“A vast amount of investment comes from the private sector, so they can do a lot themselves to be more resilient,” said Ms. Chloe Demrovsky, Executive Director of the Disaster Recovery Institute International.

ARISE, which has 140 member organisations to date, also aims to help small- and medium-sized enterprises reduce their risk. That is a critical factor for resilient societies, given that such firms account for over 80 percent of employment.

“We need everybody on board, not just governments and large corporations. That requires a change of mindset,” said Mr. Jesús González Arellano, Partner at KPMG Mexico.

The challenge is also for governments and communities to think differently about how they tackle risk, said Mr. Mark Crosweller, Director General of Emergency Management Australia.

“Unless we use our imagination, we are not going to manage. We must have the confidence to imagine, and the courage to act on our imagination,” he said.

Earlier this week, ARISE issued a seven-point plan for resilience.

It begins with a call for the “Build Back Better” principle to be etched into planning, development, recovery and reconstruction – from building codes to government tenders and contracts. 

Second, it says it is vital to create incentives for businesses to invest in risk reduction and resilience in advance of disaster. That can mean removing legal and other regulatory barriers that prevent such investment or, worse, drive continued low-resilience investment.

Third, it calls for a more integrated approach to upgrading key infrastructure and to give local authorities more say over policy – so that money and other resources can be focused on priority areas.

Fourth, it says that businesses need to be involved before, during and after disaster. The aim is to help to ensure that private resources and expertise are mobilized in support of effective disaster risk management.

Fifth, it argues that businesses and their public sector and civil society partners should promote the benefits of resilience to consumers, and sixth, extend education and professional training. The goal is to drive an increase in public awareness – without which risk reduction and pro-resilience policies will be much less effective.

Finally, it underscores the need to harness the potential of data and technology to ensure effective implementation of resilience and risk reduction measures.

Date:

25 May 2017

Sources:

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)

Themes:

Capacity Development, Community-based DRR, Private Sector, Governance, Economics of DRR, Disaster Risk Management, Social Impacts & Social Resilience, Critical Infrastructure