WORKING SESSION
From Crisis Response to Building Resilience
Brief & Concept Note
Brief
1. Why is this topic important ?
In case of large scale disasters, national capacities can be overwhelmed and they require
external assistance in the form of regional cooperation and/or international humanitarian
assistance. In some contexts, such as the situation in sub-Saharan Africa, recurrent crises
lead to situations of dependency on external assistance. Being better prepared to manage
catastrophic events through a greater focus on anticipatory risk management will enhance
the effectiveness of response. Furthermore, development of better approaches to risk
management will support building resilience for sustainable development.
Two key questions are posed:
i. What needs to happen to create momentum to change from reactive crisis
response to anticipatory risk management in high risk countries and situations?
ii. How can resilience to disasters be built at all levels?
2. What gaps need to be filled?
Governments of disaster affected countries generally recognise the need to build and
strengthen self-reliant response capacities and focus on people at risk. In this endeavour,
international partners, through humanitarian and development assistance, can assist
these states in their efforts to build resilience, while increasing the effectiveness of
humanitarian action, through joint risk analysis, planning, programming and funding.
3.
What (new) commitments are expected to be achieved?
Decision-makers and emergency managers of countries, relevant United Nations
organizations, international NGOs and others, will put forward examples of good practice
and proposals for change that support an anticipatory approach to crisis response and
humanitarian action, linking with other risk management goals of post-2015 global
agendas, the World Humanitarian Summit and beyond.
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Concept Note
Schedule
Tuesday 17 March 2015, 16:00-17:30
Room and Venue
Hagi Hall, Sendai International Conference Centre
Organizing Team
OCHA, UNDP, JICA (Japan), AFAD (Turkey), IFRC (Asia)
UNISDR Focal Points
John Harding (harding@un.org)
Background and
Rationale
Global challenges - such as climate change, urbanisation and
population growth will cause humanitarian needs to rise, if risk is
not managed. Humanitarian crises are lasting longer and affecting
more people than ever before.
To save lives more effectively today and reduce the prospect of
future losses, a fundamental shift by those engaged in
humanitarian action and sustainable development is urgently
required, towards a more anticipatory and preventive approach to
disasters and crises. This shift needs to better recognise the
leading role that must be played by Governments and people of
disaster-affected countries.
There are two key issues:
 First, being better prepared for large-scale disasters must be
an integral part of disaster risk management, if the impact on
lives and livelihoods is to be minimized. Countries and
communities need to be better supported to build their own
capacity to manage risk. For some shocks of great magnitude
predictable and well-planned external humanitarian, recovery
and development support may be required. For this purpose,
international partners need to work with governments, civil
society and vulnerable populations, to effectively support
nationally-led response to mega disasters, while also assisting
states to manage crisis risk in an increasingly anticipatory
manner.
 Second, heightened vulnerability to disaster risk tends to occur
in least developed or fragile and conflict-affected countries
with limited coping capacity. Thus there needs to be particular
attention placed on building resilience in these complex
situations.
Session Objectives
(Areas of
commitments from
decision makers and
emergency managers)
Objective 1: Present concrete examples where countries have
reduced their dependency on external aid through building
resilience and sustainable development.
Objective 2: Propose measures to support States to be better
prepared for large-scale disasters, as well as recurrent and
predictable shocks, by enhancing international and regional
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response coordination networks to more readily support national
response capacity.
Objective 3: Develop proposals on strengthening analysis of the
challenges to this proposition by the current state of international
humanitarian and development systems.
Discussion agenda and
structure
(90 minutes)
1. Opening remarks (5 minutes)
2. Panel discussion, Good practices/ Proposals for a Change
(50 minutes) 5 panelists x 10 minutes
3. Q & A (20 minutes) with the audience
4. Wrap-up by Moderator (8 minutes)
5. Closing remarks (7 minutes)
Expected outcomes
1) Effective regional and national practices aiming at self-reliance
in dealing with mega disasters / protracted crises are shared.
What support is needed for mega-disasters from international
actors? International assistance needs to be deployed in ways
that build on local and national capacities and those coping
capacity that lead to resilience.
2) Successful models of crisis risk management by countries and
international organizations are discussed.
When national self-reliant response capacities can play a
significant role? Governments need to align disaster risk
reduction, development and climate finance behind national
plans for coherent political and operational action, including
anticipatory crisis risk management.
3) Challenges and opportunities in the International systems
response are analysed and options presented.
Challenges include: Institutional and inter-personal barriers,
Attitudes and cultures, Funding streams and the international
aid architecture.
Commitment / special
announcement in
support of a post-2015
framework for DRR
We will learn from anticipatory risk management practices (e.g.
Sahel) in support of building resilience, while responding to
humanitarian crises with enhanced capacities. We will sustain our
commitments made at Sendai throughout the consultation process
of post-2015 agendas, including the World Humanitarian Summit in
May 2016 and beyond.
Expected number of
participants
500
Background
documents
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