Voluntary Commitments support the adoption and implementation of risk reduction strategies

This year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) underlines that the greatest single driver of risk is weak governance and a lack of political will to invest in disaster prevention. Data from the Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments online platform, where stakeholders working on DRR showcase their work, indicates that several organizations are proactively working on these issues.

There are seven global targets (A to G) in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the global plan for reducing disaster losses. Voluntary commitments most frequently cover Target B on reducing the number of affected people by disasters (22%) and Target E on increasing the number of countries with DRR strategies (18%). Targets A to D are more outcome-focused and Targets E to G are more input-focused. The published VCs, therefore, indicate that stakeholders are contributing to both target groups.

The deadline for Target E is 2020 so that strategies are put into practice to reach the targets by 2030. To do this, commitments are already working on the pillars of effective governance including capacity building, DRR management, and evidence-based decision making, among others.