System: Pacific Disaster Center hosts bilateral exchange on disaster risk reduction, climate resilience

Week-long engagement in Maui will emphasize flood and wildfire risk analysis and preparedness

University of Hawaiʻi

Contact:

The University of Hawaiʻi’s Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) will host a bilateral exchange with a special delegation from the country of Ghana to share the latest innovations in disaster risk reduction and climate change analysis. The week-long engagement April 8–12 will focus on methodologies and technologies for assessing risks from multiple hazards to inform effective decision-making, with a special emphasis on floods and wildfires. 

Visit to Maui’s Fire Department

During the visit, Ghanaian delegates and members of PDC will visit with the County of Maui’s Fire Department to share experiences and understand the unique challenges facing Maui. The delegation will also receive a brief on the recent wildfire disaster that consumed the historic town of Lahaina—displacing more than 8,000 people and destroying over 2,000 structures.

Highlighting Achievements and Challenges

Members of Ghana’s delegation will highlight their recent achievements in flood and wildfire response, discuss regional challenges they are facing with climate change and disaster management, and examine technological innovations the country is exploring to track populations during crises to more efficiently guide response efforts and humanitarian aid.

National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment

The team from PDC will provide Ghanaian delegates with a preview of its National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment conducted in partnership with PDC and Ghana’s National Disaster Management Organization. The assessment provides critical insights at both national and subnational scales including a comprehensive multi-hazard risk profile for each of Ghana’s administrative regions, anticipated climate hazard impacts, a disaster management capacity analysis, and a five-year plan of recommendations and actions aligned with the United Nations (U.N.) Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Contact Information

For more information about this event or the Pacific Disaster Center, contact PDC Communications Manager, Chani Goering at (808) 495-3865

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About the Pacific Disaster Center

Winner of the 2022 U.N. Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction, the University of Hawaiʻi’s Pacific Disaster Center is a global leader in the application of life-saving disaster management science, early warning technology, and advanced analytics. Our risk intelligence products provide decision-makers with the essential insights and information needed to act early to protect communities from hazards and to build more sustainable, resilient communities for a safer world. 

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.
   • Indicator: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.

2. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • Indicator: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into their national policies, strategies, and planning.

3. SDG 15: Life on Land

   • Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
   • Indicator: Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The SDGs addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article are SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 13: Climate Action, and SDG 15: Life on Land.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, the specific targets identified are:
– Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.
– Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
– Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, there are indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. The indicators mentioned in the article are:
– Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population (Indicator for Target 11.5).
– Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into their national policies, strategies, and planning (Indicator for Target 13.1).
– Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area (Indicator for Target 15.3).

The article discusses the engagement between the University of Hawaiʻi’s Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and a special delegation from Ghana to share innovations in disaster risk reduction and climate change analysis. It mentions a focus on floods and wildfires, which are water-related disasters. This connects to SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, specifically Target 11.5, which aims to reduce the number of deaths, people affected, and economic losses caused by disasters, including water-related disasters. The indicator mentioned in the article, the number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population, can be used to measure progress towards this target.

The article also highlights the importance of strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters. This aligns with SDG 13: Climate Action, specifically Target 13.1. The indicator mentioned in the article, the number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into their national policies, strategies, and planning, can be used to measure progress towards this target.

Additionally, the article mentions the need to combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, and achieve a land degradation-neutral world. This relates to SDG 15: Life on Land, particularly Target 15.3. The indicator mentioned in the article, the proportion of land that is degraded over total land area, can be used to measure progress towards this target.

Overall, the article addresses or connects to SDGs 11, 13, and 15, and specific targets and indicators can be identified based on its content.

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators