Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

      First session, Geneva, Switzerland
      5 - 7 June 2007

 

GP Acting with common purpose
Acting with Common Purpose
Proceedings of the first session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
[English] - [Spanish]


UN/ISDR logo
United Nations
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

 

Workshops


Purpose

Session Workshops consisted in technical discussions on key thematic priorities focusing on national and local implementation of disaster risk reduction. They provided an opportunity for participants in the Global Platform to exchange good practices, lessons learnt and provide guidance around a given subject area. The ISDR secretariat was coordinating the organization of workshops.


Workshop Output

The findings of the Session Workshops were an important output of the Global Platform sessions and complemented the outcomes of the Plenary meetings, the high level panels and other side meetings. Preliminary findings have been presented to the plenary on 7 June 2007 and were included in the overall proceedings of the session.


Kathleen Cravero, Assistant Administrator and Director, UNDP/Bureau of Crisis Prevention & Recovery launched the guidance document "Words Into Action: A Guide for Implementing the Hyogo Framework". The Guide provides advice for Government authorities and other organizations on useful strategies for implementing the HFA. The document could also help states to assess where they stand in the implementation process and, by building on existing experience and structure, to identify possible gaps and useful next steps to take. [PDF]

Format

The Session Workshops were divided into two agenda items:

Provisional Agenda item 4.1: Disaster Risk Reduction as a National Priority: Exchange of Experience among Countries and Organizations on Different Institutional Options and Processes that Lead to Change.

- 4.1.1 National coordination mechanisms - National Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction
- 4.1.2 Policy and Legislative Systems for Disaster Risk Reduction
- 4.1.3 Mainstreaming of Disaster Risk Reduction into National Development Instruments
- 4.1.4 From national frameworks to local action: Implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)

Provisional Agenda item 4.2: Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction into Sector Agendas

- 4.2.1 Reducing Risk in Health Facilities and the Health Sector
- 4.2.2 Education for Disaster Risk Reduction and Safer Schools in Communities at Risk
- 4.2.3 Ecosystems and Environmental Management for Risk Reduction
- 4.2.4 Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction through Preparedness

 

Provisional Agenda 4.1: Disaster Risk Reduction as a National Priority: Exchange of Experience Among Countries and Organizations on Different Institutional Options and Processes that Lead to Change



Session Workshop title: National coordination mechanisms - National Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction
Preparations facilitated by: National platforms consultations
Objectives: The Hyogo Framework for Action calls on States to “designate an appropriate national coordination mechanism for the implementation and follow-up of this Framework for Action”. These structures were suggested to be multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder and to include for example line ministries, national Red Cross/ Red Crescent Societies, NGOs, the private sector, academic and scientific institutions, donors and UN representatives.
This session is planned to present practical examples of the diverse institutional arrangements existing at national level to promote and implement disaster risk reduction (National Platforms and other coordinating mechanisms). The underlying rationale and the circumstances, which made countries choose a particular set up and the results of this approach will be illustrated. Presentations and discussions will also focus on internal working procedures and discuss the role and competence of national coordinating mechanisms vis-à-vis other governmental structures.
Planned outputs: Obtain a better understanding of variety of institutional options, entry points for building strong coordinating mechanisms and of particular needs of National coordinating mechanisms and national Platforms that Government and the international community should address
- Contribute to ‘Words into Action’, guidelines for implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action.
Related documents and guidelines: Guidelines for National Platforms and other tools will serve as a background document.
Agenda [PDF]
Presentation(s) Costa Rica [PDF]
European Network of National Platforms [PDF]
France [PDF]
Germany [PDF]
Iran [PDF]
Madagascar [PDF]
Sri Lanka [PDF]
Switzerland [PDF]
Venezuela [PDF]
Background paper [PDF]
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Session Workshop title: Policy and Legislative Systems for Disaster Risk Reduction
Preparations facilitated by: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Objectives: The Hyogo Framework for Action Priority 1 calls upon actors to “ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation”. Legislative and institutional structures are a critical component in moving towards a comprehensive and mainstreamed DRR approach. In light of this and recent disasters several countries have thoroughly reviewed their policy, institutional and legislative structures for disaster risk reduction. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has provided extensive programmatic and financial support to strengthening institutional structures and legislative systems for disaster risk reduction. The session will draw upon the experiences of several countries from a range of regions. The case study examples will identify key milestones which were reached to achieve institutional and legislative reform. It is intended to highlight the processes and incentives that led to change and identify key players highlighting examples of progress achieved to date. Particular attention will be paid to how DRR practitioners at country level coped with obstacles and setbacks and devised effective strategies that led to institutional change and concrete achievements. It will also attempt focus on the issue of financial and material resources required for successful legislative reform process.
Planned outputs: Generic recommendations for those undertaking legislative reform and policy development for disaster risk reduction. Contribute to ‘Words into Action’, guidelines for implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action.
Related documents and guidelines: A Global Review: UNDP Support to Institutional and Legislative System for Disaster Risk Management.
How to Guide – Governance for Disaster Risk Management Projects, UNDP Legislation for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction, TearFund.
Agenda [PDF]
Presentation(s) Bangladesh [PDF]
Bosnia Herzegovina [PDF]
Mozambique [PDF]
Nicaragua [PDF]
Tearfund [PDF]
UNDP [PDF]
Background paper [PDF]
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Session Workshop title: Mainstreaming of Disaster Risk Reduction into National Development Instruments
Preparations facilitated by: World Bank
Objectives: Disaster risk reduction has been identified as a cross-cutting issue that needs to be mainstreamed into sustainable development practices; the attainment of related goals like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) cannot be achieved unless disaster risk reduction becomes an integral element of any development action. With support from the World Bank, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), UN partners and regional organisations, Governments have started to integrate disaster risk reduction in their Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs) and other national development instruments. Disaster risk reduction has also been mainstreamed into some Country Common Assessments (CCAs) and United Nations Development Frameworks (UNDAFs). In parallel, countries have also worked to mainstream disaster risk reduction in sectors and at the local level into development planning (see Sectoral Session Workshops). This session intends to take stock of current practices, highlight processes that lead to the effective integration of disaster risk reduction, and provide recommendations for countries that would like to follow suit. Focus will be on the enabling factors that generated commitment for disaster risk reduction among Ministries of Planning and Finance and the concrete steps that have been taken to translate PRSs and other strategies into action.
Planned outputs: Contribute to 'Words into Action', guideline for implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action.
Related documents and guidelines: N/A
Agenda [PDF]
Presentation(s) Chairman Introduction [PDF]
Malawi [PDF]
Pakistan [PDF]
Philippines [PDF]
St Vincent and the Grenadines [PDF]
Background paper [PDF]
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Session Workshop title: From national frameworks to local action: Implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)
Preparations facilitated by: ProVention Consortium
Objectives: Moving from policy to practice of disaster risk reduction initiatives on the ground has often been challenging. The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) recognizes the primary responsibility of each state to take effective measures to reduce disaster risk, protect its people, and to keep its citizens informed of disaster risk. The HFA also recognizes that effective disaster risk reduction requires the active involvement of all stakeholders, including community members and especially affected populations, in the design and implementation of activities. Governments that adopted the HFA agreed to promote community participation in all aspects of disaster risk reduction. But how is this achieved in practice, when community groups typically do not take part in national dialogues on disaster risk management policy, or development and recovery planning? Community experiences from all over the world have demonstrated that Community Based Organizations (CBOs ) are key actors in disaster reduction. Their efforts have improved both development outcomes and the capacities of their disaster prone communities to cope with disasters. But how can governments and local authorities effectively engage with CBOs to upscale these efforts and contribute to a strong institutional base for implementation of the HFA? This session will address these questions together with government partners, grassroots practitioners, and facilitating NGOs, who will present examples where women-led, poor peoples' organizations have pioneered value added good practices and worked effectively with local and national authorities to promote resilience, risk reduction, and sustainable recovery. The discussion will develop recommendations on how these approaches can be transferred and scaled up for the development of effective platforms for action, how national and local authorities can engage effectively with community based organizations, and how donors can support and facilitate this process.
Planned outputs: Contribute to 'Words into Action', guideline for implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action.
Related documents and guidelines: - UNDP North-South Centre (2006): Integrating Disaster Risk Management in Local Governance, Facilitators' Guide and Sourcebook, the Philippine Experience - ProVention: Toolkit for Community- Risk Assessment
Agenda [PDF]
Presentation(s) India[PDF]
Jamaica[PDF]
Malawi [WMV - 15.6mb]
Peru[PDF] [PDF] [PDF]
Background paper [PDF]
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Provisional Agenda 4.2: Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction into Sector Agendas


Session Workshop title: Reducing Risk in Health Facilities and the Health Sector
Preparations facilitated by: World Health Organization
Objectives: Although the issue of risk reduction has gained global prominence over the last decade, the risk reduction agenda is often associated with development policies and programs, environmental resource management or other issues of a scientific nature. Seldom, in the course of this global debate, has the spotlight shone on the health impact of emergencies, disasters and other crises and the setbacks they cause to development and to the social wellbeing of the affected population. Nor is it widely recognized that the health sector has made important strides on several fronts. In 2005, the Hyogo Framework for Action called on countries to ".promote the goal of 'hospitals safe from disasters' by ensuring that all new hospitals are built with a level of resilience that strengthens their capacity to remain functional in emergency and disaster situations and implement mitigation measures to reinforce existing health facilities." Given the critical importance of this issue, the ISDR has selected the topic of "safe hospitals" as the theme of the upcoming two-year global awareness campaign 2008-2009.
Planned outputs: This session will look at where the health sector is today in terms of emergency preparedness and risk reduction, highlight examples of best practices that have reduced risk, and prepare a broad outline of how nations work together to safeguard and guarantee the functionality and the emergency responsiveness of their hospitals and health facilities. Contribute to 'Words into Action', guideline for implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action.
Related documents and guidelines: 'Why Are We Still Building Unsafe Hospitals?'
- editorial from the WHO/PAHO newsletter 'Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the Americas' Issue 99, April 2005 - Discusses why health facilities are still being built without the necessary safeguards to ensure they are able to function after a disaster, even though the necessary knowledge exists and is readily available.
'Safe Hospitals - A Collective Responsibility, A Global Measure of Disaster Reduction' - this short, easy-to-read publication, prepared for the Kobe World Conference on Disaster Reduction, summarizes why and how to reduce risk in health facilities.
'Guidelines for Vulnerability Reduction in the Design of New Health Facilities'
- produced in conjunction with the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for Disaster Mitigation in Health Facilities at the University of Chile, this publication puts forward three potential levels of protection from adverse events, or performance objectives: life safety, investment protection, and functional protection.
'Protecting New Health Facilities from Natural Disasters' - recommendations on how to use guidelines on risk reduction, written for national authorities, planners and financing agencies involved in the development of these projects. Related material is available online at http://www.disasterpublications.info/
Agenda [PDF]
Presentation(s) Dr. Carmencita A. Banatin [PDF]
Mr. Amod Dixit [PDF]
Eng. Tony Gibbs [PDF] [PDF]
Dr. Ben Yahmed [PDF]
Background paper [PDF]
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Session Workshop title: Education for Disaster Risk Reduction and Safer Schools in Communities at Risk
Preparations facilitated by: Thematic cluster/platform on Knowledge and Education
Objectives: The workshop will consist of multidisciplinary discussions on education for disaster risk reduction and safe schools issue, focusing on national and local implementation of disaster risk reduction projects, which will provide an opportunity for participants in the Global Platform to exchange good practices, lessons learnt and to provide guidance on education for disaster risk reduction. The workshop will contribute to the United Nations International Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2015) aiming at the integration of education into sustainable development strategies. The main objectives of the workshop will be to discuss:
  • How to promote and advance activities in the areas of disaster risk reduction in school communities and safe schools initiatives;
  • How to develop content guidelines for disaster risk reduction curricula in schools;
  • How to infuse disaster risk reduction in educational events and activities in the education and sustainable development sectors in order to introduce and integrate disaster risk reduction issues;
  • The opportunity, timeliness and scope for the organization of an International Conference on Education for Disaster risk reduction.
Planned outputs: The main expected outcomes of the workshop are: further networks on education for disaster risk reduction will be strengthened, new partnerships created, gaps/sharing of priorities will be identified, the way forward to accelerate the implementation of the Priority for Action 3 of the Hyogo Framework will be proposed. Contribute to 'Words into Action', guideline for implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action.
Related documents and guidelines: Priorities for Action 2005-2015. In Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015. Building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters. Extract from the final report of the World Conference on Disaster Reduction. Kobe, Japan, 2005.
'Let Our Children Teach Us!' - a review of the Role of education and knowledge in disaster risk reduction. This review examines good practices to reduce disaster risk through education, knowledge and innovation. It looks critically and strategically at current activities in order to identify gaps, opportunities in the form of synergism and partnerships.
More relevant information and documents can be found at the web page of Thematic cluster/platform on knowledge and education: UN/ISDR - Taskforce - Working groups - Knowledge education
Agenda [PDF]
Presentation(s) American RedCross [PDF]
DKKV [PDF]
Fujioka [PDF]
Global campaign Americas [PDF]
IIEES [PDF]
Introduction of DP to school children [PDF]
Madagascar [PDF]
Background paper [PDF]
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Session Workshop title: Ecosystems and Environmental Management for Risk Reduction
Preparations facilitated by: Jointly organized by UNEP/IUCN on behalf of the Environment and Disaster Reduction Working Group
Objectives: Disasters disproportionately affect the world’s poor; they adversely affect achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and contribute to further environmental degradation. At the same time, environmental degradation is itself a driver of hazard risk and vulnerability. 
Recognizing that environmental services, environmental management and environmental information are valuable but often under-utilized assets in disaster risk reduction, poverty alleviation and climate change adaptation; this session invites environmental managers and disaster mangers to:


  • Share national experiences in environmental dimensions of disaster risk;
  • Identify opportunities for progress and partnership in advancing and implementing an environmental agenda for disaster reduction.

While environmental managers have a role to play in all Five Priorities of the Hyogo Framework for Action, this session will focus specifically on opportunities related to "Reducing Underlying Risk Factors" and "Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation". Also, in light of the coincidence of World Environment Day and the Global Platform - both drawing attention to the risks associated with global climate change, this session will highlight the role of environmental management for disaster reduction as a strategy for climate change adaptation.

Planned outputs:
  • Session Report
  • Recommendations on Opportunities and Priorities in the coming biennium.
The session directly contributes to the strengthening of the thematic are on environment and disaster risk reduction and to 'Words into Action', guidelines for implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action.
Related documents and guidelines: Environment and Disaster Working Group Issues Paper
Publication Environment and Vulnerability [PDF]
Agenda [PDF]
Presentation(s) CONAM [PDF]
Mr Hanum [PDF]
Mr Hettiarachchi & Samarawickrama [PDF]
Mr Jorgensen [PDF]
Mr Mango [PDF]
Mr McDonald [PDF]
Region Andes Adaptation [PDF]
Background paper [PDF]
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Session Workshop title: Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction through Preparedness
Preparations facilitated by: OCHA EPS (Concept paper) [PDF]
Objectives:

The workshop will bring together Member States of different geographical regions, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as regional organizations that are actively engaged in these activities.

The session will be organized around two main themes:


1/Good practices on how to strengthen disaster risk reduction through preparedness at national/community level.
Local populations in disaster-stricken areas are the first to respond to a disaster. Therefore it is crucial to involve community members in the design and implementation of preparedness activities. In this context, some NGOs and governments will present examples of measures and initiatives taken to strengthen preparedness at local level so as to ensure stronger resilience towards risk.
2/ Ways in which the international community and national governments can support this process.

Regional and international organizations will share their experience in supporting preparedness initiatives at local level. Examples of productive partnerships geared to strengthening preparedness capabilities and systems at local level will be presented and discussed, as well as gaps and ways of improvement.
Planned outputs:

A report will be prepared on the main issues raised during the workshop and recommendations to move forward the implementation of the HFA priority five: strengthening disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels.

Further network and partnership to accelerate the implementation of the HFA Priority for Action 5.
Related documents and guidelines:
  • Priorities for Action 2005-2015. In Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015. Building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters.
  • ‘Words into Action’, guidelines for implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action. Chapter five on strengthening disaster preparedness for effective response.
  • Complementary guidelines and indicators package to support the implementation of the HFA priority five, working document.
Agenda [PDF]
Presentation(s) ECHO [PDF]
Ecuador [PDF]
IFRC - JRC - CDRT [PDF]
India [PDF]
Kenya [PDF]
Tajikistan [PDF]
Background paper [PDF]
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