WHAT IS DRRM INNOVATION?

A new or improved solution to an identified disaster risk in any specific community.

Specifically for humanitarian actors, it could be a new or improved solution to
improve delivery of humanitarian response.

The Philippines’ Community-Led Innovation Partnership. (2021). PINNOVATION

ACADEMY. https://www.pinnovation.ph/

INNOVATIONS IN DISASTER RISK

REDUCTION
Innovations are not required to be entirely new or radical in nature. They drive
growth and help address social challenges and can contribute to the mitigation of
climate change, advancement of sustainable development, and the promotion of
social cohesion. To tackle those issues, innovations should be cost effective and
should save lives, reduce losses, and ensure effective recovery and rehabilitation.
Thus, innovations can take such different forms as products, processes, concepts,
methods, approaches, services, and mindsets.

In DRR fields, many innovations have been implemented and proven their
usefulness and effectiveness. To further promote DRR innovations, the types of
DRR innovations that are most effective and useful for improving current DRR
capacities must be understood. To collect information on the most effective and
useful innovations, a survey was conducted among representatives of academia,
practitioners, the private sector, and government. Use of the results can help support
the development of localized innovations that will reduce future disaster risk,
providing more effective and prompter responses and building disaster-resilient
societies.

Izumi, Takako, et al. “Progress in Disaster Science 2 (2019) 100033.” Progress in Disaster
Science, vol. 2, no. 100033, 2019
 30 Innovations Linking DRR with
SDGs
As we enter the new decade, it is becoming abundantly clear that greater
commitment and accelerated action is urgently needed to help meet their
commitments to combat climate change and reducedisaster risk. A transformation of
this magnitude calls for new ways of thinking and operating, underscoring the need
to promote innovation as a critical factor in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda,
including the Sendai Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Innovations might include technology-based solutions that help resource-constrained
countries implement change at scale or community-based innovations that address
local needs, or maybe applications of traditional and indigenous knowledge to solve
modern problems. This wide diversity in innovation was well-captured in the “30
Innovations for Disaster Risk Reduction” publication which was released in May
2019 at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Not surprisingly, countries and communities seeking to fast-track resilience-building
have made a strong call for more examples and case studies of how innovation is
helping to achieve tangible results in disaster risk reduction (DRR). Accordingly, I am
pleased that this second volume of “30 Innovations” provides even more examples of
innovative solutions and good practices that inspire us to think “outside the box” and
test new ideas that will propel progress in reducing disaster and climate risk.
The second volume of “30 Innovations” is unique in that it links disaster risk
reduction with the Sustainable Development Goals and highlights sector-based DRR
innovations. These innovations emphasize the multi-sectoral dimensions of DRR and
remind us that only a transversal, collaborative approach will allow us to achieve our
common objective of mitigating risks. Just one example included in “30 Innovations”
is the growing cooperation between DRR, climate change adaption and
environmental protection agencies, as demonstrated by the results of the 200-
respondent survey included in the publication.
“30 Innovations” is a welcome addition to the set of tools that countries and
communities need to address the challenges of increasing climate and disaster risks.
The future of DRR needs to be innovative, sustainable, and people-centred if we are
to succeed in tackling these global challenges and building resilience for all. “30
Innovations” is an important step helping to lead us in this direction.
Ms. Loretta Hieber Girardet Chief, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Office
for Asia and the Pacific

Izumi, T.; Shaw, R.; Ishiwatari, M.; Djalante, R.; Komino, T., Sukhwani, V., Adu
Gyamfi, B. (2020): 30 innovations for disaster risk reduction by IRIDeS, Keio
University, the University of Tokyo, UNU-IAS, CWS Japan, Japan, 97 pages