Making effective use of international and transnational policy frameworks and national policy instruments to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
States have many policy options at their disposal to manage the risks associated with natural hazards. Some options have been used extensively with varying levels of success, such as planning regulations and building codes. Others are less well developed and the disaster risk management (DRM) policy arena is less well developed than for example occupational health and safety. Moreover, the significant potential of transnational laws to support DRM has received little attention. Such laws could help promote cross-border collaboration and address the root causes of transboundary disaster risk, yet there is very little discussion of these in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR). Until all options have been assessed and carefully developed, successful implementation of the SFDRR will be severely limited.
This paper assesses the potential for a fuller range of local, national and transnational policy, institutional, legislative, fiscal, and technical options to be used for DRM to support the implementation of the SFDRR: from transnational initiatives like the Draft Articles on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters, to local regulations to mandate and govern public participation in local DRM decision-making. The paper proposes a regulatory framework for states that would enhance compliance with SFDRR requirements to engage all relevant stakeholders in DRM policy and practice. It also recommends greater recognition of:
- DRM as a right.
- A right to participate in DRM decision-making.
- The transboundary nature of risk, and therefore the role of transnational governance options.
- The range of governance instruments available to achieve these objectives.
This paper is a contribution to the 2019 edition of the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR 2019).
To cite this paper:
Wilkinson, E., Bretton, R. and Steller R. Making effective use of international and transnational policy frameworks and national policy instruments to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Contributing Paper to GAR 2019
