Friday, November 19, 2021

Building Back Better





This article is about the United Nations program. For the slogan used by the 46th President of the United States, see Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign. For the proposed $7 trillion COVID-19 relief, future economic, and infrastructure package, see Build Back Better Plan. For the initiative by G7 countries, see Build Back Better World.

Building Back Better (BBB) is a strategy aimed at reducing the risk to the people of nations and communities in the wake of future disasters and shocks.[1] The BBB approach integrates disaster risk reduction measures into the restoration of physical infrastructure, social systems and shelter, and the revitalization of livelihoods, economies and the environment.[2]

BBB was first officially described in the United Nations' Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction document, which was agreed on at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held on March 14–18, 2015, in Sendai, Japan. It was adopted by UN member states as one of four priorities in the Sendai Framework for disaster recovery, risk reduction and sustainable development.[3] The UN General Assembly adopted this document on June 3, 2015.
Introduction of the concept to the UNEdit

At the opening speech of the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, stated: "The word of "Build Back Better" sounds like a new concept, but this is common sense to the Japanese people, coming from our historical experiences in recovering from disaster and preparing for the future, and it has become an important part of the culture of Japan."[4]

During the negotiation period for the Sendai Framework, the concept of "Build Back Better" was proposed by the Japanese delegation as a holistic concept which states: "The principle of 'Build Back Better' is generally understood to use the disaster as a trigger to create more resilient nations and societies than before. This was through the implementation of well-balanced disaster risk reduction measures, including physical restoration of infrastructure, revitalization of livelihood and economy/industry, and the restoration of local culture and environment". The concept was fully agreed as one of the most important concepts among each state's delegates and embedded into the Sendai Framework.

This concept was included in chapter 7 of the book Disaster Risk Reduction for Economic Growth and Livelihood, Investing in Resilience and Development: "Recovery and reconstruction: An opportunity for sustainable growth through 'build back better'". BBB had been used by people involved in the recovery process from natural disasters, but had not been clearly described as a holistic concept before this book.

Concept

Applications

Benefits

Sendai Framework Priority for Action

See also

References

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