Making the SDGs sustainable and resilient: disasters and resilience in the zero draft

This short lobby brief reflects on the combination and coverage of disasters and resilience targets across the goal framework, in order to ensure the right balance of policy outcomes to build resilience and reduce the impacts of disasters, particularly for the poorest people. It asserts that targets must be people-centred - proposing new language for a target under the poverty goal. It also makes the case for targets focused on economic development, with new targets on infrastructure and cities/human settlements, and adapted language in other targets.

This note, dated 5 June 2014, is a contribution to the deliberations of the Open Working Group and is supported by NGOs including Oxfam, Christian Aid, the Global Network for Disaster Reduction, World Vision International, Islamic Relief, World Animal Protection. MARSD (Mainstreaming Adaptation, Resilience and Sustainability into Development and Daily life), and Plan International UK.

A first revision, dated 8 July 2014, includes several targets on disaster risk reduction and resilience. Changes are required to finesse the language on the loss-based target under the cities goal, and the target under the infrastructure goal. It also proposes a brand new target on Means of Implementation and new language on shocks for the chapeau.