UNDP announces new ‘5-10-50’ global programme

UNDP announces ‘5-10-50’ – new global programme in support of disaster resilience

Sendai, 17 March 2015  – The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has announced work a new 10-year global programme in support of country efforts to reduce the risk of disasters.

Announced during a special breakfast session entitled 'the power of partnerships', held on the sidelines of the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, the Programme is intended to help countries achieve the goals of the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

UNDP used the event to highlight the key elements of the Programme, as well as to bring on board like-minded partners.

“The only way to protect development gains from disasters and to eradicate poverty is to integrate disaster risk reduction into development and to make all development risk-informed”, noted UNDP Chief Helen Clark. “Our new programme will help our partners achieve this by strengthening laws, policies and institutions that enable a comprehensive, all-of-society approach to DRR.”

Called ‘5-10-50’, the programme will support countries and communities to deliver better risk-informed development, and targets 50 countries over 10 years, with a focus on five critical areas: risk awareness and early warning; risk-governance and mainstreaming; preparedness; resilient recovery; and local/urban risk reduction.

Disasters have killed more than 1.3 million people and cost over US$2 trillion during the last two decades. UNDP’s new programme will help partners address capacity gaps, and is building on a decade of work and nearly US$2 billion of investments in DRR.

Underpinning UNDP’s targeted engagement is a new report, also launched at Sendai, titled‘Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance: UNDP Support during the HFA Implementation Period 2005 - 2015’. The report is a review of UNDP support in 125 disaster-prone countries since 2005, and draws on detailed findings from a selection of 17 countries. The findings from the report are to be used in the development of the new programme.

UNDP chief Helen Clark thanked the Government of Japan and the city of Sendai for hosting the conference – a demonstration of their continued leadership in the area of disaster risk reduction – and commended Finland and Thailand for co-chairing the group of Member States that are leading development of the new Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. It will succeed the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005-2015), and is the first of a number of global development related processes to emerge in 2015, a critical year for shaping sustainable development. UNDP maintains that a risk-informed development approach is necessary to protect development gains and eradicate poverty.

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