World Disasters Report 2016: saving lives today, investing for tomorrow
Contributing chair
Christina Bennett @cr_bennett - Head of Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI
Speakers
David Sanderson @raan1000 - Professor and inaugural Judith Neilson Chair in Architecture at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Co-Editor of WDR 2016
Jemilah Mahmood @JemilahMahmood - Under-Secretary-General for Partnerships, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Adriana Allen @allenDPUadriana - Professor of Development Planning and Urban Development, UCL, Contributor to WDR 2016
Tim Waites - Senior Livelihoods Adviser, Protracted Crisis Hub, CHASE
Description
Only a fraction of total international aid expenditure is funneled into risk reduction, with up to two-thirds of disaster spending occurring after a disaster happens.
This event, held in partnership with the British Red Cross, launches the IFRC’s World Disaster Report 2016 which focuses on resilience. Featuring articles by leading experts on resilience, the report calls for increased investment in building community resilience both before a disaster occurs and during the recovery period. Despite the high priority resilience is given in policy and normative documents, the report points out that the funding available for strengthening resilience remains extremely low.
The report calls for a more nuanced approach to the development of measurements and indicators - reflecting the sometimes hidden ideologies and power dynamics involved - and for a greater focus on anticipation, collaboration and partnership as a way of bringing about long-lasting change to affected communities.