20 May 2019

#GP2019Geneva: Germany promotes coordination, cooperation and coherence

by GIDRM

13-17 May 2019, Geneva – More than 4000 participants from 182 countries attended the sixth session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2019) in Geneva, Switzerland and among them, of course, the GIDRM team. Organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the forum draws in governmental, research and civil-society actors and public and private stakeholders from all over the world to review progress, share knowledge and discuss innovative approaches regarding disaster risk reduction.

The official German delegation consisted of around 30 representatives from different ministries, institutions and organizations. Beyond the delegation, the participation included a booth at the innovation platform with the title “Coordination • Cooperation • Coherence”. The goal of the booth was to promote the significance of coherence between the post-2015 global agendas (Sendai Framework for DRR, the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, the New Urban Agenda and the Agenda for Humanity) and thereby strengthening resilience.

The booth incorporated various inputs from different German ministerial departments on international and national priorities, strategies and experiences regarding disaster risk management (DRM). With its interactive screens and live program, the booth drew many visitors from other delegations, civil-society and research organizations. The visitors were, for instance, invited to:

  • Discover points of overlap for better coherence between DRM and different sectors (climate, city, governance, humanitarian assistance, reconstruction and sustainable economic development) to highlight links and possible synergies,
  • Read up on how we understand the complexities of coherence in our 12 coherence theses,
  • Take a quiz on how DRR measures are or could be implemented in their city to discover potential synergies and co-benefits when addressing the Sendai Framework as well as the SDGs at a local level.


Photo of the booth at the innovation platform the night before the #GP2019Geneva, ready to discuss coherence; © Jacqueline Begerow

The official co-chair’s summary by host country Switzerland and UNDRR reflects the German focus on (1) agenda coherence, (2) challenges in disaster risk management due to fragility, conflict and violence and (3) innovative financial instruments such as forecast-based financing. Furthermore, Germany highlighted the need for DRR to be addressed in the framework of comprehensive disaster risk management (DRM) to foster resilience sustainably. DRM relies more and more on cross-sectional and interdepartmental exchange and cooperation as:

  • multi-hazard disasters become more frequent (e.g. cyclones, droughts, sea level rise),
  • loss and damage increase and jeopardize national and international development investments,
  • displacement increases due to natural disasters and climate change,
  • there is a need for action regarding the incorporation and strengthening of local capacities (usage of indigenous knowledge, greater involvement of civil-society actors, inclusion of vulnerable groups, etc.).

These trends underline the importance of a coherent implementation, monitoring and reporting of the international agendas. Furthermore, they support what GIDRM has been working towards, namely to achieve an exchange between the DRM-actors on the local, national, regional and international level. Because as we of GIDRM believe: the successful implementation of one agenda, depends on the successful and coherent implementation of all of them.


© UNDRR/Antoine Tardy

The next Global Platform is planned in 2022. As of now, the forum will take place every three years instead of biennial to give more weight and space to the regional platforms. Founded in 2006, the GP is the key gathering for strategic cooperation and monitoring to implement the goals on disaster risk reduction and management set in international agendas. The GP2019 was the second session after the adoption of the Sendai Framework. This year’s focus was on “Resilience Dividend: Toward Sustainable and Inclusive Societies”.