As part of the Disaster Risk Reduction Private Sector Partnership of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), DRI International joined with other organizations for “Sustainable Development Goals, Means of Implementation, Follow Up and Review: Why, How and Where Data Matters?”, a side event during the Intergovernmental Negotiations on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

In August 2014, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked an Independent Expert Advisory Group to make concrete recommendations on bringing about a data revolution in sustainable development. The group has published by the end of the year the report “A World That Counts.” In choosing the term “revolution,” it is clear that the high level panel sought to convey the magnitude of the data-driven transformation required for effective development in a post-2015 world.

Among the questions raised during the event to prepare contributions to the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data:

• How are we facing this revolution?
• How are we preparing to engage in the Global Partnership?
• What are the different steps from creating, gathering, data structuring to the sharing and using for a better knowledge and anticipation?
• Where is this process most valuable in order to achieve the SDGs and targets?

DRI Executive Director Chloe Demrovsky presented on the subject of building expertise though resilience and the importance of data collection after disasters to improve resilience-building measures.

She was joined on the panel by experts on the subject of resilience, discussing the report as it relates to disaster risk reduction and the importance of good data for building resilient cities and communities. The panel included:

• Louise Kantrow, Permanent Representative of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to the United Nations. Kantrow was appointed ICC Permanent Representative to the United Nations in April 2007. The Paris-based ICC is the largest, most representative business organization, encompassing 6.5 million businesses in its global network, with national committees and direct members in 130 countries, as well as active presence in over 230 countries though ICC’s World Chambers Federation.  It has served as the voice of business at the UN since 1946, frequently taking part in UN and related multilateral deliberations in the economic, social and environmental arenas.
• Bogdan J. Dumitrescu, Founder & CEO, BJD Reinsurance Consulting, LLC, Vice President of PlaNet Finance Corp. US and UN Voluntary Representative of Business & Industry Major Group. Demitrescu has more than 25 years of experience in the financial, insurance and reinsurance markets worldwide and developed knowledge of risk management, public-private partnerships projects in insurance, reinsurance and finance, catastrophe pools, new risks and emerging markets, risks involving financial and capital markets products and services connected to the governmental strategies and regulatory policies.
• H.E. Jean-Francis Regis Zinsou, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Benin to the United Nations. Zinsou was previously Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at his country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York from 23 October 2008 to 28 October 2009, during which time he also served as Minister Counsellor in charge of Political and Legal Affairs, from May 2003.
• Daniel P. Marshall III, General Counsel, California Earthquake Authority (CEA). As General Counsel, Marshall is a member of the CEA Executive Staff, counsel to the CEA Governing Board and director of the CEA’s Legal and Compliance Department — a broad-based support operation that handles the Authority’s legal affairs and is responsible for advising on corporate and governmental compliance. The CEA’s inside and outside legal staff report to the General Counsel, as do the compliance manager and chief auditor.