Building Regulation for Resilience

The global toll of human suffering and
material loss due to disasters has led to growing public
concern and expanded institutional response in the form of
disaster relief and recovery assistance from individuals,
governments, and intergovernmental organizations. Initial
humanitarian concern has primarily been focused on dealing
with the consequences of disasters. However, we must begin
to address the causes of these events while ensuring the
implementation of policies to reduce disaster risks or
losses. Low- and middle-income countries will experience a
doubling of their building stocks in the next 15- 20 years,
and it is crucial to assure that this new construction does
not recreate and expand the disaster vulnerability of the
present. Priority must be placed on the production of safe
and resilient cities, communities, and homes. While safer,
code-compliant construction may add to initial construction
costs, these investments can be balanced against the reduced
loss of life and property in future disasters. The agenda
provides the international community with an opportunity to
leverage regulatory governance as a powerful means to shift
the focus from post-disaster relief and response to
proactive population protection, disaster prevention, and
sustainable and resilient urban development.