Building back better: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance the role of parliaments in reducing risks of disasters

A first IPU, UNDRR and WHO webinar for parliamentarians and parliamentary staff on COVID-19 was held on 28 April 2020. Based on the outcomes of the webinar and the feedback received from participants, a topic requiring further knowledge and discussion on the part of parliamentarians and parliamentary staff is the better integration of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and health plans and strategies, as well as ensuring their effective implementation.

National and sub-national multisectoral DRR strategies and plans provide direction for implementing and monitoring a country's risk reduction priorities, establishing the key roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, and identifying technical and financial resources. They also enable countries in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which outlines seven targets and four priorities for action to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risks.

In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to ensure that national DRR strategies are comprehensive of all hazards – prioritizing biological ones – and aligned with health plans. However, only few of the 81 Member States. The webinar will present, from a parliamentary perspective, country experiences of the management of the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications for the development and implementation of DRR strategies to build back better engaging the sectors beyond health.