BharatNotes What is Sendai Framework Targets?
The Sendai Framework Targets are the seven measurable global goals — labelled A through G and popularly called the "Sendai Seven" — set by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. Adopted at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan on 18 March 2015, the framework is the successor to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015 and the first of the three landmark 2015 agreements (alongside the SDGs and the Paris Agreement). It is voluntary and non-binding, adopted by 187 countries including India, and its progress is tracked through 38 global indicators.
The Seven Global Targets
| Target | Goal (by 2030 unless stated) |
|---|---|
| A | Substantially reduce global disaster mortality (per 100,000, 2020-2030 vs 2005-2015) |
| B | Substantially reduce the number of affected people globally (per 100,000) |
| C | Reduce direct disaster economic loss in relation to global GDP |
| D | Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services (e.g. health, education) |
| E | Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local DRR strategies (target year 2020) |
| F | Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries |
| G | Substantially increase availability of and access to multi-hazard early-warning systems and disaster risk information |
A useful memory aid: targets A and B are about people, C and D about assets/infrastructure, and E, F and G about enablers (strategies, cooperation, early warning).
The Four Priorities for Action
The targets are operationalised through four priorities: (1) Understanding disaster risk; (2) Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage risk; (3) Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience; and (4) Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to "Build Back Better" in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Significance and Current Status
The framework marks a paradigm shift from disaster management (response-centric) to disaster risk reduction (prevention-centric), expanding scope to small-scale, slow-onset and biological hazards. Progress remains uneven: on Target G, only about 31% of WMO members reported having the monitoring and forecasting systems needed for multiple simultaneous hazards (per WMO/UNDRR assessments cited in 2025 reviews), and the UN's Early Warnings for All initiative aims to close this gap by end-2027.
UPSC Angle
For India, the framework links to the National Disaster Management Plan 2016 (revised 2019) — the first national plan aligned to the Sendai priorities — implemented through the NDMA under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. India championed the Prime Minister's Ten-Point Agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction, announced at the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR), New Delhi, November 2016, and launched the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) in 2019 — directly advancing Sendai Target D.
UPSC relevance: Foundation concept — no direct PYQ on this exact term; it underpins recurring GS3 questions on disaster-risk-reduction frameworks, the NDMP, CDRI, and the SDG-Sendai-Paris linkage. Do not confuse the Sendai Framework (2015-2030) with its predecessor the Hyogo Framework (2005-2015).
Sources: UNDRR, What is the Sendai Framework?; PreventionWeb, Sendai Framework at a glance; PIB/DST India, PM's Ten-Point Agenda on DRR.
