Meeting of Stakeholders Group: Delivering Community Engagement in Disaster Risk Reduction (by invitation)

In December, 2023, representatives of Major Groups and other Stakeholders gathered at the Action-Oriented Dialogue on “Reducing Risk Together – Community Engagement in Disaster Risk Reduction”, hosted by the Ministry of Interior of Finland with UNDRR support, and developed a Joint Position Paper with 7 key actions for policymakers to consider for strengthening effective, inclusive, and resilient DRR policies across all levels and sectors ahead of the Regional Platform.

During the preparatory days of the 2024 The Europe and Central Asia Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, a follow up action oriented session will convene in order to support delivering the priorities by turning them from words into actions. 

Governments, local authorities and stakeholders will discuss and synergise actionable recommendations on how to deliver three of the seven identified priorities:

1. Allocate financial and human resources to drive meaningful stakeholder engagement in policies, projects, and programs from the outset of planning and through every stage of the disaster risk management cycle, accommodating individual and collective needs.
2. Localize solutions by working closely with communities and residents, building resilience for them, and by them. This includes supporting civil society and other non-state stakeholders to engage with local authorities and decision-makers.
3. Communicate risk information in accessible formats for diverse audiences, encompassing both digital and analogue technologies, given the importance of the radio spectrum for communication in times of crisis, and encourage scientific, media, policy actors, as well as the private sector and community influencers to integrate them into their communications.