Brief for GSDR 2015 Transforming disaster risk reduction for more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development

The document identifies critical gaps in current disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts, specifically the neglect of cultural and contextual factors in vulnerability assessments. It argues that DRR, climate change adaptation, and development are currently 'siloed' and must be integrated to avoid unsustainable patterns of exploitation and loss. The authors call for a shift from top-down, expert-driven governance to transformative, bottom-up approaches that incorporate local knowledge and non-economic assets. To achieve this, they propose using holistic, mixed-method research tools, such as Knowledge Elicitation Tools (KnETs), to better understand the tacit drivers of decision-making and organisational culture.

• Current disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts often fail because they overlook how cultural belief systems, social norms, and governance structures influence vulnerability and resilience, frequently relying on invalid assumptions about the priorities and rationality of target communities.
• There is a critical need to integrate DRR, climate change adaptation, and social-economic development, as these areas are currently hindered by institutional barriers and 'siloed' thinking despite their interdependent nature.
• Existing models of risk management based on incremental adaptation are unsustainable and lead to the loss of biodiversity, human rights, and cultural heritage, while some development choices can actually exacerbate disaster risks by increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Effective long-term resilience requires a transformation of governance away from top-down, expert-driven approaches and technological quick-fixes toward bottom-up, multi-stressor approaches that value local knowledge and non-economic assets.
• Assessments of DRR progress by local governments are often flawed because they equate progress with the mere establishment of a DRR unit rather than the integration of socio-economic, cultural, and political aspects of risk.
• The authors advocate for 'mixed-method' approaches, such as Knowledge Elicitation Tools (KnETs) and agent-based social simulations, to uncover the tacit drivers of decision-making and the influence of organisational culture.

APA

Thomalla, F., Johnson, K., Bharwani, S., Johannessen, Å., & Butterfield, R. (n.d.). Brief for GSDR 2015 Transforming disaster risk reduction for more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-GSDR-2015-brief-Transforming-DRR-inclusive-equitable-sustainable-dev.pdf

Chicago

Thomalla, Frank, Karlee Johnson, Sukaina Bharwani, Åse Johannessen, and Ruth Butterfield. Brief for GSDR 2015 Transforming disaster risk reduction for more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development. Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-GSDR-2015-brief-Transforming-DRR-inclusive-equitable-sustainable-dev.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Thomalla |first1=Frank |last2=Johnson |first2=Karlee |last3=Bharwani |first3=Sukaina |last4=Johannessen |first4=Åse |last5=Butterfield |first5=Ruth |title=Brief for GSDR 2015 Transforming disaster risk reduction for more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-GSDR-2015-brief-Transforming-DRR-inclusive-equitable-sustainable-dev.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{thomallandbrief, author = {Thomalla, Frank and Johnson, Karlee and Bharwani, Sukaina and Johannessen, Åse and Butterfield, Ruth}, title = {{Brief for GSDR 2015 Transforming disaster risk reduction for more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-GSDR-2015-brief-Transforming-DRR-inclusive-equitable-sustainable-dev.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }