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The European Committee of the Regions (CoR), EC and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) seek to accelerate the implementation and monitoring of the Sendai Framework at the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction in Istanbul, in order to reduce the impact of natural disasters. 

The European Committee of the Regions adopted its position unanimously at its 22-23 March Plenary session underlining that disaster resilient development needs to be imbedded into all public investment strategies

The objectives of the 2017 EFDRR, chaired by the government of Turkey, are to transform the Sendai commitments, made by policy makers and stakeholders, into national and local action and to accelerate regional implementation and monitoring of the Sendai Framework. The EFDRR is the European preparatory forum for the 2017 Global Platform (22-26 May 2017, Cancun, Mexico).

"As local and regional governments, we are seeing that the intensity and frequency of disasters are increasing. Focusing on response and recovery is no longer enough. We must become more resilient to disasters. Indeed, it is our moral and civic duty to ensure that all public money invested locally does not put the lives of our citizens at risk" said Adam Banaszak (PL/ECR), a member of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Regional Assembly who represents CoR at the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR).

This approach will mean that disaster response is more localised to the communities affected. It in turn will help improve Europe's emergency services, civil protection mechanisms and construction standards. Clever involvement of private business can help finance disaster resilience, and facilitate important data sharing.

"All EU projects relating to construction of infrastructure, whether they are implemented through regional policy funds or through the European Fund for Strategic Investments, should be resilient to disasters. It is far more cost efficient for us to build disaster resilient infrastructure than to retro-fit unsafe structures" underlined Adam Banaszak.

The European Committee of the Regions, in the presence of Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid & Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides , adopted unanimously last week Adam Banaszak's opinion on the Action Plan on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 . The opinion provides a reflection on the main elements of the action plan from the point of view of local and regional authorities: on collection and sharing of data, development of strategies for risk awareness, cooperation with the private sector, cross-border cooperation, climate change adaptation, promoting risk-informed investments in all EU financial instruments, support for early warning systems and building back better after disaster strikes.

"The role of local and regional authorities is a key element of the Action Plan. Local authorities know the local vulnerabilities best. And local authorities have the first responsibility in dealing with disaster risk reduction" stressed Commissioner Stylianides and he underline the key role of cohesion policy to support disaster prevention and disaster management in Member States.

Notes for editors:

• The European Committee of the Regions is the EU's assembly of regional and local representatives from all 28 Member States. Created in 1994, its mission is to involve regional and local authorities in the EU's decision-making process and to inform them about EU policies. The European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission consult the Committee in policy areas affecting regions and cities. Its 350 members and 350 alternates either hold an electoral mandate or are politically accountable to an elected assembly in their home regions and cities. Click here for more details on your national delegation.​

• The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 is a non-binding agreement struck in Sendai, Japan, on 18 March 2015. Its aim is to reduce the number of disasters, by making cities more resilient. The Sendai 3/Framework was preceded by the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015.

• The Action Plan, which was signed on International Day for Disaster Reduction , seeks to translate the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 – a voluntary international approach to disaster-management policy and operations – into ideas for local and regional governments. The Action Plan upgrades a partnership between the CoR and the UNISDR that dates back to 2012.

• European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR) The 2017 EFDRR Open Forum will be hosted by the Government of Turkey from 26-28 March 2017 in Istanbul, Turkey. As a requirement of the Sendai Framework, one of the intended outcomes of the 2017 EFDRR Open Forum in Turkey will be to prepare to share experiences, lessons learnt, and gap analyses for the 2017 Global Platform (22-26 May 2017, Cancun, Mexico) . The 2017 EFDRR Open Forum will be a unique opportunity to shape the implementation and monitoring of the Sendai Framework in Europe.

• Other documents:
  • Statement: Dealing with disasters: new global strategy must empower local and regional authorities 
  • CoR opinion: 'Post 2015 Hyogo Framework for Action' 
  • CoR opinion: Action Plan on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 - A disaster risk-informed approach for all EU policies 
  • Study: Implementation of the Sendai Framework at the EU level