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Risk governance is key to establishing social resilience. It is the system of institutions, mechanisms, policy and legal frameworks used to guide, coordinate and oversee disaster risk reduction and related areas of policy. Without strong risk governance, disasters have greater negative impacts on communities. 

The participation of relevant stakeholders is therefore essential for efficient risk governance. All relevant stakeholders should be identified and included in the decision-making and implementation stages, supported by good communication before, during, and after natural hazard events. As such, UNESCO is committed to engaging various civil society members such as youth, women and indigenous groups to help establish their needs as part of a holistic disaster risk reduction (DRR) approach. Only together can we create a more resilient society for all. 

Priority 2 of the Sendai Framework clearly outlines the importance of building resilience through strengthening risk governance: “Disaster risk governance at the national, regional, and global levels is very important for prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and rehabilitation. It fosters collaboration and partnership.” 

The non-binding agreement recognizes that the State has the primary role in reducing disaster risk, but also acknowledges that this responsibility is shared between other stakeholders. Local communities and populations are vital actors, and their engagement is key to meeting the targets of the Sendai Framework. Citizens have varying capacities to adapt to disasters and to contribute to disaster risk reduction. It is therefore crucial that civil society and policy makers interact to ensure no one is left behind.

To that end, UNESCO supports Member States and its partners in bolstering their institutional capacities for disaster risk reduction. 

The belief that everyone should be engaged in DRR in a truly inclusive approach to resilience is the core of UNESCO’s work. Stronger collaboration with the scientific community, children and young people, academia, civil society and the private sector can accelerate DRR actions at the local, national and global levels. UNESCO places a particular emphasis on the power of children and young people to bring about change. It empowers youth by providing them with opportunities to participate in decision-making processes and in developing innovative and creative solutions. To facilitate youth-led solutions, 91�鶹������Ʒ���� supported the establishment of several youth platforms. Strengthening youth-led activities to mainstream disaster risk reduction in communities is a core focus of UNESCO. Three networks have been established in Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and the Caribbean: 

In addition to supporting these youth networks, UNESCO mobilizes its partners and Member States to actively engage youth, women and indigenous peoples to strengthen resilience and make sure no one is left behind in risk governance.  

UNESCO also believes that to build a resilient society, it is crucial to understand risks, in particular the vulnerability component. However, being able to integrate risks into long-term planning is often hampered by the uncertainty associated with natural hazards. UNESCO therefore aims to provide a comprehensive approach for analyzing the different measures available to a society and establish a list of priorities. Four components are used to establish a risk reduction plan:

• identifying the risks and opportunities of uncertain future changes;  
• inventorying and forecasting conditions that lead to chronic failure;  
• formulating alternative plans that are robust and adaptable to the local context;
• collaboratively evaluating and comparing the robustness and adaptability of the alternative plans

Additionally, actions are taken to improve societal resilience through capacity building and community-based systems to enhance preparedness and limit the impacts of natural hazards.

When natural hazards turn into disasters, UNESCO facilitates effective media response, because providing critical information during humanitarian stages is critical for both residents and respondents while supporting independent and pluralistic media.