Sustainable development is an important aspect of our national adaptation pathway in response to increasing disaster risks. Sustainable development can reduce the underlying root causes of systemic vulnerability that contribute directly to disaster risk, such as inequality, poverty, social exclusion, and environmental degradation.
National policies designed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) goals through inclusive growth, adaptive capacity building, enhanced access, local governance, social participation, mobility and environmental protection can contribute to building long term coping capacities, and system capabilities that contribute to national resilience and preparedness for emergencies. For example, working to achieve the SDGs can help enhance adaptive capacity and national preparedness to climate change, crisis, emergencies and disasters by:
- Using scientific evidence to inform evidence-based decision making
- Implementing flood risk reduction strategy to direct investment, collaboration and cooperation between sectors
- Developing new flood risk reduction policy based on scientific evidence including: development and land use planning policy, ecosystem, river and wetland restoration, integrated water resource management and conservation to address flood, drought and pollution risk and long-term water security.
The mid-term review of the Sustainable Development Goals warns that there has been vastly insufficient progress globally, and that the world is not on track to achieve the goals. The report concludes that the goals are still achievable, however, and makes an urgent call to action for implementing practical evidence-based recommendations to accelerate global progress.
Click here to read the Executive Summary, key findings and recommendations from the Sustainable Development Report 2023
Additional supporting reports
GAR Special Report 2023: Mapping resilience for the Sustainable Development Goals an Urgent call to action as disasters, climate change, conflict, disaster loss and humanitarian suffering increases exponentially. the report highlights how resilience can be strengthened to withstand and respond to shocks.
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special Edition which looks at the gaps and solutions with recommendations for action