International Recovery Forum 2024: Accelerating Progress with Building Back Better: Resilient Recovery in the Face of Rising Climate Risks

Event Description  

As we enter into the second half of Sendai Framework (SF) implementation, the balance of progress and persistent challenges has been mapped by the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework (MTR SF). While many countries have made notable strides in implementation, the MTR SF found the SF is not on a path to meet its expected outcomes or goals by 2030.

Progress with SF Priority 4 has similarly demonstrated important innovation and achievements, but the MTR SF found “build back better principles have not been applied systematically” and identified major barriers to progress include insufficient national capacities, engagement of diverse stakeholders and lack of financing.

With countries confronting a worsening landscape of climate-fueled hazards, while recovering from the most severe pandemic in 100 years, ensuring that countries build back better from disasters with greater resilience and improved recovery outcomes will play a critical role in putting the SF and the SDGs back on track. However, as the MTR SF suggested, this may be “easier said than done”.

The 2024 IRP Forum seeks to develop pathways for putting the build back better agenda and the SF back on track.   

Objectives  

The IRP Forum 2024 aims to:

1. Identify priority areas for action by stakeholders at local, national, and international levels to accelerate progress with SF Priority 4 in light of the MTR SF.
2. Share good practical experiences and lessons from practitioners, including success factors, barriers, evidence of effectiveness that need to be scaled up for wider adoption.
3. Identify pathways and the actions to be taken to implement identified priorities.  

Program

Opening Session (Video)

• Mr. HATTORI Yohei, Vice Governor on behalf of Mr. SAITO Motohiko, Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
• Ms. OHASHI Makiko, Director, International Cooperation Disaster Management Bureau, Cabinet Office, Japan
• Mr. Ronald JACKSON, IRP Steering Committee Chair, Head, Disaster Risk Reduction, Recovery for Building Resilience Team, UNDP
• Mr. Sujit Kumar MOHANTY, Chief of Branch, Intergovernmental Processes, Interagency Coordination and Partnerships, UNDRR

Challenges and Ways Forward Addressing Priority 4 (Video)

• Mr. Paul ROSENBERG, Associate Programme Management Officer, Intergovernmental Processes, Interagency Coordination and Partnerships, UNDRR

Session 1: Understanding the barriers in resilient recovery (Video)

<Moderator>

• Ms. Simonetta SILIGATO, Senior Advisor, Office of the Regional Director, UNOPS Asia Regional Office

　　<Speaker>

• Mr. Osama Ibrahim MUHAMMED, Chief Engineer, Ministry of Environment, Iraq
• Ms. Zorana ZEC, International Relations Officer, Sector for Emergency, Management, Ministry of the Interior, Serbia
• Mr. Robert ERNESTA, Director General Disaster Risk Management Division, Seychelles
• Mr. Dave GAWN, Chief Executive, National Emergency Management Agency, New Zealand
• Mr. Charles KALEMBA, Commissioner, Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), Malawi

Session 2: Opportunities to Build Back Better through Recovery Preparedness (Video)

<Moderator>

• Mr. Sujit Kumar MOHANTY, Chief of Branch, Intergovernmental Processes, Interagency Coordination and Partnerships, UNDRR

<Speaker>

• Ms. Michelle FORBES, Director, National Emergency Management Organization, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Mr. Mafua-’i-Vai’utukakau MAKA, Director, Ministry of Environment, Information, Disaster Management, Energy and Climate Change, Tonga
• Ms. Melissa PEXTON, Deputy Commissioner, Strategy and Emergency Management Command, Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Western Australia, Australia
• Ms.Vasiti SOKO, Director, National Emergency Management Office, Fiji
• Mr. Daniel Etim OBOT, Director, Disaster Risk Reduction National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigeria

Parallel Resilient Recovery Roundtables

Panel 1: Japan’s experiences and contributions to build back better from the past and for the future (Video)

<Moderator>

• Mr. Kazushige ENDO, Director, United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) 

　<Speaker>

• Mr. ONO Yuichi, Deputy Director and Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Tohoku University
• Mr. SHAW Rajib, Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance in Keio University
• Mr. NISHIKAWA Satoru, Senior Advisor, JICA, Specially Appointed Professor, Tohoku University
• Ms. Momoko NISHIKAWA, Programme Management Officer, Intergovernmental Processes Interagency Coordination and Partnerships, UNDRR
• Mr. MURATA Masahiko, Professor, Kansai International University

Panel 2: Capacity development and support with uptake of recovery preparedness measures (Video)

<Moderator>

• Ms. Keiko SAITO, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, World Bank

　 <Speaker>

• Mr. Charles KALEMBA, Commissioner, Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), Malawi
• Mr. Osama Ibrahim MUHAMMED, Chief Engineer, Ministry of Environment, Iraq
• Mr. Mustapha Habib AHMED, Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigeria
• Mr. Dave GAWN, Chief Executive, National Emergency Management Agency, New Zealand

Panel 3: Innovative Options to Finance Resilient Recovery (Video)

<Moderator>

• Mr. Steven GOLDFINCH, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, ADB

<Speaker>

• Mr. Andrew MINACK, First Assistant Coordinator-General Programs and Policy Division, National Emergency Management Agency, Australia
• Mr. Mafua-’i-Vai’utukakau MAKA, Director, Ministry of Environment, Information, Disaster Management, Energy and Climate Change, Tonga
• Ms. Zorana ZEC, International Relations Officer, Sector for Emergency, Management, Ministry of the Interior, Serbia
• Ms. Motlalepula PITSO, Director, Disaster Preparedness and Response Coordination, South Africa

Session 3: Accelerating Progress with Recovery Practice in Small Island Developing States (Video)

<Moderator>

• Mr. Ronald JACKSON, IRP Steering Committee Chair, Head, Disaster Risk Reduction, Recovery for Building Resilience Team, UNDP

<Speaker>

• Mr. Robert ERNESTA, Director General, Disaster Risk Management Division, Seychelles
• Mr. Mafua-’i-Vai’utukakau MAKA, Director, Ministry of Environment, Information, Disaster Management, Energy and Climate Change, Tonga
• Ms. Vasiti SOKO, Director, National Emergency Management Office, Fiji
• Ms. Michelle FORBES, Director, National Emergency Management Organization, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Session 4: Practical Strategies for Scaling Up Global Progress with Priority 4 (Video)

<Moderator>

• Mr. Abhilash PANDA, Deputy Chief, Intergovernmental Processes, Interagency Coordination and Partnerships, UNDRR

<Speaker>

• Mr. Mustapha Habib AHMED, Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigeria 
• Ms. OHASHI Makiko, Director, International Cooperation Disaster Management Bureau, Cabinet Office, Japan
• Ms. Vasiti SOKO, Director, National Emergency Management Office, Fiji
• Mr. Andrew MINACK, First Assistant Coordinator-General Programs and Policy Division, National Emergency Management Agency, Australia

Closing Session (Video)

• Mr. Abhilash PANDA, Deputy Chief, Intergovernmental processes, Interagency Coordination and Partnerships, UNDRR 
• Ms. OHASHI Makiko, Director, International Cooperation Disaster Management Bureau, Cabinet Office, Japan
• Ms. Yuki MATSUOKA, Head, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Kobe Office

Side Event: Empowering Community-Based Disaster Management 

Lessons from Kobe and Global Perspectives in Disaster Nursing and Social Innovation (Video)

<Moderator>

• Mr. Ryoma KAYANO, Technical Officer, World Health Organization Center for Health Development (WKC)

<Speaker>

• Ms. KANBARA Sakiko, Professor, Kobe City College of Nursing