Global Platform DRR 2025: Strengthening Governance, Legal Frameworks, and Regional Collaboration through WRHM2SCA-ISTC's PR206 Engagement

From May 31 to June 6, 2025, the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 2025 took place in Geneva, Switzerland. It featured a dynamic series of high-level dialogues, technical sessions, and strategic meetings aimed at strengthening global resilience mechanisms and advancing regional cooperation.

This multi-session engagement also highlighted the urgent need for improved governance, legal instruments, and data-driven decision-making to respond to evolving disaster risks.

Several strategic points allowed there to highlight the following from the event agenda: 1) regional parallel meetings with UNDRR in the Middle East, UNDRR in Europe and Central Asia, the League of Arab States (LAS), and the Arab Radiation Agency, which facilitated targeted networking and regional harmonization; 2) dialogues focused on improving DRR governance by 2030, promoting inclusive policy frameworks and cross-sectoral coordination; and 3) high-level dialogues and technical sessions focused on exploring legal and regulatory frameworks for effective disaster risk management; and 4) technical sessions that emphasized the critical role of post-disaster data in informing timely and evidence-based policy decisions.

Furthermore, a very productive meeting was held, where the WRHM2S project team was officially introduced to the Tajik delegation.

Another opportunity was a strategic meeting with Professor Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), where the opportunity to present the WRHM2SCA-206 project and discuss its alignment with global meteorological priorities proved particularly fruitful.

Furthermore, during discussions with Natalia Alonso Cano, Head of the UNDRR Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, avenues for further collaboration with the WRHM2S-206 and PPRDMED teams were explored.

This participation in several sessions of the 2025 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction reflects a strong commitment to enhancing regional resilience, developing legal innovations, and fostering collaborative governance in disaster risk reduction.