Disaster risk reduction: a fundamental element of building resilience

This position paper highlights the importance of disaster risk reduction (DRR) for building resilience and was launched to mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) 2012. Building on a recent Communication from the European Commission focusing on the EU approach to resilience, especially with regards food security crises, it uses the current wide interest in resilience as an opportunity to prioritize DRR, which is essential to ensure local level capacity to cope with increasing frequency and intensity of disasters.

The key points highlighted by the paper include calls for: (i) DRR to be prioritized in development programming; (ii) a focus on risk to lead to more effective assistance for vulnerable populations; (iii) the need for better coordination and an improved Linking of Relief Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD) approach for efficiency and effectiveness; (iv) a concerted global approach to building resilience to be supported by post-2015 frameworks; (v) DRR to be adequately funded under EU and Member State development budget lines; (vi) funding for DRR to reflect real risks; and (vii) DRR funding to be accessible to NGOs as development and humanitarian actors for programmes at local, national and international level.