Why international co-operation and risk governance matter

Mami Mizutori, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, says that lessons from past emergencies can be applied to avoid future catastrophes, but this requires countries to collaborate. This year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on October 13 will focus on enhancing international co-operation for DRR: one of the seven global targets of the Sendai Framework. The countries that are most at risk, including small island developing states and the least developed countries, cannot strengthen their risk governance without international co-operation. This, combined with stronger global risk governance, is key to recovering from the pandemic in a more resilient, greener and more equitable way.