National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

In order to reinforce governance in the field of disaster risk reduction (DRR), the Ministry of Home Affairs has established a national platform. This is part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, and more precisely of the Sendai Framework, which aims to achieve an essential reduction of disaster risks.

The platform is coordinated by the DRR focal point in charge of the implementation of the Sendai Framework on a national level. The DRR focal point manages relations with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

The Sendai Framework

Adopted at the third United Nations World Conference on DRR held in Sendai in 2015, the Sendai Framework is a continuation of the Hyogo Framework and sets out a global strategy for risk reduction since 2015. The Sendai Framework aims to achieve a significant reduction in losses and risks by taking appropriate measures in different areas (economic, structural, institutional, social, legal, environmental, health, etc.) to avert disasters as much as possible, to prevent exposure to hazards and to reduce people’s vulnerability through improved disaster prevention, preparation and response to catastrophes, also taking into account post-disaster recovery.

The Sendai Framework applies to both small- and large-scale, frequent or rare, sudden or slowly evolving disasters caused by natural and man-made hazards as well as those related to environmental, technological and biological hazards. It aims to guide multi-hazard disaster risk management at all levels and in all sectors.

The Sendai Framework defines four priorities:

1. Understanding disaster risks
2. Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk;
3. Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience;
4. Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response.

In addition, there are seven global targets:

• Substantially reduce global disaster mortality by 2030;
• Substantially reduce the number of affected people globally by 2030;
• Reduce direct disaster economic loss in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030;
• Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, among them health and educational facilities, including through developing their resilience by 2030;
• Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020;
• Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of the Framework by 2030;
• Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to people by 2030.

Disaster risk reduction

The DRR aims to prevent the creation of new risks, to reduce disaster risks and ultimately to manage the residual risk. All of these actions contribute to building resilience and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (UNDRR, 2020).

The disaster risk is defined by the UNDRR as the potential loss of lives, injury, damage or destruction of property that could affect a system, society or community during a specific time period, determined probabilistically as a function of hazard, exposure and vulnerability.

The work within the framework of DRR is based on a multi-hazard and holistic approach, taking into account the vulnerabilities of a society and the systemic nature of the risks. A basic principle found in the risk management circle is that the risk management should not be reactive, but rather anticipatory, by creating a work process divided into 4 phases: prevention, preparation, emergency response as well as the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase.

The platform

The national platform for disaster risk reduction constitutes a new sustainable network that aims to stimulate a regular exchange, sharing of information and data held by different ministerial departments and coordination of initiatives taken in different fields of competence in order to guarantee interdisciplinary, inclusive and anticipatory risk management. The platform is composed of the national focal point, an inter-ministerial committee and working groups with experts.

The inter-ministerial committee, chaired by the DRR focal point, is composed of all ministries and permits a global and transversal view of all the areas involved in risk reduction.

Mission

The platform’s mission is to create and maintain a sustainable network for interdisciplinary, inclusive and anticipatory risk management and reduction.

Vision

“A resilient Luxembourg at all levels, from the citizen to the municipalities, from the company to the economy, up to the state authorities.”

Objectives

1. Governance: reinforcing  governance through the establishment of a sustainable and inclusive institutional framework;
2. Risks: identifying, analysing  and mapping current risks as well as anticipating emerging risks;
3. Data: stimulating the exchange of knowledge, data and good practices;
4. Vulnerability: identifying and reducing vulnerabilities at different scales (individual, local, national).