- Sendai Framework for Disaster Reduction was adopted at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held from March 14 to 18, 2015 in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
- The present Framework applies to the risk of small-scale and large-scale, frequent and infrequent, sudden and slow-onset disasters caused by natural or man-made hazards, as well as related environmental, technological, and biological hazards and risks.
- It aims to guide the multi-hazard management of disaster risk in development at all levels as well as within and across all sectors.
- It is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters.
- It is a 15-year, voluntary, non-binding agreement that recognizes that the State has the primary role to reduce disaster risk. It aims for the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods, and health.
The Seven Global Targets
To support the assessment of global progress in achieving the outcome and goal of the Sendai Framework, seven global targets have been agreed. These targets will be measured at the global level. The seven global targets are:
- Target 1 to reduce mortality:Â The first target aims to substantially reduce global disaster mortality by 2030, to lower the average per 100,000 global mortality rate in the decade 2020-2030 compared to the period 2005-2015.
- Target 2 to reduce the number of affected people:Â The second target aims to reduce the number of affected people globally by 2030, with a target to lower the average global figure per 100,000 in the decade 2020 -2030 compared to the period 2005-2015.
- Target 3 to reduce direct disaster economic loss: It aims to reduce loss in global gross domestic product (GDP) due to disaster by 2030.
- Target 4 to substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services: This includes reducing damage to health and educational facilities by developing their resilience by 2030.
- Target 5 to spread disaster risk efforts:Â It envisages substantially increasing the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020.
- Target 6 to increase cooperation and support:Â It aims to enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of the Sendai Framework by 2030.
- Target 7 to increase accessibility:Â It aims to substantially increase the availability and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to the people by 2030.
Sendai framework chart out Four Priorities for Action for achieving its goals:
- Understanding disaster risk:Â It states that disaster risk management should be based on an understanding of disaster risk in all its dimensions. Such knowledge can be used for risk assessment, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and response.
- Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk:Â Disaster risk governance at the national, regional, and global levels is very important for prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and rehabilitation. It leads to collaboration and partnership.
- Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience: Public and private investment in disaster risk prevention and reduction through structural and non-structural measures are essential to enhance the economic, social, health, and cultural resilience of persons, communities, countries, and their assets, as well as the environment.
- Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response:Â The growth of disaster risk means there is a need to strengthen disaster preparedness for response, take action in anticipation of events, and ensure capacities are in place for effective response and recovery at all levels. The recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction phase is a critical opportunity to build back better, including through integrating disaster risk reduction into development measures.
Sendai framework stresses on shared responsibility of each State, authority, sector, and various stakeholders to prevent and reduce disaster risk through international, regional, and bilateral cooperation. It rightly emphasise that disaster risk reduction requires an all-of-society engagement and partnership.
