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SEI brief

Transforming disaster risk reduction for more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development

This article highlights three key areas in which efforts to reduce the underlying causes of vulnerability and drivers of risk to environmental hazards need to be improved in order to create more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development.

Citation

Thomalla, F., K. Johnson, S. Bharwani, Å. Johannessen and R. Butterfield (2015). Transforming disaster risk reduction for more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development. Brief for the Global Sustainable Development Report 2015.

In particular, it examines 1) the role of context and culture in creating risk, 2) the need to better link disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation (adaptation) and development, and 3) how to enable transformative change.

The authors argue that DRR efforts are at a crossroads, and the post-2015 environment provides an opportunity to reshape the agenda. The post-2015 DRR framework discussions are occurring at the same time as the formulation of the new Sustainable Development Goals and a new agreement on international climate change action. At this critical junction, researchers must enhance understanding of the root causes of vulnerability and risk through a contextual and cultural lens, strengthen linkages between different communities of practice, and explore potential adaptive processes and transformations.

Lastly, the authors argue, a critical evaluation of the post-2015 agenda informed by issues of power, competing value systems, social equity and justice is crucial.

 

Download the brief (PDF, 47kb)

Note: This brief is part of a collection of “crowdsourced briefs” from the scientific community solicited by the United Nations to inform the Global Sustainable Development Report, which will be reviewed by policy-makers at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

SEI authors

Sukaina Bharwani

Senior Research Fellow and weADAPT Director

SEI Oxford

Ruth Butterfield
Ruth Butterfield

Centre Director and Senior Research Fellow

SEI Oxford

Profile picture of Frank Thomalla
Frank Thomalla

SEI Affiliated Researcher

SEI Asia

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