On 13 and 14 May 2019, the Fourth Edition of the World Reconstruction Conference (WRC4) gathered over 1,000 participants from national and local governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, and international organizations from around the world. The overall goal was to build consensus and renew and accelerate efforts towards reaching inclusive recovery processes. The conference aimed to promote inclusion for resilient recovery and examined why certain minority groups are left behind by post-disaster recovery processes, and how they can better be included.
The ACP-EU NDRR Program facilitated the participation of over 50 delegates from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States to various WRC4 sessions, including as speakers and panelists. Representatives from ACP countries shared their knowledge and lessons learnt regarding the inclusion of all stakeholders in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction processes.
WRC4 sessions focused on many topics, ranging from civil protection, urban and rural settings, risk financing, promoting women’s leadership in recovery or conflict sensitivity. Several sessions also had specific geographical focus, such as on South Asia, Africa, or Small Islands States. Furthermore, Post-Disaster training demonstrations were organized during the two days of the conference.
H.E. Ambassador Leonard Emile Ognimba (Assistant Secretary General, Department of Political Affairs and Human Development, ACP Group of States) delivered the closing address of WRC4, highlighting the variety of subjects that were discussed during the conference, which illustrate the complexity of the recovery process and the challenges in ensuring that this process is inclusive. He also reminded that it is crucial that all partners and Governments work together towards achieving effective inclusion in recovery and development.
The WRC4 has contributed to the international dialogue on inclusion by raising awareness, facilitating discussion, sharpening the thinking, and setting the agenda for future engagement.
The WRC4 was jointly organized by the World Bank, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Commission, and hosted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The conference took place in conjunction with the 6th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (Geneva, May13-17, 2019).
More information can be found at https://www.gfdrr.org/en/WRC4
The Joint Communique can be found at https://bit.ly/2VSNjN8
The link to the highlight video and to all interviews can be found here.