Handbook on law and disaster risk reduction

This handbook has been developed to provide guidance on how to use the Checklist on Law and Disaster Risk Reduction and conduct related legislative reviews and reform processes. While the methodology for using the Checklist needs to be tailored to each country’s context and respective needs, the Handbook is intended to provide general guidance on key steps to consider. Part 6 explains how the Checklist could be used during an in-depth legislative reform process, and uses lessons learned from a range of countries to inform its recommendations. The Checklist may, however, be used in a variety of platforms, workshops and initiatives, and can also be used to determine whether a fully-fledged legislative review process is needed in the first place. Disaster Risk Management committees, project teams and programmes targeting Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and resilience may also choose to use the Checklist as part of their activities.

The Handbook and Checklist aim to support countries to identify the DRR-related strengths and gaps in their current legal frameworks, identify where greater focus may be needed on implementation and enforcement, and identify whether drafting or amending legislation is necessary. Additionally, it is expected that the process of convening a range of stakeholders in a common dialogue to respond to the Checklist questions will contribute to the improved implementation of a sound legal framework for DRR.