Disaster risk reduction and the Sendai Framework: What does it mean for UK resilience practitioners?

This paper investigates where the principal model through which UK civil protection is delivered – Integrated Emergency Management (IEM) – aligns with and supports the meeting of the targets and prioritiesof the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR). In doing so, this paper enables those working with IEM concepts to understand where IEM and the Sendai framework need to be meshed in order to reinforce the DRR aspects of their practice. It will also identify where gaps may exist between the capabilities, capacities and competences inhered within UK IEM doctrine and practice and those of any other sectors, whose engagement with disaster risk reducing activities will undoubtedly be necessary to meet SFDRR targets at the local and national scales.

Following a short definition of concepts, this paper describes how the SFDRR came into being. The framework itself is then described relative to parallels with the Integrated Emergency Management (IEM) model. This is followed by a discussion of those current workstreams and measures in place within the UK civil protection sector that correlate with SFDRR targets and priorities and which act as illustration to the sector’s implicit and explicit capability to deliver on these agreed ambitions. Finally, the paper outlines some conclusions and tentative recommendations made, which illustrate opportunities where changes to policies and practices may assist the sector in contributing effectively to achieving SFDRR targets.

This Occasional Paper (No. 21) is a discussion article, written and published in order to stimulate debate and reflection on key themes of interest to the resilience community. It is part of a series of papers published by the Emergency Planning College.