The Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) is an ambitious agreement that sets out the overall objective to substantially reduce 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.It pursues the following 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."
The Framework recognizes that the strong commitment and involvement of political leadership in every country is crucial. State level governments share their responsibility to reduce disaster risk with other stakeholders such as local government, the private sector and other non-State actors. It puts in place 4 clear priorities for action and 7 global targets for the substantial reduction of disaster risk.
The Sendai Framework covers technological hazards, in addition to natural hazards, which represent an evolution compared to its predecessor, the Hyogo Framework for Action. These technological hazards include chemical/industrial hazards further to radiological, nuclear, biological, and others.
Postcard on the Convention's linkages with the Sendai Framework ENG RUS
The UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention helps its Parties and committed countries to follow up on the priorities for action set out in the Sendai Framework. Effective implementation of the Convention contributes to achieving the Sendai objectives, while the priorities for action under the Sendai Framework directly support prevention, preparedness and response to industrial and chemical accidents. This mutual relevance translates into concrete activities of the Industrial Accidents Convention, in particular:
The Convention stresses the importance of identifying potentially hazardous activities to be able to target actions for prevention, preparedness and response. It sets out preventive measures to be carried out by national authorities and operators, including legislative and institutional measures. The Convention also deals with the siting of hazardous installations as part of land-use planning policies and measures to minimize risks to the population and the environment.
The Convention provides a framework for Parties to set up their legal and institutional frameworks at local, national and regional levels to address the prevention of, preparedness for and response to industrial accidents. It focuses on disaster risk reduction arising from hazardous activities which can cause a transboundary effect in case of accident. The Convention can be regarded as a mechanism for regional and subregional cooperation, as it addresses local and transboundary disaster risk reduction in case the consequences of an accident travel across borders and supports capacity development.
The Convention promotes the prevention of technological disaster risks through institutional, legislative and practical measures adopted by authorities and operators. This comes with an obligation to adopt legislation for disaster risk reduction, requiring operators of hazardous installations to ensure and demonstrate the safe performance of their activities. To ensure implementation of these measures, Parties need to include financial means as well. The Convention therefore also promotes coherence across sectors by stipulating cooperation among national authorities, which includes the private sector. Proper investments in all elements of DRR and industrial accident prevention are critical in order to strengthen resilience.
The Convention promotes the organization of transboundary exercises to train relevant authorities and the population on preparedness and response. More specifically, in line with the Sendai Framework, the Convention contains obligations to:
(a) Prepare, review and periodically update disaster preparedness and contingency policies, plans and programmes, ensuring the participation of all sectors and stakeholders, in particular when preparing on- and off-site contingency plans as required by the Convention
(b) Promote regular disaster preparedness, response and recovery exercises
(c) Develop and strengthen, as appropriate, coordinated regional approaches and operational mechanisms to prepare for and ensure rapid and effective disaster response, for example, through the use of the UNECE Industrial Accident Notification System to request and render mutual assistance in a cross-border context.
1. Understanding disaster risk
The Convention stresses the importance of identifying potentially hazardous activities to be able to target actions for prevention, preparedness and response. It sets out preventive measures to be carried out by national authorities and operators, including legislative and institutional measures. The Convention also deals with the siting of hazardous installations as part of land-use planning policies and measures to minimize risks to the population and the environment.
2. Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk
The Convention provides a framework for Parties to set up their legal and institutional frameworks at local, national and regional levels to address the prevention of, preparedness for and response to industrial accidents. It focuses on disaster risk reduction arising from hazardous activities which can cause a transboundary effect in case of accident. The Convention can be regarded as a mechanism for regional and subregional cooperation, as it addresses local and transboundary disaster risk reduction in case the consequences of an accident travel across borders and supports capacity development.
3. Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience
The Convention promotes the prevention of technological disaster risks through institutional, legislative and practical measures adopted by authorities and operators. This comes with an obligation to adopt legislation for disaster risk reduction, requiring operators of hazardous installations to ensure and demonstrate the safe performance of their activities. To ensure implementation of these measures, Parties need to include financial means as well. The Convention therefore also promotes coherence across sectors by stipulating cooperation among national authorities, which includes the private sector. Proper investments in all elements of DRR and industrial accident prevention are critical in order to strengthen resilience.
4. Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction
The Convention promotes the organization of transboundary exercises to train relevant authorities and the population on preparedness and response. More specifically, in line with the Sendai Framework, the Convention contains obligations to:
(a) Prepare, review and periodically update disaster preparedness and contingency policies, plans and programmes, ensuring the participation of all sectors and stakeholders, in particular when preparing on- and off-site contingency plans as required by the Convention
(b) Promote regular disaster preparedness, response and recovery exercises
(c) Develop and strengthen, as appropriate, coordinated regional approaches and operational mechanisms to prepare for and ensure rapid and effective disaster response, for example, through the use of the UNECE Industrial Accident Notification System to request and render mutual assistance in a cross-border context.
UNECE DRR-related activities under the Industrial Accidents Convention:
- Support to countries with integrating technological/chemical accident risks into national disaster risk reduction strategies, policies and plans thus strengthening existing governance of multi-hazards risks, including in the transboundary context, and fostering the implementation of the Sendai Framework and the UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention through dedicated activities and projects, such as the Project on Addressing technological/industrial accident risks in national DRR policies and plans of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
- Contribution to the development of the UNDRR Words into Action guidelines: Implementation Guide on man-made/technological hazards, in cooperation with the Joint UN Environment/OCHA Unit, OECD, the EU Joint Research Centre and other organizations. The publication describes the different hazards and present experiences and good practice on how to manage related risks, incl. from the Industrial Accidents Convention.
- Contribution to the seventh session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (Bali and online, 27 May 2022), by organizing a side event “Governance of climate and technological risks in transboundary water bodies”, in partnership with the UNDRR Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ROECA), and Armenia. It covered the concrete examples of multi-hazard, multi-risk approaches to strengthen disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation to support implementation of the Sendai Framework and the Paris Agreement, while building on existing legal instruments, notably UNECE’s Water and Industrial Accidents Conventions.
- Organization of a featured session on chemical and industrial hazards/risks at the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (Matosinhos and online, 24 November 2021), entitled “Preventing another Sandoz, Baia Mare or Beirut accident: Perspective on risk management in the context of the Sendai Framework.” It aimed at integrating good practice in managing risks related to industrial and chemical hazard into the implementation of the Sendai Framework.
- Under the auspices of the Industrial Accidents Convention, various guiding materials have been developed – such as Safety Guidelines and Good Practices for Oil Terminals, pipelines and the Guidance on Land-Use Planning and the Siting of Hazardous Activities. In addition, the following tools have been prepared: Safety guidelines and good practices for tailings management facilities and a related checklist methodology, a Checklist for contingency planning for accidents affecting transboundary waters, and the Online Toolkit and Training for Strengthening Mine Tailings Safety. Countries can use these instruments to progress towards better management of multiple hazards and risks in the context of disaster reduction. The countries have been supported by the Convention in use of these tools through various capacity-building projects as well as the work of the intergovernmental bodies, such as the Conference of the Parties and the Joint Expert Group on Water and Industrial Accidents, in which they participate.
- Contribution to the development of the UNDRR 2019 Global Assessment Report (GAR), notably, as coordinating lead authors for Chapters 3.1.8 on chemical/industrial risk
- Engagement in the UNDRR Scientific and Advisory Group (STAG) on natural-hazard triggered technological accidents (NATECH)
- Awareness-raising through communication and promotional materials, such as the DRR voices blogs "From "disaster" to "risk" management: Ensuring a multi-hazard, multi-stakeholder, and integrated approach for man-made/technological hazards" and "Managing industrial risks across borders"
- A United Nations/OECD workshop on NATECH risk management, held in September 2018 in Potsdam, Germany, with UNECE in the lead of the organization of Session 6 on "Transboundary and international cooperation"
- A joint UNECE/OECD Seminar, held in November 2016 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in the framework of the Ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention. The seminar aimed at fostering the implementation of the sustainable development agenda for industrial accidents prevention, preparedness and response, in particular in view of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
- Facilitating and implementing of transboundary preparedness exercises, e.g. a Trilateral field exercise in the Danube Delta regions between the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine in September 2015, a Bilateral exercise between Poland and Germany on the Oder River in September 2017 and an Accidental water pollution exercise on the Danube River with possible transboundary effects in October 2018
- Capacity-building on land-use planning and industrial safety through a seminar for UNECE countries (Mechelen, Belgium, May 2018), subregional workshops in Eastern Europe and Caucasus (May 2019), and South-Eastern Europe (October 2021)
- Capacity-building activities to support the identification and notification of hazardous activities in Central Asia, South-Eastern Europe and the Caucasus and Eastern Europe (2015-2017)
- Support to countries in the application of guidance materials developed under the Convention, e.g. of a checklist on contingency planning for accidents affecting transboundary waters, guidance on land-use planning and safety guidelines for tailings management facilities, pipelines, oil terminals and firefighting water management and retention strategies
- Initiation of and participation in the Inter-Agency Coordination Meetings on Industrial Accidents, held regularly since 2013.