Participa- tory approaches are both cost-effective and sustainable mechanisms for reducing risks. ... selves in a disast
Policy Brief
January 2013
Disaster Risk Reduction Problem
Recommendations & Actions
Disasters are becoming increasingly frequent and intense. The human and financial costs of responding only after disasters strike are unsustainable. Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) must be a priority in order to curb the rising cost of humanitarian assistance and economic loss, while also protecting longterm development investments.
Eight years after 168 countries, including the U.S., signed the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA – the international community’s commitment to implement disaster risk reduction), disasters continue to inflict devastating loss of life and assets that compromise development gains and perpetuate the cycle of poverty. Although the HFA has substantively contributed to strengthened global attention on disaster risk reduction (DRR), its goals and priorities for action are far from being achieved. USAID’s DRR agenda has made significant strides, but given current and future realities, increased attention and resources are needed to reduce global disaster losses and protect development investments. To improve DRR programs and help those living in disaster-prone regions, the U.S. should: • Support local partners through greater community outreach and resources. Participatory approaches are both cost-effective and sustainable mechanisms for reducing risks. • Provide resources to national and local governments and communities to enable them to better prepare and respond to disasters and conduct their own disaster risk assessments. • Dedicate at least 10 percent of humanitarian emergency assistance for DRR, and increase USAID development funding for DRR and climate change adaptation (CCA). • Develop and institutionalize a comprehensive DRR/CCA/resilience strategy across USAID while ensuring humanitarian needs are not overlooked. • Identify DRR focal points in USAID and its Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance at both headquarters and the mission level to better liaise with other donors, national governments, nongovernmental organizations and other stakeholders on DRR issues. • Increase support for DRR activities and policies that reduce negative impacts of human activity, legal/regulatory barriers, and climate change (i.e., flood control and coastal management), and promote planned and regulated land use and urban development.
Results Taking these steps will save lives and reduce human suffering due to disasters, gradually reduce disaster response costs, and protect development investments. The result will be more effective foreign assistance that will increase countries’ capacity to respond to natural hazards and a changing environment. For more information, please contact: Abby Bruell Senior Program Associate, Humanitarian Policy & Practice InterAction
[email protected]
1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 210
Background Increases in the frequency and intensity of disasters,1 coupled with population growth and rapid urbanization, expose more people to greater disaster risk, threatening lives and development efforts.2 At greatest risk are the poor, particularly women and children, in developing countries who are disproportionately affected by disasters due to their precarious living situations and lack of resources. In addition, increased exposure of economic assets has resulted in 2011 being the costliest year on record for disaster-related economic losses.3 This trend is expected to continue. These realities have led to significant international commitment to DRR. The 2005 World Conference on Disaster Reduction was held in Kobe Japan, just days after the Indian Ocean tsunami, a disaster that underscored the importance of effective detection and early warning systems. One hundred sixty-eight countries adopted the conference’s Hyogo Framework for Action4 in order to strengthen international commitment to DRR with the goal of substantially reducing disaster losses (in lives and in social, economic and environmental assets) of communities and countries by the year 2015. However, almost eight years into the HFA, disaster losses continue their upward trend. The 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami and the 2011 Thailand floods proved that both developing and developed countries are vulnerable to severe disasters. Now that more than half the world’s population lives in urban areas, the threat is even greater. The 2010 Haiti earthquake exemplified how better planning and enforcement could have saved thousands of lives. While mega-disasters like the Haiti and Japanese earthquakes capture global attention and emotions, the cumulative impact of everyday, small-scale disasters affect more people and are major impediments to longterm development. Shorter recovery periods between disasters and a diminished ability to cope perpetuate the cycle of poverty and reduce communities’ ability to rebuild and be self-reliant. The crises in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel demonstrate how the adverse effects of repeated droughts and lack of resources can lead to large population movements, significant loss of life, unrest and costly interventions – all of which could have been avoided by simple risk reduction measures. In addition to saving lives and reducing vulnerability, DRR is, on the whole, a cost effective approach. While it is impossible to measure the impact disasters may have had without DRR measures, and while there is no exact ratio for dollars invested versus dollars saved, studies indicate that DRR activities have a higher positive return for each dollar invested than making no investment at all.5
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Community-based DRR programs are low-cost/highimpact investments that save lives and assets. Supporting these types of programs ensures that the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalized communities understand the simplest, most practical actions required to protect themselves in a disaster and, in the long term, build resilience.6 The post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction is an opportunity to ensure that the policies and plans put forth in the HFA are matched by sufficient financing, technical expertise, and capacity building. It is an opportunity to create a framework that reflects local realities and incorporates affected populations in the design and implementation of programs. Beyond the post-2015 framework, DRR can and should also be promoted by integrating DRR across development programming. Senior officials at USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) recognize the importance of DRR and are attempting to allocate more resources. Between 2010 and 2011 funding for disaster readiness nearly doubled.7 Unfortunately, this falls short of what is needed and begs the question whether other leaders and senior officials advocating for greater resilience are able to match OFDA’s efforts. Improved DRR, and by extension the resilience of communities, can decrease the needs of affected populations and save lives.
1 Disaster is defined here as a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or society causing widespread human, material, economic, or environmental losses which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources. 2 “IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation,” Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. http:// www.ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX/images/uploads/SREX-All_FINAL.pdf. 3 “Heavy disaster losses for insurance companies in 2011,” UNISDR. http://www.unisdr. org/archive/24588. 4 The Hyogo Framework for Action has five priorities:
1. Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation;
2. Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning;
3. Use knowledge, innovation, and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels;
4. Reduce the underlying risk factors; and
5. Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels.
5 “Natural Hazards, Unnatural Disasters: The Economics of Effective Prevention,” World Bank, 2010. 6 “Conference on Community-based Disaster Risk Reduction,” UNICEF. Pg. V. http:// www.unicef.org/india/ConferenceCommunitybasedDisasterRiskReductionreport.pdf. 7 Foreign assistance obligations for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011. http://foreignassistance. gov.
Contributors to the Disaster Risk Reduction Policy Brief ACDI/VOCA Aga Khan Foundation USA American Red Cross International Services Catholic Relief Services Habitat for Humanity International Mercy Corps Oxfam America Refugees International
InterAction Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group ACDI/VOCA Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Aga Khan Foundation USA
American Red Cross International Services Catholic Relief Services Church World Service CONCERN Worldwide U.S., Inc. Habitat for Humanity International Handicap International USA HelpAge USA International Medical Corps International Relief & Development Lutheran World Relief Mercy Corps Oxfam America Refugees International Save the Children United Methodist Committee on Relief World Concern
