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Guidelines and terms of reference for development of the Declaration
and the ‘Stakeholders’ Voluntary Statements’ as annexes for 6th Asian
Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction
Background:
The Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) is a biennial conference
organized by rotation in different Asian countries since 2005.
Five AMCDRRs have been hosted in the past by China (2005), India (2007), Malaysia (2008),
South Korea (2010) and Indonesia (2012). The Beijing Action for Disaster Risk Reduction, Delhi
Declaration, Kuala Lumpur Declaration, Incheon Declaration and Yogyakrta Declaration were
adopted in the respective conferences.
The 6th AMCDRR will be hosted by the Royal Thai Government in collaboration with UNISDR. The
conference will be a venue for countries, organizations and individual practitioners to meet and
discuss the way forward in reducing disaster risk in the region. It will also be the final regional intergovernmental meeting in Asia before the completion of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-15, in
January 2015 and the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) in March 2015.
This AMCDRR will provide a unique opportunity for Asian DRR organizations and practitioners to
shape the HFA2, the successor arrangement of the HFA.
The Royal Thai Government in consultation with national and regional partners proposed
“Promoting Investments for Resilient Nations and Communities” as the main theme of the 6th
AMCDRR. The main theme will be elaborated through three sub-themes: 1. Enhancing Resilience
at Local Levels; 2. Strengthening Public Investments for Disaster and Climate Risk Management to
Protect and Sustain Development Gains (in short “Resilient Public Investments”); 3. Private Sector
Role – Public & Private Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction
Expected outcome from 6the AMCDRR:
The members of ISDR Asia Partnership (IAP) as the main consultation forum for the AMC DRR,
deliberated (November 2014, IAP meeting) on the nature and structure of the outcome document
expected from the conference.
The members of IAP along with Government of Thailand recommended that the following should be
delivered (as an outcome) by the 6th AMCDRR:
1. ‘Asia Pacific inputs for HFA2’ [ Based on Proposed Elements of Post-2015 framework for
DRR paper and national/ regional consultations ] endorsed by Ministers/ Governments
2.
A political declaration
3.
Set of stakeholders’1 ‘Voluntary Commitment Statement’ as annexes to the main
declaration
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Parliamentarians, Mayors, Private sector, Civil Society, Academic and research, groups working on disability,
gender, youth and children, media and Red cross/RC
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Purpose and objective of the declaration and stakeholder’s annexes:
The declaration will be the political commitments of governments towards a) minimizing the impact
of disasters by promoting appropriate level of investments in disaster risk reduction in the Asia
Pacific region and b) committing to the implementation and periodic review of the Post 2015
framework for DRR (HFA2).
The declaration and its annexes are intended to act as a reference document for governments and
other key stakeholders to guide their future actions in disaster risk reduction in the region.
Acknowledging the fact that Disaster Risk Reduction is ‘Every body’s Business’, the stakeholder’s
commitments as an annex to the main declaration will aim at specifying the role, actions and
commitments of the stakeholders.
Structure and framing of the declaration and its annexes:
The declaration will be the formal document of 4-5 pages drafted by a Drafting Team and finalized
by a ‘Drafting committee’ that will be led by governments and representatives of stakeholder
groups. The content will be primarily informed by i) HFA2 input paper and discussions in the HFA2
plenary; ii) Technical session and discussions in the plenary iii) Commitment statements of the
stakeholder groups. It will be drafted in consultation with the ISDR Asia Partnership members.
Framing of the Declaration: (key elements of the declaration)
I. An appreciation of the anthropogenic nature of risk; changing characteristics of risk; the need to
focus on risk drivers, including climate change and variability, which are inherent to development
practices; need to address exposure together with vulnerability; need to address extensive risk due
to its relevance for vulnerable people and poverty; and a recognition of the need to focus explicitly
on risk management, encompassing the reduction of existing risk and the avoidance of new risk
accumulation, to achieve resilience of people, nations and environment
II. Reference to the key developments, globally and in the region related to HFA2, SDG, CC agreement [
Linkages with SDG and CC should be established upfront]
III. An appriciation of the past AMCDRR hosts and refer to key developments/ action taken/
achievements after 5th AMCDRR [ need to be derived from Government of Indonesia’s report on 5
AMCDRR]
IV. An appriciation of the 10 years implementation/ achievements of HFA 2005-15 [ a celebratory
remark] [from HFA monitoring synthesis/ 10 yr review??]
V. Welcoming and appreciating the significance of the stakeholders “commitments”, as an essential
sign of leadership, goodwill, needed cooperation and concrete action to articulate and implement
the post‐2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.
VI. Call on Governments and all stakeholders to ‘take action’ on a set of issues in each of the Sub-theme
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a. E.g: On Enhancing local resilience: Strengthen community resilience by building capacity of
Women, children, people with disabilities, old aged, poor and other vulnerable groups;
b. …and so on [ for each sub theme]
[ The above set of actions surrounding each sub-theme should be actionable/ tangible actions in a 2-3
years timeframe and specific to the Asian region]
VII. Endorse the ‘Asia Pacific input to the HFA2’ and establish link with the global HFA2 process and
WCDRR
VIII. [The main body] Call on government and stakeholder groups [could be specific for each stakeholder
group] to ‘commit to’ the implementation and periodic review of the HFA2. At this point, the
‘commitments for action’ need to be based on the Proposed Elements paper, HFA2 Regional
findings/recommendations and stakeholders’ commitments. [Individual stakeholder’s commitment
statements need to be endorsed here] The commitments should be specific and clearly mentions
who is making what commitment [ the sentence need to articulate ‘commitments’ of each
stakeholder group including governments in terms of what role/ action they commit to implement
and monitor in the post 2015 framework. This could be the basis for development of ‘Regional
Implementation plan of HFA2’ in the future ( Q2 2015 to 2016)]
a. For example: [//comment: need to look at the HFA2 key messages/ recommendations]
- Periodically review the implementation of the HFA2 and commitments made at the
Regional Platform
- Acknowledging the commitment of the private sector to make investment decision
‘Risk Sensitive’ through appropriate evidence and risk information; moving beyond
Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and adapting to ‘Total Disaster Risk
Management Planning’
- …
IX. Welcoming the updating of the HFA Monitor into a HFA [2] [Plus] Monitor, based on a new core
system of targets, indicators and means of verification.
X. Set responsibilities for UNISDR by resolution: i.e resolve the declaration with roles and
responsibilities for different stakeholders and at the same time set responsibilities for UNISDR
[Regional office +UNISDR Global]
a. For example:
- UNISDR to periodically review the implementation of the HFA2
- UNISDR Regional office for Asia Pacific to act as the secretariat for coordination
and development of the ‘Regional Implementation Strategy of the HFA2’
- UNISDR AP to convene the Regional Platform and function as the secretariat (with
support from partner organisation) of the ISDR Asia Partnership.
UNISDR to advocate for the core elements of the HFA2
- UNISDR to provide technical stewardship and generate evidence in the core areas
of the HFA2
XI. The ‘Declaration’ will annex all the stakeholder commitment statements. The stakeholder
commitments need to be formulated along the following line:
a. Commitments should remain voluntary and should be accountable and measurable.
b. Acknowledge and refer to the status and progress of pervious commitment statement in 5
AMCDRR
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c. Refer to their stakeholder groups achievements/ success in HFA 2005-15 [celebratory]
d. Acknowledge/ endorse the HFA2 input paper and the Proposed Elements paper
e. Formulate the ‘commitments for action‘ in two parts i) towards the short term , region
specific actions related to the subthemes; and ii) towards the implementation of the HFA2 in
the region and globally. Assume the role of reviewing their progress periodically/
systematically through globally and regionally agreed processes.
The annexes will capture commitments of the stakeholder groups through a consultative process.
(Please see the ANNEX 1 for detailed guidance on ‘Stakeholders’ Voluntary Commitment
Statements’ development process and templates)
The proposed process for development of the declaration and its annexes:
A core ‘Drafting Team’ will be established prior to the conference, who will draft the declaration
through coordinating inputs from IAP members and other partners in the region.
During the conference an official ‘Drafting Committee’ will be established with a broad
representation of governments and key stakeholders those will manage the ‘Endorsement/
adoption’ process.
Terms of Reference and proposed composition of the Drafting Team:
A group of 8-10 committed individuals from the host government, technical session leads,
Stakeholder groups, UNISDR and other interested representatives from other organizations/
stakeholders will form a drafting team prior to the conference and will be responsible for drafting of
the declaration and the annexes.
The proposed composition for the ‘drafting team’ is:
1. DDPM, Government of Thailand [Name: TBC]
2. MoFA, Government of Thailand [Name: TBC]
3. Representatives from technical session lead organizations (IFRC, ADRRN, UNDP, World
Bank, USAID, ADPC and UNESCAP) [Name: TBC]
4. UNISDR : [Name: TBC]
5. Others from stakeholder groups [Name: TBC]
6. …TBD
Role of the drafting team:
1. Organize consultation (in absence of physical meetings, consultations to be organized
through e-mail)
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2. Coordinate input from the governments, stakeholder groups and other IAP members
3. Share draft declaration with the governments and other IAP members
4. Draft the declaration based on the technical background documents and inputs from the
stakeholders.
5. The drafting team will physically meet during the IAP meeting in April 2014 and
subsequently communicate on an e-mail group.
The Drafting Committee
6. A formal ‘drafting committee’ will be set up during the conference with representations from
governments and possible representatives from other stakeholders. The drafting team will
provide the draft declaration to the Drafting Committee and the committee will finalize the
declaration and get it adopted in the conference.
7. Formally meet in the designated secretariat of drafting committee.
8. Presents the Declaration and the annexes in the plenary for endorsement/ adoption.
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Annex 1
Guidance note on developing voluntary commitment statement to reduce disaster risk
for 6th Asian Ministerial Conference and Post 2015 Framework for DRR
Introduction:
The purpose of this document is to provide some guidance (suggestive) to the stakeholder
groups those are engaged in the Asian Regional Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (Asian
Ministerial Conferences and ISDR Asia Partnership) in formulation of voluntary commitment
statements. The voluntary commitment statements need to be developed through broad
consultations within the groups and will be ‘Annexed’ to the main Declaration of the 6th
AMCDRR.
Context:
The importance of stakeholder engagement for disaster risk reduction (DRR) has been
established by the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), Global Platforms for DRR and most
recently through the UN General Assembly Resolution (A/RES/68/211). The resolution
attributes a significant role to the stakeholders’ voluntary commitments: namely to contribute to
a) the development, and b) the implementation of the post-2015 framework for disaster risk
reduction, as well as c) the continued implementation of the HFA. As such, the voluntary
commitments constitute an integral element or ingredient in the determination of the content of
the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.
In Asia, ten stakeholder groups have been engaged substantively in formulation of their’
‘Voluntary Commitment Statement2’ from the 5th Asia Ministerial Conference (AMC) held in
October, 2012 . The groups that came together in the 5AMC were: 1) Children, Youth and Childcentered Organizations, 2) Civil Society Organizations, 3) Individuals and Organizations
Concerned with Disability; 4) Individuals and Organizations Concerned with Women and
Gender Issues; 5) Mayors and Local Government Authorities, 6) Media; 7) National Societies of
Red Cross and Red Crescent; 8) Parliamentarians, 9) Private Sector and 10) Academic and
Research Stakeholders.
Principle guidance on ‘Voluntary Commitment Statements’ for the 6th AMCDRR
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The 6th AMCDRR will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on 22-26 June 2014. The main
expected outcomes of the conference will be a) A political declaration b) Asia Pacific
HFA2 input document endorsed by the AMC and c) A set of Stakeholder
Commitments
2
Stakeholder group commitment statements from 5th AMCDRR:
http://www.preventionweb.net/english/professional/policies/v.php?id=29332
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The stakeholders’ commitments are voluntary in nature. They complement and do
not substitute for Government responsibilities and inter-governmentally agreed
commitments, frameworks and agreements.
The voluntary commitments would be stakeholders’ concrete actions and
deliverables concerning the management of disaster risk at global, regional, national
and local levels. They would constitute an expression of leadership with the potential
to catalyze and inspire further action by other individuals, groups, organizations, and
networks etc.
In order to be practical and actionable, voluntary commitments should be specific,
measurable, and provide targets, indicators and means of verification, as well as
commit to periodic self-assessment of progress.
Commitments may be short or long term in operation. In the 6th AMCDRR context,
the ‘Voluntary Commitment Statement’ may have two distinct set of commitments, a
short term set of actions and a more longer term set of actions towards
implementation of the HFA2.
Short Term: In the context of the 6 AMCDRR, the stakeholder groups’ commitments
should be a set of tangible, specific and measurable actions. These should be linked
to the stakeholder groups’ area of work, the sub-themes of the conference and
should be implementable within a 2-3 year time period. There should be a maximum
of 4-6 tangible actions listed with some indication of measurable indicators or means
of verification.
Longer term: In light of the emerging themes of the post-2015 framework for
disaster risk reduction, the voluntary commitments may focus on: 1) risk prevention
and the pursuit of development pathways that minimize disaster risk generation; 2)
risk reduction, i.e. actions to address existing accumulations of disaster risk; and 3)
strengthened resilience, i.e. actions that enable nations and communities to absorb
loss and damage, minimize impacts and bounce forward. The long term
commitments also need to be specific, tangible and measurable actions with a longer
timeframe and phased monitoring approach.
The monitoring of the Stakeholders’ commitments should be carried out by the
Stakeholder groups’ theme selves. The ISDR Asia Partnership will provide space for
the Stakeholder groups to share their progress and achievements periodically. In
addition, the Regional, National and Global Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction
and other fora could be well-placed to receive progress accounts by stakeholders on
implementation of regional and global voluntary commitments.
Opportunity for consultation on formulation of ‘Voluntary Commitment statements’ of the
Stakeholder groups during the 6th AMCDRR
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The 6th AMCDRR venue will provide space for dialogue within the individual
stakeholder groups to formulate the ‘Voluntary Commitment statements’ and provide
opportunity for a multi stakeholder dialogue to consolidate the stakeholder groups
input the HFA2.
Individual Stakeholder groups will be provided space for Pre-conference events on
both 22-23 June 2014 (Sunday- Monday). [Please register your Pre-conference
event on the 6th AMCDRR website (http://6thamcdrr-thailand.net )].
The main focus of the Stakeholder groups pre conference events should be as
followed:
1. Stakeholders ‘Voluntary Commitment Statement’
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2. HFA1 celebration: Reflection on achievements in 10 years of HFA
2005-15 implementation
3. Asia Pacific input document for HFA2: Feedback/ endorsement of the
stakeholder group on the Asia Pacific input document for HFA2
4. Feedback on ‘Proposed Elements for Consideration in the Post-2015
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction by the UN Special
Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk
Reduction’ [available at :
http://www.preventionweb.net/posthfa/proposed-elements ]
A HFA2 Plenary 1 session (on 23 June 2014, 14:00 – 18:00) will be dedicated to the
Stakeholder groups to discuss their inputs to the HFA2.
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PROPOSED BASIC TEMPLATE and ELEMENTS for VOLUNTARY COMMITMENTS of
Stakeholders’ Groups
1. Name of individual organization, group of organizations or network
2. Brief narrative (300 words) of the context and deliverable/s:
3. Actions related to the three sub-themes of the conference (1. Community Resilience 2.
Public investments and 3. Private Sector engagement) [ max. 6 actions to be
implemented in 2-4 years time frame]
i. For Example:
4. Actions related to evolving HFA2 priorities [towards a)Risk Prevention, b) Risk Reduction
, c) strengthening resilience – need to be based on the ‘Proposed elements Paper’]
i. For Example:
5. Each action to specify: [ Each action need to Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Relevant and Time bound]
a. Level: local / national / regional / global [ All action to specify the implementation
level]
Example: Local to National level
b. Targets:
Example: All communities where we operate will be familiar with flood forecasts
and how to act on them (programmes currently in 12 countries with offices in 400
communities)
c. Indicators:
Example: Seasonal forecasts acted on in all communities we work with
d. Means of Verification:
Example: Feedback on actions taken reported to Organizations HQ and NDMO
(through HFA Monitor)
e. Timeframe:
Example: By Dec 2016
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