Fourth World Reconstruction Conference pledges to "Leave No One Behind"

Over 1,000 participants attended the Fourth World Reconstruction Conference (WRC4), applying the pledge made by 193 countries in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to “leave no one behind” and “endeavor to reach the furthest behind” for resilient post-disaster recovery.

Jointly organized by the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the European Commission (EC), and hosted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the WRC4 was held May 13 – 14 in Geneva, coinciding with the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Disasters triggered by natural hazards, including climate-related events, undermine development gains and contribute to increased vulnerability and exclusion. They add up to average annual welfare losses of over US$500 billion and push up to 26 million people into poverty each year.

With the theme of “inclusion for disaster recovery”, the WRC4 was an opportunity to gather practitioners and policy-makers from across the globe to share the latest best practices and account for progress on the pledges made through the 2030 Agenda and, particularly, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

“Together, we can ensure we Leave No One Behind. Together, we can make recovery more resilient, and foster risk-informed and inclusive development,” said Asako Okai, Assistant Secretary-General and Director, UNDP’s Crisis Bureau.

The discussions at the conference resulted in the issuance of a joint communique affirming a strong commitment to ensure that recovery processes are inclusive.

Original source: World Bank
Published on 23 May 2019