Barriers and enablers to stakeholder engagement in the co-creation of disaster risk reduction solutions

Exceeding the ambitions of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, to switch the focus of DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction) solutions from top-down to people-centred approaches, requires a better understanding of the complexity and dynamics of citizen and stakeholder engagement in DRR processes. This paper focuses on how to improve co-creation processes –namely the involvement of stakeholders in the design, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of solutions at the local level, how to raise interest in and awareness of the topic, and on how to integrate different types of knowledge to achieve better DRR outcomes. A systematic literature review and a workshop with scientists and practitioners (n = 51) was conducted to better understand the common barriers to stakeholder engagement and develop a framework with enabling factors to overcome them. The results indicate that a first crucial but challenging step for a successful co-creation process is to increase stakeholder interest and motivation to participate, to raise awareness on the topic of risk and DRR by combining different tools, methods, as well as local and scientific knowledge. Balancing shared responsibilities and giving a sense of ownership without overburdening participants emerged as a key factor. On the opposite, lack of personal and organisational capacity, the lack of knowledge and experience, as well as issues with communication and including all social groups pose major challenges to successful co-creation processes. Developing binding policy instruments for stakeholder engagement stands as a prospective solution and further research should be focused on identifying pathways for their implementation.