HelpAge: Sendai Disaster Risk Reduction Framework: Older people and the importance of data - Opinion

By Clare Harris

Last week, a delegation from HelpAge International attended the UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan to agree a new Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).

There were concerns when the closing ceremony was postponed that a new DRR Framework was out of reach. But just before midnight, after almost 40 hours of negotiations, a framework was agreed by UN member states.

What progress has been made?

The new Sendai Framework for Action 2015-30 makes significant improvements on the previous Hyogo Framework. However, it failed to meet the expectations of many who were looking for a much more ambitious outcome.

In the run up to, and over the course of the conference, middle and high-income nations gradually eroded commitments to deliver money to developing countries to help them prepare for – and respond to – disasters and climate change impacts.

Seven global targets were agreed, but these targets are weakly-defined and have no commitment to finance. This could make them meaningless for those most vulnerable to disaster, such as older people in developing countries.

Other notable omissions in the new Sendai Framework were commitments to action on climate change and conflict (also missing from the Hyogo Framework Agreement).

Positive signs

The process of developing the Sendai Framework has been long and complex, with regional consultations, engagements with governments and civil society, and preparatory meetings.

However, we must see the politicisation of disaster risk and debate as a good thing. During the negotiations and implementation of the Hyogo Framework, there was very little political opinion, engagement or will. But there are positive signs that with the Sendai Framework, the profile of disaster risk reduction will be much higher on the political agenda.

Some cause for celebration

There is cause for celebration on two fronts: for the first time, older people - along with people with disabilities, women, children, migrants and indigenous people - have been referenced as key stakeholders in the new framework. A vulnerable and often excluded group, older people now have a chance to elicit action for their protection and engagement in DRR, and reduce the disproportionate risk they face.

The new Sendai Framework specifically states:

"Older persons have years of knowledge, skills and wisdom, which are invaluable assets to reduce disaster risk, and they should be included in the design of policies, plans and mechanisms, including for early warning."

An inclusive, person-centred approach is championed throughout the document and emphasised within the guiding principles. These cover health and livelihoods, and a gender, age, disability and cultural perspective in all DRR policies and practices.

The importance of data to drive the targets forward

On 17 March at the conference in Sendai, we launched our new Disaster Risk and Age Index, which captures the collision of two trends: ageing populations and the acceleration of risk in a world which is increasingly exposed to hazards.

The Index analyses data on hazard and exposure, vulnerability, capacity and an overall risk ranking. It clearly demonstrates that leaving older people out in development processes such as DRR can put the world at greater risk as its population ages.

The second cause for celebration is that the Sendai Framework recommends inclusive risk-informed decision-making based on the open exchange and dissemination of disaggregated data. This includes data disagregated by sex, age and disability. However, how this will be put into practice has not yet been outlined within the targets and monitoring framework.

We also welcome the human rights perspective which has now emerged within the Framework's guiding principles. The new Framework highlights the primary responsibility of the state to reduce disaster risk and acknowledges the right of people of all ages to development, life and security.

How can we ensure the Framework makes a difference?

We will have to wait to see how these age-inclusive and person-centred principles translate into real action within the Sendai Framework's priorities for action. In the meantime, we must redouble our efforts to ensure the potential of the Framework makes real difference for older people and all those vulnerable to disaster.

We must ensure the SFA can act as the bridge between the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals and climate agreement processes, and that all three frameworks are complementary, coordinated, reinforcing and backed up by age-disaggregated data.

Clare Harris is Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Adviser