World Reconstruction Conference 4

Inclusion in disaster recovery and reconstruction is a key condition for the people’s resilience. A more inclusive recovery fosters equal rights and opportunities, dignity and diversity, guaranteeing that nobody from a community is left out because of their age, gender, disability or other factors linked to ethnicity, religion, geography, economic status, political affiliation, health issues, or other life circumstances.

Experience in post-crisis situations demonstrate that disasters, particularly in conflict and fragile contexts, tend to have a disproportionate effect on the most vulnerable who are likely to be hit hardest. A report by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) emphasizes that disasters hit poor people particularly hard for five reasons: (i) overexposure, (ii) higher vulnerability, (iii) less ability to cope and recover, (iv) permanent impact on education and health, and (v) effects of risk on saving and investment behaviors. These reasons are valid for all the other groups mentioned above. Inclusion of all the components of society in recovery programs and activities is an effective way to make recovery an inclusive process that could contribute to reduce poverty, promote shared prosperity and increase resilience. ²

Inclusion in international policies and legal instruments: Many international policies and legal instruments acknowledge and encourage inclusion and participation. Most pertinent are: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (Priority 4), the Paris Climate Change Agreement, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and many other international policy frameworks and instruments.

Inclusion in Fragility and Conflict Context: Disasters and conflict/fragility situations are showing growing overlap in many contexts in the world. In these cases, while post-disaster recovery and reconstruction processes are ongoing, peacebuilding activities are implemented in parallel, with the same stakeholders and targets. Inclusion is very important for both processes and the WRC4 will be a suitable platform to discuss inclusion in disaster recovery situations, as well on conflict/fragility ones.

Inclusion and Building Back Better: Building Back Better is not just about infrastructure but also about strengthen governance systems, improve life-line services, diversify livelihoods, and provide social protection mechanisms for the most vulnerable households and communities. Therefore, BBB and inclusion are intrinsically linked to each other.

The recent GFDRR/World Bank publication “Building Back Better: Achieving resilience through stronger, faster and more inclusive post disaster reconstruction” highlights that “Building back more inclusively ensures that post-disaster support reaches all affected population groups. This emphasizes the importance of providing reconstruction support to low-income households, which are typically more exposed, more vulnerable, and less comprehensively supported. If all countries had the ability to provide the poorest people with the post-disaster support found in developed countries, global well-being losses due to natural disasters could be reduced by 9 percent, equivalent to a US$52 billion increase in annual global consumption. The effect is particularly pronounced in countries with high inequality, and where poor people have little access to social protection and financial instruments."

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