Political Statement for International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
Today, October 13, during International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction we join the United Nations in highlighting the important need for countries to continue working toward preventing and reducing disaster risk and loss of lives, livelihoods, economies and basic infrastructure in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
Considering the extreme weather events that the Americas and the Caribbean have faced this year, and that climate change is causing more frequent, extreme, and unpredictable climate-related hazards, ParlAmericas continues to be committed to supporting legislatures in their response to the Sendai Framework’s explicit call for parliamentarians to support the implementation of disaster risk reduction by developing new or amending legislation, setting budget allocations, holding governments accountable, and as representatives of the people, voice their needs and mobilize the participation of all sectors of society in resilience building.
This year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction calls for an “increase in the availability and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to people”, as focused on in Target G of the Sendai Framework. As countries work to achieve this objective, it is important that these vulnerability assessments use gender disaggregated data, ensuring consideration of the differentiated impacts on women, men, girls, and boys and intersecting factors such as age, gender identity, disabilities, source of livelihood, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity, among others. Parliamentarians can not only hold the government accountable to ensure these initiatives are implemented but also use these physical and social analyses in their formulation of legislation and budget allocation for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation.
For more information on the parliamentary role to support climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction read our joint publication with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, “Parliamentary Protocol for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation”.
