 | An Overview of Disaster Management (Department of Humanitarian Affairs/United Nations Disaster Relief Office - United Nations Development Programme , 1992, 136 p.) |
 |  | PART FOUR: DISASTER MITIGATION |
| | Chapter 14. UN assistance to disaster mitigation |
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Appraising disaster mitigation needs, policies, and capacity
Almost all countries have established some institutional arrangements for the various aspects of disaster management. Many have instituted some risk reduction and/or disaster preparedness measures. Some countries are well-advanced, others less so. This national capacity for risk assessment, mitigation planning, and implementation will need to be determined, based on an appraisal of the Government’s mitigation policies, strategies, and measures.
Appraisal is needed and must enable the resident representative to determine, with the Government:
· Whether technical assistance is required for hazard and risk assessments.· The priority to assign to risk reduction and preparedness in the country program.
· The extent to which risk reduction measures can be incorporated into projects being planned or undertaken in various sectors.
· The need for “freestanding” risk reduction and/or preparedness projects.
Informed judgments must be made concerning the likely hazard effects, the adequacy and cost-effectiveness of existing risk reduction and preparedness measures, and on the capacity of all concerned to act on these measures. Appendix 2B of the manual lists what to consider in this appraisal.
The appraisal will be the basis for the inclusion of disaster-related concerns in the UNDP Advisory Note and Administrator’s Note, which draw on or address the issues listed in panel 2B/1 of the manual. They may also refer to UNDP’s policy with respect to reaching the objectives of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.
Panel 2B/1 Elements to be explicitly considered during the early stages of country programme development.
UNDP/UNDRO Disaster Management Manual.
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Panel 2B/1 · The experience of recent disasters. · The institutional arrangements for inter-sectoral co-ordination of disaster mitigation activities. |
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Q. Choose one sector with which you are familiar, such as housing, health, agriculture, etc. Then, with this sector in mind, analyze your own experiences and responsibilities with the elements in Panel 2B/1. | |
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Identify the most recent major disaster in your country.
________________ Is the extent of the relationship between hazards and
socio-economic objectives explicitly addressed in national development plan,
sectoral or multi-sectoral studies?
__________________________________________ What have been the effects of natural disasters on past
development activities?
____________________________________________________ Are there discussions in World Bank Consultative Group meetings
and UNDP-assisted Round Tables that underscore the link between disaster and
development?
_________________________________________________ What are the options available for reducing overall
socio-economic losses and setbacks to development by integrating risk reduction
and preparedness measures into general development activities?
______________________ Identify one specific possibility for reducing risks and
enhancing national and local-level preparedness through technical assistance
within sectoral programs.
____________________________________________________ What is the availability of national and international resources
for
mitigation? What is the possible usefulness of technical assistance to
assess needs in disaster mitigation?
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What institutional arrangements exist for inter-sectoral
coordination of disaster mitigation activities?
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