The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) signed a joint partnership agreement this Friday, 21 February, to step up collaboration on three priority areas to accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and the UN Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).

The partnership creates new opportunities to integrate DRR in important planning and decision-making processes at the country level, introduced by the UN Development System reform, and provides countries and partners with more clarity on each entity’s mandate work scope and complementarity.

“On average, investing in more resilient infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries brings $4 in benefit for every $1 invested,” said UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner. “This closer partnership between UNDP and UNDRR will allow us to provide even better support to countries as they build stronger resilience against disasters and ramp-up their efforts to tackle climate risks.”

“Nothing undermines sustainable development like a disaster. Risk is becoming increasingly systemic and connected, requiring an equally joined-up response. Enhanced partnership with UNDP allows us to offer countries a coherent approach to facing the biggest risk of all time: the climate emergency, and the biggest opportunity: achieving the 17 SDGs. And by linking our approaches, systems and tools we are more able to live up to the Sendai Framework’s injunction to ‘leave no one behind’ as we build resilience of people and our planet,” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR, Mami Mizutori.

“This partnership represents an important milestone for both organisations and demonstrates a unity of purpose to fast-track the delivery of the Sendai Framework,” added UNDP’s Assistant Administrator and Director for the Crisis Bureau, Asako Okai.  

The three key areas of focus of the agreement are: i) to support national reporting on the implementation of the Sendai Framework, including DRR-specific SDG indicators; ii) to achieve the greatest number of countries to adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies –– Target E of the Sendai Framework–– while ensuring coherence with the climate change agenda and the SDGs; and iii) to provide countries with guidance and technical assistance to support risk-informed and sustainable development.

UNDP’s mandate and activities on disaster mitigation, prevention, and preparedness complement UNDRR’s global normative and coordination mandate. This strategic collaboration reflects a newly energised commitment to a partnership that started in 1999, when UNDRR was still known as the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).