“Build Back Better” has become the it slogan for an entire movement of Green New Deal followers. The concept of Build Back Better has been frequently used in recovery and reconstruction policies document now as it was emphasized in the recent world conference on disaster risk reduction.
Who Uses The “Building Back Better” slogan?
Bill Clinton
United Nations
Singapore
Philippines
Joe Biden
Boris Johnson
Jacinda Ardern
World Health Organization
“Building Back Better” (BBB) is a popular term used during post-disaster reconstruction and recovery in recent years with the idea of making communities stronger and more resilient following a disaster event. The “Guide to Developing Disaster Recovery Frameworks” (DRF Guide) produced by the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) in collaboration with the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 1 recognizes Building Back Better as a key policy imperative for recovery
along with Converting Adversity into Opportunity and Pro-Poor Recovery. This annex on Building Back Better is a supplementary document to the DRF Guide and can be referred
alongside to it during recovery planning. It aims to clarify what BBB is; how BBB can be applied in different sectors; and how to incorporate BBB concepts into the recovery process for a successful recovery. The annex has been compiled from studies of disaster recovery efforts in more than 15 countries conducted by the World Bank’s GFDRR and research conducted by international academic research institutions such as the Centre for Disaster Resilience Recovery and Reconstruction at the University of Auckland and Resilient Organizations New Zealand.
What is Building Back Better?
Building Back Better is defined as a way to use the reconstruction process following a disaster to improve
a community’s physical, social, environmental and economic conditions to create a more resilient5
community in an effective and efficient way. BBB differs from traditional approaches to reconstruction
and recovery in that it takes an all-inclusive holistic approach, where all aspects related to community
recovery are attended to simultaneously to determine a successful recovery program that enhances the
overall process.
International research conducted on understanding and defining BBB shows that building back better
requires consideration given to three elements:
1. Risk Reduction – or Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) i.e. reducing disaster risks in the
community
2. Community Recovery – Supporting the psycho-social recovery of affected people and
regenerating the economy
3. Effective Implementation – Implementing reconstruction and recovery in an effective and
efficient way
