National platforms and coordination mechanisms for disaster risk reduction in Europe and Central Asia: Regional overview report 2024

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (Sendai Framework) stresses the need for better governance of risk, in which the State has the primary role, but the engagement of a wide range of relevant stakeholders at all levels of governance is essential to building long-lasting resilience. This understanding has been confirmed by Member States on a number of occasions, most recently during the extensive process of assessing the state of implementation of the Sendai Framework, which led to the 2023 Report of the Midterm Review of the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (MTR SF). The MTR SF, as well as the Status Report on Target E, published in the same year, both concluded that successful disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies are based on multi-stakeholder and cross-sectoral coordination mechanisms, as well as on a whole-of-society approach to DRR.

Since the adoption of the Sendai Framework in 2015, disaster risk governance has seen significant progress, which has been evident through the increased number of countries with national strategies for DRR. This process has been especially supported by the creation and availability of national coordination mechanisms (national platforms) for DRR in Member States, which have been instrumental in facilitating coherence among policies, based on the expertise and experience of participating stakeholders.

To accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework towards 2030, Member States must further commit to the creation of adaptive governance arrangements that support vertically- and horizontally-integrated understanding and management of risks, and are reflective of the broadened scope of hazards and risks. DRR needs to be integrated in a meaningful and consistent way into development and finance policies, as well as into legislation and national and local planning.

When it comes to the local level, the MTR report acknowledged the efforts of European countries in engaging local authorities in disaster governance. This has become especially visible through the Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative, where municipalities, cities and regions from across Europe and Central Asia have been engaged and are being active. Still, the report underlines that there is little devolution of DRR governance and decision-making power to the local level and financing is insufficient or inadequate.

At the regional level, the 2021 European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR), hosted by the Government of Portugal, provided the ground for the adoption of the EFDRR Roadmap 2021–2030, which outlined the major areas for improvement towards strengthened disaster risk governance: 1) understanding and communicating existing, emerging and future systemic risks; 2) inclusive and collaborative systems for governance and decision-making; 3) supporting investments in resilience; and 4) preparedness for response and resilient recovery. Achieving success in these areas requires the continued commitment by national and local authorities as well as the Sendai Framework Focal Points.

A strong disaster risk governance system is based on relevant laws and policies, well-defined roles and responsibilities among institutions, strong leadership and multi-stakeholder coordination mechanisms, resources and capacity, and monitoring and accountability set up across all sectors, actors and levels. Finally, disaster risk governance needs to be understood as a multi-level mechanism, which requires coherence and coordination between the local, national, regional and global levels.

A key instrument that supports the formulation of national strategies and policies, which is inclusive, multisectoral and interdisciplinary in nature, is the national platform for DRR.

The national platforms for DRR are national coordination mechanisms, which are composed of relevant stakeholders from government, the private sector, civil society, academia and other relevant actors, and have a designated national focal point (Sendai Framework Focal Point).

The UNDRR guidelines on establishing national platforms for DRR provide details and suggestions on the composition and principles for the formulation and development of national platforms.

National coordination mechanisms vary from one country to another in their name, structure, mandate, budget and activities. Nonetheless, the efforts of national and local governments to bring stakeholders together and improve coordination are apparent across the region, with shared objectives to align national DRR and climate change adaptation (CCA) policies with regional and global commitments, share data and exchange knowledge, improve capacities for disaster reduction and preparedness, implement DRR-related projects and activities, and ultimately to strengthen disaster risk governance. In this report, “national platforms for DRR” and “national coordination mechanisms” are used interchangeably.

In 2020, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) conducted an overview of the status of national platforms in the region, with the intent to allow for an exchange of good practices, the development of synergies and the possibility for stronger engagement across the countries. In 2023, a review of this report was carried out through a consultation of Member States and partners in the region. Based on the findings collected across the Europe and Central Asia region, which is composed of 55 United Nations Member States, 42 national platforms or equivalent national coordination mechanisms for DRR are reported to be in place. This report is a living document that offers an updated overview of the main dimensions of these coordination mechanisms at present.