from the editor - preventionweb · 2011. 4. 6. · disaster reduction in africa - isdr informs,...

1Disaster Reduction in Africa - ISDR Informs, Issue 5/July 2005

From the editorDisaster Reduction in AFRICA

ISDR INFORMS

produced bythe Africa Regional Office

of theUN/International Strategy

for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR)

UN/ISDR Senior Regional Officer for AfricaFeng Min Kan

Editor Alain Valency R.

General ProductionNoroarisoa Rakotondrandria

Design & LayoutMario Barrantes

Noroarisoa Rakotondrandria

PhotographsUN/ISDR Africa, Kids (Imagine GTZ), WFP

Circulation Ib Knutsen and Pamela Mubuta

Printed byUNON Print Shop, Nairobi, Kenya

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“Developmentizing” disaster reduction…

Sixteen days after the Indian Ocean tsunami, on 11 January 2005, 717million USD was concretely committed as post-disaster humanitarianassistance. “This has never happened before,” said UN Under-SecretaryGeneral for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland.

If only such an amount could be made available to disaster reductionworldwide, not in the next 16 days but in the next 16 months… But this is notlikely to happen. Disaster reduction does not have the emotional and/orpolitical appeal of a disaster event.

As disaster reduction (DR) is not a disaster event, an “exceptional” event, arewe absolutely right to perceive it as a “humanitarian” issue? The truth is DRhas more to do with development than with humanitarian issue. This is whyDR has remained a lone stranger in the world of humanitarian affairs.

And as long as DR is perceived as a “humanitarian affair”, resources will beallocated on “humanitarian” grounds. Yet, there isn’t much “humanitarian”enthusiasm for a non-thrilling event like reducing disaster risk.

It is true that DR can benefit from humanitarian post-disaster resourceallocation. But it is not the only area that may benefit. In fact, the first areasto benefit are development areas like health, sanitation, infrastructuredevelopment, etc.

It may also be argued that DR is still a little known subject, and that ahumanitarian perspective would help promote it better. The problem is thatsuch a humanitarian perspective does not help to secure stable, predictableand long-term resources. Yet, stable resources are necessary for systematicand sustained awareness and attention promotion.

Shall we blame “disaster politics” for the present situation? Yet, it is also afact that we, humans, increasingly focus more on the “urgent” than on the“important”?

Meanwhile, Africa seems to have opted gradually for the “important”: Its pacein disaster reduction is more resolute and faster than that of those setting theDR agenda at global level.

But the world being as it is, we should play both cards. We should thereforeseek to take the most of the present humanitarian status of disasterreduction.

Former US President Bill Clinton, now the UN Special Envoy for TsunamiRecovery, on 14 July said: “We cannot let this year pass without some realprogress on disaster risk reduction… 2005 is a key year for the risk reductionagenda.”

Why not make use of such a top-level leadership awareness? For instance toturn highly vulnerable Africa’s repeated disaster-caused loss of precarioushuman lives and livelihoods and hard-won assets and development gainsinto a major challenge for humanitarian wisdom? Aren’t we facing, on thiscontinent, the “world’s biggest disaster in the making”?

Meanwhile, efforts are being made to mainstream disaster reduction indevelopment. A number of African countries have already incorporated DRinto their poverty reduction strategies… with the blessing of some majorglobal financial partners.

This is encouraging. We should move forward quickly in that direction.Indeed, mainstreaming DR in development is, at present, the best optionavailable for “developmentizing” disaster reduction.

R. Alain Valency

[email protected]


IN THIS ISSUE

1 From the editor

3 Disaster Reduction in Africa3 MOZAMBIQUE: Pilot community project integrating DRM into rural development successful – Mr Wolfgang Stiebens

5 NIGERIA: Towards a National Stakeholders’Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction – Dr Olusegun E. Ojo

7 Disaster Management & Development: An Overview – Hon. Dr. Jerry Sonny Ugokwe

8 SENEGAL seeks to mainstream disaster risk reduction in poverty reduction strategy – Mr Abdoulaye Ndiaye

9 GHANA: Disaster risk reduction initiatives in the fields of governance and poverty reduction – Brig-Gen (Rtd) Joseph Odei

12 SEYCHELLES: National secretariat & fund for disaster management established – Mr Michel Vielle

13 MADAGASCAR allocates percentage of “Shock Response” fund to risk reduction – Mr Jacky R. Randimbiarison

14 SENEGAL: Disaster reduction workshop held for journalists – Mr Abdoulaye Ndiaye

16 GABON: Successful disaster risk reduction achieved in capital city slum area – Dr Solange Loubamono

17 Views & Reviews17 Glimpses of concerns over hydrometeorological disasters in Africa – Dr Yinka Adebayo

19 Information needs for disaster risk reduction, governance & development in Nigeria – Prof ‘Bola Ayeni

22 Tsunami potential on East African coast, western Indian Ocean island states – Dr Chris Hartnardy

24 UN/ISDR World in Action24 World Conference on Disaster Reduction & its outcomes – UN/ISDR Secretariat

26 Hyogo Declaration27 CENTRAL ASIA: Second regional consultative meeting on disaster risk reduction held for Central Asian countries – Ms Tine Ramstad

29 ASIA: UN/ISDR opens Asia and the Pacific regional outreach programme – Ms Christel Rose29 2005 WORLD DISASTER REDUCTION AWARENESS CAMPAIGN: Focus on Microfinance Tools & Safety Nets – Ms Brigitte Leoni

31 UN/ISDR Africa National Platforms in Action30 UGANDA begins implementation of Hyogo Framework of Action & Africa Regional Strategy – Mr Martin Owor

32 KENYA: National disaster risk reduction policy due for adoption this year – Mr S.K. Maina

33 MALI: National platform for disaster reduction launched – Col. Mamadou Traore

34 CONGO: National platform hampered by lack of legal recognition, resources – Mr Edmond Makimouha

35 SENEGAL: ISDR national platform established – Mr Abdoulaye Ndiaye37 NIGER: Why the country seeks to establish an ISDR national platform – Mrs Mariama Ousseini

39 UN/ISDR Africa in Action39 African journalists pledge to help promote culture of prevention – UN/ISDR Africa

41 African national platforms hold first consultative meeting – UN/ISDR Africa

44 Africa Advisory Group on Disaster Risk Reduction established – UN/ISDR Africa

46 Policy Makers Talk about Disaster Reduction46 Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki’s speech at UN Habitat Governing Council Session48 UN/ISDR Africa high-level advocacy makes encouraging start – Ms Feng Min Kan

50 Bill Clinton urges rapid advance on global risk reduction agenda – Mr Alain Valency

52 Partners in Action52 “First Africa Drought Forum” urges holistic approach to drought risk issues – Dr Eric Patrick

54 MALI seeks to build capacity on natural disaster issues – Mrs Aida M’bo Ndembele

56 ECOWAS: Experts discuss establishment of disaster management mechanism for West Africa – Mr Jean D. Faye

58 SADC regional training plan for information management ready – Mr Benedict Tembo


Disaster Reduction in Africa

Dr Wolfgang StiebensProgramme Coordinator,GTZ (PRODER),Maputo, Mozambique

A Germany-assisted disaster risk

management project kicked off in

2001 in central Mozambique. In

2004, an initiative was launched to

integrate disaster risk management

into rural development. The

initiative has been successful. The

following is a report based on a

recent evaluation of the initiative.

A German Technical Cooperation (GTZ)pilot project integrating disaster riskmanagement into rural development hasbeen successful. This emerges from areport on a March 2005 evaluation of theproject launched in 2004 with grassrootscommunities in Buzi District, SofalaProvince (central Mozambique).

The evaluation was deemed appropriatebecause of the possible threat of floodingdue to rising river levels.

Recommendations from the report includethe possibility of expanding activities toother vulnerable areas and incorporatingthe issue of drought in future disaster riskmanagement activities.

BackgroundAfter the 2000 and 2001 floods andcyclones in southern and centralMozambique, the governments ofMozambique and Germany (BMZ) agreedto implement a project from 2001 to 2003to provide technical assistance throughGTZ (German Technical Corporation) andin coordination with INGC (NationalInstitute of Disaster Management). Thedisaster risk management (DRM) projectpromoted activities such as risk analysis,disaster mitigation, development of anearly warning system and disasterpreparedness. The project worked closelywith all levels of government and withdistrict communities. The project wascommunity-based, acknowledging the

important role played by communitiesthrough participation in and adoption ofthe project.

The GTZ’s DRM project worked closelywith the Mozambique Red Cross (CVM)at community level as this organizationhad long served in the area of communitydevelopment in the districts. Thegeographical region of Buzi was identifiedmainly for its extreme vulnerability tocyclones and flooding. In 2004, DRMbecame incorporated into the existingrural development project (PRODER)which was already being implemented byGTZ in Sofala Province.

As high vulnerability to natural disasterwas found to be having a negative impacton people’s lives in the high-risk areas,including DRM in the PRODER (ruraldevelopment) project was seen as acritical area of intervention with itsprincipal objective being “local actors”(district government and communities)applying DRM measures in high-riskzones based on district developmentplans.

Local DRM committees

operational in 9 communitiesTo achieve this objective, PRODER-DRMassisted in the establishment of a localDRM system in highly vulnerable zones,as a component of the National RiskManagement Policy. One of the keyactivities towards this objective was theformation of local Disaster RiskManagement Committees based in thevulnerable communities. The role of thecommittees was defined as beingresponsible for transmitting informationregarding disaster risk and ensuring thatthe community was advised on what todo in case of a disaster.

Local DRM Committees are nowfunctioning in nine communities in theBuzi River Basin.

PRODER-DRM is also providingassistance to improving the flow ofinformation in respect to DRM, includinginformation on early warning systems. Inaddition to this, GTZ-DRM is playing animportant role in providing technical

MOZAMBIQUE: Pilot community project integrating

DRM into rural development successful

Map of the Buzi Region, Mozambique



Regarding flow of information andcooperation between the communitiesand the relevant institutions, there isevidence that the community feels betterinformed on issues relating to disasterrisk than before the Project. This hasbeen partly attributed to increasedcommunity awareness resulting in animproved understanding of theinformation transmitted by the radio. Onecommunity member said: “Before, wewould hear the messages on the radiobut did not really think about who themessage was for. Now we know thosemessages are for us.” Radio transmissionwas clearly identified as the main meansof receiving information in respect to therisk of a pending disaster. The committeeswere the sources of information regardingprevention, preparation and organization.

The committee members were aware of theNational Cyclone Early Warning Systemand could describe the use of thecoloured banners to provide adequatewarning. Communication between thecommunity and district were regular,consisted of either visits from the DRMteam or community committee memberstravelling to Buzi town to communicatewith district authorities.

Are the DRM committees positivelymotivated and conscientious in thedischarge of their tasks? It would appearthat the committees are motivated andconscientious in the area of DRM. Duringthe few months preceding March 2005,which is the most vulnerable time periodfor floods and cyclones, the DRMcommittees called community meetings attheir own initiative. Committee andcommunity members are also reported tohave taken an active part in DRMworkshops and seminars, and are keen onengaging with district and provincialrepresentatives on issues that concernthem.

Conclusions & recommendationsThe DRM component is considered to bemaking a highly valuable contribution tothe livelihoods of the communitiesinvolved. Introducing a component thatfocuses on the grassroots level hasincreased the status and value of thecommunity with respect to the variousauthorities, who now perceive them notonly as beneficiaries but also as an

assistance for the incorporation of DRMinto district development plans.

Purpose of the evaluationThe purpose of the March 2005evaluation was to monitor the impact ofthe DRM component of the GTZ RuralDevelopment Programme (PRODER) inrelation to the preparedness of all actorsinvolved in disaster risk management inBuzi River Basin at a time of year whenthere was risk of flooding and/or cyclone.The evaluation sought to address fourkey issues with respect to DRMinterventions:

• Are communities effectively using thelocal DRM committees for information,coordination and support in the caseof emergencies?

• Is DRM integrated properly intodistrict plans based on risk analysis?

• Is there is a sound flow of informationand cooperation between thecommunities and the relevantinstitutions?

• Are the communities positivelymotivated and conscientious in thedischarge of their tasks?

Evaluation findingsFindings show that the activities carriedout in the selected communities have

been successful. Local DRM committeesexist and function with the acceptance ofthe communities. The communities saidthey were now more aware and capable ofresponding to natural disasters. Theysaid they were better prepared to organizethemselves, as opposed to the situation2000/2001 where they “just waited to betold what to do”. In addition, as a resultof information disseminated by one of thecommittees, some community membershad relocated to safer areas.

District-level authorities were aware andsupportive of the committees and felt thatinformation and communication hadimproved. The 2004 Buzi districtdevelopment planning process has seenefforts to incorporate DRM activities, andthe plan had been submitted for approval.

The inclusion of DRM messages inschool curricula was proposed. However,how this could function in practice hasnot been clearly defined.

At the provincial level, the concept ofusing local communities has been wellaccepted and has given the opportunityfor a stronger link between thecommunity and institutions thatcontribute to the area of DRM. However,there are still some concerns regardingthe reliability of the information beingtransmitted and further development inthis area is required.

Local authorities and community members in information/communication training



active, contributing, partner withknowledge that can be used for thedevelopment of disaster preventionstrategies.

However, based on the findings, somerecommendations were made, includingthe following:

Replicability potential of the DRMmodelConsideration should be given toreplicating the DRM model in othercommunities in Buzi District and otherdistricts with people living in high-riskareas. A number of factors havecontributed to the success to date of theDRM component, one key feature beingthe commitment of the Buzi districtadministration. This is due to thedistrict’s geographical location and levelof vulnerability, which resulted in highsensitivity to risk. This aspect may needto be taken into account when selectingother zones for implementation.Broadening the definition of “disaster”

Although communities were well awareof flood and cyclone risks, the issue ofdrought was of equal or greater concern.The DRM component has expanded toaddress issues of climate change and hasalready instigated a survey into localknowledge with respect to this issue. It isrecommended that drought risk be givena higher priority.

Upgrading of information flowIt would appear that the DRM componenthas played a pivotal role in creatingcommunication links and informationsharing between the three administrativelevels of community, district andprovince. A number of seminars andworkshops were held to build capacitywithin the various actors groups. Thereare two main issues to be addressed: 1)improvement of information quality, 2)improvement of communication structure.

Sustainability of the DRM initiativeThe sustainability of the DRM initiative isstill not fully proven and a clear exit

strategy needs to be developed if thegains made to date are to be sustained.Ideally, the importance given to DRM bya district needs to be reflected in itsdistrict plan. The district planningprocess therefore is considered to bepivotal in terms of securing the longer-term sustainability of the DRM process.Similarly, continuing support for localcommittees, the incorporation of civilsociety and local partners and theallocation of additional resources canonly be met within the framework of adistrict plan.

District planning processThe process of incorporating DRM intothe Buzi district plan has been initiated.However, it is difficult, at this stage, tocomment on any impact, as the plan hasyet to be implemented. It is necessary tocontinue to advocate the inclusion andimportance of DRM at provincial andnational levels.

Dr Olusegun E. OjoAssistant Director,Relief and Rehabilitation,National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA),The Presidency, Abuja, Nigeria

A roundtable discussion under the theme“Towards an Effective NationalStakeholders’ Platform for Disaster RiskReduction in Nigeria” was held in thefederal capital, Abuja, on 11 March 2005.Organized by Nigeria’s NationalEmergency Management Agency, NEMA,the meeting’s overall objective was to buildsynergy amongst the diverse stakeholdersand professional disciplines involved indisaster reduction in the country. The one-day meeting, held at NEMA headquarters,was attended by over 50 participants.

Disaster & emergencies in

NigeriaIn Nigeria, disaster occurrences and

emergencies have increased in frequencyand intensity in the last decade, especiallyin recent times. Frequent oil spills withinthe Niger Delta (southern Nigeria) lead toirreparable damage to coastal biospheres.

Global warming and phenomenon such asEl Nino have been linked to the sudden risein the number and severity of recent floodsin Jigawa, Kano (states in northernNigeria), Gomba (state in northeasternNigeria) and some of the southern States ofNigeria. The expansion of themanufacturing sectors has also resulted inincreasing levels of technologicalemergencies such as industrial pollutionand waste.

Consequently, Nigeria have becomeincreasingly at risk to a wide number ofnatural hazards with urbanizationpressuring people to rapidly buildunregulated housing along known floodplains and unstable hills. There is now agrowing recognition from the public and

private sectors that the only way to addressthe escalating costs is not a reactive reliefdoling but a preventive, comprehensive andlong-term approach to natural disasters.

However, a number of States, most localgovernment authorities and communities inthe country are yet to institutionalize andmainstream disaster management into theoverall development plans. To reduce(mitigate) and manage human, economic,social and environmental losses and otherconsequences of disasters, integrateddevelopment strategies must be developedcollaboratively by the various tiers ofgovernment and the civil society.

In the last four years of its transformationand operation, the experiences of NEMA,the agency for emergency and disastermanagement in Nigeria, have shown thatthe multiplicity of avoidable emergenciesacross the country and their budgetaryimplications to governments andindividuals are becoming worrisome. An

NIGERIA: Towards a National Stakeholders’

Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction



and voted for the motion to set up aNational Stakeholders’ Platform for DRR.

Five organizations, in addition to NEMA,were selected to constitute an InterimCommittee to come up with the modalitiesfor the National Platform: the civil societyrepresented by the Nigerian Red Cross, themedia to be represented by Voice of Nigeriaand Nigeria Television Agency, theexecutive arm of government to berepresented by the Institute of Peace andConflict Resolution and NEMA, and thelegislative arm by the House Committee onEmergency and Disaster Preparedness.

ConclusionAccomplishing these goals requirespolitical commitment as well as participatoryapproaches and active mobilization of allrelevant stakeholders for both programmeconceptualisation and execution. Theability of individuals to appreciate the rootcauses of hazards would go a long way topromote risk reduction and sustainabledevelopment. Existing institutions are to bestrengthened by appropriate legislation atvarious levels of government.To demonstrate the lessons learnt, modestdisaster reduction projects would beembarked upon in a few selected vulnerablecommunities for purposes of replication inother areas.

The National Platform would embark onstakeholders’ assessment of technicalcapacity and resources to addressemergencies and disasters in the countryand thereby proceed to put together anational programme of implementation.

urgent need to embrace the conceptual shiftto medium/long-term disaster risk reductionparadigm is therefore paramount.

Most of devastating disasters can be pre-empted and averted if relevant governmentdepartments work in synergy with NGOs,CBOs and other concerned stakeholders toaddress risks of natural disasters, provideweather forecasts and early warning, helpcommunities prevent and recover fromdisasters, and build resilient infrastructurewith appropriate education and publicenlightenment.

To build an appropriate synergy amongstthe diverse stakeholders and professionaldisciplines, NEMA, in line with the UN/ISDR guidelines, has identified the need topursue the following goals:

1. Increase public awareness from publicauthorities;

2. Obtain commitment from publicauthorities;

3. Stimulate inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral partnerships; and

4. Improve the scientific knowledge of thecauses of natural disasters and theirimpacts.

It was to pursue these goals that NEMAhosted the roundtable discussion “Towardsan Effective National Stakeholders’ Platformfor Disaster Risk Reduction in Nigeria” on11 March 2005.

ProceedingsThe roundtable discussion was designedfor stakeholders to share their views andexperiences in this emerging subject area ofdisaster risk reduction, governance anddevelopment. UN/ISDR Africa, the UNSystem focal point for disaster riskreduction (DRR) in Africa, made apresentation at the meeting, with theNational Assembly given the parleyappropriate legislative teeth andendorsement.

The Director General of NEMA, Alhaji S.Makarfi, observed the global shift in focusfrom response to DRR and stressed thatNigeria would not be left behind. Hehighlighted that the Agency, being the focalpoint for disaster management (DM) in thecountry, has the responsibility to mobilizethe diverse (public and private)stakeholders and collaborate with the UN/ISDR to build a sustainable DRR strategyfor the country. He concluded by urging theparticipants to ensure that the current

roundtable discussion should ultimatelylead to the formation of a national platformof stakeholders on DRR in the country.

Chairing the occasion, the Chairman HouseCommittee on Emergency and DisasterPreparedness (in the National Assembly),represented by Hon. Dr Gyang D. Dantong,informed the participants that his newly-established committee was expected to givelegislative support and oversight functionto NEMA and other stakeholders in themanagement of disasters in the country.

The Chairman observed the need fordecentralization of DM down to localauthorities and communities. He alsoobserved the need for appropriate funding,institutional support and mainstreamingDRR paradigm into national developmentthrough the relevant prevention, mitigationand rehabilitation of potential vulnerabilitiesand hazards. He further informed theparticipants that it was imperative that hiscommittee, in collaboration with NEMA,should seek to create new legislation andpolicies to strengthen existing operations,and to integrate DRR into the nationaldevelopment plans and the ongoing needsof the economic agenda. He concluded byaffirming the House Committee’s supportfor the formation of a collaborative nationalplatform of stakeholders in DRR for thecountry.

Discussion & resolutionThe meeting comprising some 53participants from the public, private, NGOsand civil society unanimously supported

Hon. Dr Gyang D. Dantong, Chairman of the roundtable meeting (holding a microphone) and somenational stakeholders in DRR in Nigeria



Disaster Management & Development: An OverviewExcerpts from Presentation by

Hon. Dr Jerry Sonny UgokwePh.D., Chairman,

House Committee on Emergency & Disaster Preparedness,The Federal House of Representatives,

National Assembly, Nigeria

“ … In view of the constitutional responsibility of any country to protect its citizens from both natural and man-made

disasters, the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Committee was set up in the Federal House of Representatives to offerlegislative support and oversight function to the pre-emption, prevention and management of disasters in Nigeria. This hasbeen done through various advocacy meetings within the Presidency and mobilization and support to disaster-ravagedconstituencies.

In Nigeria, since the coming of NEMA Act 12 of 1999 as amended by Act 50, it observes the need to decentralize disastermanagement to the local communities, which usually are the theatre of disaster. It observes the need for appropriate fundingand institutional strengthening through legislative support and mainstreaming DRR into the national development plans inNigeria. Finally, it supports the need to pursue the cost-effective disaster risk reduction paradigm through relevant prevention,mitigation and rehabilitation of potential vulnerabilities and hazards in the country. In line with the UN/ISDR disaster riskreduction framework, and considering that disaster management is multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholding, the House ofRepresentatives therefore supports the formation of a collaborative national platform of stakeholders in DRR for the country.

Disaster Management in Nigeria: Legislative Approach

The main types of disasters in Nigeria include floods, desertification, gully and coastal erosion, diseases and epidemics, ethno-religious disturbances, fire disasters, building and dam collapse, destructive storms, drought, explosion of ammunitions,aviation, maritime and road accident and earth tremors.

The establishment of the Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness by the House of Representatives on 30 March2004 has put disaster management and risk reduction on a very sound footing for the first time in the history of Nigeria. Thecreation of the Committee was the official legislative response to the issue of emergency and disaster management in thehistory of Nigeria since independence. The Committee, with primary oversight over NEMA, has been preserving for theeffective and adequate empowerment of NEMA through adequate funding in the Appropriation Bill. The Committee has seen toit that the much-needed search and rescue helicopters were provided for in the just-passed 2005 budget. The Committee as wellhas made arrangements with the President to hold a National Emergency Summit early next quarter, of which the Agency wouldbe in the centre stage and would play a major role.

The House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness wishes to enjoin the Agency to be conscious of the need tobuild up its capacity for hazard assessment, forecasting and prevention with effective stakeholders. It must also effectivelymobilize the other tiers of government to be alive to their constitutional responsibility of protecting their citizenry fromdisasters. In specific terms, the House Committee needs to pursue the following agenda in collaboration with NEMA:

• Formulation of a National Disaster Management Policy based on the foundation of risk reduction and sustainabledevelopment;

• Review the existing legislation to conform with the present democratic norms and also to develop new set of laws inconformity with the paradigm shift from mere response to disasters to increased state of preparedness andproactiveness on the side of all safety managers;

• Cooperating with NEMA and all other safety agencies towards achieving maximum safety of lives and properties;

• Integration of DRR into the national development plans and the ongoing needs of the economic agenda; and

• Raising the awareness of the populace and pursuing decentralization of disaster management to the barest grassroots.

• To accomplish all of these, the House Committee would always make sure that NEMA gets stable and adequate funding

through National Assembly Appropriation Acts. … ”


Mr Abdoulaye Ndiaye, Director of CivilProtection

Mr Abdoulaye Ndiaye,Director of Civil Protection,Ministry of Interior,Dakar, Senegal

A “Technical Meeting on theMainstreaming of Disaster RiskReduction into the Process of Updatingthe Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper(PRSP)” was held in Dakar on 1 June 2005,organized by the country’s FinanceMinistry.

The meeting was part of a three-dayworkshop establishing the country’sISDR National Platform. Organized jointlyby the Directorate for Civil Protection andUN/ISDR Africa, the workshop wasattended by representatives ofgovernment ministries having a stake indisaster reduction.

The meeting began with a presentation onthe PRSP. It emerged from thepresentation that the country’s PRSP,which had been adopted by theSenegalese government in December 2001and approved by partners in 2002, was: 1)an overall strategy for establishingconditions conducive for sustainablegrowth and effective fight againstpoverty, but not a specific anti-povertyprogramme; 2) the consideration ofsectoral and decentralized policies as partof the country’s developmentmanagement tools; and 3) a referenceframework for partners’ interventions.

Link between poverty,

vulnerability exposed by PRSPThe above presentation was followed byvery informed discussions on disasterrisk management issues.

It emerged from the discussions that thePRSP highlighted very clearly the linkbetween poverty and poor copingcapacity in society. Vulnerability, being arisk/risk management capacity ratio,should be identified and evaluated in allsectors. Its identification is a must for

SENEGAL seeks to mainstream disaster risk

reduction in poverty reduction strategy

disaster reduction. It is therefore a keydata of the disaster reduction mechanism.All the speakers therefore stressed theneed for relevant databases to back thePRSP.

The meeting participants said: “Here wehave the very foundation of the platform(for disaster reduction) which we intendto put in place. In other words, thenational platform is the starting point fordisaster and accident management

capacity building. The platform’s inter-sectoral and cross-cutting role is suchthat it should be a strategic and unifyingelement for the various PRSP activities.”

Mainstreaming DRR into PRSP

by December 2005The following recommendations were,among others, made by the participantsto mainstream disaster risk reduction(DRR) into the PRSP:

1. There is need to establish a nationalplatform for disaster reduction.

2. A timetable should be set for having anational platform and a nationalstrategy and mainstreaming the latterin the PRSP by December 2005.

3. Disaster risk reduction should be anational and local priority.

4. A sound institutional frameworkshould be established for successfulimplementation of the necessaryactivities.

5. Disaster reduction should bedissociated from social protection.

6. Local communities should be providedwith a special fund for DRRmanagement.

Some participants at the technical meeting



Brig-Gen (Rtd) Joseph OdeiNational Coordinator,National Disaster Management Organisation(NADMO),Accra, Ghana

Ghana needs to shift from disaster

management to disaster risk

reduction. Initiatives have been

taken to facilitate the shift. The

following is a shortened version of a

paper presented by the national

coordinator of Ghana’s National

Disaster Management Organisation

on 16 May 2005.

IntroductionIn recent times, disasters have causedmajor disruptions in the economic andsocial development of developingcountries, including Ghana, due mainly toour inability to cope effectively withnatural hazards and risks created bysocio-economic and politicaldevelopmental processes. Disasters haveworsened the plight of the rural andurban poor, claimed many lives, causedmaterial losses and diverted scarceresources from poverty reductionprogrammes to rehabilitate victims and torepair or replace damaged social andeconomic infrastructure.

Although the hazard profile and thehistory of disasters in Ghana have notbeen as calamitous as in some developingcountries, recent natural and man-madedisasters such as flooding, domestic,industrial and wild fires, tribal communalconflicts, epidemics and threats posed bya possible earthquake have made itimportant to shift emphasis from disasterresponse and emergency relief to disasterrisk reduction and mitigation through theintegration of disaster risk reduction intosustainable development.

Disaster risk reduction means foreseeingdanger and taking measures either toprevent or mitigate their impact throughadequate preparation and effectiveresponse. This, in turn, involvesidentification of hazards, forecasting of

impending events likely to cause damageto life, property, infrastructure or theenvironment; processing anddissemination of warnings or instructionsto the appropriate authorities orpopulations, as well as undertakingappropriate and timely actions to reducethe risk or mitigate the impact of theimpending disaster.

To facilitate a paradigm shift from disastermanagement (DM) to disaster riskreduction (DRR), the following gaps needto be filled:

• Lack of clear policy and effectivestrategy for disaster risk reduction,prevention, response andrehabilitation.

• Lack of integration of disaster riskreduction programmes intosustainable development.

• Inadequate resource commitment todisaster risk reduction andmanagement.

• Limited national/public ownership ofrisk reduction and managementprogrammes, etc.

To address these gaps and constraints, athree-day national disaster workshop wasorganised in Accra in 2004 by theGhanaian Ministry of Interior and UN/

ISDR Africa. Participants in the three-dayworkshop were drawn from the ministries,departments, security agencies, UNagencies and the National DisasterManagement Organisation (NADMO).

The objectives of the workshop were asfollows:

• To review the national policies and thelegal framework for disastermanagement and risk reduction

• To understand disaster risk reductionand how to integrate it intosustainable development.

• To form a coalition of interests fordisaster risk reduction betweenGovernment, ministries, securityagencies, local authorities andcommunity-based organisations fordisaster risk reduction.

• To build consensus for the waytoward.

Governance InitiativesThe most important recommendation ofthe workshop was the need for moreactive involvement of Governmentministries, departments and agencies(MDAs), non-governmental organisations(NGOs) and civil society organisations(CSOs) in disaster management throughthe establishment of a National Platformfor Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) tofacilitate good governance and povertyreduction, under the Ghana PovertyReduction Strategy (GPRS).

A number of proposals with far-reachingconsequences on governance were made.These include:

• Strong political leadership andcommitment with clear and pragmaticvision for disaster reduction.

• Formulation of an integrated NationalDisaster Risk Reduction Policy.

• Strengthening compliance andenforcement of regulations includingreviewing legislative authority ofNADMO for effective enforcement.

GHANA: Disaster risk reduction initiatives in the

fields of governance and poverty reduction

Brig-Gen (Rtd) Joseph Odei, who is alsothe ISDR National focal point



• Promotion of disaster risk reduction atnational, regional and district levels.

• Enhancing the capacity of grassrootsdisaster volunteers groups (DVGs) asa basis for strengthening localinvolvement in disaster reduction,employment generation and povertyreduction.

• Development of an action programmefor moving forward with thetransformation of the disastermanagement system.

• Provision of adequate resources toinstitutions involved in disaster riskreduction programme in the country,particularly NADMO which is the leadagency for disaster prevention andmanagement.

Governance denotes the responsiverelations between the state, the privatesector, civil society and localadministration such that the safety, socialwellbeing, social justice and equity areattained and maintained in anenvironment of sustained disaster riskreduction and management. In the past,effective national disaster prevention andmanagement came under seriouscriticisms due mainly to the existingstructural and policy defects inherent inthe process. This led to a consciouseffort to review the policies andstructures to bring disaster managementin line with modern practices.

The paradigm shift has also necessitateda review of the Act (Act 517) 1996 thatestablished NADMO. Emphasis has beenshifted to coordination, prevention andawareness creation through informationdissemination, communication andeducation, employment generation andpoverty reduction.

Current governance initiativesDisaster Management is multi-sectoraland inter-disciplinary in nature andinvolves a wide variety of inter-relatedactivities at national and local levels.Some of the changes proposed in thefield of governance in the revised Actinclude the following:

a) Clear and pragmatic policy for disasterrisk reduction

b) Establishment of the National DisasterManagement Committee under the

chairmanship of the minister ofinterior

c) Establishment of a DisasterManagement Council to beresponsible for policy formulation,administration and supervision, toensure the implementation of policiesand programmes under thechairmanship of the minister of theinterior

d) Establishment of Regional and DistrictDisaster Management and TechnicalCommittees

e) Establishment of an effectiveparticipatory process

f) Legislative empowerment through theimmunisation of NADMO staff andagents in the performance of theirduties

g) Review and strengthening of theTechnical Committees to provideexpert advice in economic, social andenvironmentally related programmes.

h) Establishment of a Disaster Fund tomobilise more financial support fordisaster risk reduction andmanagement. This is necessary tosubsidise government resources,which do not cover unforeseenemergencies.

i) Establishment of community-baseddisaster volunteer groups to engendercommunity participation in disasterrisk reduction and management

j) Establishment of a NADMO web site(www.nadmo.org) to bring theactivities of the organisation tointernational limelight, seekinternational collaboration andsupport, and share knowledge andexperience.

k) As part of the initiatives to enhanceperformance, the Governmentprovided 100 vehicles and otherequipment to strengthen the capacityof NADMO to meet the challenges ofdisaster management in Ghana.

Poverty Reduction InitiativesIn Ghana, the Poverty Reduction Strategy(GPRS), which is the government’sagenda for growth and prosperity, hasidentified poverty as one of the majorcauses of man-made disasters in the

country, since the rural poor degrade andover-exploit the environment throughpoor agricultural and animal husbandrypractices, surface mining, over-exploitation of the forest for firewood andcharcoal, bushfires, etc. to eke out a bareexistence. Besides, natural hazardsincluding earthquake, drought, stormsand floods tend to hurt the poor becausethey normally live in areas with greaterpopulation density, poor infrastructure,housing and sanitary facilities.

Social Mobilisation

In line with these trends, NADMO hasadopted social mobilisation as a keystrategy for disaster risk and povertyreduction. This involves the organisation,training and equipping of community-based disaster volunteer groups (DVGs)made up of young men and women, toassist in the identification of risks,prevention and the management ofdisasters and to undertake povertyreduction and community developmentprogrammes.

The community-based disaster volunteerconcept aims at ensuring activecommunity participation in the disastermanagement process. It includes, amongother things, the following:

• Mobilising and training of the youthand the unemployed for the purposeof equipping them with the necessarytechnical know-how to enable themparticipate in disaster management,employment generation andcommunity development.

• Sensitising local communities toidentify their potentials and strengthsas a real motivating force fordevelopment, decision-making andcommunity livelihood development.

• Assisting communities deprived ofopportunities to embark on theprovision of employment and socialamenities like school blocks, places ofconvenience, wells, dams,construction of health, day carecentres as a poverty reductionstrategy.

• Encourage communities to understandand participate in governmentprogrammes and activities.



In a nutshell, the DVG concept has beendeveloped and adopted, among otherthings, as a poverty reduction strategy toassist the volunteers to undertakeincome-generating activities to enablethem remain within their communities toassist NADMO in the prevention andmanagement of disasters in theircommunities. The DVG concept was alsodesigned to bring the volunteers, who aremostly unemployed and deprived, intomainstream of economic activities toenable them take advantage of theopportunities created by variousgovernment interventions under theGhana Poverty Reduction Strategy(GPRS).

The DVGs serve as a channel for publiceducation in the areas of health, bush fire,prevention, tree planting, HIV/AIDS,environment and governance.

Current Poverty Reduction Initiatives

by NADMO

There are about five hundred (500)volunteer groups, with a total membershipof about 12,000 individuals, in thecountry, working under the auspices anddirection of NADMO. The followingprojects were implemented:

1. Raising of over 9,000,000 seedlings ofvarious tree species, includingmahogany, wawa, emire, kushea,cedrella, ceiba, etc. to supportgovernment’s forest plantationprogramme. Over 3 billion was earnedfrom the project by the DVGscountrywide in 2004.

2. Purchasing and distribution of nine (9)tractors with HIPC (Highly IndebtedPoor Countries Initiative) fund tosupport DVG agricultural activities inthe regions in 2003.

3. Training and equipping DVGs in thefringe communities of the forestreserves in alternative livelihoodprojects in agriculture, small scale andcottage industries, since the economicactivities of the rural poor such ashunting, indiscriminate tree felling forfirewood and charcoal burning resultin bushfires and destruction offorests.

4. A countrywide minor seasonvegetable project in southern Ghanaand soya bean cultivation in the three

northern regions for a total of 158DVGs in 2003 and 2004.

5. Assisting over 50,000 Ghanaianreturnees/deportees, internallydisplaced persons (IDPs) and refugeesfleeing from wars and conflicts fromvarious parts of the world to resettle.

6. In 2005, NADMO will continue tofacilitate the implementation ofvarious poverty reduction projects incommunity development, agricultureand small-scale economic ventures.

Conclusion

Since disaster risk reduction andmanagement are a shared responsibilityand an ongoing process, effectiveimplementation of national platforms,regular review and monitoring of policyprogrammes, clear understanding of therole of major stakeholders and the activesupport of top political leadership andlocal authorities could ensure thedevelopment of a culture of prevention ina resilient society.

The obvious challenge is to provideadequate financial and material support,

ensure effective coordination andcooperation among key stakeholders.

Disaster risk reduction still largely restswithin the auspices of the public sectorauthorities and the setting of priorities iskey to effective disaster management.The opinions of experts and academicsand leading development organisationswill have influence, but will not beadequate to elicit critical resources andconcerted effort required for effectivedisaster risk reduction and management.

It is therefore imperative that weintroduce and sustain the new concept ofdisaster management by establishing astrong, effective and influential NationalPlatform for Disaster Risk Reduction forsustainable development. Such a platformwill eliminate frustrations, lack ofcoordination and unnecessarymisunderstanding among stakeholdersthat have plagued the process of disastermanagement for sometime now. This willcreate a resilient society consciouslyprepared to face the menace of disastersthat confront their lives.

Women and girls are fighting against poverty in Ghana




Mr Michel VielleDirector-General,National Risk & Disaster Management Secretariat,Mahe, Seychelles

The Seychelles is away from most

prominent disaster zones. Yet, the

Government has established a

national disaster risk management

agency, and provided 4 million… US

dollars to a national disaster fund.

Although the Seychelles lies outside mostprominent disaster zones, the frequencyand intensity of storms and other hazardsaffecting the country is increasing. Eventssuch as the 1997 floods, the 1999 bush fire,the 2002 tropical depression with windsexceeding 120 km per hour, the 2004 floodsand the December 2004 tsunami andensuing torrential rains bear testimonies tothis. Yet, many individuals andorganizations in the country have remainedreluctant to pursue risk reduction as a keyobjective, or even to protect their ownprojects against potential hazards.

In the meantime, development initiativeshave been affected time and time again bydisasters while aid resources alreadycommitted to development projects havebeen reallocated to rehabilitation efforts.There is thus a need to integrate disasterrisk reduction in development planning.

Executive Agency for National

Disaster CommitteeIn October 2004, the National Risk andDisaster Management Secretariat wasestablished in the President’s Office withthe appointment of Mr Michel Vielle as thefull-time Director-General for Risk andDisaster Management and also the focalpoint for disaster coordination in theSeychelles.

This Secretariat acts as an executive agencyfor the National Disaster Committee (NDC).Chaired by the Office of the President, thiscommittee has been meeting theoreticallyonce every two to three months and on an

ad hoc basis, and is composed of high-ranking officials from the President’s Office,Police/Fire Department, Army, Departmentof Environment, Department of Transport,Department of Local Government,Department of Culture and Department ofHealth.

The immediate roles of the secretariatare but not limited to:

• review and finalise the National DisasterPreparedness Plan;

• promote the development of anemergency and awareness culture inSeychelles;

• ensure coordination, cooperation,consistency and synergy betweenprevention/planning and preparednessactivities;

• foster better use of resources, lobby forresources;

• ensure the organization of joint trainingand disaster simulation activities;

• assure the presence of internalministerial and district-level plans foremergency response and preparedness;

• see that a hazard analysis is carried outthat concludes on the location,frequency, probability (when possible)and potential impacts of differenthazards/risks; and

• develop legal instrument for disasterpreparedness and response

Addressing the issue of disaster

risk reductionTo be able to achieve these objectives,the National Risk and DisasterManagement Secretariat launched aDisaster Planning and Response Sub-Committee that would address the issueof disaster risk reduction in a holisticmanner and ensure the integration ofdisaster mitigation in development plans.To facilitate this process, five workinggroups formed from the Disaster Planningand Response Sub-Committee have eachbeen assigned with one specific task asfollows:

Working Group One: Awareness &sensitization campaign for thepopulationThe group is responsible for developingawareness, education and sensitizationprogrammes for the population. One of itsimmediate tasks was to prepare material forthe National Day exhibition held in Junehailed as a success. Several posters andleaflets were prepared and distributed, andpeople visiting the exhibition were able tohave some flashbacks of past disastersthrough audio-visual aids.

Working Group Two: Multi-hazard earlywarning systemThe group is looking at developingprotocols for a national multi-hazard earlywarning system.

Working Group Three: Planning &responseThe group is looking at Prevention andPlanning Guidelines that can beincorporated in the planning anddevelopment process. This group will alsobe responsible for looking at mapping ofhazards and risk areas.

Working Group Four: CommunicationThe group is looking at the existingtelecommunications facilities for disasterpreparedness and response to propose areliable and cost-effectivetelecommunications system for a newCommand Centre and for networking allemergency services and first responders ona single telecommunications system.

Working Group Five:The group is looking at developing the legalframework for disaster management inSeychelles.

National fund for Disaster

managementIn 2005, the Government has set aside thesum of 4 million US dollars as a NationalDisaster Fund.

Managed by the National Risk and DisasterManagement Secretariat, the fund is alsoused for prevention, mitigation andpreparedness activities.

SEYCHELLES: National secretariat, fund for

disaster management established



Mr Jacky Rolland Randimbiarison,Executive Secretary of CNS

Mr Jacky Roland RandimbiarisonExecutive Secretary,National Relief Council (CNS),Madagascar

Madagascar has joined UN/ISDR’s effortsto promote, regionally and internationally,disaster risk reduction (DRR) and themainstreaming of DRR into developmentactivities especially in Africa.

Malagasy President Marc Ravalomananaon 06 May 2005 donated, on behalf of hiscountry, 20,000 US dollars to UN/ISDRAfrica for disaster reduction-relatedactivities in Africa (see article on page48).

Such a gesture from the leader of a leastdeveloped African country likeMadagascar is reflective of theimportance of disaster risk reduction fordevelopment.

In fact, as evidenced by the severalinitiatives and considerable effortspledged during the January 2005 SecondWorld Conference on Disaster Reduction,disaster reduction today is drawingincreased attention and consideration allover the world.

Disaster risk reduction in

MadagascarMadagascar is exposed to several naturalhazards, the most frequent ones beingcyclones, floods, fires, locust invasionand drought. The country has a NationalStrategy for Disaster Risk Reduction(SNGRC in French) which provides thefoundation for its “Disaster RiskReduction Act” voted by Parliament in2002 (a few months after MrRavalomanana came to power).Madagascar is also one of the firstAfrican countries to incorporate disasterrisk reduction in a Poverty ReductionStrategy Paper (PRSP).

The country’s emergency relief provisionsystem is fully operational. Thegovernment, through the National ReliefCouncil (CNS in French) which operates

under the Ministry of Interior andAdministrative Reform, coordinates allactions on the basis of the above-mentioned national strategy. In case ofemergency, the CNS is on site in theshortest time possible to assess thedamage and provide immediate relief.

Regarding information gathering, the CNSchairs the national platform on disasterrisk and management called CRIC(Disaster Stakeholders’ BrainstormingCommittee) that is composed of allstakeholders: the Office of the President,Office of the Prime Minister, technicalministries, UN implementation agencies,national and international associationsand NGOs, donors. A number of religiousdenominations are also represented bysome associations or NGOs. Every CRICmember’s tasks and duties are definedaccording to each and every one’savailable means and resources.

For optimal efficiency, actions arecoordinated locally by those stakeholderswho are present in risk zones, incollaboration with local authorities andsome officials from decentralized reliefprovision structures established at eachterritorial administration level: region,district, commune and fokontany (villagein rural areas, neighbourhood in urbancentres).

During operations, monitoring andevaluation missions are carried out,whose findings are discussed andanalyzed at central level to devisepossible corrective measures.

When a natural or man-made disasteroccurs, people’s requests are addressedto the Office of the President, Office ofthe Prime Minister and the InteriorMinister – represented by the NationalRelief Council (CNS), the latter providingleadership for organized action.

Project funding special fundActions to restore disaster victims’ livingconditions to normalcy are based oninformation disseminated by the CNS. But

information serving all the existingprojects and programmes originate fromthe CRIC.

Regarding resources, many donors andstakeholders in 2004 volunteered all kindsof contributions – food and others – torestore people’s lives to normalcy. Thesame applies to health and agriculturalsectors through the provision ofmedicines and seeds.

Again in 2004, the World Bank-fundedFID (Development Intervention Fund)project secured a special fund worth 50million US dollars for cyclone damage,and the PSDR (Sectoral Programme forRural Development) project secured 5million US dollars also for cyclonedamage. Securing these additional loanshad required some adjustments in the twoprojects’ technical documents.

With the help of the above fund, the FIDcovered the rehabilitation of damagedbasic social and socio-economicinfrastructures (school buildings, primaryhealth centres, drinking water supplysystems, markets, structures, rural tracks,and even government buildings. ThePSDR, for its part, dealt with the

MADAGASCAR allocates percentage of “Shock

Response” fund to risk reduction



rehabilitation of hydro-agriculturalinfrastructures.

In early 2005, the southern part of thecountry was hit by two tropical cyclonesknown as “Ernest” and “Felapi”. Beingpresent at the mid-term review of theWorld Bank-funded FID project, the CNSsought the support of the World Bank toinfrastructure rehabilitation action. TheWorld Bank agreed. Then, a newcomponent called “Shock Response” wasestablished within the FID project. Thatpercentage of project funding is allottedto actions aimed at restoring disastervictims’ lives to normalcy.

Such a percentage of project fundingallotted to disaster risk reduction isessential because planning covers theentire span of the following projectdevelopment cycle: Prevention –

Forecasting & Planning – Alert -Interventions & Rehabilitation -Evaluation – Experience Feedback.

Disaster victims hail relief

serviceIt is to be noted that people affected bydisaster impacts have started becomingintegrated, through participation, intodisaster risk management. In fact, they dono longer hesitate to air their views onthe quality of interventions.

Since early 2005, a large number ofcommunes, districts and regions haveaddressed letters conveying gratefulthanks, which reflects disaster victims’satisfaction over the interventions.

How to explain such a satisfaction? Threefactors are worth noting: the above-mentioned structures; grassroots

community participation in some riskareas; mobilization capacity at centrallevel.

Lessons learntDisaster risk reduction is a multi-sectoraland multi-disciplinary process that is partand parcel of the country’s developmentpolicy. But it emerges from our experienceand observations, at least in Madagascar,that the following two elements are amust: political commitment to actiontaking from the country’s leaders andfrom stakeholders and resourcemobilization first at national level in theinterest of ownership, then atinternational level in the name ofsolidarity and as a form of involvement ofdonors and international financialinstitutions in national development.

Mr. Abdoulaye NdiayeDirector of Civil Protection,Ministry of Interior,Dakar, Senegal

A workshop entitled « Civil Protection– Environment – Media » was held on22 and 23 March 2005, for journalistsfrom the Association descommunicateurs en environnement etdéveloppement durable, ACED[Association of Environment andSustainable DevelopmentCommunicators].

Organized by the Directorate for CivilProtection in the Senegalese InteriorMinistry, the workshop was part ofongoing disaster reduction capacitybuilding programmes.

At the end of the proceedings, thejournalists adopted a plan of action andissued a number of recommendations.

Opening the workshop on 22 March2005, Mr Abdoulaye Ndiaye, theDirector for Civil Protection in Senegal,said: “The media has the importantmission of informing and sensitizing thepopulation on disaster reduction andenvironmental protection.”

In his speech, the representative of theSenegal Union of Information andCommunication Practitioners, Synpics(in French), focused on the wreck of thevessel known as « Le Joola » on 26September 2002, an accident which hadcaused the death of many people andconsiderable material damage.

Partnership framework, plan

of actionThe union leader said: “This disaster aswell as other disasters such asdesertification, bush fires, locust threats,coastal erosion, floods, storms, marineand urban pollution, chemical disasters,building collapse, road accidents,

constitute a challenge not only to thegovernment but also to journalists.”

The following topics were presented bystate representatives and somejournalists:

• “Risk Reduction Policy in Senegal”by a representative of theDirectorate for Civil Protection;

• “Organizing Disaster Relief” by arepresentative of the National FireBrigade;

• “Radio Broadcasting Treatment ofEnvironmental Information” by arepresentative of the Senegalesenational radio and television;

• “Media and Risk Zones” by arepresentative of the private-owned“Sud Quotidien” daily newspaper;

• “How to Communicate with thePress during Disasters” by themanager of the private-owned “FMEnvironnement” radio station.

SENEGAL: Disaster reduction workshop held for

journalists



At the end of the proceedings, theACED members and staterepresentatives defined a framework forpartnership and developed a short-termplan of action whose implementationwas to be followed up by a steeringcommittee chaired by the “FMEnvironnement” radio station manager.

A number of recommendations werealso issued at the end of the workshop:developing a culture of risk preventionat all levels; involving journalists in thedefinition and implementation ofdisaster reduction strategies,programmes and policies;mainstreaming disaster reduction insustainable development and povertyreduction strategies, policies andprogrammes; organizing trainingsessions in and visits to risk areas.

Recommendations1. Better understanding of civilprotection issues, especially disasterreduction• Capacity building for information

and communication practitioners.

• Organizing training sessions onmanagement methods for majorrisks: industrial accidents, homeaccidents, drowning, epidemics,road accidents, etc.

• Organizing field visits to risk zones.

• Developing ACED and Synpicsmembers’ knowledge.

2. Information processing in the areaof disaster reduction• Capacity building for information

and communication practitioners.

• Organizing training sessions onmanaging information duringdisaster crises.

• Developing ACED and Synpicsmembers’ knowledge.

3. Better consideration of civilprotection issues by media houses• Advocacy work directed at

government departments.

• Developing a journalists’ guide ondisaster reduction.

• Government departments’ betterreceptiveness of mind towardsmedia representatives.

4. Information, education of thepopulation

Awareness raising• Involving ACED in the development

and implementation of preventionprogrammes.

• Ensuring that ACED takes part inORSEC (relief provision) planimplementation exercises.

• Associating journalists to thescheduled presentation seminar onthe conclusions of the WorldConference on Disaster Reductionheld in Kobe, Japan, in January2005.

• Associating opinion leaders.

• Developing a culture of riskprevention among the population.

• Associating information andcommunication practitioners to theworkshop establishing a nationalplatform for disaster risk preventionin Senegal.

• Involving journalists in thedevelopment of an integratedstrategy for disaster reduction inSenegal.

• Strengthening the Information/Public Relations Unit of ORSEC(relief provision) plans.

• Seeking the allocation of a radiofrequency from theTelecommunications Control Agency(ART in French), a frequency that

would be in use only in emergencysituations.

4. Development of a culture of riskprevention among the population• Making use of private-owned media

for information dissemination inemergency situations.

• Organizing radio and TVprogrammes on disaster reduction inFrench and in the nationallanguages.

• Involving further information andcommunication practitioners inactivities to mark international daysfor disaster reduction organized bythe UN and the InternationalOrganization for Civil Protection.

5. Better involvement of ACED indisaster reduction activities

Decentralizing• Strengthening ACED with regional

poles.• Establishing a Communication

Division in the Directorate for CivilProtection.

• Strengthening relations betweenACED and the Public RelationsBureau of the Fire Brigade.

• Organizing meetings between ACEDregional poles and regional civilprotection commissions.

6. Action plan follow-up• Ownership of the plan of action.• Evaluation.• Establishing a steering committee.• Promotion of the plan of action to

the government, the Synpics,development partners, etc.

• Developing a press book andactivity report.


GABON: Successful disaster risk reduction

achieved in capital city slum area

Dr Evelyne Solange N. LoubamonoDeputy Director-General,Ministry of Environment,Libreville, Gabon

The capital of Gabon, Libreville, is madeup of a large number of watershedswhose largest rivers flow into the ComoEstuary. Five of the rivers are causinggreat concern to local leaders.As the years went by, financially andmaterially destitute rural people from thecountry’s nine provinces have settled invalley bottoms in quest for better life. Theresulting large settlements turned thevalley bottoms into high-risk zonesexposed to various risks. Even worse, theswampy valley bottom dwellers haveinvariably been exposed and increasinglyvulnerable to flood risk.

In actual fact, such unstableenvironments are real “risk complexes”where a large number of risks, especiallyflood, erosion and pollution ones, ariseand interact. One of such environments isBatavea Valley where some preventivemeasures have been taken to overcomethe annual flood phenomenon.

The Batavea annual floodsBatavea Valley is inhabited by a densepopulation disparately settled in the floodbed, in the unstable sides of thenumerous sub-tributaries of the river andupstream from Batavea river. Theseabandoned swampy valley bottoms havenot always been particularly attractive.The ever-growing population is exposedto annual floods occurring during the twolocal rainy seasons (September–December and March–June). Such floodsresult from heavy rainfall on Libreville,especially on the whole watershed. Thefloods are aggravated by disparatehuman settlements in the flood bed,which, during rainy seasons, increasesthe base level of the river and that of thewaterway’s flow.

Also, unprocessed waste fromhouseholds, garages, hospitals, factories,

mortuaries, etc., flow into the waterwaysturned into a dumping ground, especiallyin Batavea Valley, effecting hydrodynamicchange through heavy sedimentation.Batavea therefore has become a real riskfish-tank where flood marks, especiallysundry waste swept along and depositedduring flood seasons, worsens thepollution process which, in turn,aggravates the flood phenomenon.

As a result, annual floods have becomemore and more frequent and oftendisastrous in Batavea Valley. Even in thepast, when no dense human settlementwas found in the area, floods were alwaysparticularly severe with some impact onboth the environment and people,children being invariably the mostvulnerable age group.

Increasingly alarming risksImplementing preventive measurestherefore became an urgent necessity inBatavea Valley. Indeed, the phenomenoninvariably has had a serious impact onthe geosystem, sociosystem and people.Regarding the geosystem, floods wouldmake some vegetal species proliferate,vegetal species whose growth was fromthe outset made easier by the shape ofthe valley bottom. The floods wereusually accompanied by considerableerosion. Regarding the sociosystem,makeshift dwellings were often sweptaway, as were wooden bridges linking thetwo river banks. Regarding humans, thestrength of the water current would killpeople, especially children, often fromdrowning.

On the health front, the flood periodaggravated health hazards, especiallywater-borne diseases such as bilharziasis,typhoid, viral hepatitis, dysentery anddiarrhoea. Epidemic risk was actuallysignificant. Malaria, which developedeasily because of the increased number ofponds, was a real health hazard. Inaddition, reptiles could proliferate easilyin some parts of the valley. In rainyseason, water would ferry the reptiles to

people’s houses where they hide andcoiled up under beds in dark areas. Thereptiles were also a real danger for thoseexposed to them, thus aggravating thealready existing health risks.

Making some adjustments on

the riverGiven the mounting risks and to reducetheir possible effects, local authoritiesdecided to take efficient preventivemeasures.

The measures focused on making someadjustments on the river, especially byprotecting some parts of the watershedwith a canalization system.

This protection measure also aimed toclean up parts of the unhealthy zone toimprove people’s environment.

Flood reduction achievedThe canalisation system helped to reducethe impacts of the harmful floods in thevalley bottom. Today, in flood periods,water would still rise but without harmfulconsequences. Even though occasionalfloods do still occur, seriousconsequences like human losses ordrowning have disappeared. Disastrousfloods have been mitigated.The preventive measures taken weresuccessful even though increased wastedeposits in many sections of thewaterway lead to rapid rise of water level.This is because proper consideration wasgiven to maximum water rise whenbuilding the canalization system.

In conclusion, it is to be noted thatbecause the above solution dealt onlywith the sole flood aspect of the existingrisks, it is just one component ofprevention. To achieve better and lastingresults, it is advisable to implement othercomponents of prevention such asprecaution. But to this end, publicawareness is needed on the risksprevailing in the area.



Views & Reviews

Yinka R. Adebayo, Ph.DSenior Strategic Planning Officer,World Meteorological Organization (WMO),Geneva, Switzerland

Already known perhaps is the fact

that over 90 per cent of all natural

disasters are of

hydrometeorological origin. Little

known is the following: climate

change may spell more serious

problems for Africa. Senior WMO

Officer Yinka Adebayo says Africa

should give a “more conscious”

look at all available opportunities…

Among the most pressing challengesfacing Africa is that of alleviation ofpoverty, engendered inter alia by foodinsecurity and sustainable managementof agricultural and natural resources.

Indeed, given that the socio-economicactivities of various African countries arelargely agro-based, the role of weatherand climate on sustainable developmentcannot be overemphasized. In view ofthis situation therefore, it is important torealize the need to focus attention onpolicy and operational actions as theyrelate to concerns overhydrometeorological disasters.

Generally, agriculture is the sector mostsensitive to variability in the weather andclimate. It is therefore necessary thatfurther work be done to ensure that theseconcerns are dealt with through improvedresearch and adequate planning. Severalof the problems besieging thedevelopment of Africa have to do withthe negative effects of weather andclimate on human life and property.

Over 90 % of all natural disasters ofmeteorological or hydrological origin

While appreciating the importance ofdealing with natural disasters within theframework of climate variability, thereshould also be a clear appreciation of thepotential impacts of climate change, moreso nowadays. The issue of climate

change is undoubtedly a major concernbecause of the expected effects on humanwelfare and the environments.

In this connection, it is necessary toexamine various concerns that havefoundations in the understanding ofglobal and regional climates, with a viewto making adequate response to presentand anticipated future scenarios. Onespecific area of concern is the likely effectof climate change on the nature,magnitude, spatial coverage andperiodicity of disasters ofhydrometeorological origin.Unfortunately, as it were, we have a longway to go as far as the understandingand management of known naturaldisasters, under the current weather andclimate scenario, is concerned.

At this juncture, it is useful to makereference to statistics over the lastdecades which show that over 90 per centof all natural disasters are ofmeteorological or hydrological origin.Africa has been identified as a continentwhere the effects of weather and climate-related disasters have been mostpronounced on the sources of livelihoodof the people.

Climate change feared to spell

more serious problems for

AfricaFurthermore on climate change, the ThirdAssessment Report (TAR) of the WMO/UNEP1 Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) has projected thatthere would be a global warming of 1.4 to5.8 oC over the next 100 years.

In Africa, climate change is expected tolead to a more vigorous hydrologicalcycle with the likely results that moresevere droughts will occur in some placesand floods in others. Small changes in themean climate can produce relatively largechanges in the frequency of extremeweather events such as floods anddroughts. Over the coastal zone, a highersea level combined with increased storm

surges and a high tide could lead toextensive coastal flooding as it regularlyoccurs in coastal cities of West Africa.

Understandably, there are seriousconcerns that climate change will spellmore serious problems for Africa.Droughts of the Sahel in the late 1960sand early 1970s heightened the concernfor potential climate change while recentweather and climate-related naturaldisasters impacting on the lives andproperty of people are grave enough tofocus the attention of scientists andpolicy makers alike on various weatherand climate related issues.

Severe drought has been ravaging manyparts of the Horn of Africa, and theeastern and southern parts of thecontinent in recent years. Other examplesof such events in the region include thefloods in Mozambique in the year 2000,which reduced its gross national productby more than 10 %. Tropical cyclones arealso a constant threat to Indian Oceanisland countries.

Again, it is the societies that dependlargely on agriculture that will suffer themost, especially as they are less able tocope with vagaries in climatic conditions.The reason, among others, being thatthere are limited technological know-how,economic (mis)fortune, and problem ofadequate capacity of human resourceswhose skills cannot compete adequatelyin the global economic market. Most of

Glimpses of concerns over hydrometeorological

disasters in Africa

Dr. Yinka Adebayo


Views & Reviews

Africa falls in that socio-economicbracket.

“Essential” scientific issues

deserve adequate, continuous

attentionIn view of the above, there is the need forensuring productive collaborationamongst nations, particularly at the levelof trade, technology transfer and capacitybuilding.

It is necessary to establish collaborationbetween those involved in climate changeprojections, impact assessment andresponse strategies related to disasterreduction. In this context, it is urgent toimplement measures related toenvironmental planning, data andinformation pooling, improvedobservation systems, exchange ofinformation on best practices,strengthened technical cooperation, andclose cooperation with policy makers andthe private sector.

There are a number of ideas about how toget the right information distilled andpassed on to desirable consumers/users.Thus, it is also necessary to considerhow the problem of capacity buildingcould be addressed. Perhaps the mostimportant range of issues have to do withfinding means for building infrastructureand for conducting training.

Furthermore, based on available scientificevidences, how do we get the policymakers to adopt appropriate and doablepolicy for implementation? In dealing withthese issues with regards to weather,water and climate-related disasters, weneed to inter alia ensure that wecontinue to pay adequate attention to theessential scientific issues by supportingthe development of infrastructure forearly warning and related analysis. Doingcontrary is tantamount to leaving humanlife, property and the environment to thedestructive vagaries of nature.

The challenge for AfricaGiven the peril of not doing enough tosalvage African countries from barrage ofsocio-economic problems, it is incumbentnowadays on countries to makeincreasing use of the products from thehydrometeorological community and actwith greater efficiency, talk more loudly

about optimization of pendingopportunities that are potentially createdby favourable conditions of weather andclimate.

The challenge and question thereforerevolve around the fact that in makingcontributions to the larger society, policymakers across the board - and techniciansalike - should identify where suchexcellent opportunities exist, with the aimof working out effective strategy forincorporating ways and means to harnessthem for the optimum benefit of humanity.

In Africa, it is essential that a moreconscious look is taken at all availableopportunities in view of the fact that overthe years, the varied effects ofatmospheric conditions have been takenfor granted; the reason for this apparentnegligence being that humanity andindeed all biological species have learntto live under different conditions ofweather and climate.

However, with increasing effects ineconomic and technological drivers andrising social sophistication, the world hascome to realize that atmosphericresources are not inexhaustible, and theydo have great impacts on all aspect ofhuman endeavours and environment.

The challenge nowadays is to work withhydrometeorological services in realizingthe wider value of promotinghydrometeorological early warning invarious sectors of societal endeavours.

New major WMO programme on

disaster prevention, mitigationOne of the most important facilitiesconcerning global cooperation isexemplified through the existence ofWMO, with its considerableinfrastructure spread over the world,especially in the domain of its 187 membercountries (as at 2004), states andterritories. Cooperation between WMOmembers has stimulated betterunderstanding of the conditions ofweather, climate and water resources, forthe benefit of human welfare and theenvironment.

Given that a lot more should be done toensure better coverage of land and oceanin terms of data collection, as well as theneed to train human resources to dealwith these facilities, there is no doubt that

capacity building remains a critical issuethat we need to do something about.

Aware of the rapid growth of these needs,the new major WMO Programme forNatural Disaster Prevention andMitigation, approved by the 14th WorldMeteorological Congress in 2003, wasformulated to play a significant role. It willcontribute to identification of majorthreats as well as the adequate measuresto be taken at various levels, and ofcourse do more.

The Programme is also designed topromote the exchange of knowledge andexperience. At national level, it willenhance the capabilities of the NationalMeteorological and HydrologicalServices (NMHS) as an essential part ofthe national infrastructure for disaster riskreduction and wider socio-economicplanning.

Africa should make best

possible use of new WMO

ProgrammeThe new Programme will also promote theestablishment of adequate andsynergistic partnerships at international,regional and national level in order topool the knowledge, experience and skillsof the different organizations involved inthis field to achieve common objectives.

It will be useful for African countries tomake the best possible use of thisProgramme so that we can, together,attain greater success in delivering ourvarious services at national andinternational levels.

With the new WMO Programme, weexpect better and more impactfulresponse to human needs, especially asregards protection of life, environmentand socio-economic development.

It must be noted that there are variousongoing programmes dealing with naturaldisasters. In this regard, the newProgramme is aimed at strengthening theongoing actions. Arguably, as Africancountries potentially stand to gain themost from the activities of the new WMOProgramme on natural disasters, allstakeholders are called upon to joinhands in ensuring its maximum impact ondevelopment activities in Africa.

1 World Meteorological Organization / United NationsEnvironment Programme


Prof ‘Bola AyeniUniversity of Ibadan, Nigeria

The following is an excerpt from a morecomprehensive presentation.

The cause and effects of disasters, bethey natural, technological, biological orarising from internal conflicts withinnations, are often influenced byenvironmental, economic, political andsocial disposition of the people. Thus,human activities and actions mayprovoke global catastrophes just asforceful as the 26 December 2004 IndianOcean tsunami. The human impact oncausing a rise in sea level or increasingdeforestation may give unpalatableresults. The threats of man-madeenvironmental collapse have becomemore pressing just as problems ofenvironmental stress arising fromoverpopulation.

The traditional approach to disastermanagement has been the delivery ofrelief after a disaster. Even thoughdisaster relief remains extremelyimportant, the approach alone does notproactively addresses the need to reducethe human and environmental impacts offuture disasters. Recent thinking in thefield of disaster management is indicativeof the need for a new paradigm thatfocuses on reducing the risk of disastersand involving local participation in themanagement of disaster effects (Shawand Okasaki, 2004).

This emerging paradigm opines thatcountries and communities need to placemore emphasis on a holistic approach todisaster risk reduction. This approachinvolves risk assessment, risk reduction,early warning and disaster preparednessin order to address the effective reductionof social, economic and environmentalcosts of disasters.

Disaster risk reduction,

governance & development nexusDisasters are not isolated events butrather are outcomes of processes of risk

accumulations deeply embedded incontemporary and historical developmentdecisions. They result from a combinationof hazards which are potentiallydamaging events or processes, andpeople’s vulnerability to those hazards(DFID, 2004). Although a single hazardmay prevail when a disaster occurs, largedisaster events are made up of manysmaller events triggered by a range ofhazards. For instance, landslides or firesmay be triggered by impacts of hurricanesor earthquakes. Most hazards areproducts of development processes.Disasters are increasingly recognized as apotential threat to sustainabledevelopment, poverty reductioninitiatives and the achievement of anumber of development goals.

Disaster risk reduction

Disaster risk reduction seeks to pre-empta disaster and also to put in place,following a disaster, a rehabilitationprocess that rebuilds resilience to futuredisasters. Consequently, disaster riskreduction focuses on policies andpractices that minimize disaster losses byaddressing interventions in three broadareas of hazard minimization, reducingexposure and susceptibility; andenhancing coping and adaptive capacity.

Governance

Governance refers generally to the set ofinstruments through which people livingin a state and believing in common corevalues govern themselves by the meansof laws, rules and regulations enforced bythe state apparatus (UN/ISDR, 2004).

It denotes system of values, policies andinstitutions by which society manages itseconomic, political and social affairsthrough interaction among the state, civilsociety and the private sector. It alsodenotes those processes and institutionsthrough which citizens and groupsarticulate their interests, exercise theirlegal rights, meet their obligations, andmediate their differences.

Good governance involves the existenceof political commitment and strong

institutions as a key area for the successof effective and sustained disaster riskreduction. Good governance will elevatedisaster risk reduction as a policy priority,allocate the necessary resources fordisaster risk reduction, enforceimplementation of disaster risk reductionmeasures, assign accountability forfailures, and facilitate participation fromcivil society. Furthermore, goodgovernance will link the economic,political and administrative componentsof governance more directly with disasterrisk reduction through policy andplanning, appropriate legal and regulatoryframeworks, and through the mobilizationof resources, organisations andstructures. When good governance isabsent, those conditions that makeinhabitants willing to emigrate at all costs,to fight over land and other resources, tostart civil wars or cause ethnic conflictsand other unrest, set in. These conditionsare further aggravated by poverty,overpopulation and environmental stress(Diamond, 2005).

Development

Without going into controversies in themeanings and interpretation ofdevelopment, we like to see it as referringto situations where economic growth isaccompanied by improved livingstandards. Consequently, developmentmay be seen as improving the society interms of the provision of social services,acquisition of economic assets, improvedproductivity and reducing vulnerability(UN/ISDR, 2004). The development-disaster relationship is described in Table1 below.

The importance of Table 1 lies in itsemphasis in highlighting how disastermay limit or promote developmentdepending on how the impacts arehandled at the policy and implementationlevels of government. When positivelypursued, development, as in the case ofimproving access or introducing newtechnologies, may reduce risk while theoccurrence of disasters may create newopportunities for doing it right.

Information needs for disaster risk reduction,

governance & development in Nigeria

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Disasters limit ordestroy development

• Destruction of physical assets and loss of production capacity, market accessand input materials.

• Damage to infrastructure and erosion of livelihoods and savings.

• Destruction of health or education infrastructure and development personnel.• Deaths, disablement or migration of productive labour force.

Development causesdisaster risk

• Unsustainable development practices that create unsafe working conditionsand degrade the environment.

• Development paths generating inequality, promoting social isolation or politicalexclusion

Development reducesdisaster risk

• Access to safe drinking water and food and secure dwelling which increasepeople's resilience.

• Fair trade and technology can reduce poverty, and social security can reducevulnerability.

• Development can build communities and broaden the provision ofopportunities for participation and involvement in decision-making, recognisingexcluded groups such as women, enhancing education and health capacity.

Disasters createdevelopmentopportunities

• Favourable environment for advocacy for disaster risk reduction measures.

• Decision makers more willing to allocate resources in the wake of a disaster.

• Rehabilitation and reconstruction activities create• Opportunities for integrating disaster risk measures.

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The issues raised in Table 1 above help toharmonise and systematise the variouselements required for comprehensivedisaster risk reduction. Besides servingas a set of criteria for benchmarking theeffectiveness of disaster risk reductionmeasures and a tool for monitoringprogress, these discussions are indicativeof the range of data and informationrequired for disaster risk reduction,governance and development.

The place of informationIt has been stated that a new paradigm forconceptualizing disaster management isrequired and that such a paradigm will seerisk reduction as its focus withoutneglecting elements of relief provisionand quick response. This new paradigm(see Ariyabandu et al, 2005) will seedisasters as part of ecology that shouldbe managed rather than controlled.Furthermore, it will treat disasters asissues of development and governanceand will make states and localgovernment areas responsive, sensitiveand accountable to the demands, needsand rights of disaster-prone communitiesand areas.

Consequently, disaster managementpolicies will be redirected towardsvulnerability reduction instead of merecompensation and relief responses.Disaster management strategies willintegrate structural measures(construction of embankments, dykes,resistant buildings etc.) with non-

structural measures such as enhancingthe entitlements and negotiating power ofthe most vulnerable communities andsubordinate groups. Finally, disaster-prone communities will be engagedequitably into the process of disaster-related decision-making and developmentplanning, implementation and monitoring.

Risk reduction and vulnerability studieswill take a pride of place in disastermanagement and their complex andmultifaceted nature that requires analysisand solutions from social, economic andenvironmental perspectives will becomeprominent.

The first step in identifying theinformation needs of natural hazard-related risk would then be undertaken aspart of the environmental review processwhich will involve bringing togetherinformation on potential hazards andprobabilities of occurrence andundertaking an initial vulnerabilityassessment. Ideally, environmentalanalysis in respect of hazards wouldinclude collation of basic hazard data atthe local, state, regional and nationallevels. Assessment of natural hazards andrelated vulnerability would then beconducted as part of all other forms ofproject appraisal. Full environmentalimpact assessment would be required fornew projects in high-risk areas.

Work would be needed to strengthencommunications, dialogue and thesharing of information on vulnerabilityand risk reduction initiatives and

responsibilities within agenciesresponsible for hazard and disastermanagement. These agencies concernedwould need to establish some form offocal points with responsibility forproviding general guidance on appraisingand addressing natural hazard-relatedrisks and disseminating informationaccordingly.

Monitoring and evaluation

(M&E)Information needs will be emphasized indisaster reduction and methods ofcollecting and analyzing data formonitoring and evaluating risk reductionactivities will be developed. In particular,guidance is required on the identificationof appropriate indicators for the manydifferent forms that disaster reduction cantake.

Nonetheless, early warning andinformation systems are key tools formitigating the impacts of disasters. Muchprogress is yet to be made in Nigeria forimproving systems for providing short-term advance information on extremeweather events, flood surges, volcaniceruptions and food crises which allowtimely action to be taken towards themanagement of disasters. In addition,there is also a need for informationsystems to support longer-term riskassessment and monitoring, focusing onvulnerability as well as hazards, as a basisfor disaster risk reduction initiativeswithin a development framework.

Adopted from “Reducing Disaster Risk: A Challenge for Development” (UNDP 2004, p.20)

Table 1: Development-Disaster Relationship


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The considerable effort that went intofood security early warning systems inmany parts of Africa, have becomegenerally effective in providing timelyassessments of seasonal conditions forcrops and pastures, generating nationalfood balance estimates, and more recentlyidentifying outcomes for differentlivelihood groups. While this remains acommendable achievement, it is indicativethat one can achieve similar results in thecase of other hazards and disasters wherean important function of early warningsystems would be to communicatewarnings directly to affected populations.

The integration of early warning systemswith public alerts, evacuation andemergency response systems acrosssectors will become crucial for disastermanagement. To this extent, systemsshould be community-based as they aremore effective than top-down centralisedsystems because they can be moredirectly integrated into local responseand risk reduction strategies. While earlywarning and information systems havebecome quite useful, a major shortcominghowever, is their potential to generate oracquire large volumes of data, includingremote sensing data, and inherentweakness at analysis and interpretationand sometimes weaker still atcommunicating their findings tostakeholders in a useful form which couldlead to action.

Nonetheless, disaster risk reductionrecognises and accords due pride ofplace to data collection, processing andstorage for real-time retrieval and inputinto the conception, planning,implementation and impact assessment ofany environmentally-related developmentprojects.

Along these lines, a matrix of informationand knowledge about the variousperspectives over space and time as wellas appreciation of the inherentinteractions with one another is required.

The determination of information needs istherefore a fundamental requirement forbeneficial incorporation of resource andenvironmental information into thedisaster risk reduction, government anddevelopment processes. Sustainabledevelopment requires technical andscientifically sound environmentalinformation on the nature, location,extent, quality, capacity, rate of use and

the impacts of natural and human-induced changes.

Data requirementsThe interdependent nature of issuesunder discussion demand inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral solutions,which in turn require the collection,integration and management of a varietyof data. The data requirements for studieson disaster reduction, governance anddevelopment include but not limited tothe following:

a) Maps which provide basic informationon the political, topographic,hydrographic, demographic, etc ofregions, states and local governmentareas;

b) Inventories of biophysicalcomponents of the environment, e.g.soils, water, vegetation, geology,climate, etc to provide benchmarkinformation about location, extent,properties and characteristics of thecomponent;

c) Information on the current use,capability and the resourcemanagement systems required;

d) Information on human developmentactivities which lead to dynamicchanges in the state of natural andenvironmental resources and whichmore often than not culminate in theinducement of hazards and generationof disasters;

e) Monitoring parameters to determine oridentify, over time, both positive andnegative impacts generated bydevelopment activities andgovernance on risk reduction anddisaster management.

The magnitude of data required togenerate relevant information and themultitude of interests to be satisfied inorder to make plans for sustainabledisaster risk reduction requires thedevelopment of geo-informationtechnologies such as Remote Sensing,Global Positioning System (GPS) andGeographic Information System (GIS).These geo-information technologies arecomplemented by the related satellitecommunication technology, whichenhances information transmission.Recent developments at NEMA (NationalEmergency Management Agency), thesetting up of the Mission Control Centre,

and the setting up of a full-fledgedGeographic Information SystemsLaboratory has positioned the Agency tobenefit tremendously from the use ofthese technologies. This however, is thetime and the opportunity to begin toemphasize the need for capacity buildingin the Agency in general and theDepartment of Planning, Research andForecasting in particular to appreciate thechanging focus of disaster managementand the benefits which these moderntechnologies provide.

ConclusionThis paper clearly indicates the need forsystematic data collection andpresentation in form of hazard anddisaster information, profiles and maps.Focusing on creating informationsystems for disaster and hazardmanagement will lead to thedevelopment of disaster-related hazard,vulnerability and risk assessment toolswhich will enable periodic reporting onthe exposure to natural hazards on theone hand; and patterns and trends orchanges in the exposure on the other.These developments will assist theevolution of an integrated disasterhazard and vulnerability informationnetwork needed by various levels ofgovernment, the private sector, and thegeneral public and by all stakeholders.

The information system will facilitateresearch on factors contributing todisaster hazard and vulnerability andmeasures to alleviate vulnerability tothem. It will lead to the development ofmethodologies for the analysis ofdisaster-related hazard, and tovulnerability and risk indicators. It willenable the dissemination of researchresults and methodologies throughdisaster information networks and otherchannels to promote increasedawareness and preparedness to naturaland man-made hazards.

Furthermore, by providing informationon the physical and socio-economiccharacteristics of the people and theareas of the existence of the hazardsand the occurrence of disasters, theinformation system can generate an atlasthat shows the occurrence of disasters inthis country and in its sub-area units(states and local government areas).Such an atlas will provide guidance to


Views & Reviews

government and people of Nigeria onthe incidence of disasters. It will alsoshow what the major consequenceshave been; generate awareness andpreparedness for the hazards and howto combat them.

References

Ariyabandu, M.A; T. Dissanaike and R.L.Weragoda eds. (2005) Meeting the Challenge of

Disasters - ITDG South Asia Publication.

DFID (2004) Disaster Risk Reduction: A DevelopmentConcern: A Scoping Study on the Link BetweenDisaster Risk Reduction, Poverty and Development.Department for International Development

Diamond Jared (2005): Extracts From How SocietiesChoose to Fail or Survive. Guardian Unlimited ©Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianweekly/story/0,12674,1389650,00.html

Rajib Shaw and Kenji Okazaki (2004) SustainableCommunity Based Disaster Management (CBDM)

Dr Chris HartnadyUmvoto Africa (Pty) Ltd,PO Box 61, Muizenberg,Capetown, South Africa 7950

There are a steep continental slope

and isolated oceanic island

volcanoes in Western Indian Ocean,

WIO. Do their adjacent parts present

local and regional tsunami hazards

to the East African coast and WIO

island states? Earth scientist Dr

Chris Hartnady says the short

answer is ‘Yes’…

Following the giant Mw9.3 Sumatra-

Andaman earthquake of 26 December2004, and the subsequent devastatingtsunami within the Indian Ocean, moreparticularly its eastern and northernshores, a key question arises for Africanearth scientists: Do adjacent parts of thesteep continental slope and isolatedoceanic island volcanoes in the WesternIndian Ocean (WIO) present local andregional tsunami hazards to the EastAfrican coast and WIO island states?The short answer is ‘Yes!’

There are three significant classes oftsunami source in the WIO, namely: 1)subduction-related thrust faulting in theMakran zone between the Arabian andEurasian plates (upper rectangle;Figure 1); 2) large-scale submarinelandsliding on steep continental margins,generally inherited from large-scaletransform boundaries during the early

evolution of the (proto-) Indian Ocean(rectangles; Figure 1); and 3) flankeruption or collapse of active oceanicisland or “hotspot” volcanoes in the WIO(circles; Figure 1).

1945 tsunami from Makran zone

left 4,000 deadFollowing a great Mw8.0 earthquake, theMakran zone was the source of a tsunamion 28 November 1945. The tsunamireached a height of over 10 m along thePakistan coast and at Kutch, Gujarat,India. The fishing village of Khudi, some

30 miles west of Karachi (Pakistan), wascompletely obliterated. In all, over 4,000people were killed by the earthquake and/or tsunami.

While the Makran zone has beentsunamigenic in historical times, thetsunami potential of the other sourcesmust be gauged from geological andmarine-geophysical evidence. The twoareas of potentially large-scale submarinelandsliding are: 1) the Kerimbas Grabenzone, along the continental margin ofsouthern Tanzania and northernMozambique; and 2) the Wild Coast

Figure 1. Sources of tsunami hazard in Western Indian Ocean. See text for explanation.

Practices in Asia. A User’s Guide. UNCRD DisasterManagement Planning Hyogo Office, Kobe Japan.

UN/ISDR (2004) Disaster Risk Reduction,Governance and Development. International Strategyfor Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Africa EducationalSeries, Volume 2, Issue 4

UN/ISDR (2004) Poverty Reduction and Disaster RiskReduction. International Strategy for DisasterReduction (ISDR) Africa Educational Series, Volume2, Issue 5

Tsunami potential on East African coast,

western Indian Ocean island states


Views & Reviews

Mega-slump zone, off the South Africancoast between the provinces of Kwazulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. Submarineslumping has actually been indirectlyobserved around the Kerimbas zone: themajor M

s7.4 earthquake on 13 December

1910 (Ambraseys, 1991) in the far-inlandarea around southern Lake Tanganyikaand Lake Rukwa caused unseen slumpsand turbidity currents that cut the Beira-to-Dar es Salaam telegraph cable in fiveplaces. However, no tsunami wave wasobserved, or at least it was not recorded,along the adjacent coastline.

The potential for future large-scalelandsliding in the Kerimbas Graben(northern green rectangle; Figure 1) isbased on the conjunction of: 1) therelative steepness of the continentalslope, which was formed as a strike-slipor transform-faulted margin during theopening of the Somali Basin betweenAfrica and Madagascar (Martin andHartnady, 1986); 2) the seismic re-activation of this Davie Fracture Zone aspart of the developing Somalia-Rovumaplate boundary (Hartnady, 2002; Calais etal., 2005); and 3) increased LatePleistocene-Holocene sedimentation ratearound the continental shelf delta of theRovuma River due to enhanced uplift anderosion around its rift-valley headwaters.Moreover, there is seismic-reflectionevidence of geologically recentdeformation at the foot of the continentalslope, i.e., huge chevauchementsgravitaires (gravitational thrusts;Raillard, 1990).

Comoros volcano of greatest

concernDingle (1977) first reported marine-geophysical evidence for large-scale,recent submarine landsliding on thecontinental slope off the South AfricanWild Coast (southern green rectangle;Figure 1). The structures appear inseismic-reflection profiles for offshore oilexploration (Ben-Avraham et al., 1998,Fig. 5). The RV Professor Logachevresearch cruise (Hartnady et al., 1992)provided further seismic-reflectionprofiles across their outer margins (Niemiet al., 2000; Reznikov et al., 2005, Fig. 4-7).This area represents an offshoreextension or propagation of the southern

Nubia-Somalia plate boundary (Hartnady,2002).

The third class of tsunami hazard isrelated to the active, intra-plate ocean-island volcanoes in the WIO, namelyKarthala in the Comoros, Piton de laFournaise on Reunion Island, and Marion,some 2,000 km south of Cape Town, SouthAfrica (three red circles; Figure 1, in ordernorth to south respectively). Of these,Karthala is presently of greatest concern.During its recent eruption (17-19 April 2005),the UN Office for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs (OCHA) SituationReport (No 1 dated 18 April) noted that,inter alia, Comoros authorities wereconcerned about a possible “subterraneouslava flow [that] may spew in the sea andincrease the dimension of a small islandwhich has emerged at 15 km off the coastduring recent months”.

The existing hydrographic chart coveringthe Comoros Archipelago, i.e. BritishAdmiralty BA563 dated 1993, shows theRecif Vailheu reef reaching to within 5 mbelow sea level, approximately 15 km of thewest coast of the Grande Comore islandshoreline. It is presumably this featurethat “emerged” as a “small island”.

Urgent field investigation

requiredEvidently at least 5 m of vertical uplift hasoccurred here within the last decade,without any obvious expression ofsubmarine lava effusion (steam,discolouration, etc.), which seems toimply that there has been a substantialrecent inflation of a deeper magmachamber beneath the steep andtopographically complex western flank ofthe volcanic massif. Given the knowntsunami hazard associated with flankeruption/collapse of large (sub)marinevolcanoes, and the proximity of majorEast African port cities to this area(maximum warning times to Pemba, Dar esSalaam and Mombasa being < 0.5 hr, ~1 hrand ~1.5 hr respectively; Figure 2), thesituation seems to require urgent fieldinvestigation, both land-based and ship-based.

In the aftermath of the 26 December 2004Indian Ocean catastrophe, it is importantthat planners of the proposed IndianOcean Tsunami Warning System(IOTWS) do not find themselves in theposition of the “army that is alwayspreparing to fight the last war”. The next

FIGURE�2. Tsunami model for submarine flank collapse west of Karthala Volcano;Hartnady, Annunziato and Best, in preparation. Red isochrons at 1 hr intervals from origin time.

See European Commission Joint Research Centre web site(http://tsunami.jrc.it/model/Reports/16340/report.asp?id=16340).


Opening Ceremony of the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) in Kobe Japan

Views & Reviews

tsunami disaster in this region may have adifferent origin, not related to anothersubduction-megathrust event along theeastern India or Australia plateboundaries. The IOTWS development willhave to be comprehensive in nature, andtake into account also the WIO sourcesdiscussed here.

References

Ambraseys, N.N., 1991. The Rukwa Earthquakeof 13 December 1910. Terra Nova�3, 203-208.

Ben-Avraham, Z., Hartnady, C.J.H., and Kitchin, K.,1998. Structure and Tectonics of the Agulhas-FalklandFracture Zone. Tectonophysics, 282, 83-98.

Calais E., Ebinger, C., Hartnady, C., and Nocquet, J-M., 2005. Kinematics of the East African Rift from GPSand Earthquake Slip Vector Data. Geological Societyof London, Special Publication, submitted.

Dingle, R.V., 1977. The Anatomy of a Large SubmarineSlump on a Sheared Continental Margin (SE Africa).Journal of the Geological Society of London, 134, 293-310.

Hartnady, C.J.H., 2002. Earthquake Hazard in Africa:Perspectives on the Nubia-Somalia Boundary. SouthAfrican Journal of Science, 98, 425-428.

Hartnady, C.J.H., Ben-Avraham, Z., and Rogers, J.,1992. Deep-Ocean Basins and Submarine Rises Offthe Continental Margin of South-Eastern Africa: NewGeological Research Developments. S. Afr. J. Sci.,88, 534-539.

Martin, A.K., and Hartnady, C.J.H., 1986. PlateTectonic Development of the South West Indian Ocean,A Revised Reconstruction of East Antarctica and Africa,Journal of Geophysical Research,�91, 4767-4786.

Niemi, T.M., Ben-Avraham, Z., Hartnady, C.J.H., andReznikov, M., 2000. Post-Eocene Seismic Stratigraphyof the Deep-Ocean Basin Adjacent to the SoutheastAfrican Continental Margin: A Record of GeostrophicBottom-Current Systems. Marine Geology, 162, 237-258.

Raillard, S. 1990. Les marges de l’Afrique de l’Est etles zones de fracture associées: Chaîne Davie et Ridedu Mozambique - Campagne MD-60/MACAMO-II,Thesis, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, 272�pp.

Reznikov, M., Ben-Avraham, Z., Hartnady, C., andNiemi, T.M., 2005. Structure of the Transkei Basin andNatal Valley, Southwest Indian Ocean, From SeismicReflection and Potential Field Data. Tectonophysics,397, 127-141. (doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2004.11.002).

ISDR SecretariatGeneva, Switzerland

The World Conference on DisasterReduction (WCDR) was held in Kobe,Hyogo, Japan, from 18 to 22 January 2005.The Conference had over 4,000participants representing 168 countries,78 observer organizations, 161 NGOs andabout 154 media organizations. Theconference took stock of progressaccomplished in disaster risk reductionsince the Yokohama Conference of 1994and to make plans for the next 10 years.

The WCDR was composed of three mainprocesses: Intergovernmental segment,thematic segment and Public Forum.

Intergovernmental segment

The Intergovernmental segment, withdelegations from more than 160 UNMember States, provided the venue fordelegates to make general statements onthe issues of disaster reduction. Inaddition to the Plenary, a Main Committee(Drafting Committee) was held fornegotiation and drafting purposes. Thechairperson of the Drafting Committeepresented the final texts of the negotiatedoutcome documents (Hyogo Frameworkof Action, and the Hyogo Declaration) tothe Conference on the last day of theConference for adoption by the WCDR.

Thematic segment

The Thematic Segment was formatted tocomplement the discussions on theprogramme outcome at intergovernmentallevel.

The Thematic segment consisted of threeHigh-level Round Tables and a number ofThematic Sessions clustered under fiveThematic Panels, as well as RegionalSessions. A large number of events tookplace under this segment, which providedthe substantive part of the Conference, in

all areas related to disaster risk reduction.The panels were led by governmentrepresentatives with the support ofagencies.

Public forum

The Public forum, open to the generalpublic and Conference participants,consisted of Workshops, Exhibitionbooths, and Poster Sessions. Withapproximately 40,000 general participantsand visitors, the Public Forum provided

World Conference on Disaster Reduction & its

outcomes


opportunities to promote organizations’own activities through presentations,posters and a public exhibition, engaging inopen debates, seminars and a variety ofevents. Organizers included governments,UN agencies, international organizations,NGOs, technical institutions and the privatesector.

ObjectivesThe World Conference on DisasterReduction was convened by decision of theUN General Assembly, with five specificobjectives:

(a) To conclude and report on the review ofthe Yokohama Strategy and its Plan ofAction, with a view to updating theGuiding Framework on DisasterReduction for the 21st century;

(b) To identify specific activities aimed atensuring the implementation of relevantprovisions of the Johannesburg Plan ofImplementation of the World Summit onSustainable Development onvulnerability, risk assessment anddisaster management;

(c) To share good practices and lessonslearned to further disaster reductionwithin the context of attainingsustainable development, and toidentify gaps and challenges;

(d) To increase awareness of theimportance of disaster reductionpolicies, thereby facilitating andpromoting the implementation ofthose policies;

(e) To increase the reliability andavailability of appropriate disaster-related information to the public anddisaster management agencies in allregions, as set out in relevantprovisions of the Johannesburg Planof Implementation of the WorldSummit on Sustainable Development.

Expected outcomeTaking these objectives into account, anddrawing on the conclusions of the reviewof the Yokohama Strategy, States andother actors participating in the WorldConference on Disaster Reductionresolve to pursue the following expectedoutcome for the next 10 years: thesubstantial reduction of disaster losses,in lives and in the social, economic andenvironmental assets of communities andcountries.

The realization of this outcome willrequire the full commitment andinvolvement of all actors concerned,including governments, regional andinternational organizations, civil societyincluding volunteers, the private sectorand the scientific community.

The Yokohama Strategy:

lessons learned and gaps

identifiedThe Yokohama Strategy for a SaferWorld: Guidelines for Natural DisasterPrevention, Preparedness and Mitigationand its Plan of Action (“YokohamaStrategy”), adopted in 1994, provideslandmark guidance on reducing disasterrisk and the impacts of disasters.

The review of progress made inimplementing the Yokohama Strategyidentifies major challenges for the comingyears in ensuring more systematic actionto address disaster risks in the context ofsustainable development and in buildingresilience through enhanced national andlocal capabilities to manage and reducerisk.

The review stresses the importance ofdisaster risk reduction being underpinnedby a more pro-active approach toinforming, motivating and involvingpeople in all aspects of disaster riskreduction in their own local communities.It also highlights the scarcity ofresources allocated specifically fromdevelopment budgets for the realizationof risk reduction objectives, either at thenational or the regional level or throughinternational cooperation and financialmechanisms, while noting the significant

potential to better exploit existingresources and established practices formore effective disaster risk reduction.

Specific gaps and challenges areidentified in the following five main areas:(a) Governance: organizational, legal andpolicy frameworks; (b) Risk identification,assessment, monitoring and earlywarning; (c) Knowledge management andeducation; (d) Reducing underlying riskfactors; (e) Preparedness for effectiveresponse and recovery.

These are the key areas for developinga relevant framework for action for thedecade 2005–2015.

Outcomes of the WCDRThe following four documents were themain outcome of the World Conferenceon Disaster Reduction. They representa strong commitment of theinternational community to addressdisaster reduction and engage in adetermined, result-oriented plan ofaction for the next decade:

1. Review of the Yokohama Strategyand Plan of Action for a Safer World

2. Hyogo Declaration (See full text onnext page)

3. Hyogo Framework of Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience ofNations and Communities toDisasters

4. Common Statement of the SpecialSession on the Indian OceanDisaster: Risk Reduction for a SaferFuture

For more information on the WCDR and itsoutcomes, please visit www.un.org/wcdr/

UN/ISDR World in Action

Panel during the thematic session reports



Hyogo Declaration

We, delegates to the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, have gathered from 18 to 22 January 2005 in Kobe City of Japan’sHyogo Prefecture, which has demonstrated a remarkable recovery from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 17 January 1995.

We express our sincere condolences and sympathy to, and solidarity with, the people and communities adversely affected bydisasters, particularly those devastated by the unprecedented earthquake and tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean on 26 December2004.

We commend the efforts made by them, their Governments and the international community to respond to and overcome this tragedy.In response to the Special Leaders’ Meeting of the Association of South-East Asian Nations on the Aftermath of Earthquake andTsunami, held in Jakarta on 6 January 2005, we commit ourselves to assisting them, including with respect to appropriate measurespertinent to disaster reduction. We also believe that lessons learned from this disaster are relevant to other regions. In thisconnection, a special session on the recent earthquake and tsunami disaster, convened at the World Conference to review thatdisaster from a risk reduction perspective, delivered the Common Statement of the Special Session on

Indian Ocean Disaster: Risk Reduction for a Safer Future as its outcome.We recognize that the international community has accumulated much experience with disaster risk reduction through theInternational Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and the succeeding International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. In particular,by taking concrete measures in line with the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World, we have learned much,including about gaps and challenges since the 1994 Yokohama Conference. Nevertheless, we are deeply concerned that communitiescontinue to experience excessive losses of precious human lives and valuable property as well as serious injuries and majordisplacements due to various disasters worldwide.

We are convinced that disasters seriously undermine the results of development investments in a very short time, and therefore,remain a major impediment to sustainable development and poverty eradication. We are also cognizant that development investmentsthat fail to appropriately consider disaster risks could increase vulnerability. Coping with and reducing disasters so as to enable andstrengthen nations’ sustainable development is, therefore, one of the most critical challenges facing the international community.

We are determined to reduce disaster losses of lives and other social, economic and environmental assets worldwide, mindful of theimportance of international cooperation, solidarity and partnership, as well as good governance at all levels. We reaffirm the vital roleof the United Nations system in disaster risk reduction.

Thus, we declare the following:1. We will build upon relevant international commitments and frameworks, as well as internationally agreed development goals,

including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, to strengthen global disaster reduction activities for the twenty-firstcentury. Disasters have a tremendous detrimental impact on efforts at all levels to eradicate global poverty; the impact of disastersremains a significant challenge to sustainable development.

2. We recognize the intrinsic relationship between disaster reduction, sustainable development and poverty eradication, amongothers, and the importance of involving all stakeholders, including governments, regional and international organizations andfinancial institutions, civil society, including non- governmental organizations and volunteers, the private sector and the scientificcommunity. We therefore welcome all the relevant events that took place and contributions made in the course of the Conferenceand its preparatory process.

3. We recognize as well that a culture of disaster prevention and resilience, and associated pre-disaster strategies, which are soundinvestments, must be fostered at all levels, ranging from the individual to the international levels. Human societies have to livewith the risk of hazards posed by nature. However, we are far from powerless to prepare for and mitigate the impact of disasters.We can and must alleviate the suffering from hazards by reducing the vulnerability of societies. We can and must further build theresilience of nations and communities to disasters through people-centered early warning systems, risks assessments, educationand other proactive, integrated, multi-hazard, and multi-sectoral approaches and activities in the context of the disaster reductioncycle, which consists of prevention, preparedness, and emergency response, as well as recovery and rehabilitation. Disaster risks,hazards, and their impacts pose a threat, but appropriate response to these can and should lead to actions to reduce risks andvulnerabilities in the future.

4. We affirm that States have the primary responsibility to protect the people and property on their territory from hazards, and thus, itis vital to give high priority to disaster risk reduction in national policy, consistent with their capacities and the resourcesavailable to them. We concur that strengthening community level capacities to reduce disaster risk at the local level is especiallyneeded, considering that appropriate disaster reduction measures at that level enable the communities and individuals to reducesignificantly their vulnerability to hazards. Disasters remain a major threat to the survival, dignity, livelihood and security ofpeoples and communities, in particular the poor. Therefore there is an urgent need to enhance the capacity of disaster- pronedeveloping countries in particular, the least developed countries and small island developing States, to reduce the impact of


disasters, through strengthened national efforts and enhanced bilateral, regional and international cooperation, including throughtechnical and financial assistance.

5. We, therefore, adopt, the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities toDisasters with its expected outcome, strategic goals, and priorities for action, as well as implementation strategies and associatedfollow-up, as a guiding framework for the next decade on disaster reduction.

6. We believe that it is critically important that the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations andCommunities to Disasters be translated into concrete actions at all levels and that achievements are followed up through theInternational Strategy for Disaster Reduction, in order to reduce disaster risks and vulnerabilities. We also recognize the need todevelop indicators to track progress on disaster risk reduction activities as appropriate to particular circumstances and capacitiesas part of the effort to realize the expected outcome and strategic goals set in the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015:Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. We underscore the importance of strengthening cooperativeand synergistic interactions among various stakeholders and promoting voluntary partnerships for disaster reduction. We alsoresolve to further develop information sharing mechanisms on programmes, initiatives, best practices, lessons learnt andtechnologies in support of disaster risk reduction so that the international community can share the results of and benefits fromthese efforts.

7. We now call for action from all stakeholders, seeking the contributions of those with relevant specific competences andexperiences, aware that the realization of the outcomes of the World Conference depends on our unceasing and tireless collectiveefforts, and a strong political will, as well as a shared responsibility and investment, to make the world safer from the risk ofdisasters within the next decade for the benefit of the present and future generations.

8. We express our most profound appreciation to the Government and people of Japan for hosting the World Conference on DisasterReduction, and thank particularly the people of Hyogo Prefecture for their hospitality.


CENTRAL ASIA: Second regional consultative

meeting on disaster risk reduction held for

Central Asian countries

Ms Tine RamstadUN/ISDR Central Asia,Dushanbe, Tajikistan

The “Second Regional ConsultativeMeeting on Disaster Risk Reduction forCentral Asian Countries” was held inAlmaty, Kazakhstan, from 24 to 26 May2005.

Based on the “Hyogo Declaration” and“Hyogo Framework of Action for 2005-2015 - Building the Resilience of Nationsand Communities to Disasters” adoptedat the Second World Conference onDisaster Reduction (WCDR II) held inKobe, Japan, from 18 to 22 January 2005,the participants recognized the need oftaking responsibility for effective disasterrisk reduction measures.

The participants agreed that the primary

aim would be to protect the population,infrastructure and territories, keeping inmind the growing global interdependenceand the fact that internationalcooperation and knowledge sharing,experience and innovative technologiesare all factors contributing to securingsustainable reduction of losses in livesand in social, economical andenvironmental assets threatened byemergency situations.

It is to be noted that Central Asia’s FirstRegional Consultative Meeting onDisaster Risk Reduction was held on 1and 2 December 2004 in the Tajik capital,Dushanbe, a few weeks after the UN/ISDR regional outreach office for CentralAsia was established in the same city.

At the end of the three-day meeting, theparticipants made the followingrecommendations.

Recommendations

1. Government agencies responsible foremergency prevention and liquidationpolicy, together with regional andnational organizations operating in theCentral Asian region, should aim atadopting the guidelines set out in theHyogo Declaration and HyogoFramework of Action to ensure theirimplementation is in line with theirspecific conditions and respectivecapacities.

These documents define the following:

Expected outcomesSustainable reduction of losses, in livesand in the social, economical andenvironmental assets brought about bydisasters.

Strategic goalsA more effective integration of disaster risk


reduction into sustainable developmentpolicies and planning;

Development and strengthening ofinstitutions, mechanisms and capacities tobuild resilience to hazards;

The systematic incorporation of riskreduction approaches into developmentand implementation of emergencypreparedness, response and recoveryprogrammes.

Priority action areas• Ensuring that disaster risk reduction is a

national and local priority with a soundinstitutional framework for itsimplementation.

• Identification, assessment andmonitoring of disaster risk factors andimprovement of early warning.

• Utilization of knowledge, innovativesolutions and education to create safeconditions and resilience capacity at alllevels.

• Reduction of baseline risk factors.• Enhancement of disaster preparedness

to ensure effective response at alllevels.

2. Approve the draft Recommendations ofthe Second Regional ConsultativeMeeting of Central Asian Countries,submitted by the Tajik delegation.Government agencies of the CentralAsian countries responsible for policyimplementation in the area of emergencyprevention and liquidation:

• To review the draft Recommendationsand submit their proposals to the UN/ISDR office within one month;

• To take account of the saidRecommendations while developingnational platforms in the area of disasterrisk reduction as well as nationalcoordination mechanisms and nationalplans, and:

• Ensure the implementation of the follow-up activities aimed at supportingstrategic objectives and prioritized areasfor 2005-2015 on the basis of amultisectoral approach, mutualcoordination and constructivecooperation;

• Integrate factors related to disaster riskreduction into sustainable developmentpolicies and planning at all levels;

• Facilitate a closer strategic coordinationof disaster risk reduction on the basis of

the International Strategy for DisasterReduction (ISDR), strengthen thecapacity of regional mechanisms andorganizations for the development ofregional plans, advocacy, coordination,exchange of information and know-how,science-based monitoring of hazardsand vulnerabilities, and institutionalcapacity development to addressdisaster risk issues.

Under the priority action area 1 of theHyogo Framework of Action for 2005-2015Recommend government agencies ofCentral Asian countries responsible forpolicy implementation in the area ofemergency prevention and liquidation:

• To review the suitability of thedevelopment and adoption of laws on“protection against earthquakes”;

• To pay attention to the need to furtherdevelop and harmonize nationallegislation in the sphere of emergenciesand bring it in conformity withinternational regulations and standardsin order to promote integrationprocesses between countries;

• To review the need for changes andamendments in the existingintergovernmental agreements and theexpediency of developing newintergovernmental agreements in thesphere of emergency prevention andliquidation, and submit proposals in amanner prescribed by the nationallegislation.

Under the priority action area 5 of theHyogo Framework of Action for 2005-2015

• Approve the initiative of the Republic ofKazakhstan’s Ministry for Emergenciesto establish the proposed Central AsianDisaster Response Coordination Centrein Kazakhstan, and take notice thatdetailed practical proposals andactivities related to establishment of theabove centre will be submitted byKazakhstan for discussion and reviewduring the next (third) regionalconsultative meeting of Central Asiancountries.

• The Republic of Kazakhstan’s Ministryfor Emergencies shall submit within onemonth proposals on the structure andworking plans for the initial phase ofoperations of the proposed CentralAsian Disaster Response CoordinationCentre for review by the other CentralAsian countries’ ministries foremergencies.

Accept the proposal of the Kyrgyzdelegation to hold the Third RegionalConsultative Meeting in KyrgyzstanThe participants hereby call upon allstakeholders to boost their activities andurge them to make their contributionstowards the implementation of the strategicobjectives and prioritized areas set out inthe Hyogo Declaration and HyogoFramework of Action. The resultingdocument was adopted at the 25 Mayplenary session.

Participants at the Central Asian regional consultative meeting



Ms Brigitte LeoniISDR Secretariat,Geneva, Switzerland

This year, the theme of the ISDR

International Day for Disaster

Reduction and campaign aims at

increasing disaster resilience using

microfinance and safety nets. Our

objective is two-fold: to sensitise the

social and financial communities and

institutions on their potential role in

reducing disaster risk, and to raise

awareness in the disaster and risk

management community of the utility

of existing financial tools and safety

nets to reduce the vulnerability of

hazard-prone populations.

Hazards are a major risk for the poor andmarginalized, who are already the mostvulnerable in society; the destruction ofproperty and livelihoods furthers theirdownward cycle of poverty. The recenttsunami and earthquakes in the IndianOcean are a tragic example of disastervulnerability and how communities canbe reduced to extreme poverty in a matterof hours.

Investing in disaster risk reductionreduces the vulnerability of people tohazards and helps break the vicious cycleof poverty.

To achieve the Millennium DevelopmentGoals and reduce poverty before 2015, wemust find mechanisms that work andactively implement them.

Micro-credit has proven its value in manycountries as a weapon against povertyand hunger. With access to micro-credit,people with low incomes can earn moreand better protect themselves againstunexpected setbacks and losses. Micro-credit and microfinance in general are notyet fully utilized as tools for reducingdisaster impacts, but some concreteexperiences in India and Bangladesh haveshown their potential and highlight theneed to further explore theseopportunities.

The use of microfinance for disaster riskmanagement is still somewhatexperimental, but communities shouldexplore its various flexible approachesand impacts for poverty reduction.

2005 WORLD DISASTER REDUCTION AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Focus on Microfinance Tools & Safety Nets


UN/ISDR opens Asia and the Pacific regional

outreach programme

Ms Christel RoseRegional Programme Officer,UN/ISDR Asia and Pacific,Bangkok, Thailand

UN/ISDR opens a regional outreachprogramme for Asia and the Pacific inBangkok, Thailand, as a direct follow-upto the World Conference on DisasterReduction (January 2005, Kobe, Japan)and the 26 December 2004 tragedy.UNISDR Asia-Pacific is hosted by theUnited Nations Economic and SocialCommission for Asia and the Pacific(UNESCAP).

History has shown that the Asia-Pacificregion is the most disaster prone area inthe world. Witness in 2004, the floods inBangladesh, China, India, Indonesia andthe Philippines, the cyclones in Japan andVietnam, the earthquakes in Indonesia,Iran and Japan and the catastrophic 26

December 2004 tsunami that struckcountries of the Indian Ocean. The highurban population density, the unevenlevel of development within and betweencountries and the extent of povertyfurther exacerbate the cumulative impactof disasters on sustainable developmentin Asian countries.

People of the Asia-Pacific Region arealert, well informed and extremely activein disaster risk reduction issues.Significant multi-hazard initiatives areindeed currently taking place at theregional level, supported by an increasednumber of bilateral and multilateraldonors, UN agencies, regional andnational organizations and NGOs, amongothers. Needless to say that the 26December tsunami has heightened evenfurther the high-level activity, publicawareness and receptiveness to disaster-related matters in the region.

ISDR Asia-Pacific is intended to serve asa framework to facilitate, promote andadvocate for the strengthening ofdisaster reduction capacities in theregion. This is being done incollaboration with the Asian Partnershipon Disaster Reduction comprising ofUNDP, OCHA, UNESCAP, Asian DisasterPreparedness Centre (ADPC) and AsianDisaster Reduction Centre (ADRC). Itworks closely with key regional andnational stakeholders such as the UnitedNations system in the region,governments, local communities, themedia and NGOs in facilitating theimplementation of the Hyogo Frameworkfor Action to promote disaster riskreduction as well as the Early WarningTsunami System Programme for the IndianOcean.

For more information, please direct requests [email protected] or [email protected].



The UN General Assembly designated theyear 2005 as the International Year ofMicro-Credit (Resolution 53/197), statingthat the Year will provide an importantopportunity to give impetus tomicrofinance programmes throughout theworld.

The five key objectives for the Year aredesigned to unite Member States, UNAgencies and Microfinance Partners. Toultimately achieve the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs), the Yearaims to:

1. Assess and promote the contributionof microfinance and micro-credit to theMDGs;

2. Increase public awareness andunderstanding of microfinance andmicro-credit as vital parts of thedevelopment equation;

3. Promote inclusive financial sectors;

4. Support sustainable access tofinancial services, and

5. Encourage innovation and newpartnerships by promoting andsupporting strategic partnerships tobuild and expand the outreach andsuccess of micro-credit andmicrofinance.

Within the International Year of Micro-Credit 2005, the ISDR Secretariat andpartners would like to stimulate a debateand promote dialogue on how safetynets, micro-credit and micro-insurancecan contribute to disaster risk reduction.In contributing to the campaign, UN/ISDR will:

• Encourage partners and experts toreview the available safety nets toaddress vulnerability and povertyreduction, and look for potential newmechanisms that can reduce theimpact of hazards.

• Promote national and localroundtables with microfinanceinstitutions, commercial banks,insurance companies, NGOs, CBOsand disaster reduction experts.

• Invite national platforms for disasterreduction and other local and nationalcounterparts to discuss and developprogrammes of social and economicsafety nets for the poor to increasetheir resilience and recovery capacityto disasters.

• Collect good practice and experiences:you are invited to send us your casestudies and experiences to beincluded in our information productsand media briefs.

• Invite decision-makers and NGOsinvolved in recovery efforts for theIndian Ocean tsunami andearthquakes to develop capacities forlong-term disaster risk reduction.Please share with us your views onhow microfinance and safety netscould be useful tools in the recoveryprocess.

To broaden the basis of knowledge andinnovation, we encourage nominations ofcandidates with relevant experience andgood practice related to microfinance,poverty reduction, safety nets anddisaster reduction to apply for the 2005nomination process of the SasakawaAward for Disaster Reduction.

The ISDR Secretariat, in collaborationwith other UN agencies and NGOsworking on microfinance, will contributeto the International Year of Micro-Credit,organising events throughout the worldthat will culminate with the InternationalDay for Disaster Reduction on the 12th ofOctober 2005.

The United Nations Capital Development Fund(UNCDF) and the United Nations Department ofEconomic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) arecoordinating the Year and organizing a series ofevents throughout the world. For more informationabout the campaign, please see: http://www.yearofmicrocredit.org

(Photo Imagine GTZ: Thomas, Kenya)

(Photo imagine GTZ: Peter, Kenya)


UN/ISDR Africa National Platforms in Action

UGANDA begins implementation of Hyogo Framework

of Action & Africa Regional Strategy

Mr Martin OworAssistant Commissioner,Ministry of Disaster Preparedness andRefugees,ISDR National Focal Point,Kampala, Uganda

The Government of Uganda

recognizes that disaster risk

reduction interventions are

development activities and that

development strategies and

programmes need to be disaster

risk sensitive to avoid/ minimize

the negative impacts of natural and

man-made hazards on its citizens’

livelihoods.

Information paper submitted toParliament, cabinet papersubmitted to CabinetSecretariatFollowing the conclusion of the 2nd WorldConference on Disaster Reduction (WCDRII) in January 2005, an information paper onits outcomes was prepared by the NationalFocal Point and submitted to Parliamentand all relevant Government Ministries. ACabinet Paper recommending toGovernment to adapt the five priorityactions of the Hyogo Framework of Action(HFA) 2005-2015 alongside the six strategicgoals of the AU/NEPAD Africa Plan ofAction, was submitted to the CabinetSecretariat for consideration.

On his return from the WCDR II, the 1st

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister forDisaster Preparedness briefed the Presidentof Republic and requested him to bring therecommendations of the HFA to the agendaof the July 2005 Africa Union Summit due inTripoli, Libya.

Public awareness conducted on

Hyogo Framework of ActionImmediately after the WCDR II, a meetingwas held with the media staff whoparticipated in the “Workshop on Media &Disaster Risk Reduction for East &Southern African Journalists” held inNairobi in December 2004 (see article on

page 39). Then the media personneldeveloped public awareness programmesabout the HFA on the electronic and printmedia in Uganda.

The national focal point for disaster riskreduction in Uganda, Mr Martin Owor, whoalso participated in the WCDR II, wasinterviewed on state-owned Radio Uganda,which covers the whole country, on a livecall-in talk show where listeners called inwith questions about the HFA and answersinstantly given.

Articles on HFA were also published inleading newspapers, and there were anumber of discussions among the mediapersonnel on local FM radio stations.

Action plan being developed tomainstream HFA prioritiesThe Government of Uganda, with thesupport of UNDP, has contracted twoconsultants to develop a result-orientedplan of action for implementation of thestrategic goals and priorities of the HFA.The consultants will serve for a period of 12months, providing support to the Office ofthe Prime Minister’s Department of DisasterManagement in adapting and steering theimplementation of the HFA bymainstreaming the five priorities of the HFA

Mr. Felix Osike, editor of New Vision, Uganda and Mr. Martin Owor who is also the UgandanNational focal point

into programmes and plans for theresponsible line ministries.

The Uganda National Platform forDisaster Reduction, that meets everymonth, has dedicated two of its meetingsto discuss the activities underlying eachof the five priorities of action of theHFA. The two consultants are workingwith relevant line ministries to identifythose already being acted on under theexisting ongoing programmes and thosemissing out for inclusion at theappropriate time.

Other tasks given to the two consultantsinclude the development of strategiesfor:

• Advocating for mainstreaming ofdisaster risk reduction (DRR) into allprogrammes and activities of NGOs,development partners, localgovernment authorities and theprivate sector;

• Drawing a plan for promoting aculture of DRR-sensitive planningand actions in the community.

• Designing a comprehensiveinformation databases relevant toDRR in Uganda.


KENYA: National disaster risk reduction policy

due for adoption this year

Mr S.K. MainaDeputy Secretary,Office of the President,ISDR National Focal Point,Kenya

Kenya’s National Disaster Risk ReductionPolicy is due for adoption this year. Thisemerged from a meeting held by theKenya National Platform on Disaster RiskReduction in the capital, Nairobi, on 10th

March 2005.

The meeting reviewed the progress of itsactivities, and specifically received areport from members who had attendedthe Second World Conference on DisasterReduction (WCDR II) in Kobe, Japan, inJanuary 2005.

The Kenyan delegation to the Conferenceincluded three officials from the Office ofthe President, including a permanentsecretary, an officer from the NationalEnvironment Management Authority(NEMA) and Kenya’s ambassador toJapan.

During the Nairobi meeting, theparticipants were divided into threegroups and given a question each todiscuss. The three questions were:

• How can the National Platformmembers facilitate the mainstreamingof disaster risk reduction into theirrespective fields?

• How are the main WCDR II outcomesapplicable to Kenya?

• What are the immediate priorities forthe National Platform to implement theNational Disaster Risk ReductionPolicy due for adoption this year?

Advocating enactment of

Disaster Management Bill 2005After the discussions, the group memberscame up with the followingrecommendations:

1. The Platform should advocate for theenactment of Disaster ManagementBill 2005.

2. Institutionalize the Platform andestablish a National DisasterManagement Agency (NADIMA) andDisaster Management Units in all keyMinistries and Departments.

3. Carry out risk and vulnerabilityassessment/mapping.

4. Mobilize resources for the Platform.

5. Set up sectoral disaster managementunits and coordinating units, andestablish appropriate linkages andcollaboration with various keystakeholders. Each organization/sector should designate a focal pointto the National Platform and keepother members informed of anychanges.

6. Engage in advocacy and awarenesscreation, education and capacitybuilding.

7. Develop and strengthen sectoraldisaster risk reduction policies, legalframeworks and enforcement.

8. Establish disaster management andinformation database, e.g. earlywarning systems, resource mapping.

The Senior Regional Officer of ISDR Africa, Ms Feng Min Kan and Permanent SecretaryMr Mahboub Maalim, Ministry of Special Programmes, Office of the President, Kenya


9. Integrate disaster reduction strategiesinto core sectoral functions.

10.A draft report on the status of DRR tobe circulated by the Secretariat toPlatform members for comments andrefinement with a view to coming upwith a national baseline assessmentby 30 April 2005. Thereafter, the reportshall be disseminated locally,nationally, regionally andinternationally.

11.Secretariat to continuously collectinformation from all members of thePlatform and compile annual reportson DRR.


Officials during the opening ceremony of the workshop establishingthe Mali National platform

Col. Mamadou TraoreManaging Director,Civil Protection,Ministry of Internal Security and CivilProtection,Bamako, Mali

Mali has established an ISDR

national platform. The event took

place during a national workshop

held in the capital, Bamako, on 26

and 27 May 2005.

The workshop began with openingremarks by the UN System residentcoordinator in Mali, Mr Joseph Bill-Cataria, who stressed on the greatimportance of the workshop focusing onrisk prevention, increased cooperation,partnership at local, national andinternational levels and priority settingfor the 2005–2015 decade.

Mr Anatole Sangare, the permanentsecretary in the Ministry of InternalSecurity and Civil Protection, who alsochaired the proceedings, delivered theopening speech. After welcoming andthanking the guests and participants, heset the scene.

Mali’s disaster profileMali has, for some 30 years, been affectedseriously by the effects of climate change.Drought has settled in gradually, worsenedby excessive use of the vegetal cover,which leads to soil degradation.

In 2003, as a result of excessive rainfall,Mali, like several countries of the sub-region, experienced important damage asareas deprived of water for several yearsreceived an excessive quantity of water. Inaddition, crops are threatened every yearby locust invasion and various epidemics,as was the case in 2004.

The immediate consequences of these ispoor, if not loss of crops (which oftenresults in famine) and loss of livestock.These two consequences disrupt thenational economy based mainly on rural

MALI: National platform for disaster reduction

launched

activities carried out by 80 per cent of thepopulation. The country also faces othernatural hazards shared by the region, suchas drought. And extremely hot fumaroles(gas emission) of up to 500 degrees C areobserved in the northeastern part of thecountry.

All the above calamities and disasters havemade it necessary to establish adequateresponse systems and prompted theMinistry of Internal Security and CivilProtection to put in place a ISDR nationalplatform in Mali.

ProceedingsMr Anatole Sangare’s opening speech wasfollowed by presentations by participants,the adoption of the workshop’s agenda,and a review of the situation in the field ofdisaster risk management by CivilProtection Director-General Col MamadouTraore.

His review was followed by presentationson the activities of various ministries: thoseof the Agriculture Ministry (through theDirectorate for Locust Control), HealthMinistry (through the National Directoratefor Health), and Ministry of Environment

and Sanitation (through the NationalDirectorate for Nature Conservation).

Other presentations were also made by theFood Security Commission, the Ministry ofSupplies and Transport (through theNational Directorate for Meteorology) andthe Ministry of Mines (through theNational Directorate for Water).

Current weaknessesThe following weaknesses, in the area ofdisaster management, emerged from thevarious presentations and discussions:

• Insufficient data for disaster reductionand management;

• Lack of a centralized database ondisaster reduction and management;

• Poor knowledge about risks;

• Poor national policy for disasterreduction and management;

• Poor coordination of disastermanagement;

• Poor enforcement of existing legislationand regulations at managerial level inthe following areas: land, environmentand sanitation, health, agriculture,



food security, transport, mines, energyand water, social development,industries ;

• Insufficient information andcommunication with and sensitizationof the public;

• Insufficient human, material, financial,technical and logistical resources.

Main factors contributing to

above weaknesses

• Multitude of risks and lack of riskassessment;

• Poor information gathering,communication and dissemination;

• Lack of framework for consultations;

• Lack of adequate equipment forstoring and processing data(computer tools and softwares –Geographical Information System,GIS) ;

• Lack of training and information ;

• Risk reduction and management notmainstreamed in developmentplanning;

• Lack of strategic plans taking allprogrammes into account;

• Poor communication ;

• Poor public-spiritedness from thepopulation ;

• Lack of strictness in the enforcementof legislation and regulations;

• Poor involvement of the media;

• Information not disseminated innational languages ;

• Poor level of professionalism in thefields of information andcommunication.

Urgent actions required

• Establishing a national platform fordisaster reduction;

• Identifying disaster risk zones;• Developing a strategic plan for


disaster risk reduction andmanagement;

• Building the technical capacity of allactors involved in disaster reductionand management;

• Establishing a monitoring and earlywarning system;

• Establishing a communication networkwith specialized institutions in thesub-region and region and atinternational level;

• Promoting cooperation andpartnership to strengthen research inthe area of disaster reduction.

Recommendations

• Legalizing the establishing the ISDRnational platform;

• Mobilizing resources to supportpriority actions in the area of disasterreduction and management;

• Speeding up the approval of thegeneral and sectoral disaster riskreduction plan.

Mr Edmond MakimouhaDirector, International Law and Environment,Ministry of Forestry Economy andEnvironment,ISDR National Focal Point,Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

The Republic of Congo’s nationalplatform for disaster management (PFNGCin French) has not been able to operatedue to lack of legal recognition andresources.

The Platform was established in August2004 at the end of a workshop gatheringrepresentatives of governmentdepartments, NGOS and variousassociations involved in disastermanagement and humanitarian issues.The workshop was organized by theMinistry of Forest Economy andEnvironment with financial and technicalsupport from UN/ISDR Africa.

For permanent contacts between thePlatform and UN/ISDR Africa, a UN/ISDRfocal point was appointed by theDirectorate-General for Environment. Thisenabled Congo to take part in severalinternational gatherings on disasterreduction and management.

Meanwhile, a legal framework wasdeveloped to ensure that the Platformwas recognized legally and the role of thegovernment and communities were madeeffective. The legal framework is based ona draft decree on the creation, duties,composition and functioning of theNational Platform under the authority ofthe Head of Government backed by threevice-chairmen, one being the environmentminister. The National Platform was to beendowed with a permanent secretariatand emergency relief committees.

Before submitting the draft decree to thegovernment, a national consultation was

to be held for possible amendments.However, the Platform members could nottake any action because of lack ofoperational resources. This was the case,for instance, when the ebola diseaseresurfaced in the western basin.

Yet, a “Natural Disaster Operations”section has been introduced in the 2005budget of the Environmental ProtectionFund, as provided in Article 88 of theEnvironmental Protection Act N° 003/91of 23 April 1991.

It is to be noted that it is only after beinginstitutionalized, recognized and acceptedby all that the Platform can develop itsannual activity programme in line with theHyogo Declaration, the HyogoFramework of Action 2005-2015 and theAfrica Regional Strategy for Disaster RiskReduction.

CONGO: National platform hampered by lack of

legal recognition, resources


Mr. Ndari Touré, Chief of the office of the Minister of Interior and Mr. A. Ndiaye, Director of CivilProtection, Senegal

Mr Abdoulaye NdiayeDirector of Civil Protection,Ministry of Interior,ISDR National Focal Point,Senegal

Senegal has established an ISDR

National Platform during a national

workshop held in Dakar from 1 to 3

June 2005, organized by the

country’s Interior Ministry (through

its Directorate for Civil Protection)

with support from the UN System in

Senegal and UN/ISDR Africa.

Natural disasters such as floods,droughts and other disasters experiencedby Senegal often have affected people,their property and the environmentseriously, wiping out developmentefforts. To help reduce these negativeeffects, the Senegalese authorities havedecided to establish a national platformfor disaster reduction. This conformsfully to the conclusions andrecommendations of the Second WorldConference on Disaster Reduction held inKobe, Japan, in January 2005.

The national workshop to establish thenational platform gathered 35 participantsfrom various government ministries, thecivil society, the media and the UNSystem in Senegal.

Mainstreaming DRR insustainable developmentThe opening ceremony was presided overby the chief of the Interior Minister’sOffice, Mr Ndari Toure. In his openingspeech, Mr Toure reminded theparticipants that many sectoral disasterreduction programmes had been adopted,such as the charter signed by theEmployers’ Federation on occupationalinjury prevention and management, andthe protocol agreement on drowningaccident prevention signed with theMayors’ Association.

However, he said, shortcomings wereobserved when it comes to mainstreamingdisaster risks in sustainable development

and poverty reduction strategies andpolicies.

He also said developing countries oftenfound it difficult to mobilize the technicaland financial resources necessary forimplementing disaster risk reductionprogrammes and intervention plans foremergency humanitarian situations.

WeaknessesAt the end of group discussions, theparticipants noted a number ofweaknesses and inadequacies in the fieldof disaster management in Senegal,especially the following:

• Lack of consultations betweengovernment departments involved indisaster reduction and management;

• Difficulties in risk identification andvulnerability zone mapping;

• Lack of legal framework defining thearea and type of intervention for eachstructure;

• Disaster management coordinationproblems observed within the stateand its various components;

• Lack of adequate community-levelstructures for disaster reduction;

• Lack of vision on prevention issues

from decision makers (poor awareness,prioritization problems, poorownership of risk reduction policy);

• Lack of reliable statistics on risk zonesand the number and type of disasterexperienced by Senegal to date;

• Lack of rapid communication systemin case of a major disaster, which oftenleads to difficulties in conveyinginformation from disaster zones tosites of intervention;

• Serious lack of awareness on theusefulness of meteorologicalinformation to disaster and accidentprevention;

• Lack of public awareness through themedia;

• Lack of education on prevention (forinstance the Environmental Trainingand Information Programme);

• Lack of early warning system and riskzone monitoring;

• Poor quality of disaster or accidentemergency relief, especially themedical aspect of relief for instance inroad accidents;

• Difficult access to some humansettlements in case of accident due tonarrowness of streets: this is the casefor traditional villages in Dakar

SENEGAL: ISDR national platform established




(Yarakh, Hann, Ouakam, Ngor andYoff) ;

• Lack of resources at centralgovernment, decentralized localgovernment and population levels todeal with some types of disaster. Thisproblem is worsened by lack ofsynergy and consultations betweenstructures and organs involved infield operations;

• Lack of effective quality control onold and new buildings and on thoseunder construction;

• Uncontrolled use (as in Dakar) ofmajor river beds for human settlementand market gardening (for instance theniayes);

• Poor control of sudden rise in riverlevels, as is the case in Saint-Louis,Podor, Matam and Bakel and along theSenegal River.

• Deforestation in some parts ofwatersheds, especially upstream inhigh-rainfall zones;

• Lack of adequate close monitoring ofwaterways’ behaviours;

• Poor handling of various types ofdisaster (bush fire, river waterflooding, sea protrusion, etc.);

• Non enforcement of legislation andregulations (town planning, sanitationand environmental codes, etc.).

Main factors contributing to

above weaknessesThe group noted a number of factors thatworsen the situation as far as disasterreduction and management is concerned,including the following:

At central government and governmentorgan levels

• Insufficient or absolute lack ofinformation and training onprevention issues for decision makers,the private sector and even the civilsociety;

• Lack of legal documents adapted toprevention issues (for instance ontransport of harmful substances in bigcities like Dakar);

• Lack of means for rapid interventionduring disasters (relief operationhelicopters for instance) ;

• Health structures’ pooraccommodation capacity for disastervictims;

• Unsuitable means of intervention incase, for instance, of a flood (forinstance water pumping is effectedonly when a flood occurs) ;

• Poor definition and organization ofintervention structures’ scopes ofactivities;

• No respect for security zones locatedbetween industrial areas and housingdevelopment programmes.

At decentralized local government andpopulation levels

• Problems of information on, publicawareness of and education on thenotion of prevention;

• Ignorance of or lack of knowledgeabout the notion of risk as a result ofdeep-rooted belief/myth-foundedcultural assumptions.

• Lack of environmental impactassessment studies in urban projectsin general (real estate, public works,housing, etc.)

• No respect for land use plans (townplanning and land use plans) ;

• Uncontrolled settlement on somezones (former lakes, waterways,niayes, coastal dunes, etc.).

Urgent actions requiredIn the light of the above observations,

the workshop participants recommendedthe following urgent actions forimmediate or short/medium-termimplementation:

1. First of all educating, sensitizing andinforming all components of thesociety at large (ranging fromdecision makers to the commonman);

2. Carrying out immediately aninventory of risk zones all over thecountry and specify the nature of therisk prevailing in each zone;

3. Carrying out an exhaustive anddetailed mapping of risk zones;

4. Activating advocacy directed atdecision makers (Office of thePresident of the Republic,Government, National Assembly,Council of the Republic and forEconomic and Social Affairs, electedlocal leaders, etc.);

5. Reviewing the legal framework withthe addition of some specific pointsthat may help promote a gooddisaster risk reduction policy;

6. Establishing a disaster warning andreduction system;

7. Displacing and relocating all peoplesettled in risk zones;

8. Constructing structures adapted toflood and sea protrusion prevention;

9. Using efficiently all means offered bythe new information andcommunication technology (ITC);

Members of national platform and diplomatic corps during the opening ceremony



10. Establishing a monitoring mechanismfor meteorological and rainfall datafor clear observation of waterways’behaviours;

11. Carrying out a comprehensive reviewof the various actions and types ofintervention carried out againstdisasters already experienced by

Senegal;

12. Approving the plan for reorganizingthe National Fire Brigade (GNSP inFrench) ;

13. Verifying risk-facing enterprises’internal organization plans;

14. Establishing a comprehensiveinformation and communication

programme for sensitizing andeducating Senegalese people on riskprevention and management, withthe help of television and radiostations and the media at large, andalso through workshops, forums andseminars.

Mrs Mariama Ousseini,Programme Officer,Monitoring Unit,Coordination of the Early Warning System,Prime Minister’s Office,Niamey, Niger

Niger is a huge (1,267,000 sq. km.),landlocked, Sahelian West Africancountry with the nearest port at some1,000 km from its capital, Niamey. Mostparts of the territory (three- quarter) are adesert, including the Tenere Desert, oneof the world’s harshest deserts.

As Niger is located in one of the warmestareas of the globe, its climate is generallyarid. Two types of climate prevail in thecountry: a desert type of climate in mostof the territory, and a tropical one with asingle rainy season in the rest of thecountry. The country’s rainfall ischaracterized by strong variations both intime and space.

A large number of recurrentdisastersNiger faces a large number of recurrentnatural or man-made disasters such asdrought, floods, fires, epidemics, socialconflicts and especially attacks by croppredators during crop harvesting periods.

Out of deep concern over the frequencyand seriousness of its crises, Niger, likemany other African countries, committeditself to resolutely develop and build itscapacity to handle emergency situationsthrough prevention and institutional

capacity building, especially in its earlywarning system.

Food crisesThe government has taken relevantmeasures by establishing disasterreduction and management mechanismsthrough an Early Warning SystemCoordination Unit (CC/SAP in French)and a Food Crisis Coordination Unit(CCA in French).

The early warning system wasestablished, in the Prime Minister’sOffice, on 23 August 1989. It wasmodified on 31 May 1995 with theaddition of a response component to

various disasters (disaster management).The system’s objective is to contribute topreventing food and nutrition crises.

Accordingly, it monitors and providesleadership to all early warning anddisaster management activities so as toavoid or reduce disaster risks and/oreffects in the food, socio-economic,health and nutrition areas.

With support from the internationalcommunity, the government has, sinceDecember 1998, striven to apply technicaland institutional solutions that enablebetter management of food crises -without harming households’ responsecapability - and sustained improvement offood security.

A national mechanism limited to

food crisisThe Niger government and its maindonors therefore established a nationalfood crisis prevention and managementmechanism whose pillars are:

• A common body: the JointCommission for State-DonorsConsultations (CMC in French) whichis the decision-making andcoordination structure of the entiremechanism;

• A common wealth: the NationalReserve Stock (SNR in French) whichcan be mobilized when a serious foodcrisis occurs. The stock is composedof:

NIGER: Why the country seeks to establish an

ISDR national platform

Mrs Mariama Ousseini, Monitoring Unit,Coordination of the Early Warning System,

Prime Minister’s Office, Niger



1. A physical stock: the NationalSecurity Stock (SNS in French);

2. A financial stock: the Food SecurityFund (FSA in French);

3. An intervention fund for crisismitigation actions in case of localizedcrises. The fund is composed of aDonors’ Common Fund (FCD inFrench) and a Bilaterally ManagedFood Aid Counterpart Fund.

Also, a National Emergency Plan (PNU inFrench) was developed in the frameworkof a revamped National Policy for FoodCrisis Prevention and Management andincreased consultations between Nigerand its major donors.

Meanwhile, brainstorming is under wayfor the development of a NationalEmergency Intervention Plan (in the areaof food crisis). The emergency plan hasbecome an urgent necessity for Nigerbecause:

• Shortcomings have been observed inthe management of the various foodcrises;

• It is necessary to establish anadequate framework for theimplementation of a National Strategyfor Food Crisis Prevention andManagement;

• There is need for better coordinationof interventions by redefining thevarious players’ roles.

The main objective of the emergency planis to enable adequate, speedy and need-oriented decision making by:• Identifying the various types of crisis

and their respective risks;• Identifying the necessary prevention

measures;• Identifying crisis trigger points;

• Mobilizing the most important toolsdepending on the nature of the crisisand the scale of intervention;

• Defining organizational measures andprocedures to be followed in case offood crisis;

• Improving the targeting ofbeneficiaries.

It is clear that the current mechanism islimited strictly to food crisis.

Towards a mechanismextended to all types ofdisasterNiger has embarked on the search forways and means suitable for naturaldisaster reduction and managementwhich, nowadays, have become anunbearable burden for mankind. In thisconnection, the country is planning toestablish a national platform coordinatingdisaster risk reduction and disastermanagement activities.

As similar national platforms are alreadyavailable in most African countries, suchan initiative will help to harmonize furtherintervention strategies in the West Africasub-region.

Indeed, experience and analysis haveshown that whatever measures are taken,a national disaster reduction andmanagement strategy alone is not enoughto mitigate disaster impact on mostaffected people.

Plans and recommendations forthe proposed national platformA major task awaiting the proposed Nigernational platform is the development ofthe above-mentioned EmergencyIntervention Plan covering any types ofdisaster that may occur in the country.

The Plan’s objectives are similar to thoseof the Food Crisis Plan but they areextended to all types of disaster.

The proposed basic principles underlyingthe Plan are:

• Local, national and sub-regional levelsare expected to be in full chargegradually, depending on theseriousness of the disaster;

• Participatory and consultativeapproach which necessitates theinvolvement of field actors andbeneficiaries;

• Holistic approach to food security inorder to assess risk for thedeterioration of food situations;

• Open-ended approach that leavesroom for future adjustments andimprovements prompted bydevelopments in the informationmechanism and economic context;

• Adoption of the Plan by all playersinvolved in disaster management;

• Legal recognition of the Plan at thecountry’s national, regional and sub-regional levels.

The main recommendation is that theinformation system and programmemonitoring and evaluation should bestrengthened.

Malnourished children in Niger (Photo: Eden Foundation)


UN/ISDR Africa in Action

UN/ISDR AfricaNairobi, Kenya

Disasters are not mere events

striking at a particular time but the

result of various processes.

Journalists therefore should shift

from an “event” to a “process”

approach, from “sensational” to

“contextual” disaster reporting. The

following is a report on a disaster

reduction workshop for selected

African journalists.

“We recognize the ongoing global effortsmade towards disaster risk reduction. Webelieve the initiative is crucial forsustainable development. …We promiseto work hand in glove with the UN/ISDRSecretariat and African Governments toachieve the ultimate goals. We call uponall journalists worldwide to join thiseffort…”

The above statement was made byAfrican journalists a few weeks before theJanuary 2005 World Conference onDisaster Reduction. Called “NairobiStatement on Awareness of Disaster RiskReduction”, it was issued at the end of a“Workshop on Media & Disaster RiskReduction for East & Southern AfricanJournalists” held in Nairobi, Kenya, from14 to 17 December 2004.

Organized jointly by InWent (CapacityBuilding International, Germany) and UN/ISDR Africa, the four-day workshop wasattended by 20 participants, includingstate and private media environmentalreporters, development journalists, newseditors, news agency reporters andinformation officers. Also attending was amedia owner. The participants were fromthe following eight English-speakingcountries in eastern and southern Africa:Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe,Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho andMozambique.

The workshop aimed to sensitize thejournalists on the fact that they can play

an essential role in promoting a shift froma culture of reaction to disasters to aculture of disaster prevention in Africa -through improved disaster reporting.

Background & ContextThere is growing interest for disasterreduction in Africa. At national level,National Platforms for Disaster Reductionhave been established in a number ofAfrican countries, and many more ofthese were to be established in 2005. Insome countries, disaster managementlegislation has been voted and disastermanagement bodies restructured towardsmore focus on disaster reduction. Atcontinental level, major steps have beentaken over the last two years under theleading role of the AU, the NEPADSecretariat and the African DevelopmentBank (AfDB), with support from UN/ISDRAfrica.

In fact, an Africa Regional Strategy forDisaster Reduction, developed by Africanexperts, was adopted by the AfricanMinisterial Conference on Environment inJune 2004, and submitted to the AUAssembly of Heads of State andGovernment in July 2004. Receiving theStrategy positively, the African leaders

called for the development of the relatedAfrica Plan of Action.

Such major developments, however,would not be effective without publicawareness. As the media can play anessential role in raising general publicawareness, especially in bridging the gapbetween information available andinformation received, African journalistshad to be sensitized. Hence, the idea oforganizing a disaster reduction workshopfor journalists as a first step to addressthe issue. The December 2004 “Workshopon Media & Disaster Reduction for Eastand Southern African Journalists” was astarting point in this process.

ProceedingsThe four-day proceedings were facilitatedby two facilitators: Mr R. Alain Valency(leading facilitator), internationaljournalist and editor of the English andFrench versions of UN/ISDR Africa’s“Disaster Reduction in Africa”newsletter/magazine; and Mr Ib Knutsen,journalist and information officer withUN/ISDR Africa.

Day 1 aimed to enable the journalists tounderstand what disaster reduction was,

African journalists pledge to help promote

culture of prevention

Participants at the workshop



that disaster reduction was a cross-cutting, multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary activity, and that, to beeffective, it had to be supplemented byawareness from both policy/decisionmakers and the general public.

To that end, presentations were maderespectively by UN/ISDR Africa SeniorRegional Outreach Officer Ms Feng MinKan, UNDP Regional Adviser for DisasterReduction in Africa Mr KennethWestgate, Climatologist Mr ZacharyAtheru of the IGAD Climate Predictionand Applications Centre (ICPAC), andInWent Mozambique ProgrammeCoordinator Mr Torsten Wegner.

Day 2 began with a presentation on“Governance & Disaster Reduction” byMr Ron Cadribo, a developmentconsultant on governance and publicadministration. Next was a presentationentitled “Media & Disaster Reduction –Redefining Disaster Reporting” by Mr R.Alain Valency, international journalist andeditor of the English and French versionsof the UN/ISDR Africa newsletter/magazine.

Mr Valency’s presentation provided anew approach to disaster reporting. Hesaid disasters were not merely eventsstriking at a particular time but the resultof various processes involving hazards,vulnerability, governance, etc. Therefore,he said, journalists should shift from an“event” to a “process” approach. The“process” approach, he said, enabled ashift from “sensational” journalism tomore responsible “contextual” journalismthat allows to ask/explain why disastersoccur and ask/explain how their impactscould be avoided or at least reduced. MrValency explained, with the support ofvarious examples, that the “process”approach offered unlimited opportunitiesfor various stories: political/governance,social, economic, environmental,technical, scientific and also human-interest stories.

Mr Valency’s presentation was followedby a lively debate on journalists’

coverage priorities and conflictinginterests with disaster managers ininformation delivery. The debate wasfollowed by group discussions onspecific topics and practical journalisticactivities.

Day 3 began with a presentation entitled“A Proposal for a Network of DisasterReduction Aware Journalists in Africa” byMr R. Alain Valency. He said such astructure was needed to consolidate thegains from the workshop. To this end, hesaid, the proposed network should helpwith journalistic and educational material.Mr Valency said for any institution to besustainable, it had to seek to promote andprotect value(s) but also respond topractical needs.

Mr Valency’s presentation was followedby group discussions. The followingname was selected for the network:“Journalists in Africa for Disaster RiskReduction Network” (JADRR Net). Thedraft Terms of Reference (TOR) for theNetwork were finalized by a draftingcommittee to be submitted to plenarydiscussions for approval the followingday. The drafting committee also drafted a2005 Programme of Action for theNetwork and a Statement to be issued bythe Network.

Day 4, the last day, began with a plenarysession to approve the Network’s TOR,Programme of Action and Statement. Theplenary discussions began with the finaldraft of the TOR. After furtherdiscussions, the TOR, 2005 Programme ofAction and Statement were adopted.

Next on the agenda was the drafting offlyer slogans and messages capturing theessence of the link between disasterreduction and sustainable development.

The workshop ended with a speech byone of the participants, journalist HenryBaguma of Uganda, final remarks by MrTorsten Wegner of InWent Mozambique,and closing remarks by UN/ISDR Africa’sMs Feng Min Kan who hailed theoutcomes of the workshop.

OutcomesThe journalists became aware of the needfor disaster risk reduction and itsimportance for sustainable development.

It emerged from the flyer slogans andmessages they had drafted on the lastday that they had reached an “advanced”awareness of the topic. In fact, a numberof them started promoting awareness ofdisaster reduction by dispatching newsreports about the workshop to theirrespective media houses on Day 2.

• The journalists understood clearly thedesired shift from an “event” to a“process” approach to disasterreporting. For the sake of continuityand further learning, they establisheda network known as “Journalists inAfrica for Disaster Risk ReductionNetwork”, JADRR Net, endowed withits own Terms of Reference and a 2005Programme of Action.

• The journalists expressed thecommitment to spread their awarenessto members of the media community,decision makers and the generalpublic, as mentioned in their network’sTerms of Reference1, 2005 Programmeof Action and formal statement (seefirst paragraph of present article).

• The journalists went as far asexpressing their commitment openlyand publicly in a formal statement tobe shown to the global disastermanagement community at the SecondWorld Conference on DisasterReduction held in Japan in January2005.

1 JADRR Net’s vision/mission statement : TheNetwork shall be a strong and independent voice inpromoting awareness of Disaster Risk Reduction.This will be done through advocacy and newscoverage on the importance of reducingvulnerability in order to achieve sustainabledevelopment in Africa.




The “First Consultative Meeting onNational Platforms for Disaster RiskReduction in Africa” was held on 21-23April 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya. The meetingattracted a total of 27 participantsrepresenting seven of the 11 existingnational platforms (Comoros, Republic ofCongo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya,Madagascar, Mali, Senegal and Uganda),four countries (Chad, Niger, Nigeria andSeychelles Island) intending to establishnational platforms in the near future.

Among the 27 participants were also twojournalists from Zambia and Uganda(both two are members of the AfricanJournalists for Disaster Risk ReductionNetwork), the regional representative forUNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention andRecovery (UNDP-BCPR), the officer incharge of national platforms at UN/ISDRGeneva, and the head and staff membersof UN/ISDR Africa.

National platforms: background

informationSince its creation in October 2002, UN/ISDR Africa has carried out its activitieson the basis of its working principlesthrough outreaching, networking,coordinating and collaborating with majorstakeholders to advance the disaster riskreduction process in Africa. One of UN/ISDR Africa’s major areas of work isestablishing formal working relations withNational Governments, in order topromote ownership of disaster reductionand its mainstreaming into developmentplanning and programmes.

The establishment of national platformsin the region represents a means ofgenerating such ownership at thenational level. To date, UN/ISDR Africahas responded to11 National Government

requests for support in the establishmentof national platforms.

Aim of the consultative meetingThe consultative meeting aimed ataddressing the following specificobjectives:

• Providing a forum for focal points ofnational platforms in Africa to sharetheir successes and lessons learnt incoordinating national platforms fordisaster risk reduction;

• Reviewing the effectiveness andrelevance of the existing guidelinesfor the establishment of nationalplatforms;

• Brainstorming on ways to advancedisaster risk reduction at nationallevel;

• Discussing possible ways to enhancenetworking among national platformfocal points in Africa;

• Reviewing the relevance of UN/ISDR

publications for linking disaster riskreduction with sustainabledevelopment; and

• Discussing the Hyogo Framework forAction and the Africa RegionalStrategy for Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) and the Africa Plan of Actionfor DRR.

OutcomesThe consultative meeting resulted in aseries of recommendations (see boxbelow) for national platforms, UNDP-BCPR and UN/ISDR Africa.

It also succeeded in achieving thefollowing outputs: improved networkingamong national platforms, greaterunderstanding of national platforms’experiences and needs, ideas on how toadvance disaster risk reduction at thenational level, and concertedrecommendations for the strengtheningof national platforms in addition to theimplementation of the Hyogo Framework

African national platforms hold first consultative

meeting

Participants at the First Consultative Meeting on National Platforms for Disaster Reduction inAfrica (national focal points, consultants and media representatives)



for Action (HFA) and the Africa RegionalStrategy and the Africa Plan of Action.

Regarding the implementation

of the HFA, Africa Regional

Strategy and Africa Plan of

Action, the following emerged

from meetingHyogo Framework for Action (HFA)The participants agreed that Africancountries did not present a commonposition at the January 2005 SecondWorld Conference on Disaster Reduction(WCDR II) held in Kobe, Japan. Thiscould have been due to the absence ofleadership from regional organizationsduring the Conference. This should notbe seen as a limiting factor for Africa’sparticipation in international activities;rather it can be used as an opportunity toapproach other regional actors thenational platforms are in a position toinfluence.

The primary responsibility to lobby headsof state lies with national platforms.However, to further support nationalplatforms’ advocacy efforts, it wasproposed that UN/ISDR participates inthe upcoming AU summit by presentingresults of the WCDR, reminding Africanheads of state of what they pledged inKobe and what needs to be done for theimplementation of the HFA. The next G-8summit could prove a similar opportunityto advocate to African heads of state sothey can ensure an appropriate follow-up.

While African countries may feel moreownership towards the Africa RegionalStrategy for Disaster Risk Reduction thantowards the HFA, they need to speak inthe language of donor countries whenseeking their support (donor countriesare more familiar with HFA).

Africa Regional Strategy for DRR &Africa Plan of Action for DRRThere was common consensus thatthroughout Africa there is inadequatehigh-level political commitment todisaster risk reduction, and that there wasa need for identification of entry pointsfor national advocacy and influencingpolitical leadership. For example,advocacy efforts specifically targeted atthe ministries of finance and planning canensure that disaster reduction is raised onpolitical and legislative agendas, which in

turn will be reflected in the developmentof national policies and strategies.Another means of entry can be via asimilar process to that of povertyreduction, which recently obtainedcommitment from high-level decision-makers who are now proactivelyaddressing the issue. High-levelinitiatives also offer opportunities forhigh level influence, such as theCommission for Africa, theCommonwealth and the G-8.

UN/ISDR Africa can further complementand support national advocacy efforts bylobbying high level politicians at thenational level, simultaneously using theirposition in the UN system to advocate toUN country offices.

A bottom-up approach to disasterreduction advocacy can furthercomplement existing national efforts.Generating public awareness among abroad audience can in turn pressuredecision-makers into developing disasterreduction policies and strategies.Similarly, awareness can be increased inthe immediate aftermath of a disaster,when media and public attention ishighest.

Other awareness-raising opportunitiesinclude the promotion of African UNSasakawa Award for Disaster Reductionlaureates. For example in 2003, the Awardwas presented to Mrs Esther Tadzong ofCameroon.

The question of whether disaster riskreduction could include conflictprevention was raised amongparticipants, considering the Africancontext where it can be said that conflictis a disaster. Conflict can sometimes betriggered by a disaster; disasters cansometimes represent a means of resolvingconflicts - therefore reducing risk andvulnerability can also be applied toconflicts.

In the case of the UN system, the UNGeneral Assembly clearly dividesmandates between UN/ISDR, UNDP andOCHA (Office for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs), with OCHA beingresponsible for stepping in post-conflict.Disasters affect six to seven times morepeople than conflicts.

Means of fund mobilisation were alsodiscussed, with national platforms being

encouraged to be prepared to invitefinancial support for specific projects andinitiatives through the submission ofproposals to UN and donororganizations. National platforms canmobilise funds by clearly communicatingdisaster reduction initiatives and needs todonors who have indicated their interestsin supporting such projects. Nationalplatforms should note that those fundsand resources that are available fordisaster reduction traditionally come fromthe humanitarian sector, which are notnecessarily the same available forreconstruction and development.

Common Country Assessment/UNDevelopment Assistance Framework(CCA/UNDAF) are tools that represent aconcrete opportunity to advocate DRR byits inclusion in UN country teamdevelopment programmes and planning.

The UNDAF is the common strategicframework for the operational activities ofthe UN system at the country level. Itprovides a collective, coherentand integrated UN system response tonational priorities and needs,including PRSPs and equivalent nationalstrategies, within the framework of theMDGs and the commitments, goals andtargets of the Millennium Declaration andinternational conferences, summits,conventions and human rightsinstruments of the UN system. TheUNDAF emerges from the analyses of theCCA and is the next step in thepreparation of UN system countryprogrammes and projects to cooperation.

In support of disaster reduction at thenational level, UN/ISDR is currentlyworking with UNDP to promote themainstreaming of disaster risk reductionin the CCA/UNDAF process. Nationalplatforms should make themselvesfamiliar with CCA/UNDAF in order tomaximise the opportunity to generatesupport for their disaster reductionefforts.

Different African countries have differentexperiences with CCA/UNDAF, accordingto the extent to which UN country teamsare sensitised to disaster risk reductionand its role in development. UNDP/BCPR,UN/ISDR Africa and national platformscan influence this process through theadvocacy activities described above.



RecommendationsPreamble

We, the participants of the First African Consultative Meeting of National Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), taking intoconsideration key international commitments in DRR and sustainable development as expressed through the Millennium Development Goals,Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, African Union (AU)/New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) commitments reflected in theAfrica Strategy for DRR and its Programme of Action; as well as the recently-adopted Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015,

Recommend the following urgent actions within the context of the UN/ISDR Guiding Principles for National Platforms.

Part One - By National Platforms

1. Identify entry points for influencing political leadership such as target legislators (MPs) and sensitize them through workshops and similarmechanisms. Time frame: by October 2005

2. Develop projects and proposals for incorporating DRR into development programmes to attract donor support. Time frame: June 2006

3. Present a coordinated plan to influence high-level international initiatives, such as through African Observers at the G-8 Summit,Commission for Africa, Commonwealth and Agence de la Francophonie. Time frame: October 2006

4. Link DRR to key thematic issues such as poverty reduction and governance that address the MDGs at local, national and regional levelsof implementation through methods recommended in the Guidelines for Integrating Disaster Risk Assessment into Development.

5. Liaise with UN/ISDR and UNDP-BCPR in developing tools to communicate country needs to donors, including the World Bank and otherinternational financial institutions.

6. Design practical ways of consistently enhancing public awareness on DRR, including those opportunities when media and publicattention are high, such as the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

7. Assist fellow countries without a DRR focal point or a national platform to establish similar mechanisms.

8. Consider principles of Humanitarian Law in developing DRR documents and guidelines.

9. Actively participate in the processes of Common Country Assessment (CCA) and UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).

10. Ensure that national DRR activities are gender-sensitive and inclusive of vulnerable groups including children.

Part Two - By UN/ISDR Africa and UNDP-BCPR

A. Networking

11. Institutionalize twice-yearly consultative meetings for national platforms, with the second consultation to be held by October 2005.

12. Establish a dedicated ListServe linked to the UN/ISDR and UNDP-BCPR web sites.

13. Develop an African capacity sourcebook on DRR and disaster management, along the lines of the National Strategy for SustainableDevelopment (NSSD) Resource Book (developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD), which can beserialized in future issues of Disaster Reduction in Africa – ISDR Informs and widely circulated.

B. Promotion of political commitment

14. UN/ISDR Director (Geneva), working through the AU Commission, to directly lobby and advocate DRR to political leaders and regionaleconomic commissions, in collaboration with existing national platforms and related disaster management institutions/focal points inthose countries that do not have national platforms.

15. Support national advocacy efforts by lobbying political leaders to place DRR on the agenda of the AU Summit, including through UN/ISDR making a presentation linking DRR with food security and sustainable development themes at AU Summit.

16. Advocate the links between DRR, the environment and other sectors at national, sub-regional and regional levels in close collaborationwith UNEP.

17. Support national platforms to transform the HFA, the Africa Regional Strategy for DRR and its Programme of Action into practicalprojects at national and local levels.

C. Resource Mobilisation

18. In recognition of those pledges made by donor countries at the January 2005 Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDRII) to support DRR in Africa, assist national platforms to develop programmes of action and budget plans based on their nationalstrategies and the Africa Regional Strategy, and market them to potential funding sources. Time frame: by June 2006

19. Bring together potential donors and national platforms in a forum, whereby national platforms present their programmes of action. Timeframe: September 2006

D. Public awareness

20. Support the mainstreaming of DRR and disaster management into educational curricula at all levels, through the production anddissemination of guidelines educational material for primary, secondary, tertiary and adult education.

21. Support the active use of media to publicize DRR and disaster management both at times of crisis and as a matter of routine.

E. Capacity building and training

22. Support national platforms to design a regional capacity-building and training programme based on the African DRR sourcebookdescribed above in paragraph 3 and coordinate funding from different donors in support of this.

First Consultative Meeting on National Platforms for Disaster

Risk Reduction in Africa




A newly-established structure known as“Africa Advisory Group on Disaster RiskReduction” held its first meeting inNairobi, Kenya, on 10 and 11 June 2005with the active participation of an AUsenior official, Governmentrepresentatives from Nigeria, Senegal,Uganda and Madagascar, and expertsfrom Ghana and South Africa.

The Africa Advisory Group aims tofacilitate the building of African nations’and communities’ resilience to disastersunder the guidance of the InternationalStrategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).

Why an Africa Advisory Group

on DRR?The African Advisory Group is a bodyconvened by UN/ISDR Africa. Thepurpose of the Group is to advise andsupport national platforms andgovernments, and sub-regional andregional authorities to be effective inimplementing and promoting DRR inAfrica.

This will include integrating DRR into thenumerous poverty reduction andsustainable development initiatives inAfrica aimed at achieving the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs). In thisregard, the AAG takes cognisance ofconflicts in the region, their negativeenvironmental impacts and theconsequential vulnerability of displacedpeople to disasters.

AAG’s goalThe goal of the AAG is to advise andfacilitate the building and growth ofresilient nations and communities inAfrica through DRR activities.

AAG’s specific objectives1. To advise and support national

governments, sub-regional andregional bodies and relevant UNagencies to implement the AfricaRegional Strategy for Disaster RiskReduction and the Africa Plan ofAction for DRR in the context of theJanuary 2005 Hyogo Framework ofAction (HFA) for realizing the MDGsin Africa.

2. To advise and provide technicalsupport for mobilizing politicalcommitment and resources for DRRfrom national, sub-regional andregional authorities (e.g. ECOWAS,AU/NEPAD) in the context of regionaland international programmes andfora.

3. To support the establishment oflinkages between nationalgovernments, sub-regional andregional authorities in order topromote the integration andmainstreaming of DRR programmes

into policies and strategies forpoverty reduction, good governance,sustainable development, gendermainstreaming and education interalia.

Terms of reference

Objective 1

• To advise and support nationalgovernments, sub-regional, regionalbodies and relevant UN agencies toimplement the Africa RegionalStrategy for DRR and the Africa Planof Action for DRR in the context of theJanuary 2005 Hyogo Framework ofAction (HFA) for realizing the MDGsin Africa.

• To promote and support nationalplatforms (NPs) and developmentpartners to implement the AfricaRegional Strategy for DRR and theAfrica Plan of Action for DRR,including focus on gender specific

Africa Advisory Group on Disaster Risk

Reduction established

Members of the Africa Advisory Group on Disaster Risk Reduction


needs and concerns.

• To support NPs and developmentpartners to recognize and address thesocio-psychological needs ofdisaster-affected communities inimplementing DRR, especially duringresponse, recovery and rehabilitation,and where the disasters areexacerbated by conflict or themovement of refugees.

• To support and promote the profile ofAfrican expertise in DRR and relatedskills, and to facilitate the active andfocused participation of this expertisein national, sub regional, regional andinternational programmes and fora.

• To ensure that African knowledgecontributes to the identification ofDRR priorities and that African needsare addressed in international andregional programmes through therecognition and involvement ofAfrican expertise.

• To support the further development ofAfrican capacity when internationalprogrammes are implemented byinternational agencies in Africa orthose programmes whose outputswould be applied in Africa.

Objective 2

• To advise and provide technicalsupport for mobilizing politicalcommitment from regional and sub-regional authorities (e.g. ECOWAS,AU/NEPAD) in the context ofinternational programmes and fora.

• To facilitate the development of ahigh-level political platform bysupporting ministers and heads ofstates of those countries havingactive NPs in the preparation ofstatements to appropriate bodies.

• To promote the involvement ofAfrican experts to support NPs, sub-regional bodies and AU/NEPADinteraction with internationaldevelopment partners for theintegration of African DRR prioritiesand expertise into their programmes.

• To provide advice to NPs to influencenational policy direction through

mainstreaming of DRR intodevelopment policies and programmessuch as PRSPs (Poverty ReductionStrategy Papers) and UN’s CCA(Common Country Assessment) andUNDAF (UN Development AssistanceFramework) processes.

• To provide advice and technicalsupport to NPs, sub-regional andregional bodies on geohazards inAfrica and ways and means tomeasure, monitor and mitigate theimpact of disasters arising from themwith a view to increasing the positiverole that science and information andcommunication technology (ICT) canplay in DRR.

Objective 3

• To support linkages between nationalgovernments, sub-regional andregional authorities in order topromote the integration of DRRprogrammes into the developmentstrategies of the different countries.

• To support NPs to report on progressand monitoring of DRR using therelevant instruments and processessuch as the MDGs, PRSPs, CCD andthe UNFCCC (UN FrameworkConvention on Climate Change).

• To identify existing relevant

international programmes and toprovide advice on how theseprogrammes can be used to supportDRR activities in Africa.

• To provide assistance to NPs todevelop programmes of action andbudgets for DRR based on the AfricaRegional Strategy for DRR and AfricaPlan of Action for DRR, and tosupport the marketing of theseprogrammes to potential donors andUN agencies, e.g. by using theConsolidated Appeal (CAP) and theFlash Appeal Strategies (UNOCHA –UN Office for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs).

Mechanism of operation for the AAGThis has yet to be decided and agreedupon between members of the AAG, theUN/ISDR and other players.

MembershipThe Group comprises personsdemonstrating personal commitment toand a particular knowledge of disasterrisk reduction (DRR) as well as experiencein establishing NPs in Africa. Members,who are conversant with developmentchallenges as they relate to disasters inthe different sub-regions of Africa, aresupported by African experts in the fieldof DRR.


Impacts of tsunami in the coast of Somalia


Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki addressed the 20th Session of the UN- HABITAT Governing

Council on 4 April 2005. His address was divided in two parts. The second part was on the

“urbanization of poverty”. The first part was on the need to reduce disaster impact.

Speech by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki20th Session of the Governing Council of UN Habitat,

UN Complex, Nairobi, Kenya

4 April 2005(Source: Kenyan Government website)

“ Mr President, Distinguished

Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to address the20th Session of the Governing Council ofUN-HABITAT. I welcome all delegates toKenya and hope that you will have apleasant stay in our beautiful country.

About a month ago, a number of uspresent today participated in the 23rdSession of the Governing Council ofUNEP, a sister Programme to UN-HABITAT. My Country feels privilegedto host the two United NationsProgrammes.

As we assemble to share best practicesand address the challenges to achievingadequate shelter and sustainable humansettlements, we also remember calamitiesthat have reduced the impact of ourinitiatives.

We all share fresh memories of the megaearthquake of 26th December 2004 whichgenerated massive tsunamis that hitislands in the Far East and most of theIndian Ocean coastline. The catastrophecaused widespread devastation to lifeand human settlements in 12 countries,including Kenya.

Well over 150,000 people lost their livesand many more were rendered homeless.In all, the livelihoods of close to 5 millionpeople were disrupted by this calamity. Ionce again extend our heartfeltcondolences to the United Nationsfraternity in general and to the affectedcountries and families in particular.

Mr President,

We live in a world in which conflicts anddisasters continue to cause immense

suffering including loss of life, andextensive damage to infrastructure,property and the environment. Wheneverthese calamities occur, they take us manyyears back in our efforts to providesustainable human settlements.

The most common natural disastersinclude extreme weather conditions whichcause droughts, fires, floods andlandslides. Developing countriesexperience the greatest devastation fromthese disasters because of the low level ofpreparedness as well as inadequatecapacity to respond rapidly andeffectively.

With regard to human-made disasters, theserious challenge has been civil conflictsthat result in large populations ofinternally displaced persons and refugees.Civil conflicts increase demand for illicitsmall arms that propel insecurity within

and beyond the borders of the statesinvolved.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Africa, more than any other continent hassuffered from the adverse impacts ofconflicts and other calamities such as theHIV/AIDS pandemic that currentlythreatens to reverse previous gains in thehealth and economic sectors. This is mostdisturbing. Nevertheless, I am certain thatconflicts and disasters can be turned intowindows of opportunity for stepping upthe momentum of development.

However, because of the high costsinvolved in the transition from relief todevelopment following a conflict ordisaster, there is need for involvement ofgovernments in close partnership withthe private sector, Non-GovernmentalOrganizations, Community-Based

H.E. the President of the Republic of Kenya, Mr Mwai Kibaki

Policy Makers Talk about Disaster Reduction


Organizations and the internationalcommunity.

Moreover, we need to enhance disasterpreparedness at the community levelthrough adequate funding. I am gratifiedto note that one of the special themesduring this Session of the GoverningCouncil of UN-HABITAT will focus onpost-conflict and disaster mitigation. Ihope that the outcome of thedeliberations will contribute significantlytowards reducing the impacts ofdisasters, particularly in developingcountries.

Mr President,

The notion of “global village” poses amajor challenge, particularly fordeveloping countries. Most developingcountries, including Kenya, areurbanizing rapidly and are witnessingextensive movement of people to townsand cities. The implication is that themajority of the world’s population will beliving in the urban areas by the year 2020.

The rural-urban movement exceeds thecapacity of urban managers to providehousing, infrastructure, services and jobopportunities. This situation is resultinginto what has become known as theurbanization of poverty.

For example, the Welfare MonitoringSurvey in Kenya showed that Kisumurecorded the highest prevalence ofabsolute poverty of 63 per cent, followedby Nairobi with 50 per cent, Nakururecorded 41 per cent, while Mombasa had38 per cent. This situation calls forconcerted efforts involving povertyreduction, facilitating access to water andsanitation, upgrading of slums andregularizing land tenure.

However, since urbanization is a realitythat is unstoppable and irreversible, wealso need to adopt proactive policies andprogrammes including good governanceand capacity building of the managers soas to avert the growth of slums andinformal settlements.

Reducing by half the number of peoplewithout access to safe drinking water andadequate sanitation by 2015 andimproving the lives of at least 100 millionslum dwellers by 2020 is a dauntingchallenge for us in developing countries.We recognize that each country has anobligation to raise the resources requiredin meeting these targets. However, tocomplement domestic public and privatesources, it is imperative that thedevelopment partners make efforts tomeet their commitment of 0.7 per cent oftheir GNPs as official developmentassistance.

In addition, the international communityshould implement debt relief, debt swapsand debt cancellation, where appropriate,as a means of mobilizing resourcestowards accelerating realization of theMillennium Development Goals on water,sanitation and human settlements.

Mr President,

Slum areas are one of the main arenaswhere all the Millennium DevelopmentGoals can be addressed. In recognition ofthis, my Government signed aMemorandum of Understanding on 15thJanuary 2003 with UN-HABITAT tosystematically upgrade slumscountrywide under the Kenya SlumUpgrading Programme.

Upgrading of slum areas has been givenhigh priority and will be undertaken withminimal displacement of slum dwellers tocater for proper planning and provision ofnecessary infrastructure and services. Iformally launched the implementationphase of the Programme on the occasionof the global observance of WorldHabitat Day on 4 October 2004 at thedecanting site adjacent to the sprawlingKibera slums in Nairobi.

My Government has also established theSlum Upgrading and Low-Cost Housingand Infrastructure Fund from which slum-upgrading activities will be financed. Onthis note, I call on our development

partners, both locally and internationallyto contribute to the Fund to enable usimprove the lives of slum dwellers.

At the global level, I note withappreciation the efforts being made bythe Executive Director of UN-HABITATtowards strengthening the UnitedNations Habitat and Human SettlementsFoundation, and specifically inestablishing the Slum Upgrading Facility.

I therefore urge the donor community andcountries in a position to do so, tocontribute to the Facility to enable UN-HABITAT support national slumupgrading activities. I hope that UN-HABITAT will work closely withorganizations both within and outside theUnited Nations System, particularly withthe World Bank and other regional banks,in support of national slum upgradingprogrammes.

As I conclude my remarks, let me reiteratethat in order to meet the targets, goalsand timetables set by the MillenniumSummit and the World Summit for SocialDevelopment, we require greatercommitment on the part of all thoseconcerned, if the agreed targets are to bemet. I therefore wish you fruitfuldeliberations as you share experiences inthe field of human settlements.

Finally, ladies and gentlemen, allow me tomention that Kenya, as a touristdestination in this part of the world, isendowed with hospitable people, avariety of wildlife and a range of physicalfeatures conducive for relaxation. Itherefore extend my invitation to all thedelegates to find time and sample out therich Kenyan Culture.

With these remarks, I now have thehonour and pleasure to officiallyinaugurate the 20th Session of theGoverning Council of UN-HABITAT.

Thank you.”



Ms Feng Min KanSenior Regional Officer,UN/ISDR Africa,Nairobi, Kenya

Malagasy President Ravalomanana

has contributed to the ISDR Trust

fund on disaster reduction in Africa.

Ugandan President Museveni has

lent an ear to the “disaster

reduction message”. Nigerian

President Obasanjo spoke about

disaster reduction at the July 2005

AU Summit in Libya…

The January 2005 Second WorldConference on Disaster Reduction(WCDR II) successfully concluded withtwo strategic documents: the “HyogoDeclaration” and the “Hyogo Frameworkfor Action (HFA) 2005-2015 – Building theResilience of Nations and Communities toDisasters”. The former announces arenewed political commitment to disaster-related issues; the latter providesstrategic directions in addressing disasterrisk reduction in the 2005-2015 decade.

To keep the momentum gained at WCDRII and to implement the priorities foraction underlined in the HFA requiresincreased understanding and interestsamong higher-level national governmentofficials, especially heads of state andgovernment. This is especially true inAfrica where people are dying of HIV/AIDS, starvation and armed conflicts ondaily basis. Meanwhile, unlike in othercontinents, disaster risk reduction so farhas not been on the list of competingpriorities of heads of state andgovernment in many African countries.

Trust, partnership with African

governmentsTo face up this challenge, UN/ISDRAfrica has forged a very soundpartnership with African nationalgovernments and regional organizationsto promote understanding of disaster risk

reduction (DRR) and address it in thecontext of sustainable development inAfrica. This sound partnership enablesUN/ISDR Africa to focus on its strategicinterventions in disaster risk reduction.

To follow up with the outcomes of WCDRII and to implement the HFA, UN/ISDRAfrica established an Africa regionalforum of national platforms for disasterreduction and an Africa Advisory Group(AAG) on Disaster Risk Reduction. Themain objective for this is to build trustand advance partnership with nationalgovernments in promoting DRR and itsmainstreaming into development planningand programmes. With the help of theAfrica Advisory Group, UN/ISDR Africawas able to carry out higher–leveladvocacy on disaster risk reduction overthe last two months.

was working with donors on how to buildcyclone-resilient structures for peopleliving in cyclone-prone areas inMadagascar.

In addition, the president attached greatimportance to information and knowledgemanagement in disaster risk reduction.And in support of UN/ISDR work inAfrica, President Ravalomanana, onbehalf of his country, made a contributionof 20,000 US dollars to the InternationalTrust Fund on Disaster Reduction whichis the UN/ISDR funding mechanism.

Ugandan President MuseveniOn 24 June 2005, UN/ISDR Africa SeniorRegional Officer Ms Feng Min Kan madea one-day advocacy trip to Kampala,Uganda, during which she was able to

meet several senior governmentofficials, including the Ugandanfirst deputy Prime Minister andalso minister of state for disasterpreparedness, the permanentsecretary in the Prime Minister’sOffice and the commissioner fordisaster management.

Ugandan First Deputy PrimeMinister Brig-Gen Moses Alistressed the importance ofdisaster risk reduction andexpressed personal commitment tothe issue. He told the UN/ISDRAfrica senior regional officer thathe would brief His Excellency the

President of the Republic of Uganda, MrYoweri Museveni, on the outcomes of theJanuary 2005 World Conference onDisaster Reduction and advise hispresident to talk about the importance ofdisaster risk reduction, among otherissues, at the July 2005 AU Summit andwould prepare to ask the commissionerfor disaster management. The Ugandanfirst deputy Prime Minister alsoemphasized the importance and necessityof advocacy for disaster risk reductionamong Ugandan parliamentarians.

UN/ISDR Africa high-level advocacy makes

encouraging start

H.E. The President of the Republic ofMadagascar, Mr Marc Ravalomanana

Malagasy President

RavalomananaOn 6 May 2005, a UN/ISDR Africa teamwas received by His Excellency thePresident of the Republic of Madagascar,Mr Marc Ravalomanana. During themeeting, the UN/ISDR Africa teaminformed the Malagasy president on UN/ISDR’s mandate and core functions aswell its major activities in Africa.President Marc Ravalomanana showedgreat interests in the subject. He said he



National government support made theone-day mission very productive. UN/ISDR Africa learnt, later on, that FirstDeputy Prime Minister Brig-Gen MosesAli had taken the issue to PresidentYoweri Museveni.

Nigerian President ObasanjoOn 1 July 2005, UN/ISDR Africa SeniorRegional Officer Ms Feng Min Kan wasreceived by His Excellency Mr PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria. Duringthe meeting, the UN/ISDR Africa officialinformed the Nigerian president about theobjectives of her mission, UN/ISDR’smandate, core functions and majoractivities in Africa, and the outcomes ofthe January 2005 World Conference onDisaster Reduction. Regarding ongoingefforts to promote disaster risk reductionin Africa, the UN/ISDR Africa officialasked the Nigerian president to promotethe issue to other African heads of stateand government by bringing disaster riskreduction matters on the agenda offorthcoming AU summits.

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjodemonstrated his understanding througha personal experience on risk managementand pointed out that disasters affectedthe poor most and that therefore we needto address the issue with seriousness.The meeting was successfully wrappedup with the following comment byPresident Obasanjo: “Madame, you look

for an advocate, you have already hadone.”

UN/ISDR Africa learnt, later on, thatPresident Obasanjo had addressed theimportance of mainstreaming disaster riskreduction into poverty reduction policiesand programmes during the July 2005 AUSummit in Sirte, Libya.

In his speech as the Chairperson of theAU Summit, he said: “After the tsunamidisaster that affected Asia and Africa, theUN International Strategy for DisasterReduction has been paying more

attention to how to prepare adequatelyfor natural and man-made disasters. We,in Africa, must be part of this exercise bymainstreaming Disaster Risk Reductioninto poverty reduction policies andprogrammes at the national andregional levels. On this note, I call onthe international community to earmarksome resources for this purpose.”

Encouraging start, “triple-win

situation”The beginning of UN/ISDR Africa’shigher-level advocacy is encouraging. Allthe more because, any success in raisingawareness of the importance of disasterrisk reduction and secure politicalsupport to the mainstreaming of DRR is,as Dr Olusegun E. Ojo of Nigeria’sNational Emergency ManagementAgency (NEMA) put it, a “triple-winsituation”.

Firstly, it makes it easier for UN/ISDRAfrica to promote a culture of disasterprevention for building disaster-resilientnations and communities.

Secondly, it enables national institutionsor agencies responsible for disaster-related issues to address disaster riskreduction in a holistic and comprehensivemanner together with developmentpartners.

Thirdly, it contributes to achieving theMillennium Development Goals inAfrica.

Ms Feng Min Kan (UN/ISDR Africa) and Mr. Alhaji S. Makarfi (Director General of NEMA)

Meeting with H.E. The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,in his office in Abuja, Nigeria



Mr Alain ValencyEditor,“Disaster Reduction in Africa”

Former US President Bill Clinton, nowthe UN Special Envoy for TsunamiRecovery, has said: “I believe we need tomove forward quickly on a global riskreduction agenda and to improve thesystems and policies for disasters beforethey hit.”

He also said “we cannot let this yearpass without some real progress ondisaster risk reduction”, adding “2005is a key year for the risk reductionagenda.”

He made the above comments at the UNheadquarters in New York on 14 July2005, in his “Remarks to the UNEconomic and Social Council(ECOSOC) Humanitarian Segment,Panel “Lessons Learned from theResponse to the Indian Ocean Tsunami”.

The ECOSOC is one the six centralorgans of the UN, along with the GeneralAssembly, the UN Security Council, theInternational Court of Justice, theTrusteeship Council and the Secretariat.The ECOSOC coordinates economic andsocial activities carried out by UNspecialized agencies and institutionssuch as the ILO (International LabourOffice), FAO, UNESCO, UNICEF, etc. TheECOSOC is made up of technicalcommissions and five regional economiccommissions, including the Ethiopia-based Economic Commission for Africa,ECA.

Bill Clinton was reporting on what wasachieved during his five months in office,and what was to be done next.

The following first part of his addressfocused on disaster risk reduction:

“Mr. President, Mr. Vice President,

Officers and Members of ECOSOC, Mr.Under-Secretary General, Ladies andGentlemen.

I am honored to be given the opportunityto address you today and I have beenhonored to serve as the SecretaryGeneral’s Special Envoy for TsunamiRecovery, a job I intend to continue for atleast two years and perhaps longerdepending upon how long the work takes.I look forward to our dialogue today andwill try to abbreviate my remarks so wecan spend more time in conversation.

For the last five months, I have workedon trying to do what the Secretary-General asked me to do to – make sure wehad a more coordinated, well organized,more transparent process in the recoveryphase; in the long term reconstructionphase, to make sure we have a uniformsystem of reporting and monitoring ourprogress; to try to make sure we come upwith a prevention and risk reductionstrategy and better emergencymanagement procedures; and that weleave this endeavor with a set of bestpractices which could be used by othercountries facing similar problems in thefuture.

Of course we all use the mantra – build

back better – we want to build backbetter. I want to say a few wordsabout that. About where it isobvious and easy and where it isdifficult and uncertain. I have metboth in the region and here in NewYork and in Europe with affectedgovernment officials, NGOs, UNagencies, corporate leaders andordinary citizens who care aboutthese issues. Recently weconvened here in New York aGlobal Consortium consisting ofthe largest multilateral and NGOcontributors to tsunami relief andrepresentatives of the affectedcountries, with a commoncommitment to improve ourcoordination, our financial trackingand communications, and to have a

uniform system to measure progress,about which I will say more in a minute.

I have very much enjoyed theopportunity I have had to listen to therepresentatives of the countries, NGOs,and others about the ongoing operationalchallenges. These five months haveconfirmed my belief in the inherent valueof the United Nations, the glue thatmakes international cooperation possibleand I want to thank, as I have onprevious occasions, Jan Egeland [UNUnder-Secretary General forHumanitarian Affairs – under whoseauthority the UN/ISDR operates - andUN Emergency Relief Coordinator] andMargareta Wahlstrom [UN Assistant-Secretary General for HumanitarianAffairs and Deputy UN Emergency ReliefCoordinator] for the marvelous job theyhave done in coordinating work. Youshould know, in my opinion at least, thatin each country, the UN teams bringingtogether all the agencies are doing a goodjob and working hard to support the workof the governments in implementing theirown plans. But I believe we need to moveforward quickly on a global riskreduction agenda and to improve thesystems and policies for disasters beforethey hit, as well as to help accelerate the

Bill Clinton urges rapid advance on global risk

reduction agenda

Former US President Bill Clintonat the UN headquarters in New York

(Photo: Eskinder Debede)



pace of the recovery in the affectedcountries.

Let me just try to be as specific as I can.First of all, on the need for disasterprevention and mitigation. While much ofthe physical destruction in this massivetsunami was unavoidable, clearly thehuman toll would have been lower if therehad been adequate early warning andother prevention strategies in place. FromBanda Aceh [Indonesia], we haveevidence of building codes, for example,as many reinforced concrete buildingsremained intact, while others were sweptaway. Vegetation buffers appear to havemade a significant difference in bothIndonesia and in Sri Lanka, wheremangroves in particular seem to havediluted the impact of waves on thecoastline.

Preparedness is likely to have been a keyfactor in contrasting human tolls in thecoastal Indian communities in theCuddalore district of Tamil Nadu [State inIndia], between some villages that hadrecently undertaken training exercisesunder UN Development Program-sponsored efforts and others that hadnot. And of course most of us have nowheard about the enterprising BritishSchool girl, Tilly Smith, who had learnedabout tsunamis in her class a few weeksbefore going on holiday in Thailand,recognized the warning signs, and saved,reportedly, a hundred people who wereon the beach. If early warning made adifference in Thailand, 310 miles from theepicenter, it is also clear that we couldhave done better in Somalia, almost 3,000miles from the epicenter.

Less than a month after the tsunamistruck, 168 countries gathered to draw upthe Hyogo Framework for Action,continuing the work started in 1994 at theYokohama disaster reduction conference.This Hyogo Framework sets out strategicgoals, priorities for action, and agreedsteps for implementation for governmentsand other stakeholders. I have only onepoint to make about this. We cannot letthis year pass without some real progresson disaster risk reduction. So I urge themembers of this Council to systematicallyimplement the Hyogo Plan of Action andspecifically to include disaster riskreduction policies and practices in therecovery efforts so as not to reinstate the

old vulnerabilities: to institute disasterrisk awareness education in schoolcurricula, to support local programs toassess risk, to raise awareness ofvulnerability, and to close the gaps incapacity necessary to address thoserisks, and to complete the early warningsystems on a sound and sustainabletechnical footing, well-integrated withother warning systems, such as those fortropical cyclones.

2005 is a key year for the risk reductionagenda. I have complete confidence thatwe will never have the tourist economiesthat were devastated in the Maldives andthe coast of Thailand fully recovered untilnot only each country has an earlywarning system but there is anintegrated, South Asian coordinated earlywarning system that encompasses allthese nations. I actually believe thatbecause of the visibility they acquired,there is an enormous potential forincreased tourism in Sri Lanka andIndonesia, for example, as a result of whathas happened. None of it will happenunless we have a good early warningsystem and it all works together. Thecountries have been quite good aboutagreeing to work together and set upcompatible technologies, but we need tofinish. Everybody has said the rightthings but it is very, very important to getthis done and to do it now.

I would like to say a couple of wordsabout the emergency response. Theimmediate and unprecedentedhumanitarian response was wonderful.Politics and bureaucracywere sidelined, everybodyworked together, but nowwe are in the most difficultpart. The recovery is much,much more complex andfrustrating. Everybodywants to be in a decenttemporary shelter, but lotsof people are still living intents. Some people areliving in temporary shelters,in very hot temperatures,that have tin roofs orsidings. It is a majorproblem. In Aceh[Indonesia] and Sri Lanka,some 170,000 and 70,000people are still living in tents. The

governments are moving quickly, but weknow it takes a long time to buildpermanent shelters for everyone. Wehave in the United States, people fromour last hurricane who haven’t beenpermanently sheltered yet. So this is a bigissue. There are sufficient resourcesavailable to build satisfactory semi-permanent shelters. So I urge all of you todo whatever you can to ensure thatwhatever continuing lack of coordinationand policy disputes exist on this issuedon’t hamper the efforts of people tohave decent shelter now. On my last tripto the region, the number one frustration Ifound was in people who felt that theywere living under more or less unbearableconditions.

Finally, I am concerned that we are notapplying our knowledge and expertise ofemergency response during the recoveryphase and let me say what I mean by that.There aren’t established protocols inplace, for example, for deployingvocational trainers or putting in placeproject and financial tracking systemsjust for this phase, covering the mediumto longer term work. We know theseneeds will arise, so again, I urge theCouncil to support institutionalagreements and pre-positioning inpreparedness for the recovery dimension

of what we are doing. … ”

* For full text of UN Special Envoy Bill Clinton’saddress, please contact UN/ISDDR Africa.


Former President Bill Clinton with children inSri Lanka (Photo Clinton Foundation)


Dr Eric PatrickPolicy Specialist,UNDP/Drylands Development Centre,Nairobi, Kenya

Drought is the most widely reportednatural hazard in Africa. Yet, the first“Africa Drought Risk & DevelopmentPolicy Forum” ever held on took placeonly in February this year. A brief reporton the event follows.“Drought risk, as a development issue,has to be dealt with in a more holisticmanner than that of simply ameteorological phenomenon or naturalhazard.”

The above comment, nicely summarizingthe spirit of the meeting, emerged fromthe first “Africa Drought Forum” held onthe continent. The Forum took place from31 January to 2 February 2005 in Nairobi,Kenya, organized by UNDP-DrylandsDevelopment Centre, UNDP-Bureau forCrisis Prevention & Recovery (UNDP-BCPR) and UN/ISDR Africa.

About 45 participants from all over Africaand also outside Africa attended theForum: multidisciplinary and highlyexperienced practitioners, senior officialsof sub-regional organizations, policymakers with relevant experience, keypartners. However, the high cost oflanguage interpretation restrictedparticipation by French-speaking Africancountries where there is veryconsiderable experience.

ContextThe idea of a discussion forum on issuesof drought risk and development policy inAfrica was conceived during an April2003 UN/ISDR-hosted meeting of the UNad hoc Working Group on Drought. Abroad range of drought experts fromvarious institutions was discussing theissue of drought as a development issue.It became clear that it had to be dealt within a more holistic manner than that ofsimply a meteorological phenomenon ornatural hazard. An “ideal-type” model of

what a drought vulnerable society and adrought-resilient society would look likeemerged.

The participants to the April 2003 meetingalso agreed that there had to be a globalnetwork of drought networks, or at leastof networks more focused on the policyand risk reduction and developmentaspects of drought. In particular, it wasfelt that there was no such pan-Africannetwork so far and a recommendation wasmade that this be initiated, and that itwould be jointly hosted by UNDP-Drylands Development Centre and UN/ISDR Africa (both institutions are basedin Nairobi).

The participants felt that given the limitede-connectivity in much of Africa, anelectronic network would definitely haveto be supplemented by an annual face-to-face discussion opportunity, which wasdubbed a “forum”. The first of what ishoped to be annual forums is the above-mentioned “First Africa Drought Forum”which took place from 31 January to 2February 2005 – a three-day event – inNairobi.

ProceedingsThe Forum, which brought together amulti-disciplinary group in the area ofdrought practice and policy, wasstructured around a number of issues.The program and proceedings areavailable on www.undp.org/drylands.Eight (8) clusters of ideas seems to havecoalesced out of the combination ofpresenters’ material and discussions. Theeight clusters are:

1. Market access for drylands products(both inputs and outputs), includinginformation.

2. Livelihood diversification, particularlyin terms of the degree of weatherdependence of the value-added ofproduction systems in drought-proneareas. In other words, to what degreeis the value of what is producedaffected by climate variability. One

could look at this locally or nationally.For example, in the wake of the 1991drought in Zimbabwe, the country’sGDP (temporarily) dropped by some11 % due to the weather sensitivity ofthe economy: the drought hitagriculture, power generation andcombined to send knock-on effectsthrough the agro-industrialprocessing sector.

3. Models required which allow us tointegrate/mainstream drought risk intodevelopment thinking, policy andpractice, especially at the strategiclevel. This is particularly important forchronically drought-impactedcountries – which are many in Africa -for whom it thus becomes a centraldevelopment issue.

4. Relationships between drought,resource access and violent conflict inthe context of historic changes thathave reduced access in the face ofincreased population pressure.Associated issues of the provision ofmobile services were also discussed.

5. The desirability/feasibility of a rights-based approach to services, foodsecurity and development in general.

6. The nature of funding mechanism andthe structure and institutionalincentives in developmentbureaucracies as an obstacle toovercoming to bridging/renegotiatingthe relief-development gulf.

7. Regional and international experiencesto managing drought risk as sourcesfor inspiration in devising innovatingsolutions at national level.Collaboration on trans-boundaryissues was also discussed.

8. The need to link household-level riskto government processes of decisionmaking and development planning. Dowe start at the top, middle, bottom orsimultaneously? The role of NGOsand CSOs (Community ServiceOrganizations) and other “third

“First Africa Drought Forum” urges holistic

approach to drought risk issues

Partners in Action


parties” were also touched on. Whatare the entry and leverage points?

9. The need to tailor disaster riskreduction messages applied to climaterisk to diverse audiences.

OutcomesThe main objective of the meeting was toget to know each other and kick off a

networking activity. However, theemphasis at the end was more on whateach party could do to promote thegeneral message of disaster riskreduction as applied to climate risk inAfrica.

Formal recommendations (see boxbelow) emerged from the Forum, basedon an implicit consensus prevailingduring the discussions. The

recommendations could also besuggested as “declarations” for a“charter” on drought risk managementfor Africa.

First Africa Drought Forum31 January to 2 February 2005

Nairobi, Kenya

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. We acknowledge the importance of the context of the international political economy of food aid and trade and itspotentially significant impacts on the options for drought risk management at local and national scales. Whilst thispolitical economy must be taken to be a “given” for planning purposes over the short term, it must be negotiatedover the longer term with a view to enhancing risk management options

2. We emphasize the importance of political will in improving drought risk management, but do not assume itsexistence. It is the responsibility of Governments to create an enabling environment within which households canenhance their livelihood options and in turn contribute to national economies.

3. We affirm the value of traditional risk management strategies but without romanticizing them, recognizing that theyare central to any successful risk management objectives and yet may need to adapt to structural changes whichhave occurred. Many of these systems have been breaking down under various pressures and yet their adaptivenature is a resource which is still viable but typically undervalued

4. We insist upon a holistic view of risk management and of drought, and therefore the necessity of engaging theperspectives of multiple disciplines and groups in conceptualizing and devising strategies to mitigate drought.

5. We strongly advocate for a demand-driven approach to interventions and strategies for reducing drought impact atthe household level, highlighting the political and economic marginalization facing many drought-affectedcommunities. Only through their de-marginalization will their participation be ensured, and only with theirparticipation will drought risk impacts be addressed in cost-effective ways.

6. We propose the institutionalization of collaboration among parties concerned with climate risk in Africa,particularly drought, in identifying multiple objectives which could be addressed over various timeframes inrealistic way, focusing first on the most drought-impacted countries.

7. We emphasize that the way one thinks about drought, the implicit model employed - often representing unexaminedsets of assumptions - strongly affects what we believe to be the options for drought risk management. Furthermore,given the large diversity of situations even within one country, multiple perspectives must be encouraged, a rangeof strategies and options developed - with advantages and disadvantages and costs and applicability identified -rather than searching for a single solution.

Partners in Action


MALI seeks to build capacity on natural disaster

issues

Mrs Aida M’Bo NdembeleAdvisor,Environment Programme,UNDP Mali,Bamako, Mali

As a result of its tropical geographicallocation in West Africa, Mali is exposedpermanently to climate risks (uncertainrainfall often insufficient for crop andlivestock production) and their disastrouseffects. But these risks are alsoaggravated by a number of factors: (1)more than half of its large territory(1,241,000 sq. km) is a desert; (2) the landis of continental nature and is internallyand externally landlocked.

Also, the two largest West African rivers,Niger and Senegal, which run right acrossthe country over more than 2,200 km, area blessing and an asset in normal times.However, when rainfall is excessivelyhigh, they aggravate climate risks and cantrigger floods causing material and humanlosses. This was the case in 2001 inSelingue, and in July/August 2002 inseveral parts of the country, especially inthe north (a lake zone) and in Kayesregion (in the southwest).

Climate change effectsIn 2003, as a result of excessive rainfall,Mali, like several countries of the sub-region, suffered considerable damage asareas deprived of water for several yearsreceived an excessive quantity of water.In addition, crops are threatened everyyear by locust invasion and variousepidemics, as was the case in 2004.

The immediate consequences of these arepoor, if not loss of crops (which oftenresults in famine) and loss of livestock.These two consequences disrupt thenational economy based mainly on ruralactivities carried out by 80 per cent of thepopulation.

The country also faces other naturalhazards shared by the region, such asdrought. Also, extremely hot fumaroles

(gas emission) of up to 500 degrees C areobserved in the northeastern part of thecountry.

And for some 30 years, Mali has beenaffected seriously by the effects ofclimate change. Drought has settled ingradually, worsened by excessive use ofthe vegetal cover, which leads to soildegradation.

All the above calamities and disastershave made it necessary to establishadequate response systems.

Disaster management body

establishedIn 1998, the government established aDirectorate-General of Civil Protection(DGPC in French) whose principalmission is to manage and preventdisasters and coordinate civil protectionactions carried out by various nationaldepartments and partners. Regionalbranches were also established in variousparts of the country.

However, as a structure in charge withorganizing and coordinating prevention

and relief actions, especially developingand implementing disaster and accidentmanagement plans, the DGPC so far hasnot been able to perform its duty fully.

The fact is that the above structures arenot sufficiently equipped (human andoperational capacity) for preventing andmanaging risks and disasters, bothnatural and man-made - like the Côted’Ivoire crisis.

UNDP Mali interventionA natural disaster management capacitybuilding project was therefore developedto be implemented on the basis of the UNDevelopment Assistance Framework(UNDAF) and in conformity to the« Environmental Action & SustainableLiving Conditions » pillar of the 2003-2007 Cooperation Programme signed withthe Malian government. The project,which was launched in May 2004 andimplemented through the Directorate-General for Civil Protection, pursues thefollowing objectives:

⟨ Sensitizing/training and informingvarious partners (state, local

Staff members of the Directorate-General of Civil Protection in Maliand Mrs Aida Ndembele of UNDP Mali

Partners in Action


government authorities, decentralizeddepartments, civil society, etc.) onrisks and disasters, while alsocarrying out advocacy work onprevention.

• Developing mechanisms forinformation exchange on natural riskand disaster management issuesbetween local, regional and nationallevels.

• Providing support to theestablishment of legal andinstitutional frameworks expected tohelp harmonize development policieswith risk reduction policies.

• Developing participatory and inter-sectoral regional risk reduction plansthat enhance the value of traditionalknow-how.

• Developing a coherent national planfor natural disaster management andreduction with beneficiaries and localUN System partners… and in closecollaboration with UN/ISDR Africa,UNDP-BCPR (Bureau for CrisisPrevention and Recovery) andUNITAR (UN Institute for Trainingand Research).

Strategic partnersIn its implementation, the projectespecially emphasizes partnership withNGOs, local government authorities, stateinstitutions, grassroots communities,

based on clear and well-defined roles foreach of the above players.

For instance, regarding grassrootscommunities, the focus is on “developingrisk knowledge” :

Through the adoption of communaldisaster risk analysis sheets (FICAR inFrench) that are currently beingdeveloped by each circle/commune/region. A regional map/plan of major riskswill be later on developed to bemainstreamed in Mali’s national plan ofmajor risks.

Through the implementation of such anapproach, the project aims to build thecapacity of the government, decentralizedlocal government authorities andgrassroots communities so as to enablethem to prevent and manage naturaldisasters better.

Knowing risksVarious actions that are under way and/orplanned, such as a natural disaster riskinventory and analysis, the developmentof national risk maps and the adoption ofa disaster relief provision legislation bythe National Assembly, are all positivedevelopments for Mali. Therefore, UNDPhas joined hands with the Maliangovernment to ensure that reliableinformation are available and shared, andadequate prevention measures taken andmade known to those communitiesconcerned.

After taking part, with the internationalcommunity, in the Second WorldConference on Disaster Reduction held inJapan in January 2005, Mali is expected toimplement efficient integrated strategiesfor adaptation to climate change for thesake of better ecosystem managementand disaster risk reduction. In fact, thestrategies would help the country toattain sustainable economic and socialdevelopment.

River used as dumping ground for domestic and industrial waste

Desertification in Mali. To increase daily income, women go for charcoal and firewood businesswhich contribute to desertification in the country

Partners in Action



The Economic Community of West

African States, ECOWAS, plans to

establish a disaster management

mechanism for West Africa. To that

effect, a meeting of experts was held

in March 2005 in Nigeria. The

following is the final report on the

meeting.

Convinced of the urgent need to enhanceWest Africa’s capacity to prevent andmanage disasters, the 51st session of theCouncil of Ministers held in Accra from15 to 18 December 2003 decided toestablish a sub-regional disasterprevention and management mechanism.

The first meeting of the Ambassadorsrepresenting the four countriesdesignated as members of the technicalcommittee set up for that purpose, namelyCôte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Niger and Nigeria,was held on 27 May 2004 at the ECOWASExecutive Secretariat. The meetingrecommended that a meeting of expertsfrom the four Member States be convenedto consider technical modalities for theestablishment of the mechanism.

The meeting of Experts was held from 8 to10 March 2005 at the ECOWAS ExecutiveSecretariat, presided over by theECOWAS Executive Secretary, DrMohamed Ibn Chambas, who wasaccompanied by senior officials of theExecutive Secretariat.

In his opening address, the ExecutiveSecretary underlined the devastatingeffects of disasters on the economies ofWest African countries. He howeverreiterated the determination of ECOWASto reduce not only disasters but alsoarmed conflicts, and stressed the need tointegrate disaster prevention andmanagement in West Africa in the

ongoing development plans andprogrammes. To conclude, he expressedthe hope that the meeting would come upwith relevant recommendations thatwould ensure effective implementation ofthe project.

At the end of the Executive Secretary’saddress, the meeting elected a bureauchaired by Niger, current ECOWASChairman.

United Nations agencies (UN/ISDR, UN/OCHA, UNHCR) and civil societyorganisations were represented at themeeting.

BackgroundThe West African sub-region has had itsfair share of natural and man-madedisasters. Studies have shown that theconsequences of such occurrences aremore disastrous for poor countries thanfor the rich countries.

Over the years, the concept anddefinition of disasters as well as theircauses and effects have changed and

more emphasis is now placed on thesocial effects of disasters and thecollective capacity to cope with them.

The natural disasters which occur or canoccur in West Africa are: climatologicalhazards, seismic activity, conflicts, pestinfestation and crop disease, epidemics,industrial and chemical accidents,technological systems failure, and fire.

ObjectiveThe meeting was convened to considermodalities for the establishment of adisaster management mechanism in WestAfrica.

Outcome of deliberationsDiscussions centred essentially on thefollowing four points:

• Institutional and legal framework• Common policy• Operational framework• Resource mobilisation

ECOWAS: Experts discuss establishment of

Disaster Management Mechanism for West

Africa

Some participants at the Meeting of Experts

Partners in Action


A. Institutional and legal framework• The meeting agreed on the need to

establish a well-funded Unit within theHumanitarian Affairs Department atthe ECOWAS Executive Secretariat tocoordinate disaster prevention andmanagement, and a TechnicalCommittee made up of experts fromMember States.

• The Disaster Management Unitshould organise annual consultationswith the Technical Committee.

B. Common policy• Successful implementation of the

mechanism would require a commonsub-regional strategy which wouldinvolve:

• Designation of national focal points

• Adoption of a common training policyon technical matters

• Identification of capacities

C. Operational frameworkThe proposed operational framework is asfollows:

• A central coordination organ·• The countries in the sub-region• International agencies• Local communities

D. Resource mobilisation• Concerning resources, the meeting

agreed on the need to:

• Explore the possibility of funding themechanism from the ECOWAS PeaceFund

• Study the possibility of organisingtraining sessions on resourcemobilisation

• Involve other partners by establishingstrategic partnerships

Observations

A. Shortcomings• Absence of common vision• Lack of coordination and cooperation

at regional level• Inadequate information• Inadequate capacity and training at

regional level

B. Conditions for successThe ECOWAS Member States indicatedthat they were willing and ready tosupport whatever measures the ECOWAS

Executive Secretariat may adopt in orderto overcome the shortcomings notedabove.

RecommendationsThe Experts made the followingrecommendations:

A. Institutional framework• A disaster prevention and

management unit should beestablished within the HumanitarianAffairs Department of the ECOWASExecutive Secretariat;

• Meetings of the Technical Committeeshould be institutionalised;

• The Member States should designatetheir national focal points.

B. Common Policy• A study should be undertaken on the

major disasters in order to identify thepriority areas of action at regionallevel;

• A sub-regional orientation strategy ondisaster reduction should bedeveloped; disaster reduction shouldbe integrated in development plansand programmes;

• A regional consultative meetingshould be organised in order toinvolve Member States moreclosely in the definition of thedevelopment strategy andsub-regional initiatives;

• The support of the Heads ofState and Government shouldbe sought in order to ensurethat authorities at sub-regional level participateactively in disasterprevention and managementfor sustainable development.

C. Operational framework• A study should be

undertaken on thevulnerability of the countriesin order to determine themajor risks they are facing;

• A detailed list of disastermanagement tools available ineach country should beprepared;

• Every effort should be madeto ensure compatibility andcomplementarity of equipment and

materials;

• Appropriate institutions should beestablished;

• The defence and security forcesshould be involved in disastermanagement efforts.

D. Resource mobilisation• The Community should consider what

can be done to strengthen theECOWAS Peace Fund and expand itsscope so that resources from the fundcould be used to finance disastermanagement activities.

• Training programmes on resourcemobilisation should be organised inpartnership with UN agencies, otherinternational organisations and NGOs.

E. Partnership• Closer cooperation ties should be

developed with partners, includingUN agencies, humanitarianorganisations and institutions,multinationals, private sectororganisations, governments, civilsociety organisations, etc.

The participants expressed the hope thatUN agencies would provide thenecessary assistance toward theestablishment of the sub-regional disastermanagement mechanism.

Partners in Action

Children at risk (famine in Niger) - Photo WFP


Mr Benedict TemboJournalist,Lusaka, Zambia

Deficiencies in information sharing haveled to unnecessary deaths in SouthernAfrica. Such deficiencies are said to beeven worse due to lack of knowledge andappropriate communication systems.SADC countries are addressing theissue, writes Zambian journalistBenedict Tembo.

Five hours after a quake strucknorthwestern Sumatra, Indonesia,triggering a massive tsunami with a seriesof waves that quickly travelled throughthe Indian Ocean, some African countrieswere hit.

Somalia was among the countriesaffected. Others were South Africa,Madagascar, Kenya and Tanzania.

Tanzania, which lost 13 citizens, believesthat the movement of the tsunami waveswould have allowed enough time forwarning to, especially, affected countriesbut there was no any such kind ofwarning until the disaster struck,resulting into deaths.

Faced with this lack of information,Southern African DevelopmentCommunity (SADC) member countrieshave realized the need for informationsharing in all aspects of disasterprevention, preparedness and response.

Coming to the aid of the 13-nationgrouping is Inwent, a German capacity-building organization which seeks to fillthe information gap among SADCcountries. Inwent organized a “RegionalTraining Plan for InformationManagement” from 19 to 22 April 2005 inTanzania.

Information “key” to successful

measures against disastersThe event, which took place in thecoastal town of Bagamoyo (exit harbour

for slaves - a disaster to humanity), was acapacity building come together insector-crossing information managementfor trans-boundary disaster preventionand preparedness.

Opening the workshop, Rose Lugembe,Permanent Secretary in the PrimeMinister’s Office in Tanzania, saiddisaster management depended on fastand accurate information collection anddissemination. “The reason for thisschool of thought lies in the fact thatinformation is key to any successfulimplementation of measures againstdisasters,” she said.

Ms Lugembe said the impacts of the year2000 floods in Mozambique could havebeen reduced had people been furnishedwith prior information about theirvulnerability to imminent floods in theirareas of residence. She said although the26 December 2004 earthquake andtsunami had taken place some 5,000kilometres away, it affected Tanzania,leading to the death of 13 people.

“These two examples indicatedeficiencies in terms of information andits dissemination to people. Deficienciesin trans-boundary information sharing areeven worse due to lack of knowledge andappropriate communication systems. Wemust find a way to overcome this throughorganized mechanisms and plan ofimplementation,” she proddedparticipants.

SADC regional training plan

readySussane Breuer, the Berlin-based Inwentproject manager, said the world becameaware of the importance of disasterreduction because of the tsunami whichhad happened days before the start of theWorld Conference on Disaster Reductionin Kobe, Japan, in January this year.

“The world became aware of theimportance of measures about risks,preparedness measures and a functioning

early warning system crucial to avoidanceor at least mitigation of such disastrousimpacts of natural disasters,” Ms Breuersaid.

She added: “Here again, we have seen:There were experts who knew about theevent in time, but there was noinformation system or structure to sendthe important warning to responsibleauthorities, let alone to the affectedpeople.”

Referring to the workshop, Ms Breuersaid a lot of good ideas had beendeveloped in this “golden age”, addingthat Inwent would soon begin theplanning for the next steps.

Mr Florian Bemmerlein-Lux, an expert ondisaster management, said the workshopin Bagamoyo came finally to at least threegood results. “The training plan is readyand the first three courses will beimplemented. Enough material wascollected to start writing concepts for aproject proposal as soon as the call forproposals is out,” he said.

Mr Bemmerlein-Lux, who is based inNürnberg, Germany, runs a consultancyfirm called “Eco-InstitutionalDevelopment Consult”.

The workshop in Bagamoyo was acontinuation of a process which began inPretoria, South Africa, in August 2004.The process sought to develop a regionaltraining plan for information managementin disaster risk management.

1 Benedict Tembo is a member of the “Journalists inAfrica for Disaster Risk Reduction Network” (JADRRNet) established in December 2004 with the supportof UN/ISDR Africa.

DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT

SADC regional training plan for information

management ready

Partners in Action

from the editor - preventionweb · 2011. 4. 6. · disaster reduction in africa - isdr informs,...

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