Disaster mitigation in UNDP country programming

In keeping with the aims of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, the UNDP/UNDRO Disaster Management Manual outlines the policy goals of UNDP and DHA as:

to strengthen the abilities of societies to avoid, or protect themselves, their property and means of livelihood, from natural hazards.

to ensure that programs and projects funded by UNDP do not exacerbate the potential adverse effects of natural hazards, nor increase the risk of disaster, but rather lead to an avoidance of disaster or a lessening of adverse effects.

to encourage the integration of disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness measures in planning and budgetary processes related to development in all sectors.

to facilitate exchanges between disaster-prone countries of experience, knowledge and skills related to disaster management.

The country programming exercise offers an opportunity for UNDP to assess its potential contribution to assist governments to develop their institutional capacity in disaster management. This should include both:

mitigation projects in risk assessment or disaster preparedness in areas of especially high risk and

incorporating mitigation into other development projects within the country program.

UNDP Resident Representatives are expected to consider the possibilities for promoting appropriate disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness measures during the regular country programming process and in the planning of post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance. This requires a risk assessment study (see module on Vulnerability and Risk Assessment) which should be formulated in consultation with DHA and the UN Disaster Management Team.

The UNDP/UNDRO Disaster Management Manual lists the following aspects with which the Resident Representatives should be familiar in order to assess the priorities which should be given to disaster management aspects, the need for specific disaster management projects and the extent to which risk mitigation measures should be incorporated into other sectors.

The manual also gives detailed guidance on how to include disaster mitigation considerations into the formulation and appraisal of projects.