Resources » Disaster Risk Reduction
Disaster Risk Reduction
This document outlines a process to facilitate the development of an integrated strategy for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Climate Change (CC) for the Pacific islands region by 2015.
Incorporating climate change and growth into the post-2015 framework for DRR- Policy Paper
In preparation for the Post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction, this policy paper assesses how the current Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) might be developed to address the challenges facing evolving disaster risk in the next decade. While the backbone of the HFA is sound, it is argued that the strategic goals and priorities for action can be strengthened in order to develop more practical tools and explicit guidance on how to reduce the long-term trends in disaster risk whilst not undermining the benefits of growth and development.
To view a short summary, see here
Fast Facts - UNDP Disaster risk reduction and recovery
Disasters have killed more than 1.3 million people and affected an average of 220 million per year over the past two decades. In 2011 alone, 106 million people were affected by floods; 60 million were affected by drought, mainly in the Horn of Africa; and almost 30,000 people were killed. Disasters cost the world economy more than US$ 380 billion in 2011.
UN family agrees plan for disaster risk reduction
Representatives of UN agencies, funds and programmes completed an action plan this week that will accelerate the integration of disaster risk reduction into all UN country level operations in response to the rising levels of disruption to millions of lives each year from disasters.
Cross-UN agency support for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction will provide a major boost to UNISDR's ongoing consultations with key stakeholders on the content of a new global framework on disaster risk reduction to follow on from the existing Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) in 2015. It is also an indication that the UN is introducing more accountability around risk management; agencies will track their progress on a regular basis.
This is the second Thematic Think Piece on Disaster Risk and Resilience developed by UN entities to support discussions on the post-2015 development agenda. The paper outlines the modus operandi of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction partnership in working with and empowering stakeholders to build partnerships and political legitimacy for international agreements in the context of disaster risk reduction. With this approach the paper refers to the directions outlined in the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters.
It calls for localising and leveraging partnerships for risk reduction and asserts that the strength of the Hyogo Framework for Action is the ability to influence and guide diverse groups and generate partnerships amongst a wide variety of stakeholders (not just national governments) including local government representatives, science and technology institutions, parliamentarians, interest groups and community practitioners, the private sector, and media.
Reducing Risk of Future Disasters: Priorities for Decision-Makers
This Foresight Report looks out to 2040 and takes a broad and independent view. It investigates how science and evidence could help in understanding evolving future disaster risks, how those risks may better anticipated and the practical actions that could be taken in risk reduction. Throughout, it has drawn upon the latest developments in natural and social science, and lessons from the many existing DRR initiatives. It is supported by 18 independently peer-reviewed papers, which were specially commissioned from leading experts across the world, as well as workshops and an international summit of senior policy makers that took place in June 2012.
The EU approach to resilence: learning from food security crises
In response to the massive food crises in Africa, the European Commission to the Parliament and Council has recently taken two initiatives: Supporting Horn of African Resilience (SHARE) and Alliance Globale pour l'Initiative Résilience Sahel (AGIR).These set out a new approach to building up the resilience of vulnerable populations. The purpose of this Communication is to use the lessons from these experiences to improve the effectiveness of the EU's support to reducing vulnerability in developing countries, which are disaster-prone by including resilience as a central aim.
Toward Resilience: A Guide to Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation
The guide provides essential introductory information, principals of effective practice, guidelines for action in a range of sectors and settings, case studies and links to useful tools and resources, for the application of an integrated, rights-based approach to disaster reduction and climate change adaptation.
Interview with Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction
Ms. Wahlström spoke to the UN News Centre about the importance of local communities in disaster response, how countries’ attitudes on climate change have evolved over the past five years, and why women and girls should be encouraged to take more prominent roles when it comes to responding to natural disasters.
‘Disaster risk reduction themes and issues in disaster risk reduction : a schema for the categorization of DRR knowledge and action”, -- describes the thematic classification system that has been developed with the aim of promoting 1) a better understanding of disaster risk reduction (DRR), and 2) the development of an internationally recognized information classification and exchange standard. It is hoped that a clear set of well defined themes will help non-specialists such as journalists and newcomers make sense of this complex area of work. This document is not meant to be a glossary of DRR terminology, but serves as a broad overview of the DRR domain. It is based on the experience of the information management unit (IMU) of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) secretariat that has been collecting and classifying information of all types relating to the DRR domain over the last four years.
The Hyogo Framework for Action
The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) is a global blueprint for disaster risk reduction efforts during the next decade. Its goal is to substantially reduce disaster losses by 2015 - in lives, and in the social, economic, and environmental assets of communities and countries.
Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction is a forum to facilitate information exchange, discussion of latest development and knowledge and partnership building across sectors, with the goal to improve implementation of disaster risk reduction through better communication and coordination amongst stakeholders.
Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction
The Global Assessment Report is a biennial global assessment of disaster risk reduction prepared in context of the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). The ISDR, launched in 2000, provides a framework to coordinate actions to address disaster risks at the local, national, regional and international levels.
Disaster Risk Reduction Project Portal for Asia and the Pacific
The Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Project Portal aims to collect information on all multi-country and national level DRR projects and initiatives in Asia and the Pacific implemented since 2005. By facilitating information sharing in Asia and the Pacific, the Portal aims to advance the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) strategic goals.
Information available:
-
List of completed and ongoing DRR projects - by country, hazards, themes, partners and donors.
-
List of planned/proposed projects - better planning of future projects.
-
Quick analysis - on number and types of completed and ongoing DRR projects
-
Generate customised graphs and maps.
-
Know more on the DRR frameworks/action plans guiding the region - identify priority areas for providing support and implementation.
-
List of organisations implementing DRR projects at regional level.
-
Archive of periodic meetings of regional DRR mechanisms.
HPG policy brief: The relevance of 'resilience'?
‘The relevance of resilience?’ acknowledges the concept’s attraction: the moral duty to prevent the most vulnerable from suffering during crises and supporting what people can do for themselves. However, it is sceptical about how much current thinking about resilience will help achieve this, and it raises concerns about the current ‘resilience optimism’. The paper argues that current ways of portraying resilience are not useful as a guide in diagnosing people’s vulnerability, and are also too vague to help designing any policies or programmes for improving resilience, because they allow anything to be called ‘resilience building’. Uninformed optimism on resilience, even where there is no reason to believe that that it is possible to avoid crises and expensive humanitarian assistance, may be dangerous, in particular for the use of humanitarian funds.
Building Urban Resilience: Managing the Risks of Disasters in East Asia and the Pacific
This Handbook is a resource for enhancing disaster resilience in urban areas. It summarizes the guiding principles, tools and practice in key economic sectors that can facilitate the implementation of resilience concepts into decisions over infrastructure investments and general urban management as integral elements of reducing disaster and climate risks. There are concrete ways to improve the decision-making process to guide cities towards the aspired benefits, and this report guides its readers in finding ways to avoid the mistakes of the past and build resilience into urban management, critical infrastructure investments, disaster and climate risk mitigation measures, stretching across sectors and jurisdiction and reaching all the way to the communities and the most vulnerable.
Integrating gender in disaster management in Small Island Developing States: a guide
This guide outlines the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific and the Caribbean and explains how gender roles and responsibilities result in differential exposure and impact of disasters. It seeks to support existing international frameworks that advocate gender equality: (i) the Hyogo Framework of Action in the area of risk management and its relation to development; and (ii) objective 3 of the Millennium Development Goals — a global consensus framework and statement of commitment. It is intended to be a practical tool for disaster managers and their teams working to build resilience at the community level in small islands and ensure greater equality in the field of risk management.
Making Cities Resilient Report 2012
The “Making Cities Resilient Report 2012” provides a global snapshot of how local governments reduce disaster risk and was undertaken by a team from the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development led by Senior Fellow, Dr. David Satterthwaite. Dr. Satterthwaite said: “The Making Cities Resilient campaign is proving that despite a rise in extreme weather events and the threats posed by climate change, urbanization does not have to lead to an increase in risk. Where city and local governments demonstrate leadership and competence in working with low-income populations living in informal settlements flood impacts can be reduced and the threats from other natural hazards minimised.
Child centred disaster risk reduction: project evaluation and learning
This report details the learning and evaluation of a project designed to build the capacity of both government bodies and local communities, including children, to better respond to, prevent, and mitigate the impacts of disasters. The experience of the project is that children are often the most vulnerable to and adversely impacted by disaster, but also that they can play a crucial role in changing people’s attitudes toward and behavior in anticipation of disaster. The four prongs of Plan International's approach are preparedness, capacity building, mitigation, and prevention. The project’s aims were allied with Plan International’s mission as well as with those of the national Nepalese government and the international community.
This study provides insight into the way in which large-scale Participatory 3-Dimensional Mapping (P3DM) provides new opportunities for integrating local and scientific knowledge, as well as bottom-up and top-down actions in disaster risk reduction . The article argues that integrating scientific and local knowledge within disaster risk reduction (DRR) using methods that encourage knowledge exchange and two-way dialogue is a difficult yet important task. It focuses primarily on coastal communities of the municipality of Masantol on the island of Luzon, Philippines.
Towards a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction
This UNISDR paper outlines some substantive issues and a process of consultations as the disaster risk reduction community heads toward the end date of the current blueprint for global disaster risk reduction, the Hyogo Framework of Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. It includes a timeframe and timeline of main events for a Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. See timeline
Towards a Safer World: recent developments
This paper summarizes further approaches, case studies and developments that TASW partners have been working on since the publication of 'Beyond pandemics' in 2011.
Successful Models of NGOs on Disaster Risk Reduction
With a growing international acknowledgement about the importance of NGOs in DRR, this paper outlines a framework of successful models NGOs can follow with regards to disasters. These models are derived from the study of actual projects that are carried out by NGOs in consultative status3 with ECOSOC. It particularly looks into how different NGOs operate and work towards DRR, and how they reflect their broader development goal into their respective projects. The paper also provides some recommendations on how the United Nations can learn from these Civil Society experiences, and improve its work in partnership with multiple sectors at the global level.
Beyond Pandemics: A whole of society approach to disaster preparedness
Distributed at the Towards a Safer World (TASW) conference in Rome in September 2011, this book outlines the human, economic and societal benefit of increasing collaboration, planning and dialogue across the entire societal architecture. It demonstrates how forming partnerships with non-traditional partners in public health issues including travel, animal health, private business, and civil-military response teams can help advance disaster preparedness.
A collaborative effort by many agencies and technical leaders challenges the leaders from the whole-of-society to help unify experiences and resources to successfully manage and mitigate the impact of future pandemics and other global disasters.
Climate Change, Rural Livelihoods and Agriculture
The objective of this paper is to identify climate change related threats and vulnerabilities associated with agriculture as a sector and agriculture as people’s livelihoods (exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity). The paper analyses the connections between the nature of human action as drivers of threats as well as opportunities for sustainable agriculture and better human development outcomes. Broadly, it examines the impact of climate change on rural livelihoods, agriculture, food security. It discusses the options for adaptation and mitigation and requirements for implementation at local, national and international level of these measures.
Assessing and Responding to Land Tenure Issues in Disaster Risk Management
This training manual is intended to assist those working on emergency response and disaster risk management. It aims to provide an overview of the major land issues that may arise following a natural hazard, which need to be considered and included in the decision-making processes associated with response, recovery and rehabilitation. These issues also should be considered in reconstruction and development projects to improve tenure security for the more vulnerable as part of a disaster mitigation process.
This manual is also intended for people who work in the land sector, to provide information on the challenges that may be faced in the context of emergency response and recovery from disasters. It contains information that underpins the rationale and processes for disaster risk management (DRM).
The disasters included in this discussion are hydrometeorological disasters (such as floods, drought, tropical cyclones, storm surge and tornadoes) and geophysical disasters (such as earthquakes, tsunamis, avalanches and landslides).
Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction Annual Report 2010
Focus: Integrating disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation into the fight against poverty.
Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) has emerged as the premier global coordination mechanism to harmonize the DRR efforts of the international community through both ex ante and ex post support to high risk developing countries. In the four years of its existence, GFDRR has been very successful in building a platform for global actors to manage the disaster agenda, leveraging efforts for disaster risk reduction and to share disaster risk reduction knowledge to achieve the goals set forth in the Hyogo Framework.
Disaster Risk Management Programs for Priority Countries, 2011
Publication by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. Oulines GFDRR initatives, profiles and research of 20 countries prioritised for DRR work.
Natural Hazards, Unnatural Disasters: The economics of effective prevention
A publication by the World Bank and United Nations released on November 11 2010, it argues that natural hazards often turn into disasters as a result of poor policies and practices, such as lack of publicly available information about projected storm surges, or rent-control laws that reduce landlords’ incentives to maintain buildings that then crumble in monsoons.
“A deeper questioning of what happened, and why, could prevent a repetition of disasters,” says the book, a two-year collaboration of climate scientists, economists, geographers, political scientists and psychologists.
Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management
A Strengthening Climate Resilience (SCR) Programme Publication covering the 'Climate Smart Disaster Risk Managment Approach' (CSDRM). Discusses why the CSDRM approach should be used and how it should be developed with specific case examples and dialogue on CSDRM in Africa and Asia.
Potential Role for Disaster Insurance for disaster Risk Reduction
Authors: Rachele Pierro and Bina Desai Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential role of Index-based Disaster Insurance as a tool for climate change adaptation and social protection in developing countries. Using Ethiopia as a case study, it will be argued that the current appeal-based emergency model is unsustainable. The paper will then discuss the possible value of two key factors, “timeliness” and “reliability”, that disaster insurance could bring to humanitarian intervention.
Disaster Risk Reduction in School Curricula: Case Studies from Thirty Countries
This document reports the indings of a UNICEF/UNESCO Mapping of Global DRR Integration into Education Curricula consultancy. The researchers were tasked with capturing key national experiences in the integration of disaster risk reduction in the curriculum, identifying good practice, noting issues addressed and ones still lacking and reviewing learning outcomes. The methodology employed has been one of meta-research of available literature and case study documentary research into the experiences of thirty countries.
The Non-Govt Organisation Disaster Relief Forum (NDRF) is facilitated by the Council for International Development