Context: The Fourth edition of the World Reconstruction Conference (WRC4) was held in Geneva. This conference was organized in conjunction with the 6th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR).

Theme: “Inclusion for Resilient Recovery”.

Participants: Experts, practitioners and stakeholders from governments, civil society, private sector, academia, international organizations and community-based organizations.

What is WRC?

The World Reconstruction Conference is a global forum that provides a platform to collect, assess, and share disaster reconstruction and recovery experiences and take forward the policy dialogue for an effective international disaster recovery and reconstruction framework.

Significance of the theme- Inclusion for Resilient Recovery:

Social inclusion is defined throughout Inclusion Matters as both “the process of improving the terms for individuals and groups to take part in society” and, more specifically, as “the process of improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of people, disadvantaged on the basis of their identity, to take part in society.”

Inclusion in disaster recovery and reconstruction is a key condition for the people’s resilience.

Significance: A more inclusive recovery fosters equal rights and opportunities, dignity and diversity, guaranteeing that nobody from a community is left out because of their age, gender, disability or other factors linked to ethnicity, religion, geography, economic status, political affiliation, health issues, or other life circumstances.

Need: The international frameworks set up by the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement on climate change all advocate for an increasing focus on resilience and inclusion.