The UNISDR is the
focal point in the UN System to promote links and synergies between, and the
coordination of, disaster reduction activities in the socio-economic,
humanitarian and development fields, as well as to support policy integration.
It serves as an international information clearinghouse on disaster reduction,
developing awareness campaigns and producing articles, journals, and other
publications and promotional materials related to disaster reduction. Its
core areas of work includes ensuring disaster risk reduction (DRR) is applied
to climate change adaptation, increasing investments for DRR, building
disaster-resilient cities, schools and hospitals, and strengthening the
international system for DRR.
UNISDR’s vision is
anchored on the four priorities for action set out in the Sendai Framework for
Disaster Risk Reduction adopted by the Third UN World Conference on Disaster
Risk Reduction on 18 March 2015 in Sendai, Japan. The four priorities are
composed of 1) understanding disaster risk, 2) strengthening disaster risk
governance to manage disaster risk, 3) investing in disaster risk reduction for
resilience, and 4) enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and
to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Disasters from natural
hazards continue to cause significant loss of life and property in the region.
However, in spite of increasing disaster losses, investments to strengthen
disaster resilience remain a low priority. This is partly due to the limited
understanding of the socio-economic ramifications of disasters as the damage
and losses caused by historical disasters are often not widely known; and the
limited understanding of the opportunities available to reduce disaster risk
through development investments.
Traditionally,
disaster risks have been addressed by governments through improvements in
disaster preparedness and emergency response. However, as losses soar to
record amounts, governments are now exploring new strategies and
approaches to ensure the sustainability of public investment and the protection
and stability of budgets.
One of the main
reasons why countries find it hard to justify increasing investment in disaster
risk management is the fact that they have difficulties in assessing not just
current risks and actual losses, but also in specifying the types and amounts
of resources required to strengthen risk governance capacities.
In addition to
challenges in using risk information to inform disaster resilient investments,
there are further challenges in securing financing for tracking disaster risk
management (DRM)-related investments. DRM-related investment needs are often scattered
across a number of sector budgets and, in some cases, may form just one
component (e.g., seismically-strengthened design) or even an indirect benefit
of a wider development project (e.g., irrigation of land reduces the effects of
drought) rather than standalone projects. The extent of public investment on
DRM may not be explicitly reflected in records on the allocation and use of
public funds, and the issue of DRM possibly even fully considered in national
budgetary processes.
In order to contribute
to an increased level of social, economic and environmental development, UNISDR
with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) implementing an initiative for
strengthening capacity for integration of disaster risk information in public
investment planning processes in three countries namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, and
Myanmar.
This initiative is part of a
broader programme that involves multiple agencies and primarily focuses on risk
sensitive investment planning in the identified countries. This specific output
will take stock of existing disaster risk information in the country, and
provide guidance on how such information can be used for the public investment
planning process. In Cambodia, the output will require working with the
National Committee for Disaster Management, Ministry of Planning, and the
Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology. In the Lao PDR, the output will
require working with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Department
of Disaster Management and Climate Change. In Myanmar, the output will require
working with the Relief and Resettlement Department and the Department of
Planning. The output will also include sharing experiences among other
Southeast Asian Disaster Management Centers (DMCs).