Practitioners' Workshop on Risk Reduction and Resilience in Asia

Since 1999, disaster risk management practitioners in Asia have gathered every two years with the objectives of sharing, learning, stocktaking and consolidating good practice and networking focused on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Each meeting is organized around a central theme, which is seen as crucial in bringing the DRR agenda forward and contributing to national, regional and international DRR frameworks. The past meetings gathered between 100-300 practitioners’ from across the development and humanitarian sectors, and various other institutions including regional entities, UN agencies, NGOs, Red Cross/Crescent Movement, CSOs, Academia, Think-Tanks, etc.). Technical experts from relevant government agencies have also attended the previous workshops.

In order to maintain momentum generated by the recently convened 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) held in Sendai and to ensure that early achievements will be adequately reported, the 8th Practitioners’ Workshop will provide an opportunity for practitioners to reflect on the outcomes of the 3rd WCDRR. The meeting is tailored towards technical discussions and translating the Sendai commitments into practice (i.e. ‘making it work on the ground’) as opposed to policy debates. The outcomes of the meeting will be presented to relevant institutions, as part of the contribution to regional and global efforts, truly adhering to the motto “DRR is Everyone’s Business”.

During the 3 days of proactive discussions, we would focus on the following four key themes:

• Enhancing Community Resilience
• Expanding Preparedness for Response
• Innovation and Risk-Informed Development
• Mainstreaming DRR Within and Across Sectors – Focusing on Agriculture and Resilient Livelihoods

The outcomes are intended to contribute to the ongoing discussions on SFDRR implementation and shaping the agenda for the next regional and global conferences on DRR.