Thread by @edu4drr

I’m sick/tired of politicians claiming that they will build back better, having stolen the idea from the UN disasters strategy: “Building Back Better (BBB) is a strategy aimed at reducing the risk to the people of nations and communities in the wake of future disasters and shocks

...The BBB approach integrates #disaster risk reduction measures into the restoration of physical infrastructure, social systems and shelter, and the revitalization of livelihoods, economies and the environment.” There is little detail in UK/US politicians co-opting of the phrase

It has become a meaningless mantra. There is no focus on communities, because they don’t try and understand what a ‘community’ is or learn about its social networks, ties and culture. This is what underpins social systems as defined in the Sendai Framework for Action on #DRR.

In the UK, every time there is an announcement related to the BBB mantra, there is the promise of extra money for X or Y, with lots of noughts on the end of figures. But often nought is actually delivered, or the idea abandoned or funding cut...

...This is seen in current funding cuts to #UKRI hitting projects whose purpose IS BBB which & improving resilience to #disasters and #climatechange. The UK will be hosting #COP26 while removing or cutting funding (50%) on overseas projects. Many had already won awards doing #DRR

This is NOT how to build influence and soft power, when Britain has just purposely stepped away from its largest trading market. One the clear understanding borne from the pandemic is that vaccinations for all make us safer. This HAS to include overseas where work to improve...

...livelihoods and lives through climate mitigation, adaptation and developing green economies is vital to also preventing disaster induced (inc climate change) migrations. If this is truly the bug bear of the right, perhaps they could improve lives at source, negating migrations

...this doesn’t mean I agree with them...I really don’t...but pointing out the short-sightedness of policies that undercut both good science (including social science) actually undermines global safety is important...

As we have seen in the pandemic, disasters don’t respect borders so we require a collective response with partners on the global stage rather than nimbyistic isolationism...

And in fact Johnson recently wrote about this in a newspaper 📰 column, as did Merkel in Germany and Macron in France. But writing about it and doing it are somewhat far removed as we have seen from vaccine greed of the wealthiest nations and the UK/Europe bickering over doses...

So unless Build Back Better has some actual philosophical reasoning, it’s best to stop using it. The original version came from understanding of what resilience *should* mean. Bouncing forward & not returning to the conditions that helped to create a #disaster in the first place.

The pandemic, nationally and internationally has highlighted the great disparities in not just wealth, but education, scientific literacy, employment, safety nets and social networks.