| Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals is already jeopardized by current levels of risk to natural hazard of all kinds. And the two factors that contribute to disaster risk (hazards x vulnerability) are both intensifying, putting people and development investments at further risk to losses. On the hazard side, climate change is bringing increases in heatwaves, floods, droughts, the intensity of tropical cyclones, and higher sea levels. Vulnerability to these hazards is also increasing, due to continuing poverty and social vulnerability, poorly planned urbanization, environmental degradation, and population growth. We know that despite international efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, we are already locked in to a certain level of climate change due to the greenhouse gases already emitted that will stay in the atmosphere for decades to come. We know that we have no choice but to cope with the impacts. We know that these impacts will fall disproportionately on developing countries and in particular the poor in those countries. We know that the development process does not necessarily reduce vulnerability to natural hazards, and can even create new forms of vulnerability or exacerbate existing ones, impeding efforts to reduce poverty and promote growth. With this knowledge, the urgency to change how development efforts and humanitarian action are perceived, conceived, designed, implemented, monitored, and evaluated becomes glaringly clear. We need to drastically alter the way we approach development aid and humanitarian assistance. The “mainstreaming” of climate risk management and disaster risk reduction into development policy and planning, therefore, is a key priority for the international community. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ProVention Consortium, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) all feel that the time is now right to consolidate these policy commitments and have a frank discussion on the political realities of making disaster risk reduction a priority. High level government and agency representatives will be asked to address the challenges around the political economy of disaster risk reduction, and explore what contributes to or detracts from an enabling environment for mainstreaming disaster risk management into development. Practical country experience will also be shared to demonstrate the successes and challenges related to mainstreaming disaster risk reduction. The dialogue would be to the benefit of both those organisations who have already begun the process of mainstreaming, and those who are working towards this end. |
