Background
Understanding the extent and magnitude of disaster impact is the foundation of understanding disaster risk. UNDRR, UNDP and partner organisations have been supporting governments in establishing losses and damages databases (www.DesInventar.net) since 1994 that record events and their impacts at national and subnational levels. While 110 Member States have benefited from such databases, which also contribute to the monitoring of the Sendai Framework and SDGs, both producers and users of such information have recognized limitations of these databases in meeting the present-day challenges. This also assumes significance in context of the growing need for disaster impact data to inform the Loss and Damage discussions under UNFCCC mechanisms.

WMO has been leading the ‘Cataloging of Hazardous Weather, Climate, Water and Space Weather Events’. This provides the basis for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) through their existing observation and monitoring capabilities to record the physical parameters of hazardous events. 

There is, hence, a need to develop a system that builds on the progress made to date, addresses new needs, and is flexible enough to adapt to future needs. Internalization of globally agreed standards and adaptation of frameworks, methodologies and processes to national contexts is key for data value chains that support multiple relevant use cases for losses and damages data and at the national and local level while enabling global and regional comparability.

After initial phases of user needs discovery, data and digital maturity assessments[1], consultation and discussion with Member states and other stakeholders that produce or use losses and damages data, UNDRR, in close partnership with UNDP and WMO, is in the process of developing a prototype of the new system. User interviews have been conducted in the first quarter of 2023 to validate and confirm the existing and emerging needs previously identified by data producers and users across the losses and damages data value chain.  

Multiple technical meetings with subject-matter experts, regional and global partners and stakeholders have been organized including the November 2022 “Technical Forum on Tracking of hazardous events and disaster losses and damages”[2]. These meetings and consultations are part of the co-creation process to consolidate a framework for tracking losses and damages as well as to develop a new system building on the needs and requirements by current as well prospective users. 

Objectives
The key objective of this workshop is to gather feedback from practitioners, experts and other losses and damages’ data stakeholders on the draft prototype of the new tracking system. 

Participants are drawn from the technical forum, users engaged during the need analysis and research phase and those technical partners that assist countries in enhancing data governance, improving data collection, management, analysis and application. 

The workshop will provide the opportunity to confirm the next steps in the process to support the rollout of the new system. After the users' feedback is integrated into the prototype and specifications for system design, system development kicks off. The three partners, UNDRR, UNDP and WMO, will continue refining frameworks, guidance and toolbox for supporting countries in addressing governance, technical capacity and methodological challenges they face when assessing losses and damages, institutionalizing data architecture and enhancing the value chain on losses and damages data. In collaboration with other regional organizations and specialized agencies, UNDRR, UNDP and WMO are committed to a new approach for the new generation of losses and damages tracking systems to ensure data is used to generate insights for comprehensive disaster and climate risk management and risk-informed sustainable development policy making, programming and investment decisions.

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This event is by invitation only. You can read more about it here.

Watch the broadcast here.