French Association for Disaster Risk Reduction (AFPCN)

DRR at the international level : the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015

The United Nations launched the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR, 1990-2000), with the objective raise awareness about the possibility and responsibility to protect environment, as well as human beings and belongings, from natural disasters. The decade was directed by Philippe Boulle, head of international relations for AFPCN at present. This decade was a first step towards taking into account "disaster risk" as the combination of a natural hazard together with a socio-economic vulnerability: measurable, reducible and manageable. During the mid-term conference of the decade (Yokohama, 23-27 May 1994), the "Yokohama Strategy and Plan" were adopted, setting out principles, a strategy and a plan of action for reducing disaster risks. In the aftermath of the Yokohama conference, the European Commission established the Disaster Preparedness Programme of the Humanitarian Aid department (DIPECHO), which since 1996 has allocated over 180 million euros for disaster preparedness in the six regions of the world.

In December 1999, the UN General Assembly decided to extend the decade by an International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), with a permanent secretariat in Geneva. After several years of preparation, the second World Conference on Disaster Reduction has led to the adoption of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) by 168 countries, on 22 January 2005.

In its publication "Hotspot Studies" in 2005, the World Bank identifies disaster risk as a major constraint on development. The "Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)", established in 2006 by the World Bank and SIPC, is one of the instruments to implement disaster reduction as a crosscutting element of sustainable development. The priority in this scheme is to support risk assessment and risk mapping at the national level, to identify risk reduction activities that could produce maximum benefits in terms of reduction of losses (human and economic). In a vast majority of human activities, measuring and managing risks induced by natural hazards is a necessity.

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Towards a DRR strategy in Europe

The European Union is committed towards a Community approach on the prevention of natural and man-made disasters. Two reports were developed in March 2008, about the potential of such a strategy for the EU, and potential contribution of Member States.

A communication was submitted on 22 February 2009 by the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. In response, the Council adopted conclusions, requesting the Commission and Member States to implement a number of measures.

This strategy would provide harmonization of prevention practices with Europe, as an extension for the coordination already in place for civil protection. The goal is to allow for consideration of disaster risk across all activities in Europe (in priority the instruments of the different DGs of the Commission), as it is already the case for environment. A proposal for a community approach to prevention had already been developed by the Commission in 2003, but the political construction of the European Union was not sufficient then. Enlargement of the European Parliament's competences following the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty should now allow rapid progress in the development of this strategy.

In the short term, the implementation of this Community approach would result in an inventory of existing information on disasters (and harmonization of their formats), development of guidelines and common methodologies (both for Member States and the Commission itself), the development of training programmes, of a network of national experts, and of funding for research activities. The decisions of the Commission dated November 2009, relating to activities funded in 2010 by the financial instrument of security, already include a series of three workshops to identify prevention best practices within Member States.

A fundamental issue for this strategy to be effective is the participation of citizens, public and private entities, representatives from the civil society and governments. In this sense, national platforms for disaster risk reduction (and other coordination mechanisms involving civil society) in different European countries have a critical role to play. AFPCN, the European Network of National Platforms, French ministries and their European counterparts are working together in the current consultation process.

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