6. The International Recovery Platform (IRP): History and Current Activities

6. The International Recovery Platform (IRP):
History and Current Activities
6-1. The Establishment of the IRP
While the capacity of the UN system for disaster response and humanitarian assistance arewidely recognized, there is currently a vacuum in terms of the UN's capacity and system-widemechanisms for post-disaster recovery efforts, particularly those with a risk reduction focus.
Experience increasingly affirms that the post-disaster recovery phase provides a critical
opportunity to shift the focus from saving lives to restoring livelihoods, and is an importanttime for introducing measures to reduce future disaster risk. Recovery can help close the gap
between relief and development, and can transform disasters into opportunities for sustainable
development. This occurs when efforts are made to support local and national recovery
processes at an early stage, when risk reduction considerations are factored into all recovery
activities, and when the synergies between development, humanitarian, and other actors
involved in the response phases are properly channeled. A successful recovery effort, then, ispredicated on having advance agreements and mechanisms in place so that the recovery
process is effectively conceived and managed, and is initiated in a timely manner. Thisincludes such measures as appropriate assessment methodologies, pre-established resource
mobilization mechanisms, surge capacity to support UN Country Teams, and standing
coordination mechanisms.
Shared concerns related to the UN approach and processes for post-disaster recovery haveresulted in the formulation of a joint initiative, the International Recovery Platform, by theUN system, ADRC, and other partners, with the encouragement and support of Japan as wellas other donors and key program countries. This initiative was discussed at the World
Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) during session 4.9 on Post Disaster Recovery.
Representatives from the UNDP, UN-HABITAT, ADRC, ADPC, ILO, and other concerned
UN agencies expressed their respective agency commitments and support for the proposedinternational platform for recovery. The meeting resulted in a recommendation for theestablishment of the International Recovery Platform (IRP)
Only four months after the WCDR, the International Seminar on Post Disaster Recovery, insupport of the IRP, was held at the JICA Centre in Kobe and at Hyogo House on 11-13 May
2005. The IRP was officially launched in Kobe.

6-2. The Governance Structure of the IRP
The IRP currently consists of 13 governments,* UN agencies, and internationalorganizations including ADRC (as of March 2011). The IRP focuses on the following threepriority activities for recovery, respectively based in Kobe, Turin, and Geneva: (a) Knowledge

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Management and Advocacy, Kobe, (b) Training and Capacity Building, Turin, and (c)Enhancing Recovery Operations, Geneva.
As described in the Terms of Reference, the IRP Kobe functions as the IRP secretariat andis responsible for convening IRP steering committee meetings and disseminating informationon IRP activities and outcomes.
* IRP members: Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), Hyogo Prefectural Government,International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC),
International Labour Organization (ILO), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy,
Cabinet Office of Japan, Swiss Agency for Development and Coordination(SDC), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Human Settlements
Programme (UN-HABITAT), United Nations Secretariat of the International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), United Nations Office for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN/OCHA), and the World Bank.

6-3. IRP Activities in FY 2010
6-3-1. International Recovery Forum 2011
The International Recovery Forum 2011 highlighted the importance of pre-disasterrecovery planning to help avoid diverting scarce resources, originally intended fordevelopment programs, for recovery after a natural disaster. Attendance at the Forum wasover 150 participants from 26 national
governments

and

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internationalorganizations. It brought together key players
in pre-disaster recovery planning, including
FEMA United States, Tokyo Metropolitan
Government, ASEAN, ADB, and a number ofother organizations to discuss the modalities ofplanning, options, and experiences.
At the opening session, the Governor of
Hyogo Prefecture, the Chair of IRP Steering
Committee, and the Associate Administrator ofFig.6-3-1-1 International Recovery Forum 2011

FEMA-ORR commonly communicated the key message that pre disaster recovery planning
can increase the efficiency of recovery activities including debris removal, utility restoration,management of funds, and coordination amongst stakeholders. The Guidance Notes on
Recovery was also launched to provide global best practices to be integrated in recoveryplanning processes. Additionally, reports on recovery initiatives from Haiti, China, Myanmar,60