HELP-IFI Jakarta Statement (draft Oct.30, 2016)-Towards an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary partnership to consolidate floodrisk reduction and sustainable development 1. Present Status⁃
Floods claim the lives of citizens, undermine many years of development gains, andmay cause political unrest. Losses due to floods are increasing in both developed anddeveloping countries.
⁃Human factors that increase exposure and vulnerability, accompanied by the effects
of climate change on weather patterns with intensified extreme events, aggravate
the adverse consequences of floods.
⁃In the globalized and interconnected 21st century, a serious flood disaster in one
country immediately creates disruptions in others.
⁃There is still a grave gap between knowledge generated by the science community
and actions taken by the society, especially decisions and designs by the policy
makers and practitioners.
⁃Fragmented approaches and duplication due to lack of effective inter-agency
coordination make it difficult to realize integrated flood and water management
practices.
2. Key Directions⁃The introduction of the Integrated Flood Management (IFM) is essential toimplement three global agendas, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and it
calls for concerted action in 2016 and beyond.
⁃Such actions need to be brought forward in connection to the basic and practicalmanagement methodologies which can be implemented by most of the rivermanagement agencies and the river basin authorities, especially in developing
countries, based on their fundamental conditions including budgetary limitations
and capabilities.
⁃A complete spiral approach for integrated flood management is essential to reduce
negative consequences of disasters.
Recognition and financing mechanisms forsuch approaches should be worked out at national level in collaboration with donor
agencies.
⁃The successful operation of the IFM requires preventive investments and effective
emergency response measures woven into long-term planning with support frominterdisciplinary research and transdisciplinary collaboration with society.
⁃The scientific knowledge in support of political decision-making and practice, suchas quantifying and minimizing the uncertainty of the future climate change effect,
is desirable.
⁃The realization of a flood-resilient society needs an effective exchange of data,
information and knowledge, an accurate assessment of flood risk and benefits fromthe use of flood plains and their changes, the constant promotion of political andpublic awareness, preventive investment in flood risk reduction, and the thoroughpreparation for effective emergency response and rapid recovery.
3. Actions
The increasing flood-related vulnerability demands an urgent response. Inaction is nolonger an option. The implementation of the International Flood Initiative (IFI) newstrategy now is critically important to achieve the targets of the Sendai Framework,related targets of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, in order to save human lives,
minimize economic loss, and guarantee sustainable and equitable development.
⁃Each country, in collaboration with IFI Partners, is asked to establish a platform onwater and disaster as part of its national platform for facilitating dialogue among
all stakeholders from national, local and community and scaling up pre-disaster
investment and community-based practices into basin-wide and/or nation-wide
solutions. This platform will also promote data and information collection andmanagement in cooperation with the Earth observation communities, including theGroup on Earth Observations (GEO), the Committee on Earth Observation Satellite(CEOS), Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF), and serve thepurpose to identify and downscale the lessons learnt at global and regional level inorder to design best practices applicable at local and watershed level.
⁃IFI Partners need to assist the platform in:Collecting and archiving data on flood damage and benefits from the use of flood
plains, and maintaining their statistics and fostering free and unrestricted
access to environmental data.
Assessing current and future risks on economic growth, public health and socialequality.
Demonstrating effects of flood risk reduction investment.
Defining applicable methodology based on the local conditions

Monitoring and predicting changes in flood risk and benefits from the use offlood plains.
Making well-informed decisions for implementing the IFM.
Improving river manager’s practices and community-based practices forimplementing the IFM.
⁃Donors are invited to support the collaboration between such flood platforms andIFI partners in an incremental way from demonstration phase to prototyping andoperational phases.
⁃These actions will start with the Asia and Pacific Region and will be progressively
expanded to other regions, including Africa, Arab States, Europa and North Americaand Latin America and the Caribbean.