SRSG Mizutori - "With the world approaching a system-wide crisis point, the SG’s recommendations on strategic foresight to address major catastrophic risks are extremely timely".

Ms. Mami Mizutori

Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction

Informal thematic consultation as a follow-up to the report of the Secretary-General entitled “Our Common Agenda”

4th Thematic Cluster - "Protecting our planet and being prepared for the future”

Thursday, 3 March 2022

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to join you in this consultation. With the world approaching a system-wide crisis point, the SG’s recommendations on strategic foresight to address major catastrophic risks are extremely timely. These recommendations were given further credence by the recent IPCC report which places very high confidence in the benefits of prioritizing risk reduction.

In your deliberations yesterday, I heard calls for greater investments in risk reduction, adaptation, and resilience, and also for disaster risk reduction to be mainstreamed across the work of the United Nations.

In the Sendai Framework, we have an intergovernmentally agreed strategy to strengthen risk governance across sectors, and COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of good risk governance in face of the systemic risk that surrounds us.

Transitioning from short-term reactions to long-term risk-informed policy making requires capacity development across the global, regional and national levels. The vision outlined by the Secretary-General will accelerate efforts to strengthen capacity, build networks, and improve knowledge for risk-informed planning and strategic foresight, urgently needed in response to current and emerging crises.

At UNDRR, we offer capacity building and technical support to countries to embark on development pathways that reduce risk and build resilience. At the core of our offer are tools to better understand risk. We support national and local governments to develop DRR strategies that promote risk-informed plans and investments across all sectors. The 2022 edition of our flagship report, “The Global Assessment Report for Disaster Risk Reduction”, looks at the risk landscape of today and gives recommendations for transforming governance for a resilient future. It will be launched next month and can make a considerable contribution to the proposed Strategic Foresight and Global Risk report.

As the Sendai Framework calls for a whole-of-society approach to risk, we work with a diverse and rich network of academics, scientists, civil society organizations and youth who can contribute to the work of the proposed Futures Lab.

And as we convene the Global Platform for DRR in May in Indonesia and carry out the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework, we will also feed our progress and outcomes into the 2023 global stock-takes on the SDGs and Paris Agreement. We must seize this opportunity to address current, emerging, and future risks to ensure a resilient future for the generations to come.

Thank you.