European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction acknowledges crucial urgency in fighting climate change Portuguese Government presided over the forum in Matosinhos with 49 Member[...]

The 2021 European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR) held from 24 to 26 November in Matosinhos, was chaired by the Portuguese Government with the support of the EFDRR Secretariat made up of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk reduction, the European Commission, and the Council of Europe. The Forum welcomed delegations from 49 Member States from Europe and Central Asia.

As an outcome of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) held in the United Kingdom in 2021, the forum participants agreed on the crucial urgency in countering growing climate risks. The need for urgent and coherent action on adapting to climate change and reducing the risk of disasters was also reiterated.

Participants echoed the need to go beyond the usual approaches and invest in a more resilient Europe and Central Asia both at a climate level and in terms of disasters. The 2021-2030 EFDRR Roadmap was approved, as well as its four key areas to swiften implementation of the Sendai Framework 2015-2030.

Participants acknowledged that the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic illustrate the need to rethink the way in which we counter simultaneous and complex crises. The need to reinforce transborder collaborative mechanisms to better understand the risks was highlighted, as well as the need to support better governance and reduction of the existing, emergent, and future risks. Participants reiterated the benefits of joint and comparable risk assessments and strategies that will make transborder cooperation easier.

Forum participants noted the need to invest in renewed and eco-friendly systems and services that will enable us to deal with infrastructure ageing. The systemic and cascade nature of risk and its complex interdependences was emphasized, as they require innovative critical infrastructure systems.

The participants stressed the transformative power of science, data, and technology. They agreed on the importance of the interface between science, politics, and society, in order to obtain an active and positive social discourse as a counterweight to disinformation. The participants appreciated the ministerial commitment to invest in evidence-based approaches to support informed policies in risks and their respective legal framework.

Learning from the Covid-19 and financial crises, participants emphasized the need for a new social contract with inclusive approaches for the whole of society, focused on strengthening resilience. They acknowledged that disaster risk reduction is based on a collective responsibility that leaves no one behind. The need to budget and institutionalize the collaboration of the whole of society was reiterated, particularly involving those more exposed to risk.

Participants highlighted the role of local government to build resilience and the fact that cities offer unique opportunities to drive sustainable development. They also acknowledged the importance of support structures and the need for coherence at a local, regional, and global level, including collaboration between cities.

Participants expressed their concern with the unsustainable economic losses due to disasters and the need for greater public and private investment in risk reduction. They acknowledged the important progress in the financial disclosure linked to climate risks and emphasized the need to speed up green, risk-resilient economic recovery.

In a future perspective, participants highlighted the importance of regional and sub-regional collaboration as well as the crucial role played by the National Focal Points of the Sendai Framework in developing effective mechanisms to implement and assess the progress of the 2021-2010 European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction for a more resilient Europe and Central Asia with regard to climate and disasters.

Please view the attached document with the summary of the forum attached