Author(s) von Oelreich, Eva

In-depth study on the role of the United Nations contribution to the implementation of the HFA

Source

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

External study commissioned for the Mid-Term Review 2010-2011:

This in-depth study on the United Nations contribution to the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (HFA) is one of a series undertaken within the Mid-Term Review of the HFA.

The objective is to review actions taken by the United Nations system as a whole and by its specialized agencies, funds and programmes more directly involved in disaster risk reduction, to ascertain how and to what extent the United Nations is undertaking the tasks outlined in the HFA for international organizations; and to suggest ways in which the engagement of the United Nations System and its specialized agencies focusing on disaster risk reduction can be increased, including by looking at other fi elds where diff erent parts of the UN System have been required to work together on a cross-cutting issue, i.e. HIV/AIDS, mine action, gender issues.

The HFA states that its implementation “will be appropriately reviewed” and requests partners (in particular the Inter-Agency Task Force, which in 2007 was replaced by the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction) in the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) to “prepare periodic reviews on progress towards achieving [its] objectives and priorities....and provide reports and summaries to the [General] Assembly and other United Nations bodies ... based on information from national platforms, regional and international organizations and other stakeholders ...”.

Anticipating the approaching mid-point of the HFA, in 2008 the Secretary-General indicated to the General Assembly (GA) that the second session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in June 2009 would initiate the Mid-Term Review of the HFA expected by 2010; this was welcomed by the GA.

The second session of the Global Platform for Disaster Reduction, held in Geneva on 16-19 June 2009, discussed the scope and modalities for the Mid-Term Review and concluded that it should “address strategic and fundamental matters concerning its implementation to 2015 and beyond”.