• UNDP works in building resilience through digital innovation, including for instance: using artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict and mitigate the impact of disasters; using virtual and augmented reality to simulate disaster scenarios and train responders; using “big data” such as geospatial image analysis for disaster mapping; and using financial transaction data to better understand the economic resilience of people affected by natural disasters.  
• UNDP is a go-to convener for many innovative digital disaster risk reduction solutions. Recent examples of these include the Frontier Technology Radar for Disaster Risk Reduction (FTR4DRR), a recent tool developed to allow anyone interested in DRR work to filter a list of emerging digital solutions. Another tool is the Digital Disaster Risk Reduction Maturity Model (DDRRMM), which enables governments to assess their level of digitalization for disaster risk reduction and identify the areas where improvements might be needed. This can help develop a strategy for pursuing digitalization systematically.

• UNDP uses digital platforms and tools to enhance preparedness for disasters, such as by using data analytics and modelling to identify high-risk areas and develop early warning systems. UNDP also uses digital technologies like drones and satellites to map disaster-prone areas, monitor changes and assess damage after a disaster.  
• UNDP is working towards the goal of creating people-centred early warning systems that are more efficient and therefore more effective in reaching those at risk. Simple, cost-effective, digital solutions that will enhance the sharing of data and assist with decision-making will be key.

• UNDP is working to promote digital capacity building for disaster risk reduction, such as by providing training and technical assistance to governments and communities on the use of digital tools and technologies for disaster risk management.
• There are challenges for vulnerable groups who are adversely impacted by disasters and are at times left out of the assessments and recovery processes. A new 'digitalized approach' should focus on identifying these groups and ensuring they play their vital part in all DRR and recovery-related work (e.g., social protection programmes can benefit from digitalization by generating interoperable systems that reduce exclusion errors). Tools such as has helped to identify such groups and identify potential digital solutions which can reduce their vulnerabilities.  
• ‍As an organisation, UNDP still has a lot of work to do as vital tools such as the current Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) and processes have not been fully digitalized at the institutional level.  This is one of the reasons why data on loss and damage, the basis of recovery work, takes additional time to generate. Digitalization of the loss and damage cycle, as well as the whole PDNA process, needs to occur in line with the countries' priorities.

Sendai Priority 1: Understanding Disaster Risk

• Improved Data Collection: Digital technologies can enable the collection of more accurate, timely and disaggregated data, leading to better analysis, prediction and decision-making.  
• An example is how many government partners and communities in the past often could not afford a complete picture of their geophysical space as imagery and analysis was extremely expensive and resource intense. But with the advent of modern technology solutions such as drones this information is becoming more available, increasing the community's or government partner's ability to plan for disasters.
• Understanding risk and their trends in disaster risk reduction is fundamentally about accessing granular, detailed data that can provide insight into the multifaceted dimensions of potential hazards, such as their likelihood, intensity, timing, and probable effects. This process enables the identification of patterns or trends in risk, which then facilitates more informed planning and decision-making for disaster mitigation. The role of digital solutions, specifically Internet of Things (IoT) technology, is pivotal in enhancing our capability to monitor and comprehend these risks. IoT represents an interconnected network of devices across the internet that can transmit and receive data, enabling the constant monitoring of various environmental factors like temperature, humidity, seismic activity, water levels, etc. This information, sent in near real-time, provides us with an instant snapshot of the environment, increasing our situational awareness and responsiveness to potential changes that may indicate an impending disaster. This IoT-generated data can be further harnessed by other risk-monitoring systems, like early warning services, that analyse the incoming data for signs of approaching hazards. These services can then disseminate warnings in a timely manner to facilitate evacuation or other disaster mitigation measures. Essentially, the real-time, detailed data obtained from IoT devices is transformed into actionable insights by these systems, thereby aiding in disaster prevention and minimisation of impacts, ultimately saving lives and reducing damage.  
• Digital Solutions can be used to ensure that data and information reach the people at-risk, especially the vulnerable and marginalized, at the correct time when faced with a crisis.  
• Analysis and synthesis of data: Improved digital technologies can help analyse and assess data and related information to better understand existing risk profiles while also being able to project emerging scenarios. This can help connect current risk reduction and management interventions better with the potential needs in coming years. This will also help identify relevant solutions for implementation. For example: support to cities in vulnerable areas to undertake resilience diagnostics and identify Actions for Resilience (A4R) .

Sendai Priority 2: Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance

• Technology and digital solutions can be utilised to enhance almost every aspect of resilience-building work and foster inclusion in ways that were not possible in the past.  
• They can be used to enhance the understanding of the complexities and dynamics associated with the underlying drivers that create, multiply and propagate risk in the first place. In this way technology and digital solutions can promote a conflict-sensitive way of working and help to prevent unintended consequences.
• The use of technology can enhance governance and decision-making processes by providing relevant and contextual information. Such technologies foster greater involvement from diverse sectors and stakeholders, particularly at local and city/municipal levels. They also allow for the inclusion of unrepresented and marginalized groups in urban settings. This is achieved through mechanisms such as social media campaigns, online grievance redressal platforms, and other digital tools, which create opportunities for broader participation and inclusion.
• Use of digital technologies and the solutions offered can also help improve access to public services. For example: the use of online platforms to gain access to birth and death certificates, municipal services, and to lodge and process complaints, can help instil greater confidence in governance systems and processes.
• Finally, they can increase the reach of our initiatives by ensuring a level of inclusion with data being both pushed and pulled directly from and to communities.

Sendai Priority 4: Enhancing Disaster Preparedness

• Digital technologies such as sensors, social media, and satellite imagery can provide early warning systems to detect and predict disasters before they happen.  
• Predictive analytics such as social listening platforms and forecasting systems can be used as an anticipatory action for crisis prevention. By analysing data and identifying patterns, these tools can provide early warning of potential crisis, giving national and international bodies the ability to take proactive action before a crisis occurs, rather than simply reacting after the fact.
• Through existing digital solutions, such as the Index for Risk Management (INFORM) or the Risk Information Exchange (RIX), as well as other innovations based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, development actors at the country level can increase their understanding of complex risk and risk trends, allowing decision-makers and UNDP itself to make greater informed choices about its development pathways.
• Having a digital mindset for programming will allow us to build a culture where the assemblage of data (e.g., high resolution, disaggregated by age, sex, disability) and the speed at which it is interpreted using various technological means (e.g., sensor, drone, satellite, and other crowdsourcing) will enable us to have a higher level of understanding of the drivers that lead to disasters.  
• Tools such as virtual/augmented reality are powerful in  sensitising stakeholders and populations and garnering support for pursuing risk prevention and reduction.  

• Over-dependence on technological solutions: This could put people at risk should technology fail (e.g., due to power outage, hacking, solar flare, loss of GPS, poor modelling leading to sub-optimal solutions etc.). If designed without necessary redundancies to mitigate against single points of failure and/or interconnected failure ripple effects, digital technologies can fail during disasters, leading to disruption of vital services and hindering disaster response efforts.
• Challenge to access data: While tools exist to analyse multidimensional risks and make informed decisions; in many situations it is not possible to make a truly informed decision due to the non-availability of data those tools need, data being inacesseable or decisionmakers lacking the required data literacy.  
• Left behind countries and regions: A rapidly growing digital landscape could mean that some countries and regions are left behind because they do not have the resources to keep up. For example: the uneven rollout of digital tools based on digital infrastructure. Leaving them behind further compounds their levels of risk and the hardships they might face should disaster strike.
• Digital Divide: The use of digital technologies can exacerbate existing inequalities and the digital divide within countries and regions, potentially leaving some populations more vulnerable to disasters than others. There should be continuous monitoring and periodic assessment of the direction and purpose of digitalization to ensure it is driven for the larger societal benefits and does not create new vulnerabilities and inequalities or lead to increased discrimination. Lack of understanding of cost-benefits: There is currently a lack of access to tools for understanding and clearly communicating the cost-benefits of digital solutions regarding disaster risk reduction.
• Data Privacy and Security: The collection and use of personal data in disaster risk reduction can raise concerns about data privacy and security, as well as potential misuse of data.
• Misinformation and disinformation: Digital technologies can also enable the spread of false information, potentially leading to panic, confusion, and hindering effective disaster response.
• Digital trust and credibility: There is a growing lack of trust in digital solutions and there are limitations on credible and non-biased data to feed into risk processes. For example: lack of clear regulations, policies, or digital ethics, or the presence of algorithmic bias (e.g., facial recognition software). There is the possibility that technology can be used to oppress by those who control it.
• Lack of digital literacy: In many situations, there is a lack of understanding of the basic digital solutions which could enable enhanced DRR related work.  
• Misuse of data intended for good: Time and time again, we see cases where the data intended to do good for the most vulnerable can be exploited, used to abuse rights or even do harm. (For example: a UN data breach concerning refugees in Bangladesh, a UK data breach concerning translators in Afghanistan and a data breach in a cash app used to provide humanitarian assistancehttps://www.hrw.org/news/2021/06/15/un-shared-rohingya-data-without-informed-consent).