Reflection of Challenges and Opportunities within the COVID-19 Pandemic to Include Biological Hazards into DRR Planning.

Emily Ying Yang Chan,Rajib Shaw,Ranit Chatterjee,Chi Shing Wong,Kevin Kei Ching Hung,Yong-Kyun Kim,Ada Ho Yin Fong,Caroline Dubois,Antonia Loyzaga,Ambika Dabral

doi:10.3390/ijerph18041614

Abstract

COVID-19 has reinforced the need to revisit the integration of health within disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies for biological hazards in a system-wide approach. In November 2020, DRR experts attended the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction (APP-DRR) Forum to share progress and learnings in the areas of health system resilience, data management, residual risk management, risk communication, digital literacy, and knowledge product marketing. Advancements for health in DRR included the importance of multi-sectoral, multi-hazard action plans; adaptation to technological advancements in data collection, dissemination and protection; promoting the health and wellbeing of essential and nonprofessional workers; and improving inclusivity in digital literacy. COVID-19 has affected progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and created a unique opportunity within DRR to re-evaluate the adequacy of response mechanisms against concurrent, cascading or interacting risks of future biological hazards. Health emergency disaster risk management (Health-EDRM) is a new World Health Organization paradigm that includes DRR at intra-, inter- and multidisciplinary levels. Scientific advancement under Health-EDRM is necessary for health and non-health actors in DRR education and research. Continuous education on the multifaceted risk governance is a key to building awareness, capacity and accelerating towards achieving the international DRR and the SDG targets.

Highlights

The intersection between health, resilience capacity building and disaster risk reduction (DRR) planning and strategies has emerged as an interdisciplinary field of great importance for the protection of human health and wellbeing [1] since the publication of 4.0/).Int
This paper delineates the key issues as highlighted at the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction (APP-DRR) Forum (December 2020) convened by the United
In response to the multifaceted impacts of COVID-19, many jurisdictions mobilized resources outside of the health sector to impose control measures against the spread of the virus, which brought in travel, tourism, education, and other sectors

Summary

Methods

This paper delineates the key issues as highlighted at the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction (APP-DRR) Forum (December 2020) convened by the United. Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional office for Asia and the Pacific. This is a multi-stakeholder forum that includes governments, regional intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, international organizations and donor organizations. The purpose of the discussions is to monitor the implementation of the Sendai Framework across the region and for stakeholders to share community-relevant insights and identify key priority action areas towards DRR in the region [11]. The way forward for health system resilience building, data management, residual risk management, risk communications, digital literacy, and knowledge product marketing were priority areas identified in this forum and are discussed in this paper

Results

Discussion

Conclusion