What is disaster resilience? How is it determined? Describe various elements of a resilience framework. Also mention the global targets of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030).
Approach · directive: “what / describe / mention”
What it asks · Define disaster resilience, explain what determines it, outline a resilience framework, and list the Sendai targets.
The question has 4 parts — answer each
- What is disaster resilience: a clear definition
- How it is determined: exposure, vulnerability, capacity and the indicators used
- Describe the elements of a resilience framework
- Mention the seven global targets of the Sendai Framework 2015–2030
Open with · Disaster resilience is the ability of a community or system exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, adapt to and recover from them quickly while preserving essential functions.
Cover
- Determinants: hazard exposure, physical and social vulnerability, and coping capacity — income, infrastructure, institutions, social capital.
- Measured through indicators of risk, preparedness, recovery time and loss reduction.
- Framework elements: understanding risk; risk governance; investment in risk reduction; preparedness and early warning; build back better.
- Cross-cutting: resilient infrastructure, community participation, finance and insurance, and ecosystem-based measures.
- Sendai targets A–D (by 2030): reduce disaster mortality, affected people, economic loss relative to GDP, and damage to critical infrastructure.
- Sendai targets E–G: more national and local DRR strategies (by 2020), more international cooperation, better early warning and risk information.
- India: the Prime Minister's Ten-Point Agenda and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (2019).
Close with · Resilience is built before disasters strike — by governing risk and investing in people, infrastructure and warning systems.
Add value (verified)
- The Sendai Framework sets seven global targets and four priorities for 2015–2030. UNDRR — What is the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction? ↗“The Sendai Framework outlines seven global targets and four priorities to be achieved between 2015 and 2030.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2024, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 270 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS
Disaster resilience is the ability of a community, system or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, adapt to and recover from their effects in a timely way while preserving its essential functions.
How resilience is determined
- Risk factors: hazard exposure, physical and social vulnerability (poor housing, poverty, gender, disability) and coping capacity — income, infrastructure, institutions and social capital.
- System properties: robustness, redundancy, resourcefulness and rapidity; measured through indicators of risk, preparedness, recovery time and losses avoided.
Elements of a resilience framework
- Understanding risk: hazard mapping, vulnerability assessment and open risk data.
- Risk governance: clear laws, institutions and accountability from national to local level, as under India's Disaster Management Act 2005.
- Investing in reduction: resilient infrastructure, land-use zoning, building codes, insurance and ecosystem-based measures such as mangroves.
- Preparedness: early warning, trained community volunteers, drills and stockpiles.
- Recovery: 'build back better' so that reconstruction lowers future risk.
- Cross-cutting: community participation, finance and technology — the thrust of the Prime Minister's Ten-Point Agenda and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (2019).
Sendai global targets (by 2030)
- A: substantially reduce disaster mortality, lowering the 2020–30 average per 100,000 below that of 2005–15.
- B: reduce the number of people affected.
- C: reduce direct economic loss relative to global GDP.
- D: reduce damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.
- E: increase countries with national and local DRR strategies (by 2020).
- F: enhance international cooperation to developing countries.
- G: increase availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and risk information.
Resilience is built before disasters strike — by governing risk, investing in people and infrastructure, and measuring progress against Sendai's targets.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify). UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.