What is the ASDR platform?

The platform of the Austrian Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (ASDR) was founded in 2013. The ASDR platform deals with the national implementation of the activities of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). For this purpose, a national focal point was set up at GeoSphere Austria to coordinate these activities. The aim is to implement the United Nations Sendai Framework 2015-2030 in Austria.

From Disaster Management to Risk Management

For a long time, the focus in natural hazard management was on how best to respond in the event of a natural hazard event. The aim of UNDRR and thus also of the ASDR platform is to break this cycle of merely reacting to disasters and instead to move towards a preventive and proactive approach. By taking preventive protective measures, reducing exposure and vulnerability and increasing resilience, this step is to be achieved, away from disaster management and towards risk management (see also here).

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 – 2030 was adopted by the United Nations in 2015 in the Japanese city of Sendai in order to achieve

“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.” (UNDRR)

Goals

The members of the ASDR platform pursue the following common goals:

• exchange of experiences and concepts
• coordination of the member institutions’ strategies
• creation of synergies in the implementation of the individual institutions’ tasks
• joint development in thecontext of crisis intervention and prevention

In addition to these general objectives, an annual plan is drawn up each year with activities to be initiated and implemented.