Closing the gap between science and practice at local levels to accelerate disaster risk reduction
The processes of risk creation reach across space and time and thus are amenable to policy change and local action. Ensuring inclusive risk reduction at local and national scales is therefore key to achieving tangible progress on Sendai Framework targets. In a complex and changing global risk landscape in which extreme hydro-meteorological events are on the rise, and vulnerabilities and disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic occur simultaneously with other hazards, there is a danger that development trends and gains will be reversed.
Governments worldwide must therefore urgently translate their global commitments into action by improving their national strategies and policies and enabling more effective and impactful change at the local level. Local governments should be equipped with the best knowledge of local conditions and needs, and thus have a key responsibility for reducing disaster risk to protect the lives and livelihoods of local populations and secure development gains.