News

• India has set up private sector alliance for disaster resilient communities, known as ARISE, an initiative supported by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

ARISE

• ARISE stands for the UNISDR Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies.

• It is a UNISDR-led network of private sector entities, whose members voluntarily commit to align with the Sendai Framework.

• Already 140 companies worldwide are members of ARISE.

• Its members share information, experience, activities, and projects, while the level of involvement and resources is at the discretion of each member.

• Most activities and interactions are a local and regional level, and ARISE is structured accordingly.

Why such move?

• The government has taken the initiative to strengthen private sector participation and investment in building disaster resilient infrastructure and bring down disaster losses, one of the key goals of the Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction.

• This will bring Indian corporates to work in tandem with the government to take action before a disaster strikes and build back better after a calamity.

• ARISE India would turn the private sector’s attention to the importance of action before a disaster strikes and to take advantage of opportunities that emerge to build back better after a disaster hits.

India’s losses to disasters

• A study released by the UNISDR last year said India suffered economic losses of $80 billion during the 20-year period of 1998 to 2017.

• India has been ranked among world’s top five countries in absolute economic losses.