The Evolution of Global Frameworks on Disaster Risk Reduction

🌍 The Idea: From Relief to Resilience

Historically, disasters were seen as “acts of God” — unpredictable and unavoidable.
The global community’s response used to be reactive: rescue, relief, and rehabilitation.

But gradually, especially after repeated natural catastrophes, the realization grew that “disasters are not natural — vulnerabilities are.”

Hence, focus shifted from:

Post-disaster relief → to Pre-disaster risk reduction → and finally → Building resilient communities.

This transformation forms the essence of all global frameworks we’ll now discuss.

🏛️ Early Institutional Developments (Pre-1990)

Year	Global Milestone	Key Development
1960s	UN General Assembly discussions	Asked member states to share the type of emergency assistance they could offer to disaster-struck nations.
1972	UN Disaster Relief Office (UNDRO) set up	First dedicated UN office to coordinate international disaster relief.
1990–1999	International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR)	Declared by the UN to emphasize global attention on disaster prevention rather than relief.

🗾 Yokohama Strategy (1994) — The Turning Point

The First World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction was held in Yokohama, Japan (1994), during the IDNDR decade.
It produced the landmark document:

“Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World.”

This was the first global effort to define principles of disaster risk reduction and to link DRR with sustainable development.

Core Idea:

Prevention and preparedness are more effective and economical than post-disaster relief.

The 10 Principles of the Yokohama Strategy

1. Risk assessment is essential before planning disaster policies.
2. Prevention & preparedness are the first priorities.
3. Must be integrated into development planning at all levels.
4. Capacity building to prevent, reduce, and mitigate disasters.
5. Early warning systems and their dissemination are crucial.
6. Participation at all levels — local to international — ensures success.
7. Vulnerability reduction through design, education, and training.
8. Technology sharing for prevention and mitigation must be open and timely.
9. Environmental protection is integral to disaster prevention.
10. National responsibility is paramount, but international cooperation is necessary, especially for developing nations.

🧠 Essence: Yokohama shifted the focus from disaster relief → to risk prevention and resilient development.

🏗️ Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015)

The Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction was held in Kobe, Japan (2005) — shortly after the Indian Ocean Tsunami (2004), which killed over 2 lakh people.
This tragedy gave a new urgency to global disaster governance.

The conference produced the:

Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA): “Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters.”

This was the first detailed global action plan outlining what governments, civil society, and organizations must do to reduce disaster losses.

Five Priorities of the Hyogo Framework

1. Make disaster risk reduction (DRR) a national and local priority.
   → Integrate DRR into governance and development planning.
2. Improve risk information and early warning systems.
   → Better data, forecasting, and communication save lives.
3. Build a culture of safety and resilience.
   → Public awareness, education, and community participation.
4. Reduce underlying risk factors.
   → Safer schools, hospitals, and infrastructure.
5. Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response.
   → Enhance capacity for rapid and coordinated emergency action.

🧩 Significance:

• First time a 10-year global plan for DRR was implemented.
• Led to mainstreaming DRR into national policies of many countries.
• However, challenges remained — uneven implementation and limited local-level participation.

🕊️ Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030)

The Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction was held in Sendai, Japan (2015).
It replaced the Hyogo Framework and aligned DRR with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015–2030 is the most comprehensive global blueprint for reducing disaster losses and building resilience.

4 Priorities for Action

1. Understanding Disaster Risk
   → Better data, risk mapping, and public awareness.
2. Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance
   → Strong laws, institutions, and coordination mechanisms.
3. Investing in DRR for Resilience
   → Budget allocation for risk reduction, not just post-disaster relief.
4. Enhancing Disaster Preparedness & “Build Back Better”
   → Emphasize resilient reconstruction and long-term recovery.

🧠 Build Back Better means using post-disaster recovery as an opportunity to make infrastructure and communities stronger than before.

🌏 Global Targets under Sendai Framework

S. No.	Target	Aim by 2030
(a)	Reduce global disaster mortality	Lower deaths per 100,000 population (vs 2005–2015 baseline)
(b)	Reduce number of affected people	Lower average number of affected per 100,000 population
(c)	Reduce direct disaster economic loss	As a % of global GDP
(d)	Reduce damage to critical infrastructure	Including health and education facilities
(e)	Increase number of countries with DRR strategies	At national and local levels
(f)	Strengthen international cooperation	Especially for developing countries
(g)	Increase access to multi-hazard early warning systems	And disaster risk information

🔁 Evolution Summary Table

Framework	Year	Location	Focus/Principles	Key Contribution
IDNDR	1990–1999	Global	Declared “Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction”	Brought DRR into UN agenda
Yokohama Strategy	1994	Japan	10 Principles for prevention, preparedness, participation	First DRR framework linking to sustainable development
Hyogo Framework (HFA)	2005–2015	Kobe, Japan	5 Priorities for Action	First global 10-year plan for resilience
Sendai Framework (SFDRR)	2015–2030	Sendai, Japan	4 Priorities + 7 Global Targets	Comprehensive DRR & resilience framework aligned with SDGs

🎯 The Broader Link: DRR and Sustainable Development

• Disasters erase years of development gains.
• The Sendai Framework aligns directly with SDGs, especially:
  • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • SDG 13: Climate Action
  • SDG 1: No Poverty
  • SDG 3: Good Health & Well-being

Thus, Disaster Risk Reduction = Development Protection.

✍️ UPSC Answer Writing Approach

When writing on Evolution of Global Disaster Management Frameworks, always conclude with:

“The Sendai Framework marks the maturity of global disaster governance — moving from reactive relief towards proactive risk reduction and resilience building. Its success, however, will depend on localization of strategies, capacity building, and synergy with climate action and sustainable development goals.”