Ireland's UN SDGs - Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities 2021

SDG 11.b.1 Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030; national disaster risk reduction strategies are set out in the National Adaptation Framework (NAF).

Ireland: National Adaptation Framework - Planning for a climate resilient Ireland

The National Adaptation Framework (NAF) sets out the national strategy to reduce the vulnerability of the country to the negative effects of climate change and to avail of positive impacts.  The NAF was developed under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015.

The NAF builds on the work already carried out under the National Climate Change Adaptation Framework (NCCAF, 2012).  The NAF outlines a whole of government and society approach to climate adaptation in Ireland.  Under the NAF a number of Government Departments will be required to prepare sectoral adaptation plans in relation to a priority area that they are responsible for.  Work on these plans began in 2018.  Local authorities are required to prepare local adaptation strategies.  The NAF will be reviewed at least once every five years.  The NAF also aims to improve the enabling environment for adaptation through ongoing engagement with civil society, the private sector and the research community.

Ireland: Sendai Framework data readiness review report (Preliminary Report)

This report reviews the availability of data in Ireland to report against the indicators recommended to measure the global targets of the Sendai Framework, and identify current gaps.

Scope and purpose

The present framework will apply to the risk of small-scale and large-scale, frequent and infrequent, sudden and slow-onset disasters, caused by natural or manmade hazards as well as related environmental, technological and biological hazards and risks.  It aims to guide the multi-hazard management of disaster risk in development at all levels as well as within and across all sectors.

Expected outcome

The substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries.

Goal

Prevent new and reduce existing disaster risk through the implementation of integrated and inclusive economic, structural, legal, social, health, cultural, educational, environmental, technological, political and institutional measures that prevent and reduce hazard exposure and vulnerability to disaster, increase preparedness for response and recovery, and thus strengthen resilience.

Targets

Targets to substantially reduce:

• Substantially reduce global disaster mortality by 2030, aiming to lower average per 100,000 global mortality between 2020-2030 compared to 2005-2015
• Substantially reduce the number of affected people globally by 2030, aiming to lower the average global figure per 100,000 between 2020-2030 compared to 2005-2015
• Reduce direct disaster economic loss in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030
• Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, among them health and educational facilities, including through developing their resilience by 2030

Targets to substantially increase:

• Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020
• Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of this framework by 2030
• Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to people by 2030

Priorities for Action

There is a need for focused action within and across sectors by States at local, national, regional and global levels in the following four priority areas.

Priority 1: Understanding disaster risk

Disaster risk management needs to be based on an understanding of disaster risk in all its dimensions of vulnerability, capacity, exposure of persons and assets, hazard characteristics and the environment.

Priority 2: Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk

Disaster risk governance at the national, regional and global levels is vital to the management of disaster risk reduction in all sectors and ensuring the coherence of national and local frameworks of laws, regulations and public policies that, by defining roles and responsibilities, guide, encourage and incentivize the public and private sectors to take action and address disaster risk.

Priority 3: Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience

Public and private investment in disaster risk prevention and reduction through structural and non-structural measures are essential to enhance the economic, social, health and cultural resilience of persons, communities, countries and their assets, as well as the environment.  These can be drivers of innovation, growth and job creation.  Such measures are cost-effective and instrumental to save lives, prevent and reduce losses and ensure effective recovery and rehabilitation.

Priority 4: Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to «Build Back Better» in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction

Experience indicates that disaster preparedness needs to be strengthened for more effective response and ensure capacities are in place for effective recovery.  Disasters have also demonstrated that the recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction phase, which needs to be prepared ahead of the disaster, is an opportunity to «Build Back Better» through integrating disaster risk reduction measures. Women and persons with disabilities should publicly lead and promote gender-equitable and universally accessible approaches during the response and reconstruction phases

Guiding Principles

• Primary responsibility of States to prevent and reduce disaster risk, including through cooperation
• Shared responsibility between central Government and national authorities, sectors and stakeholders as appropriate to national circumstances
• Protection of persons and their assets while promoting and protecting all human rights including the right to development
• Engagement from all of society
• Full engagement of all State institutions of an executive and legislative nature at national and local levels
• Empowerment of local authorities and communities through resources, incentives and decision-making responsibilities as appropriate
• Decision-making to be inclusive and risk-informed while using a multi-hazard approach
• Coherence of disaster risk reduction and sustainable development policies, plans, practices and mechanisms, across different sectors
• Accounting of local and specific characteristics of disaster risks when determining measures to reduce risk
• Addressing underlying risk factors cost-effectively through investment versus relying primarily on post-disaster response and recovery
• 'Build Back Better' for preventing the creation of, and reducing existing, disaster risk
• The quality of global partnership and international cooperation to be effective, meaningful and strong
• Support from developed countries and partners to developing countries to be tailored according to needs and priorities as identified by them.

SDG 11.b.2 Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies, is indicated in the National Adaptation Framework (NAF).

Ireland’s first statutory National Adaptation Framework (NAF) was published in 2018.  The NAF builds on the work already carried out under the National Climate Change Adaptation Framework (NCCAF, 2012).  The NAF outlines a whole of government and society approach to climate adaptation in Ireland.  Under the NAF a number of government departments will be required to prepare sectoral adaptation plans in relation to a priority area that they are responsible for.  Work on these plans began in 2018.  Local authorities are required to prepare local adaptation strategies.  The NAF will be reviewed at least once every five years.  The NAF also aims to improve the enabling environment for adaptation through ongoing engagement with civil society, the private sector and the research community.

The need to develop the Climate Action Regional Offices (CAROs) was reflected in both the National Adaptation Framework and the National Mitigation Plan.  Following the publication of the National Adaptation Framework in 2018, funding of €10 million over a 5-year period was announced to establish four CAROs. 

Climate Action Regional Offices - Structure

The regional structure of the CAROs was designed around the geographical and topographical characteristics, vulnerabilities and shared climate risks experienced across Local Authority areas.

Two of the CAROs, Atlantic Seaboard North and Atlantic Seaboard South focus on Atlantic Seaboard counties, providing the opportunity to specialise in common issues such as coastal erosion, and flooding along the west coast.

The Eastern and Midlands CARO focuses on Central, Eastern and Midland counties, facilitating the development of expertise in different issues such as fluvial flooding.

The Dublin Metropolitan CARO provides a focus on the Greater Dublin Region, allowing specific expertise to be developed for this largely urban environment.

With the publication of the Climate Action Plan and the signing of the Local Authority Climate Action Charter in 2019, significant additional responsibility and ambition were placed on the Local Authority sector in terms of climate action.  In 2020, the government published a new climate law that commits Ireland to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. 

This new amendment to the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2020 emphasises the need for greater climate action at regional and local level.  The law also requires Local Authorities to develop five-year Climate Action Plans, including mitigation and adaptation measures.

SDG Target 11.c Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials, is a Tier 3 indicator in the IAEG-SDGs classifications (See Background Notes).

No suitable replacement indicator was proposed.  The global statistical community is encouraged to work to develop an indicator that could be proposed for the 2025 comprehensive review.  See E/CN.3/2020/2, paragraph 23.