ARISE Board sets strategic direction for 2023-2026 to enhance global disaster resilience

The ARISE Board Meeting, held on 22 May, 2024, in a hybrid format, was a significant moment marked by the introduction of UN Secretary-General (SRSG) Mr Kamal Kishore and approval of the workplan for 2023-2026. Participating in his inaugural engagement with the board, SRSG Kishore set a strategic direction for future initiatives, emphasizing the importance of resilient and innovative approaches in disaster risk reduction.

SRSG Kamal Kishore's address

SRSG Kamal Kishore highlighted the indispensable role of the private sector in enhancing disaster resilience, urging businesses to integrate resilience into their core operations beyond traditional corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Kishore emphasized the necessity of realistic and actionable workplans, advocating for strong public-private collaboration to address policy challenges and foster innovation.

UNDRR ARISE

Strategic priorities, approved workplan, and workstreams

The board approved a comprehensive workplan designed to drive tangible results in disaster risk reduction.

ARISE Board member Susana Fuentez Riquelme acted as the overall coordinator for the elaboration of the workplan. She led the process of reviewing necessary inputs which included the midterm review of the Sendai Framework, the prospects for the ARISE review, near-term priorities, leadership statements, ARISE Terms of Reference (ToRs), KPIs, and various reports. In this process, 1 board member led the overall coordination and 6 workstreams were supported by 7 leads. The approved workplan includes several critical workstreams, each aimed at addressing strategic priorities and enhancing specific aspects of the ARISE's mission:

1. Leadership and Oversight

Led by Co-chair Terry Kinyua, this stream focuses on conducting bi-annual board meetings, with at least one being in-person if possible, contributing to the ARISE review process, and maintaining regular communication with Network Leaders. This stream highlighted the importance of monitoring the board's activities through a dashboard and serving as the focal point for private sector engagement within the UNDRR Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (SEM).

2. Strategic Review and Engagement

Vice-Chair Mahmoud Al-Burai spearheads efforts to foster collaboration with other UNDRR-supported initiatives, with a specific focus on the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative. This stream aims to eliminate operational silos and strengthen partnerships, particularly with the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). Developing incentive schemes for businesses that invest in resilience, such as recognition through awards or competitions, is also a key focus.

3. Impact on the Ground

Liam Carter leads this stream, emphasizing the importance of communication and dissemination of best practices. This includes capturing new case studies, reviewing, updating, and monitoring KPI progress using a dashboard to keep ARISE aligned. The stream aims to highlight impact stories within the DRR sphere to amplify successful initiatives and inspire further action. Supporting the development of the ARISE Annual Report is also a crucial component.

4. Advocacy, Communications, and Knowledge

Adriana Solano oversees this stream, which aims to develop an updated ARISE Communications Toolkit targeting local and national governments, as well as strategic sectors. Maintaining and updating the ARISE website and social media platforms to publish news, events, tools, training, and good practices is essential. Monitoring communication activities through a dashboard to ensure visibility and stakeholder engagement is a primary objective.

5. Membership Engagement and Partnerships

Bhagat Khanna's stream is responsible for organizing the ARISE AGM, planning ARISE meetings, and promoting the integration of DRR in private sector initiatives. The goal is to facilitate the affiliation of more members, targeting at least a 3% annual increase, while maintaining diversity across sectors. This stream also emphasizes building robust partnerships to enhance DRR efforts.

6. Resource Mobilization

Alexander Pama and Camila Tapias lead the resource mobilization efforts, focusing on developing a strategy to secure funding from potential donors and organizing meetings with companies, foundations, and other donors to explore financing opportunities. They plan to organize webinars on financing resilience, share lessons learned, and leverage the UNDRR Trust Fund and partnerships with entities like the UN Foundation to facilitate donations. Leading or co-designing sessions on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and resilient business practices at regional or global platforms is also a key action.

Future outlook and commitment

An in-person meeting is proposed for November 25, 2024, in Dubai focusing on climate change and infrastructure which will coincide with a side event on DRR, emphasizing the critical need for public-private collaboration in tackling global challenges such as climate change and infrastructure resilience.

The ARISE Board remains committed to diligently working towards the approved workplan, focusing on strategic priorities that support disaster risk reduction across various sectors, including SME, infrastructure, insurance, and investment.

Explore the Board Workplan:

• If you are a Board Member, use this link https://cc.preventionweb.net/_legacy/_/cy70zfdl 
• If you are a Network Leader, use this link https://cc.preventionweb.net/_legacy/_/y8j08dmp