Canada to Host Fifth Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2017 - Meeting will address regional priorities to meet Sendai Framework commitments

OTTAWA, June 9, 2016 /CNW/ - Today, Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, announced that Canada will host the Fifth Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas in 2017. This meeting will bring together some 1,000 delegates from over 50 member states in the Americas to discuss opportunities for collaboration and coordination in meeting shared objectives to reduce disaster risks in the region and to meet the United Nations' Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) commitments.

A senior official from Public Safety Canada, Lori MacDonald, Assistant Deputy Minister of Emergency Management and Programs, took part this week in the First Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities for the Americas on the Sendai Framework, hosted by the government of Paraguay. This week's meetings laid the groundwork for the Regional Platform meeting in Canada next year and identified guidelines to develop an action plan for the Americas.

Quick Facts

• Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is a systematic, whole-of-society approach to identifying, assessing and analyzing the causal effects of disasters and reducing the risks and impacts of disasters based on risk assessments.
• In March 2015, Canada endorsed the United Nations' Sendai Framework for DRR to contribute to the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses globally by 2030. Public Safety Canada is responsible for leadership on the domestic implementation of disaster risk reduction, including Canada's commitments under the Sendai Framework.
• The Government of Canada is building strong, inclusive and sustainable communities by implementing its plan to invest over $120 billion in infrastructure over the next ten years, including improvements to the ability of Canada's public infrastructure to withstand the impacts of climate change. Phase 1 of the plan was announced in Budget 2016 and included a number of investments that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance climate change resilience, such as:
  • $75 million to support enhanced municipal planning for climate change resilience, including funding to support municipal projects to identify and implement greenhouse gas reduction opportunities, assess local climate risks, and integrate climate change impacts into asset management planning practices;
  • $40 million to integrate climate resilience into building design guides and codes; and
  • $129.5 million for climate change adaptation programs focused on building the science base to inform decision-making, protecting the health and well-being of Canadians, building resilience in the North and in Indigenous communities, and enhancing competitiveness in key economic sectors.

Quotes

"Building a safe and resilient Canada is a responsibility shared by all levels of government, as well as the private sector, non-government organizations and individual Canadians. We look forward to hosting our hemispheric colleagues in 2017 and to engaging both domestically and internationally to work towards these important commitments."

- The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

"The Government of Canada helps make our communities more livable while protecting new and existing infrastructure from the potential effects of climate change. We provide a range of funding programs to support communities in mitigating the risks associated with natural hazards and making municipal infrastructure more resilient, sustainable and environmentally friendly."

- The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"Climate change is leading to more and stronger extreme weather events in Canada and around the world. As we work together across Canada and internationally to fight climate change, it's equally important that we unite to help our communities adapt to these challenges. I am glad the Government of Canada is leading this coordinated approach to address the impacts of climate change at the community level and beyond."

-   The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change

Associated Links

• Canada's Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
• Canada's Approach to Climate Change Consultation
• Canada's Infrastructure Plan

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SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

Scott Bardsley, Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 613-998-5681; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657