PLENARY SESSION: Recover and build back better in a context of increasing uncertainty and complexity of risk. Experiences and lessons learnt

In the last few years, the world has profoundly changed as have the opportunities for social, infrastructural, and economic recovery. The impacts of the pandemic have been compounded by other natural hazards, conflicts, and crises.  This complex situation has set back efforts to reduce poverty, develop economies and achieve the SDGs.

The Americas and the Caribbean is one of the regions that has mobilized unprecedented resources to respond to and recover from the complex and interconnected set of threats.  The challenge is to ensure that this mobilization is used as effectively as possible to improve recovery practices to build resilience to future hazards in a sustainable and inclusive manner.

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, significant knowledge, tools, and processes were developed in the region regarding better recovery practices. Increasingly, governments have gathered around new methodologies and ways to protect recovery investments after a disaster. However, these experiences are happening in an isolated and fragmented fashion. They would benefit from collective learning and exchange mechanisms for speeding up innovative ways of tackling recovery challenges in a context where the uncertainty and impacts of systemic risks will play a more significant role in the national development agendas.

Post-pandemic recovery presents a sterling opportunity for public and private sector actors, as well as academics and community organizations, to further bolster/transform their ecosystems for deeper collaboration to BBB and promote/establish a resilient and inclusive society.      

Session objectives

The overall objective of this plenary session is to promote knowledge sharing and experience exchange to advance the practice of post disaster recovery with a comprehensive approach. It is expected to provide a broad overview of key approaches used in the Americas and the Caribbean region to prepare, assess, plan and implement recovery processes, thereby contributing to strengthening resilience and decreasing the impact of disasters on lives and livelihoods.

Specific objectives are:

1. To discuss how recovery opportunities and challenges have changed in the aftermath of the pandemic, and in light of other compounding natural, social and economic issues.
2. To identify opportunities for more sustainable, inclusive and resilient recovery.
3. To seek how science and technology advancements can be further integrated into recovery process.