LAUSR

Disaster Risk Management (DRM) is one of six focus areas of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). The Jakarta Concord, signed by the IORA member states, includes specific objectives aimed to further strengthen DRM within the region. In particular, paragraph 16(d) of the Jakarta Concord brings two international policy frameworks within the realm of IORA’s focus to address DRM: the Paris Agreement, adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which calls for Parties to the agreement to enhance their understanding, action and support to the loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (Sendai Framework), which sets out seven global targets aimed at the reduction of disaster risk and losses. Since its entry into force, the UNFCCC has adopted various binding decisions that address the adverse effects of climate change, including more frequent and severe disasters. The aim of this paper is to determine whether or not there are grounds for collaboration between the IORA and the UNFCCC to further enhance and strengthen DRM within the Indian Ocean Rim region. In doing so this paper identifies collaboration with the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM) as a theme of common interest to all the IORA countries. It also provides specific recommendations that will benefit all the IORA countries. Furthermore, it also leaves room for the IORA countries to conduct additional DRM research and agenda setting at a national level. It is argued that collectively these international frameworks form the basis for cooperation between the WIM and IORA, including sharing knowledge and building further capacity within the region to enhance and strengthen DRM.