ABOUT THIS ISSUE
It has been two years since 187 countries around the world adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) as the principal instrument to pursue the imperative of resilience for countries, communities, individuals and businesses. The two years since the adoption of SFDRR have been anything but uneventful. The occurrence of disasters like the Nepal Earthquake (April 2015), Chennai Floods (NovDec 2015), the 2016 drought in India all highlight the need to keep a track on the progress of SFDRR for achieving its purpose. Therefore, it is critical to take stock of how well SFDRR has been implemented across all levels.
The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2017 was held on 22nd–26th May, 2017 at Cancun, Mexico to analyze the progress of the implementation of SFDRR. This issue of Southasiadisasters.net focuses on the 'Implementing Cancun Agenda in South Asia' and highlights the important concerns which the Global Platform should address to achieve resilience outcomes. The chief themes highlighted in this issue include the need for good subnational plans, a renewed focus on cities in terms of resilient housing and extreme weather events, leveraging of technology to help the marginalized and use and challenges of localized planning in achieving the mandate of SFDRR.
As the 6th edition of this important platform, GPDRR 2017 can pave the way for a stronger and more sustainable movement to reduce disaster risk worldwide that leads to increased responsibility for strengthening resilience to disasters.
– Kshitij Gupta, AIDMI