In March 2015 the next Global Disaster Risk Reduction Conference will be held In Japan.

All sessions of the conference Programme (Provisional Draft) are open for comments (http://www.wcdrr.org/conference/programme).

This is a good opportunity for us to provide input on disability inclusive DRR and have our concerns address in the sessions.

Below you find the most important sessions in which comments would be useful. Its web link and some pointers to what the comment may include.

Please provide comments latest 8 December, 2014. 

List of relevant sessions for input

Intergovernmental Segments

  1. Reconstructing after Disasters: Build Back Better. Comments may include the need for building codes to be based on UD principles and allow easy and safe accessibility to all. It may be worth providing some concrete example and mentioning that if accessibility is taken into account then it is only 2% of the total cost

Multi-stakeholder Segments

  1. Risk Identification and Assessment (Priority 2). Comment may talk about – Disaster risk assessment tools to be inclusive of persons with disabilities and accessibility and that persons with disability to be part of the risk assessment process and receive information from it in accessible formats
  2.  Education and Knowledge in Building a Culture of Resilience (Priority 3) – Comment may talk about – Education to address inclusion and accessibility and the importance to consider everyone and ensuring messages and education are accessible to all. Targeting the most at risk who are often the most excluded and the need to make special effort to listen to their perspectives and ideas.
  3. Reducing Disaster Risk to Alleviate Poverty — Comment may talk about persons with disabilities being the poorest and the need for their inclusion in poverty alleviation programmes. It may be good to make some links with our advocacy towards SDG/MDG
  4. Lessons from Mega-Disasters/Earthquakes/Tsunamis — Perhaps we can share some lessons relating to persons with disabilities
  5. Communities Addressing Local Risks – comment may include – community empowerment projects for reducing risk must address disability and be inclusive of persons with disability and provide some example or be more specific on what should be done. We are also part of this one
  6. Commitments to Safe Schools – Safe schools must be accessible to persons with disabilities. It hasn’t taken into account disability yet and the comment may include:
    • Accessibility of schools make them safer for all
    • Special schools or institutions need to be considered in the safe school commitments
    • Formal and informal schools/ education should be included
  7. Measuring and Reporting Progress  – welcoming that post 15 draft include the need for disaggregated data but will also require that indicators are inclusive disability to effectively measure the impact of the DRR policy and program
  8. Standards for Disaster Risk Reduction Including Building Codes – comment may talk about the need to address universal design and address challenges in implementation of the code including accessibility asking if it will address potential enforcement system and incentive to ensure respect

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