IFRC global survey on capacity building for disaster risk management

Call for participation

This research project, Strategic Research into National and Local Capacity Building for Disaster Risk Management, was commissioned in September 2013 by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Oxford Policy Management is leading the research, in collaboration with the University of East Anglia.

So far the work has produced our first detailed case study on Pakistan, a literature review and a report on our pilot case study in Ethiopia.

To give you some background to the research it is based on the premise that to date there has been little formal, empirical research that has been conducted on capacity building for disaster risk management (DRM), and as a result international actors lack robust, evidence-based guidance on how capacity for DRM can be effectively generated at national and local levels. This research project has been designed as an initial step towards filling that knowledge and evidence gap. Our central aim in the research is therefore to draw lessons and guidance on 'how to' build DRM capacity in a range of contexts.

We will do this by analysing the characteristics, effectiveness and relative importance of a range of capacity building for DRM interventions across a variety of country contexts. Our main focus is on 'what works and why?' Our methodology is based on a case study approach, involving fieldwork in Ethiopia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Philippines, Haiti and Mozambique, and the research project has been signed off by a research ethics committee.

The survey is part of our international data collection strategy. We hope that the information collected here will provide us with robust data which we will compile and analyse. Your knowledge and expertise would be really helpful.