187 countries have agreed a deal to reduce deaths and damages from natural disasters, but aid agencies are disappointed with it. 187 countries agreed a UN disaster risk reduction plan in Sendai. The deal set seven targets and four priorities for the coming fifteen years, especially establishing plans to “substantially reduce” loss o life from 2005-2015 levels in 2020-2030 and to reduce economic losses as a proportion of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030. The Sendai Framework anticipates December climate talks, and putting its principles into action will be essential to the achievement of new agreements on climate change and sustainable development. In fact, it is estimated that 87% of disasters in 2014 were climate-linked, so an efficient disaster planning is considered to be a fundamental part of adapting to the effects of climate change. However, aid agencies have criticised Sendai conference’s outcome for the vague expression of the targets and for the lack of finance, and stated that – being the deal non-binding – it could have set the bar higher. This, according to Harjeet Singh of Action Aid, will put more pressure on governments to take daring decisions at the UN Paris climate talks later this year. Particularly, developing countries settled on the achievement of “adequate and sustainable support”, while at the beginning they were asking for “additional and predictable” finance, and the US also refused to back a section on sharing technology with poorer countries. The gLAWcal Team POREEN project Friday, 20 March 2015 (Source: RTCC)