India pushes for global solidarity, innovation & financing reforms in Disaster Risk Reduction

New Delhi: On the opening day of the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, represented India at two high-level events — “Solidarity and Resilience: Advancing DRR in International Collaboration and Solidarity for Early Warning Systems” and “Bridging Technical Innovation and Political Leadership for Scaling DRR Investment.”

At the session on Solidarity and Resilience, Mishra emphasised that early warning systems were not technological luxuries but strategic investments in resilience. He outlined India’s comprehensive multi-agency framework that integrates meteorological, hydrological, seismic, and oceanographic institutions through a Common Alert Protocol–compliant Integrated Alert System, which has already issued over 109 billion alerts.

He urged the G20 nations to strengthen interoperable regional platforms, shared data protocols, and joint capacity-building initiatives under the global Early Warnings for All framework. Mishra noted that India viewed early warning as a global public good— inclusive, multilingual, and anticipatory.

Speaking at the event on Financing DRR, Mishra elaborated on India’s five-pillar financing strategy aligned with Principles 2 and 4 of the G20 Voluntary High-Level Principles. He described India’s constitutionally anchored model under the Finance Commission, which ensures multi-year, rules-based DRR allocations, decentralised funding to states and local bodies, and evidence-based prioritisation through a national Disaster Risk Index.

Highlighting India’s transition from a relief-centric to a risk-informed paradigm, Mishra showcased innovative local-level mechanisms, including dedicated mitigation funds, hazard-specific programmes, and community-based preparedness initiatives such as Aapda Mitra volunteers that embed resilience directly into public finance and governance.

On the sidelines of the ministerial, Mishra held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from South Africa, Brazil, Australia, and the Netherlands. In his meeting with South African Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa, Mishra encouraged joint capacity-building exercises, including through CDRI membership.

With Australia’s Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain, discussions focused on differentiated funding windows for DRR. Mishra also met Netherlands Vice Minister Prof Maarten Van Aalst, highlighting the need to strengthen early warning systems, technological dissemination, and institutional collaboration for regional and international disaster resilience.

Recalling the strong foundation laid during Brazil’s G20 Presidency in 2024, Mishra told Brazilian Vice Minister Valder Ribeiro that India would continue joint initiatives on resilient recovery, nature-based solutions, and sustainable reconstruction.

Concluding the day’s engagements, Mishra reaffirmed India’s commitment to translating the G20 Voluntary High-Level Principles into action through innovation, inclusive financing, and global solidarity. He said the aim was to ensure that “resilience becomes the shared language of sustainable development.”