2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

With more than 5,000 participants, including policy makers and disaster risk practitioners, the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) is the biggest international gathering of stakeholders committed to reducing disaster risk and building resilience of communities and nations worldwide.

Launched in 2007, the GPDRR is the primary global forum for strategic advice, coordination, partnership development and the review of progress in the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015, and its successor the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030.

© UNISDR

Risk and Resilience researchers, Reinhard Mechler and Wei Liu, have been involved in the organization of the following two events:

1) Investing into DRR and sustainable development: novel socio-economic methods and tools for bolstering disaster risk reduction and resilience (side event)

Time: 25.05.2017, 14:00-14.55

Location: Sunrise 9

Economic losses associated with the impacts of extensive and intensive disasters have the potential to surpass gains achieved in development. Failure to reduce risk and build resilience may seriously compromise the potential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the developing world. In order to inform a more holistic understanding of disasters' many impacts and motivate increased investment in resilience at various scales, the session will present state-of the art in research, policy and practice, covering a range of innovative methods and tools.

This side event has been co-organized with partners from the Zurich Global Flood Resilience Alliance, with support from UNISDR.   

2) Integrated participatory and collaborative digital mapping to enhance disaster resilience (GPDRR Youth Forum)

Time: Poster presentation, 22.05.17, 12:00-13:00 and J5 Expo of GPDRR Youth Forum, 25.05.17, 13:00-15:00

Location: Business School, Anáhuac University

Young people are key stakeholders in disaster risk reduction (DRR); the GPDRR Youth Forum’s session is designed to inspire and encourage young people in DRR by highlighting best practices being carried out by peers to tackle and conquer the challenges associated with flood and drought risks. The practices being showcased have been selected as part of a global competition for youth-led projects. 

The Center for Social Development and Research in Nepal, a local NGO which works together with IIASA, Practical Action and Kathmandu Living Labs (KLL), was selected on the basis of their implementation of integrated participatory and collaborative mapping to crowdsource flood risk information on a local scale. This was done using the OpenStreetMap platform and supports community flood resilience in the Karnali river basin in Nepal. The Karnali case study demonstrates an innovative approach to theme 1 of the SFDRR, Understanding risk, by employing new technology and innovative partnerships to fill the critical information gap on local risk.

Nirab Pudasaini from KLL will be presenting at the Youth Forum with a short oral presentation and a poster.

The next GPDRR conference is due to be held in May 2019.

Last edited: 29 May 2017