OECD: Common Ground between the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework: Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction

Countries are faced with the growing challenge of managing increasing risks from climate change and climate variability, putting development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals at risk. The adoption in 2015 of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda provides a clear mandate for increased coherence in countries’ approaches to climate and disaster risk reduction. Interventions to adapt to climate change and reduce disaster risks share common objectives, but too often they are developed and deployed through administrative silos. The wide range of institutions and government officials responsible for managing climate hazard exposures and reducing vulnerability often miss potential synergies and duplicate efforts.

Governments are increasingly recognising the benefits of greater coherence in climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR), exemplified by the number of countries that either have developed joint strategies or put in place processes that facilitate co-ordination across the two policy areas. Coherence is a means to integrate the pursuit of CCA and DRR in sustainable development. It is a process of co-ordination and can be operationalised horizontally across sectors; vertically at different levels of government; and through collaboration across stakeholder groups.