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 are widely recognized, there is currently a vacuum in terms of the UN's capacity and system-wide mechanisms 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 important time 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, is predicated 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. This includes 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 have resulted in the formulation of a joint initiative, the International Recovery Platform, by the UN system, ADRC, and other partners, with the encouragement and support of Japan as well as 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 proposed international platform for recovery. The meeting resulted in a recommendation for the establishment of the International Recovery Platform (IRP) Only four months after the WCDR, the International Seminar on Post Disaster Recovery, in support of the IRP, was held at t 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 15 governments, UN agencies, and international organizations including ADRC (as of March 2012).* The IRP focuses on the following three priority activities for recovery, respectively based in Kobe, Turin, and Geneva: (a)Knowledge 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 and is responsible for convening IRP steering committee meetings and disseminating information on 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 (UNDP),  United  Nations  Human Programme Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), United Nations Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN/OCHA), the World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO), and Asian Development Bank (ADB).
6-3. IRP Activities in FY 2011
6-3-1. International Recovery Forum 2012
The International Recovery Forum 2012 – Regional Cooperation for Resilient Recovery- was held in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan on 20 January 2012. The forum aimed to explore mechanisms for regional cooperation in promoting resilient recovery, present experiences and lessons from recent recovery operations, discuss lessons on regional cooperation initiatives in the context of post-disaster recovery, and showcase new IRP tools for resilient recovery. 141 participants from 16 countries and 13 international organizations comprised of national and local officials, experts on disaster reduction and recovery, and representatives of various stakeholders, attended the forum. Following the keynote speech on regional perspective in DRR and recovery by Ms. Marta Ruedas, Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Director of Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, UNDP, Mr. Jin Sato, Mayor of Minami  Sanriku  Town,  Miyagi  Prefecture, Japan, reported the recovery initiatives from the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE), and Mr. Akinori Sugimoto, Chief Executive Officer of Fig. 6-3-1 International Recovery Forum 2012 Emergency  Management,  Hyogo  Prefectural Government made a presentation on the regional cooperation for the GEJE. There were also reports on the experiences and lessons on recovery and preparedness for regional cooperation from ASEAN, SOPAC, SAARC, CDEMA. A panel discussion on ex-ante regional cooperation for recovery was coordinated by Mr. Thomas Hockley, Head , Regional Programme Support Section, UNISDR, on the basis of the results of the group discussion at the workshop held as a pre-event of the forum on 19 January 2012.