On 6 November 2024, the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC) organised an online webinar entitled “Transformative Changes for Effective Risk Governance” as part of the 2024 Europe and Central Asia Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR), which was held in Budva, Montenegro, from 6 to 8 November.
The webinar (recording available at this link) was led and moderated by Veronica Casartelli (CMCC), in collaboration with Cristina Brailescu from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO).
The webinar highlighted initiatives in risk governance to strengthen resilience, sharing inspiring examples of good pratice to enable transformative changes. It emphasised the need for holistic approaches addressing multi- and systemic risks, incorporating all DRM stages, and ensuring inclusive, whole-of-society, and whole-of-government approaches to tackle challenges posed by the fast evolving risk landscape.
The webinar featured a joint keynote presentation by Veronica Casartelli (senior scientist at CMCC) and Cristina Brailescu (Team leader in the Prevention and disaster risk management Unit), which delved into the concept of transformative changes in risk governance.
Veronica Casartelli opened the discussion by highlighting the need to move beyond conventional approaches to disaster risk management in order to enable transformative changes and advance effective risk governance frameworks. Cristina presented the capacity building tools made available by DG ECHO for national authorities and other stakeholders working in the disaster risk management field. Among the main challenges highlighted was the need for capacity building at local and regional levels, emphasising the importance of further supporting local authorities and ensuring a bottom-up approach to governance.
Additionally, the importance of adopting a whole-of-society approach was stressed, promoting both vertical and horizontal coordination by engaging a wide range of stakeholders, including the private sector, research institutions, and civil society, to enhance cooperation at all levels. Another key challenge is the optimisation of financial resources allocated for disaster risk reduction, ensuring adequate funding and transparent processes for tracking expenditures. The need for an integrated, holistic, and cross-sectoral approach to disaster risk management, aligned with national strategies and policies, was also emphasised. Finally, there is a call for a shift from reactive, response-focused governance to prevention and preparedness, with a long-term focus on strategies and planning.
The webinar continued with a series of pitch presentations from invited speakers, including Cristina Marugan (Head of International Affairs Unit at the Spanish Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Emergencies), Karmen Poljansek (European Commission, JRC/DRMKC), Patricia Pella (Country based focal point for the Republic of Moldova at the UNDRR Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia), and Jaroslav Mysiak (Principal scientist at the CMCC Risk assessment and adaptation strategies Division). These presentations provided insights from the 2023 Spanish presidency workshop on risk governance, discussed the role of the Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre (DRMKC) in supporting DRM efforts, showcased examples of civil society engagement in the Republic of Moldova, and explored the key challenges in adapting risk governance frameworks to future climate, environmental, and socio-economic changes.
The session concluded with a panel discussion focusing on fostering local capacities, mobilising research organisations, enhancing inclusivity in governance, and promoting coherence between disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
The online event attracted a wide range of participants from different continents, reflecting the global relevance of the topics discussed and the need to boost resilience through effective risk governance frameworks.
Author: Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC)
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