Being the most disaster impacted region in the world, building resilience to disasters is indispensable in Asia-Pacific in order that ‘no one is left behind.’

This requires a shift in the way we assess, measure, and address disaster risks, said Tiziana Bonapace, Director, Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division, at ESCAP, Bangkok.

She made the remarks during a regional learning platform on ‘mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and resilience into sustainable development with focus on poverty reduction.’

DISASTER IMPACT

The event was held in the context of the three-day Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) that concluded here on Friday.

Bonapace recalled that in adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UN member states had pledged that ‘no one will be left behind’ and ‘that they will endeavor to reach the furthest behind first.’’

“It is no longer enough that we address the impacts of disasters on economic growth which has been the dominant policy focus in the past.

“Leaving no one behind requires us to assess and address the distributional impacts of disasters on those who are being left behind, the poor and vulnerable people.”

This imperative makes the disaster risk reduction community a critical player in the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

VICIOUS CYCLE

Although poverty is multi-dimensional and has many causes, disaster is a strong determinant of poverty in Asia-Pacific.

Disasters, including slow-onset disasters that do not even make to the headlines, contribute to perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty across societies and generations primarily through loss of income, damage to dwelling, and livelihood assets.

“When poor people lose their income, they cope by foregoing nutrition, medical treatment, or withdrawing their children from school, over and above the destruction of local infrastructures, such as roads, school and health facilities.

In turn this all increases the exposure of the poor to disasters, triggering heightened vulnerabilities in a vicious circle. “

These long-term qualitative impacts on human capacities are typically not captured by annual GDP losses, Bonapace noted.

BETTER UNDERSTANDING

The upcoming edition of the Asia-Pacific Disaster Report being released on October 13 this year will therefore provide an analytical and evidential base to deepen the understanding of linkages between poverty and disasters in the region.

Breaking this cycle by building resilience in the context of the broader sustainable development agenda presents difficult challenges.

“This demands that we develop new capacities, systems, and new ways of working together, and mobilizing new investments,” Bonapace said.

Notwithstanding these challenges, the renewed recognition of the need to mainstream resilience across the 2030 Agenda presents the disaster risk reduction community an unprecedented opportunity to tackle the root causes of vulnerability and exposure to hazards through implementation of the SDGs.

The regional learning platform was a part of ESCAP’s broader effort to mainstream disaster risk reduction into development, which is supported by the UN Development Account, and implemented with partners in the region.

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