Fourth World Reconstruction Conference

The fourth edition of the World Reconstruction Conference (WRC4) took place in Geneva on May 13-14, 2019 with the theme “Inclusion for Resilient Recovery”. WRC4 was held in conjunction with the 6th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR).

• The World Reconstruction Conference is a global forum that provides a platform to collect, assess, and share disaster reconstruction and recovery experiences and take forward the policy dialogue for an effective international disaster recovery and reconstruction framework.
• WRC4 brought together leaders, experts, policy makers, and practitioners from government, international organizations, NGOs, academia, and the private sector from both developing and developed countries.

About the Theme: ‘Inclusion for Resilient Recovery’

• Social inclusion is defined as “the process of improving the terms for individuals and groups to take part in society” and, more specifically, as “the process of improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of people, disadvantaged on the basis of their identity, to take part in society.”
• Inclusion in disaster recovery and reconstruction is a key condition for 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.
• The international frameworks set up by the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement on climate change all advocate an increasing focus on resilience and inclusion.

Goals & Objectives

• The overall goal of the WRC4 was to build consensus and to renew and accelerate efforts towards realizing inclusive recovery processes.
• The conference had the following specific objectives:
  • The WRC4 will further contribute to the international discourse on inclusion by raising awareness, facilitating discussion, sharpening the thinking, and setting the agenda for future engagement.
  • Identifying effective ways to ensure inclusive recovery and reconstruction processes
  • Building consensus on gender responsive approaches to promote shared recovery benefits
  • Enhance inclusion of people with disabilities in recovery and reconstruction
  • Fostering inclusion in disaster preparedness and response.

Partners

• The traditional WRC partners (EU, UNDP, World Bank) will have the opportunity to renew and expand their partnership with UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, now known as UNDRR- UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction) for a common platform on the two events.
• Over 1,000 participants attended the Fourth World Reconstruction Conference (WRC4), applying the pledge made by 193 countries in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to “leave no one behind” and “endeavor to reach the furthest behind” for resilient post-disaster recovery.