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Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030)
Building Resilience, Reducing Risk, Saving Lives
Care to Change the World
Introduction
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, adopted in March 2015 at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, is the global blueprint for reducing disaster risk and building resilience. It succeeded the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015) and reflects a paradigm shift from managing disasters after they occur to proactively reducing risks before they happen. This forward-looking approach recognizes that disasters are not merely natural events but the result of vulnerabilities and exposure that can be mitigated through strategic planning and investment.
The framework is grounded in the understanding that disasters pose a significant threat to sustainable development. They can reverse decades of progress, exacerbate poverty, and destabilize societies. Climate change, rapid urbanization, and environmental degradation have amplified these risks, making disaster resilience a critical component of global development agendas. The Sendai Framework therefore aligns closely with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement, creating a coherent approach to risk reduction and resilience building.
At its core, the Sendai Framework sets out a clear goal: to substantially reduce disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods, and health, as well as in the economic, physical, social, cultural, and environmental assets of individuals, businesses, communities, and countries. This goal is supported by seven global targets, which include reducing mortality, minimizing economic losses, and increasing the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies. These targets are complemented by four priorities for action: understanding disaster risk, strengthening disaster risk governance, investing in resilience, and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and recovery.
The framework emphasizes that disaster risk reduction is a shared responsibility that requires the active participation of all stakeholders. Governments are called upon to lead by developing and implementing risk-informed policies and strategies, but the private sector, civil society, academia, and local communities also play vital roles. The Sendai Framework advocates for an “all-of-society” approach, recognizing that resilience cannot be achieved without inclusive and collaborative action.
Financing and capacity building are central to the framework’s implementation. It calls for increased investment in disaster risk reduction measures, particularly in infrastructure, early warning systems, and resilient urban planning. It also highlights the importance of international cooperation, technology transfer, and knowledge sharing to support developing countries in building their resilience.
The Sendai Framework is more than a technical document; it is a vision for a safer, more resilient world. By prioritizing risk reduction and resilience, it seeks to protect lives, safeguard development gains, and ensure that communities can thrive even in the face of natural and human-induced hazards. Its success depends on sustained political commitment, adequate resources, and the collective will to act before disasters strike.
For more information, the full text of the framework can be accessed at Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Interpretive Analysis.
Adopted on 18 March 2015 at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Sendai is the successor to Hyogo and reframes the field around disaster risk management rather than post‑event response. It sets seven global targets and four priorities for action—understanding risk, strengthening risk governance, risk‑sensitive investment, and preparedness/“Build Back Better”—with an explicitly all‑of‑society approach and broadened scope to natural, technological, and biological hazards. This expansion, coupled with an emphasis on state responsibility and governance coherence, makes it the anchoring risk instrument in the post‑2015 architecture.
In practice, implementation gains have been uneven. The 2023 UN Midterm Review concluded that, despite progress, the pace is insufficient to meet 2030 objectives, citing persistent weaknesses in prevention‑first public investment, local capacity, and data quality in the Sendai Framework Monitor. The review calls for acceleration, risk‑informed development, and stronger integration with climate and nature policies.
Alignment with Agenda for Social Equity 2074.
Sendai’s governance‑forward design intersects naturally with Agenda 2074’s equity standard: risk identification across exposure and vulnerability, accountability in institutions, and prioritization of at‑risk communities are all congruent with an equity‑first allocation of resources and protections. The framework’s calls for risk‑sensitive investment and for resilient essential services (health, infrastructure) can be operationalized through Agenda 2074’s Social Global Goals without altering Sendai’s legal character.
Complementarities and Gaps.
Sendai aligns with the Paris Agreement on adaptation and Loss‑and‑Damage finance debates (risk drivers; climate extremes), the Kunming‑Montreal framework on nature‑based risk reduction, and Addis on fiscal rules and financing prevention. Its voluntary nature and dispersed financing architecture leave gaps relative to climate finance (no analogue to the UNFCCC funds), and local implementation often stalls where risk information fails to translate into capital‑budget decisions or land‑use controls.
Implications for Policymakers, Business, and Civil Society.
Law and regulation should hard‑wire risk screening into public investment, procurement, and critical‑infrastructure standards, backed by routine publication of Sendai indicators. Enterprises should integrate disaster risk into enterprise risk management and disclosures, aligning with emerging climate‑ and nature‑related reporting to avoid siloed risk registers. Civil society and local governments remain decisive for early‑warning reach and community‑based risk reduction; state financing and data access must be structured accordingly.
Primary documents: Sendai Framework (official text, UNDRR/UNISDR); WHO/UN overview note; UNGA A/77/640 – Midterm Review (2023).
