Science and technology for DRR in the context of COVID-19

The current COVID-19 pandemic requires the global governance system, in particular the United Nations, to work in a coordinated manner in order to provide more efficient support to countries. The UN Secretary-General has called upon the international community to focus on three key areas for action:

1. Tackling the health emergency;
2. Addressing the social impact and economic response and recovery; and
3. Building back better.

This crisis highlights how critical an effective Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is. In this regard, it calls for an important reflection on the necessary contributions of the scientific community and the technological developments to enhance comprehensive risk management. The recommendations of this paper (p. 5) are a basis for the constitution of a work plan of the Science and Technology Advisory Group for the Americas (STAG) and are suggested to be integrated into the global and multisectoral actions considerations triggered by the response to COVID-19.

This note was prepared in response to the global disaster resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to contribute to the multisectoral international action that it demands. It integrates inputs from the academic and scientific community, as well as from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) - Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean.