Moving from the Margins to the Mainstream – Progress and Gaps in Effective Inclusive DRR in Asia-Pacific

Inclusive and participatory disaster risk governance mechanisms are essential to develop effective and adaptive DRR governance and measures to address existing and future challenges. Women and girls, persons with disabilities, youth, older persons, displaced people, indigenous people are essential stakeholders for identifying and understanding risks and hazards and undertaking DRR planning, design and implementation in close and active participation of most exposed and vulnerable communities.

The Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework has shown a significant obstacle to effective development and implementation of the Framework in Asia Pacific is the limitations to inclusive DRR. Persons with disabilities, while estimated to make up at least 16% of the global population, are not routinely included in DRR-decision making. Significantly more needs to be done to eliminate the barriers and the effective participation of women and girls, persons with disability, children and youth, older persons, Indigenous people, displaced persons and other vulnerable people.

Localization plays a major role for recognizing and reinforcing the leadership roles of national and local NGOs as first responders. To make it possible, communities have to be involved from the beginning in the decision-making processes so they are active agents of their own resilience.

This session will highlight collective and collaborative efforts of Asia-Pacific national and local governments, civil society networks and alliances, disabled people’s organizations and local actors in strengthening and mainstreaming effective and inclusive DRR in Asia-Pacific. Panelists represent countries and perspectives across Asia Pacific as well as multiple pathways through national and local policy and practice, multi-stakeholder capacity strengthening, and diverse leadership to achieve these objectives. Interactive discussion will highlight steps needed to enable locally led inclusive DRR planning and implementation to move from the margins to the mainstream in Asia-Pacific national and regional DRR strategies for 2030.

Objectives:

• Highlight and value the role of women and girls, persons with disability, children and youth, older persons, Indigenous people and their traditional knowledge, and displaced persons in inclusive DRR and showcase innovative collaborative efforts across institutions to support this.
• Showcase progress and best practices made in institutionalising inclusive DRR in Asia-Pacific with whole-of-society examples from across Asia Pacific including local government, national government, civil society.
• Explore gaps still existing in facilitating inclusive DRR and discuss measures and strategies to close these gaps.