The document summarizes the key discussions and outcomes from the International Symposium on Integrated Disaster Risk Governance held in Beijing, China in May 2014. Over 120 participants from various countries and organizations discussed challenges in disaster risk reduction and recommendations for the post-2015 framework. Main points included emphasizing climate change adaptation, rethinking government roles in coordination and decentralization, and promoting effective science and technology in DRR. Suggestions for the new framework focused on integrating climate and DRR efforts, strengthening multi-level governance, and establishing global partnerships for addressing large-scale disaster risks.

1. 5th International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC 2014 Davos - Switzerland
Monday, 25/Aug/2014 PLENARY I: Outcomes of
Recent International Disaster Risk Reduction/ Management Conferences (DRR/ M)
Outcomes of the International Symposium on
Integrated Disaster Risk Governance, May 8-
9,2014,Beijing,China
Peijun Shi
spj@bnu.edu.cn
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology
Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster, MOE
Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management MOCA &MOE
Beijing Normal University

2. Contents
1 Basic Information from International
Symposium on
Integrated Disaster Risk Governance
2Experience and Lessons Learned from
Integrated Disaster Reduction in China in the
Past 25 Years & Suggestions to HFA2

3. Contents
1 Basic Information from International
Symposium on
Integrated Disaster Risk Governance
2Experience and Lessons Learned from
Integrated Disaster Reduction in China in the
Past 25 Years & Suggestions to HFA2

4. Overview of International Symposium of
Integrated Disaster Risk Governance

5. International Symposium of Integrated
Disaster Risk Governance
May 8-9, 2014 Asia Hotel, Beijing, China
Co-Organized by
United Nations International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UNISDR)
China National Commission for Disaster
Reduction (NCDR)
Ministry of Civil Affairs of China
Ministry of Education of China

6. International Symposium of Integrated
Disaster Risk Governance
Hosted by
Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency
Management, Ministry of Civil Affairs and Ministry of
Education (Beijing Normal University)
National Disaster Reduction Center of China
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and
Resource Ecology(Beijing Normal University)
Integrated Risk Governance Project

7. Participants
UNISDR
National Representatives including Pakistan, Ethiopia,
Netherlands, Nigeria, Indonesia, Netherlands, Switzerland,
Mexico, Australia and China.
Members from China National Commission for Disaster
Reduction
Scientists and professionals Group
Others
(over 120 Participants )

8. Questions to Answer
 What has been achieved under the current HFA in both national and
local level DRR?
 What are the key governance issues leading to success or failure of
implementation of the current HFA?
 What needs to be improved in current governance structures and
mechanisms for disaster risk reduction in order to implement HFA2
more effectively?
 What will be our inputs to and recommendations for the HFA2 with a
focus on integrated disaster risk governance?

9. Main Themes
 Session 1: National Experiences and Practices Addressing Disaster
Risk Governance
 Session 2: Government Role and Governance
 Session 3: Science Role and Governance
 Session 4: Report and Suggestion to HFA2

10. Opening Ceremony
 Shared with the 5th China National Forum on Comprehensive
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and Sustainable Development, with
over 300 participants
 Opened by Jiang Li, Secretary General of China National Commission
for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), Vice Minister of Civil Affairs of China
(MOCA)

11. Keynotes
 Shared with the 5th China National Forum on
Comprehensive Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and
Sustainable Development
 Keynote by Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction
 Titled as Post-2015 International DRR and HFA2
 Introduced global strategy and goals of DRR
 Promoted agenda of post-2015 framework

12. Keynotes
 Keynote by Jiang Li, Vice Minister of Civil Affairs of China
 Titled as Integrating DRR into National Sustainable
Development
 Introduced China’s experience and lessons learned in
DRR with emphasis of the implementation of the
national plan for comprehensive disaster prevention and
reduction

13. Keynotes
 Keynote by Qin Dahe, Chairman of the Experts Committee of NCDR,
Laureate of 2013 Volvo Environment Prize
 Titled as Scientific Questions in Climate Change and
Future Earth
 Highlighted findings from IPCC WG1
 Introduced and promoted the Future Earth

14. Keynotes
 Keynote by Zheng Gongcheng, Vice Chairman of the Experts
Committee of NCDR, Professor of Renmin University of China
 Titled as Comprehensive Reform and Institutional
Development of DRR Schemes
 Discussed main tasks of institutional reform for DRR
 Emphasized the utilization of public resource to foster
investment in DRR through innovative policies

15. Session 1: National Experiences and Practices
Addressing Disaster Risk Governance
 Pakistan, Ethiopia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Indonesia,
Netherlands, Switzerland, Mexico and Australia shared
their progress in past 10 years addressing HFA
 Introduced progress in DRR legislation and institution
building
 Emphasized importance of integrating DRR with national
economic development and national livelihood plans
 Suggested HFA2 to coordinate national goals of economic
development, strengthening DRR investment in all related
domains

16. Session 2: Government Role and Governance
 China introduced its implementation of national plan for
comprehensive disaster prevention and reduction, from
perspectives of national investment in DRR infrastructure,
safety school program, DRR science and technology
development, DRR financing, DRR education and
international cooperation.
 International experts discussed:
 Government role to promote community actions
 Government role to coordinate DRR with climate change
adaptation
 Government role to strengthen DRR investment through PPP

17. Session 2: Government Role and Governance
 Some key questions discussed include:
 How should institutions change for better achieve DRR
goals?
 How should national risk information be used
effectively and appropriately?
 How should government share DRR responsibility with
other stakeholders?

18. Session 3: Science Role and Governance
 Experts from UN-SPIDER、ESCAP、New Zealand, China
and Cambodia discussed:
 Implementation of information technology in DRR
 Regional cooperation to promote utilization of available S&T
resources
 Integrative implementation of science (include social science) and
engineering technology
 Participation of younger generation
 Some key questions discussed include:
 How to make S&T more practically significant and meaningful in
front of decision-makers?
 How to fill gaps in DRR knowledge through investment?
 How to improve timeliness and effectiveness in DRR S&T
services?

19. Session 4: Report and Suggestion to HFA2
 Introduced and discussed China’s 25-year DRR Report

20. Main Points Summarized (1)
 DRR should be the priority of climate change
adaptation at global, regional, national and local
levels.
 Be problem-driven and focus on disaster risk induced
by climate change and extremes
 Integrate DRR, climate change and sustainable
development at strategic level, and emphasize
problem-solving in implementation.

21. Main Points Summarized (2)
 Re-think government roles and decentralization
 Government roles should be reflected in and based on participation
of society and enterprises
 Government role to promote actions of communities and social
organizations
 Government role to create synergy between DRR plans and
implementation
 Government role to promote DRR investment and returns
 HFA2 should pay more attention on coordination between national
and local and their synergy of actions
 Should be aware of disadvantage from sole decentralization in DRR

22. Main Points Summarized (3)
 Emphasize professionalism, effectiveness and
timeliness in DRR science and technology
 HFA2 should promote DRR professionalism, through innovative
education, training and new disciplines development.
 Involve younger generation.
 Enhance effectiveness and timeliness of S&T by incorporating
S&T development into DRR policies and plans with emphasis of
problem-solving and evidence.
 Make full use of international DRR S&T resources through
innovative mechanism of sharing and transferring.

23. Contents
1 Basic Information from International
Symposium on
Integrated Disaster Risk Governance
2Experience and Lessons Learned from
Integrated Disaster Reduction in China in the
Past 25 Years & Suggestions to HFA2

24. Risk Level of Integrated Natural Disaster of China

25. HFA & China Comprehensive Disaster Reduction
Achievements

26. China‘s natural disasters display the following features:
diverse range,
wide geographic distribution,
high frequency,
significant loss and
high disaster risk,
which make national and local disaster risk reduction in China extremely
challenging. In the past 25 years,
Chinese government has actively responded to the United Nations
International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction and implemented the
Hyogo Framework for Action.

27. China‘s main achievements include:
 Established a disaster prevention and reduction regime,
mechanisms and legal system including the creation of national laws
and a policy framework for disaster prevention and reduction, the
clarification of central and local government responsibilities, and the
establishment of government-led disaster prevention, reduction, and
relief system and mechanism.
 Improved monitoring, early warning, and risk assessment system
including the establishment of monitoring and early warning systems
for major natural disasters, the provision of early warning cover and
service to local communities, and the strengthening of risk
assessment of different types of disasters in major industrial sectors.


28.  Established the disaster information sharing service and a public campaign
on disaster prevention and reduction including the creation of national
disaster reduction-prepared communities, the promotion of disaster
prevention and reduction via education and publicity, and the promotion of
inter-sectoral disaster information sharing and public services.
 Strengthened the climate change response and disaster risk governance
including the recognition of disasters and environmental risks induced by
climate change, the incorporation of disaster risk evaluation into the
environmental impact assessment of construction projects, and the
emphasis of disaster prevention and reduction projects in post-disaster
reconstruction plans.
 Strengthened the disaster preparedness including the establishment of an
emergency response plan system, the establishment of reserves of disaster
relief materials, the improvement of disaster relief funding and agricultural
insurance subsidies, and the implementation of mid- and long-term plans to
develop human resources on disaster prevention and reduction.

29. The achievements outlined above are closely related to the
fact that the Chinese
government has always regarded disaster prevention and reduction as a top priority
and ensured coordinated development in its strategy, planning, and actions. The
Chinese experience in the past 25 years illustrates the importance of three shared
points:
 Identification of the concept of comprehensive disaster prevention and
reduction in strategies
 Inclusion of goals for comprehensive disaster prevention and reduction in
national plans
 Actions to strengthen the technological support of comprehensive disaster
prevention and reduction.

30. Although China has made clear progress and gained many achievements in
comprehensive disaster prevention and reduction, there are some areas that
require strengthening and improvement to further reduce disaster risks.
 The synergy between central and local governments requires further
improvement
 The synergy between urban and rural areas should be further
strengthened
 The synergy between the government and public still lacks an
institutional guarantee
 The sectoral management and disaster risk governance still needs to be
integrated

31. Looking to the next decade, China and the world will face new challenges
including greater environmental risks induced by climate change
uncertainties, emerging risks superimposed in sustainable development,
and challenges from globally networked disasters. At the meantime, China
has been working with international societies actively to discuss the post-
2015framework on disaster risk reduction. With the framework and action
priorities gradually becoming clear, new opportunities of reducing future
disaster risk have been brought to China and the world. Here, we made
the following recommendations.
 Promoting the integration of coping with climate change and
disaster prevention and reduction
 Incorporate economic development, life style, and ecosystem services
to better adapt to the changing environment
 Promote a green economy strategy by balancing efforts to mitigate
disaster loss and enhance benefits

32. Green
Economy
Climate
Change
Catastro-phe
Risk
Increase
Vegetation Economy
Carbon
Sink
Mitigate Prevent
Extreme Climate
Events
•Incorporating
economic
development, life style
and ecosystem service
to better adapt to
changing
environment ..
•Vigorously promote
the green economy
strategy by balancing
efforts on disaster loss
mitigation and benefit
enhancement..

33.  Holistically improve national and regional risk governance capacity for large-scale
disasters
 Accelerate the transition of economic growth patterns with a focus on structure adjustment
supported by innovation and development in science and technology.
 Establish a diversified energy security and supply chain system to efficiently reduce the
negative impacts of large-scale disaster risks.
 Comprehensively improve national and local disaster risk sharing capabilities by
establishing a ―global large-scale disaster risk financial management system‖ to realize the
risk diversification and sharing in the global context.
 Promote the establishment of a global paradigm and an alliance for large-scale
disaster risk governance
 Develop a global paradigm for large-scale disaster risk governance, to coordinate present
actions by the United Nations to improve sustainable development and to complete the
global mechanism for coping with large-scale disaster risks.
 Establish a global foundation for large-scale disaster risk, to disseminate, transfer and
apply diverse science and technology as well as relevant education, to support the UN in
establishing a global disaster transfer mechanism, and to promote science and technology
advancement.
 Establish a global network for large-scale disaster response to develop an enhanced
global education and scientific platform.

34. •Develop the Global Paradigm for Large-scale Disaster Risk
Governance.
•Establish the Global Foundation for Large-scale Disaster Risk
•Establish the Global Network for Large-scale Disaster Response.

35. Complex and Dynamic
Institutional
Subsystem
Social
Subsystem
Ecological
Subsystem
Economic
Subsystem
Reducing
Regional
Vulnerability
Strengthening
Coping Capacity
Lowering Risk
Exposure
Increasing
Regional
Resilience Monitoring
Extreme Hazard
Strengthening
Infrastructure
Capacity

36. TThhaannkk YYoouu