Plenary Session: Multisectoral Risk Governance and Cooperation

Achieving effective risk governance is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, along with the rise of new threats, have made it abundantly clear that all actors need to establish structures that can harness and counter both slow- and sudden-onset incidents and their cascading effects.

A range of policy initiatives are thus under way to build multi-sectoral structures for risk governance involving a whole-of-society approach. Several member states are in the process of reviewing and developing national structures. Likewise, regional institutions are reshaping transnational structures for risk governance, connecting different sectors to enable swift response to complex threats.  Although member states agree that multi-sectoral structures are the future of effective disaster risk reduction, the road to achieving efficiency in such structures is far from clear.  

This session will focus on three challenges that multi-sectoral governance structures need to tackle: priority-setting in a multi-sectoral setup, unlocking the potential of the whole-of-society approach, and accountability and trust.

Specific objectives the session aims to address:

1. Present solutions to how multi sectoral risk governance structures can bridge differences and enhance strengthened engagement between thematic sectors.  
2. Describe and analyze pathways for the whole of society approach in risk governance.
3. Discuss how multi-sectoral risk governance structures can contribute to building accountability and trust. 

List of speakers:

1. Ms Ekaterina Paniklova, UNDP Resident Representative for Montenegro (moderator)
2. Ms Annika Elmgart, Director, Civil Preparedness Department, Civil Contingencies Agency, Sweden
3. Mr José Duarte da Costa, Director-General, National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection, Portugal
4. Ms Pauliina Eskola, Director, Department for Rescue Services, Ministry of the Interior, Finland
5. Ms Jelena Darmanovic Dubak, Secretary General, Red Cross of Montenegro
6. Mr Octavian Bivol, Deputy Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, UNICEF
7. Mr Erling Kvernevik, Sendai Focal Point, Norway (discussant)