achieve that, the support of the world’s largest economies is indispensable.
We thank India for making this a G20 priority and we look forward to furthering this effort.