Disaster Risk Reduction in The United Nations: 2009 Roles, Mandates and Areas of Work of Key United Nations Entities

Disaster Risk
Reduction
in the
United Nations
2009
Roles, mandates and areas of work of key
United Nations entities
Disaster Risk
Reduction
in the
United Nations
2009
Roles, mandates and areas of work of key
United Nations entities
Disaster Risk Reduction in the United Nations
Introduction
The “Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience for
Nations and Communities to Disasters” (HFA) calls upon the United Nations
system and other international organizations to undertake concrete tasks
within their mandates, priorities and resources. The HFA encourages all
organizations to incorporate disaster risk considerations systematically in their
own strategies, programmes, advocacy, budgets and internal organization
and to participate in International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)
initiatives. It emphasises strengthening of the United Nations system to assist
disaster-prone developing countries with disaster risk reduction initiatives
and to support States’ own efforts with technical assistance and capacity
development.
Four years on from the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe,

Japan, and with the mid-term review of the Hyogo Framework for Action
approaching in 2010, it is timely to take a closer look to what extent the
existing mandates and policies of the United Nations entities align with the
HFA and what stage the United Nations has reached in mainstreaming disaster
risk reduction (often referred to as DRR) into its work.
While this compilation is not exhaustive, it shows an impressive portfolio

of services and programmes of the United Nations and the World Bank in
support of disaster risk reduction. It brings together the core set of ISDR
system partners, the Inter-Agency Group, also listing disaster risk reduction
networks and national counterparts, responsible for various areas of work
at the country level. These records underline visibly the need for One UN
to succeed. All relevant UN agencies were contacted to contribute to this
work, and special thanks go to those who responded and ensured that their
information was up to date. The detail included in the publication is shown
as received from the partners and the content is the responsibility of each
organization.
Increasingly since 2005, most UN agencies and UN coordination mechanisms,

including the Chief Executives Board for Coordination, the United Nations
Development Group and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, have
taken action on disaster risk reduction and made links with climate change
Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities iii

adaptation. The progress is promising not only at international level, but also
regionally. Several regional inter-governmental organizations (not listed in this
directory) and UN Regional Economic Commissions have adopted resolutions
and realigned their strategies in support of the HFA. At the same time the
secretariat of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
(UNISDR) has increased its regional presence to further develop regional
partnerships, support regional and national disaster risk reduction efforts and
platforms and develop region-specific information and knowledge products.
I would like to encourage all UN entities and ISDR partners committed to

reducing disaster risk to take the opportunity to ensure their information is
up to date at www.PreventionWeb.net, the leading public web portal for ISDR
system knowledge management.
With this compilation the secretariat of the UNISDR wishes to increase the
knowledge of what is on offer and prioritized by the UN and World Bank in
support of developing countries needs. We hope this information will promote
new partnerships at all levels, and also serve the emerging needs to address
risk reduction in the wake of climate change.
Helena Molin Valdés,

Deputy Director,
UNISDR
For updated information and organizations not covered by this publication,

please see www.preventionweb.net/go/contacts/
Each organization will be responsible for uploading new information.
A printed Directory will be available every two years at the Global Platform.
iv Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities

Content
Introduction ..............................................................................................iii

UN working to reduce disaster risks

FAO ..................................................................................................................1
ILO . ................................................................................................................7
ITU . ............................................................................................................. 17
OCHA .......................................................................................................... 21
UNDP / BCPR............................................................................................. 26
UNEP............................................................................................................ 33
UNESCO...................................................................................................... 39
UNFCCC....................................................................................................... 44
UNFPA.......................................................................................................... 51
UN-HABITAT............................................................................................... 57
UNICEF......................................................................................................... 61
UNITAR........................................................................................................ 65
UN-OHRLLS................................................................................................ 68
UNOOSA..................................................................................................... 72
UNU.............................................................................................................. 76
UNV.............................................................................................................. 80
WFP.............................................................................................................. 84
WHO............................................................................................................. 90
WMO............................................................................................................ 98
WORLD BANK..........................................................................................106
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ...........................................................................111

ECOSOC ...................................................................................................114
CEB .............................................................................................................118
UNDG.........................................................................................................120
IASC............................................................................................................123
Key UN system networks in disaster risk reduction..................127

National counterparts for disaster reduction..............................130
ISDR – The Strategy, Secretariat and System ..............................133
Summary Hyogo Framework for Action .....................................136
Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities v

UN working to
reduce disaster risks
FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations
FAO
General description of the organization
FAO leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed
and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations
meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a
source of knowledge and information, and helps developing countries and
countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and
fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all.
Core areas of FAO’s mandate are to improve agricultural productivity, to raise
levels of nutrition, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the
growth of the world economy.
Disaster reduction goal

FAO helps countries to prevent, mitigate, prepare for and respond to food
and agricultural threats and emergencies by focusing on:
• Strengthening disaster preparedness and the ability to mitigate the

impact of emergencies that affect food security and the productive
capacities of rural populations;
• Forecasting and providing early warning of adverse conditions in
the food and agricultural sectors, and of impeding food emergencies
including monitoring of plant and animal pests and diseases;
• Assessing needs and formulating programmes for agricultural relief and
rehabilitation, facilitating the transition and linkages between emergency
relief, recovery and development interventions in food and agriculture;
• Reducing vulnerability and enhancing resilience by strengthening local
capacities and coping mechanisms for DRR by guiding the choice of
agricultural practices, technologies and support services.
Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities 1

Policies and programmes in disaster risk reduction

The FAO Strategic Framework includes a corporate Strategic Objective on
improved preparedness for, and effective response to, food and agricultural
emergencies. The FAO Medium Term Plan (2010-2013) specifically identifies
outcomes related to disaster preparedness, prevention and mitigation,
emergency response and rehabilitation, and transition and linkages to
development as the focus for results and interdisciplinary action over the
next four years.
Disaster Risk Management (DRM) work at FAO has been guided by an
interdepartmental working group since 2005. This working group is
comprised of technical and operational experts that aim to mainstream risk
reduction into FAO’s emergency, rehabilitation and development projects
and programmes.
Relief and rehabilitation programmes are managed by the FAO Emergency
Operations and Rehabilitation Division. Emergency coordination units
are often established to temporarily manage the Organization’s response
at the local level. The Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation Division
and FAO technical divisions also work closely together during all phases of
emergency and recovery, particularly during implementation of medium-
term rehabilitation programmes.
Memberships in key networks

Inter-Agency Standing Committee
International Consortium on Landslides
Fire Management Actions Alliance
Mountain Partnership
Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping System
Global Early Warning and Response System for Major Animal Diseases
Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands
National counterpart
Ministry of Agriculture, and/or departments of Forestry, Livestock and
Fisheries and related extension services, municipalities and farmers’
organizations.
2 Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities

Areas of work (to correspond with HFA priority areas 1-5)
HFA Priority for Action 1

Making disaster risk reduction a policy priority, institutional strengthening
FAO focuses on disaster risk reduction as an integral part of sustainable
development, applying food and agricultural perspectives as entry point,
while placing particular emphasis on the role of local institutions. FAO assists
FAO
countries in planning long-term disaster risk prevention and preparedness
strategies in food and agriculture. These strategies focus on ways to address
the root causes of vulnerability of local stakeholders to natural hazards in a
demand responsive and sustainable way.
Outcomes include: the design of country specific planning frameworks for
DRM (disaster risk management) in the agriculture sectors; development
of guidelines for DRM systems analysis to support the identification of
institutional and technical capacities needs for DRM at national, district and
local levels; exchange of lessons and good practices for DRM in agriculture
sector through the Technology for Agriculture (TECA) database, where
knowledge related to good practice is maintained, accessed and shared by a
network of sources on agricultural technology.

Risk assessment and early warning systems
FAO manages several global information and early warning systems, such as
• The Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) on Food
and Agriculture which continuously monitors current food security and
provides special reports and alerts on food shortages; crop and food
supply assessment missions to disaster-affected countries; and the
assessment of emergency food aid requests.
• The Crisis Management Centre (CMC) for the Food Chain continuously
analyzes global risk along the food chain, both immediate and
longer term; promotes containment and control of the most serious
transboundary animal diseases and migratory plant pests, based on the
Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests
and Diseases (EMPRES); and provides rapid response to animal health,
plant health and food safety emergencies and threats.

FAO also supports international initiatives such as the Global Land Cover
Network (GLCN), the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) and the
International Consortium on Landslides (ICL).
FAO hosts the Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping
Systems (FIVIMS) which supports countries in analyzing peoples’
vulnerabilities to food security relates risks and hazards.
FAO also facilitates environmental analysis and poverty mapping, provides
remote sensing and other geo-referenced data through GeoNetwork,
various agro-meteorological data and software, such as
• The Rapid Agricultural Disaster Assessment Routine (RADAR)
methodology that helps evaluate the impacts on agricultural production,
immediately after a disaster event, thus providing information to planners
for better disaster preparedness and response planning;
RANET (Radio and Internet for the Communication of Hydro-Meteorological

and Climate Related Information) which is a cooperative effort of national
and international organizations in Africa, addressing improved information
access of rural communities.

Education, information and public awareness
FAO supports the development of training materials on Disaster Risk
Reduction (DRR) in food and agriculture, often in local languages, such as
e-learning tools on climate and flood risk management for training and
self learning, DRR components in livelihood assessment toolkits and good
practices for DRR in Agriculture tested at the community level.
The Communication for Sustainable Development Initiative (CSDI) supports
the design of local communication strategies on climate change adaptation,
natural resource management and DRR, including technical assistance to
extension services, farmer organizations and field projects.

Reducing underlying risk factors
FAO helps countries Reducing underlying risk factors in the food, agriculture,
livestock, fisheries and forestry sectors in areas such as:
• animal and plant pests and diseases;
• crop and livestock production;

• agricultural management, marketing and finance;

• forest fires and fire management;
• precautionary measures for fisheries and safety at sea;
• food security information and early warning systems;
• food security and nutrition;
• climate change adaptation;
• land and water management, including land tenure.
FAO
Support at country level includes technical advice on land use and rural
development planning framework at national and/or decentralized levels,
with an aim to address DRR in agricultural sectors as integral part of national
planning.
Geographic focus for DRR is also linked to FAO corporate strategy to
promote sustainable development, conservation and rehabilitation of
fragile ecosystems and areas (dryland, mountain and coastal and marine
ecosystems); and FAO assistance in the practical implementation of the
associated chapters of Agenda 21 and of international conventions and
agreements relevant to fragile ecosystems (such as desertification, mountain
development, responsible fisheries).

Preparedness for effective response
FAO works with governments, civil society organizations, communities and
people, to protect the food and livelihood security of those who depend
predominantly on agriculture, livestock, forestry or fisheries before, during
and after emergencies. FAO focuses on:
• Gathering information (enhancing food security information systems,
monitoring of the agricultural season/availability of agricultural inputs
and assessing emergency requirements of the agricultural sector);
• Supporting the coordination of field-based agricultural interventions
(including standard bearing and elaboration of immediate country post-
emergency strategies and programme frameworks);
• Livelihoods recovery interventions (supply of seeds and other agricultural
emergency inputs, seed and planting material multiplication, seed
voucher and input trade fairs, restoration of livelihoods of local fishing
communities, promotion of improved farming practices - such as
conservation farming, crop diversification, water management etc.,

vaccination campaigns, rehabilitation of agricultural infrastructure;

support to small-scale agro-processing and income-generating activities).
Key methodologies include: Livelihood Assessment Toolkit (LAT) jointly

developed by FAO and ILO to help guide responses in the immediate
aftermath of future disasters; the Livestock Emergency Guidelines and
Standards (LEGS) developed with a number of partners to provide a set of
international guidelines and standards for the design, implementation and
assessment of livestock related interventions to assist people affected by
humanitarian crises.
Focal point
DRM Group
Climate Change and Bioenergy Unit
Website
www.fao.org
http://www.fao.org/emergencies
FAO has recently developed a website that reflects FAO’s work across
departments and DRM elements from prevention to building back better.
The website provides a daily update of FAO emergency operations and links
to FAO technical publications, guidance, toolkits and websites.

ILO
International Labour Organization
ILO
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the United Nations agency
devoted to advancing opportunities for women and men to obtain decent
and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human
dignity. Its main aims are (i) to promote rights at work, (ii) encourage
decent employment opportunities, (iii) enhance social protection and (iv)
strengthen dialogue in handling work-related issues.
ILO is the only ‘tripartite’ United Nations agency in that it brings together
governments and representative organizations of employers and workers
to jointly shape labour policies and to negotiate agreements by consensus.
This unique arrangement gives ILO an edge in advancing the creation of
decent jobs and the kind of economic and working conditions that give
working people and business people a stake in coping with crisis and in
creating lasting prosperity and progress.

In disaster scenarios, ILO – in partnership with other UN and multilateral
agencies - contributes to enhance disaster recovery and risk reduction
efforts focusing on employment creation, income generation, disaster risk
reduction of vulnerable livelihoods and the promotion of sustainable local
development.

ILO aims to reduce the impact of disasters on the employment and income
by promoting risk reduction measures for productive livelihoods and
effective and efficient post-disaster recovery efforts. ILO works to respond
to HFA priorities by developing the capacity of key institutions, such as
economic and labour ministries, workers’ and employers’ organizations,

in order to (i) support stakeholders for quick recovery in the aftermath

of disasters focusing on employment creation, (ii) introduce policies and
programmes focusing on preparedness and planning for livelihood recovery,
and (iii) implement active measures for reducing livelihood vulnerabilities
and risks, in disaster-prone areas.
By mobilizing relevant actors for reconstruction, crises can open a window of
opportunity to promote decent work for a better future. The “ILO Declaration
on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization” adopted by the International
Labour Conference in 2008 institutionalizes the Decent Work concept
developed by the ILO since 1999. The “Global Employment Agenda” is one
of the instruments for the implementation of the Social Justice Declaration.
The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) approved a Ministerial
Declaration encouraging the UN system to develop a toolkit to promote
decent work. Since then ILO has worked closely with other agencies through
the Chief Executives Board (CEB) chaired by the UN Secretary General. The
final product, the CEB Toolkit for Mainstreaming Employment and Decent
Work, is designed to help organizations, throughout the multilateral system,
assess and improve employment and decent work outcomes of their own
policies, programmes and activities.
“Decent Work Country Programmes” (DWCP), adopted by Governments as
a component of the UNDAF and PRSP, constitute the country frameworks
for ILO’s pre-disaster risk reduction interventions and post-disaster recovery.
Within this framework, ILO promotes the participation of its constituents
in implementing targeted decent employment recovery and development
policies and orienting livelihood risk reduction programs.
In disaster recovery scenarios, ILO works actively with the UN and other
multilateral agencies to develop policies and programmes that support the
creation of decent employment opportunities as a central plank of efforts
to reduce and eradicate poverty, thus helping affected populations avoid
becoming dependent on relief aid and fall into a vicious circle of poverty
aggravated by shocks and crises. Concurrently, ILO seeks to advocate
and raise awareness among disaster actors to place decent employment
concerns and local economic recovery strategies at the forefront of national
and international efforts in promoting disaster risk management. It focuses
on employment and vulnerable livelihoods through a variety of policies and
programmes:
• Support to Employment Policies and Social Dialogue

• Rapid assessments of impact of disasters on employment and income

• Implementation and monitoring of livelihood risk reduction and recovery
programs
• Employment-intensive Infrastructure programmes
• Targeted support to vulnerable groups and sectors
• Employability development and vocational training systems
• Support to SMEs and micro-enterprises
ILO
• Support to micro finance schemes
• Expansion of coverage of Social Security and Safety Nets
• Local Economic Recovery programs
• Establishment/consolidation of Emergency Employment Services, and
• Expert support to Cash Transfer Programs, in the aftermath of disasters.
The ILO Crisis Response and Reconstruction Programme (ILO/CRISIS) is

charged with bringing ILO’s decent work and socio-economic expertise to
bear on pre-disaster livelihood risk reduction and employment recovery of
affected economies. Its roles are: prompting, mobilizing and orchestrating
the “whole-of-ILO” response to crisis challenges; building the capacities
of ILO constituents, partners and field staff, through the provision of
tools, training and joint crisis response work; as well as establishing and
strengthening partnerships and promoting joint project financing.
The ILO Crisis Response and Reconstruction Programme (ILO/CRISIS) is
charged with bringing ILO’s decent work and socio-economic expertise to
bear on pre-disaster livelihood risk reduction and employment recovery of
affected economies. Its roles are: prompting, mobilizing and orchestrating
the “whole-of-ILO” response to crisis challenges; building the capacities
of ILO constituents, partners and field staff, through the provision of
tools, training and joint crisis response work; as well as establishing and
strengthening partnerships and promoting joint project financing.
The International Training Centre of the ILO, based in Turin, Italy, provides
training and related services that develop human resources and institutional
capabilities. In conjunction with ILO/CRISIS, the International Training
Centre of the ILO (ITC/ILO) is committed to contribute to the ISDR and the
implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 at the
local level. It focuses on disaster risk reduction within the framework of
sustainable local development, through three core lines of action:
• Training and capacity building: design, preparation and implementation
of training activities (face-to-face and distance learning modalities) on

disaster risk reduction and sustainable local development. A one-year

training course in blended modality is currently available for the Americas
in Spanish language and an English pilot version is about to be launched
at inter-regional level. Short courses and workshops are implemented at
country-level.
• Information sharing and knowledge management: creation and
management of an effective set of ICT and networking tools and
databases at the service of the ISDR system, partner institutions and
participants in the training courses.
Advocacy and local level awareness: specialized publications and advocacy

tools to increase awareness amongst decision-makers on the importance of
including disaster risk reduction in the local development agenda.

International Recovery Platform (IRP). ILO is the present chair of the Steering
Committee of the Platform, 2008 – 2009.
IASC-Cluster Working Group on Early Recovery (CWGER). ILO is the convener
of the livelihood and economic recovery group.
UNISDR Local Governance Alliance for DRR. The ITC/ILO is member of the
Advisory Group since May 2008.
Labour, Economic and Social Affairs ministries, Workers’ organizations,
Employers’ organizations.

Support to Employment Policies and Social Dialogue. ILO supports Ministries
of Labour in setting up or re-orienting governments’ active labour market
policies aiming at guiding and facilitating the establishment of mechanisms
able to respond with national budget allocations and public programs to
the livelihood risk reduction policies needed in disaster-risk areas.

Tripartism and social dialogue at enterprise, sectoral and national levels,

are ILO’s bedrocks. These elements are key in disaster settings to minimize
the risks and the effects of a disaster on productive livelihoods. Strong
and solid dialogue helps, on one side, reduce the impact of a crisis, rebuild
communities and social networks, and restart the affected productive
livelihoods on a sound development path. On the other side, it helps in
securing that livelihood risk management becomes a priority in policies and
ILO
programs.
In disaster prone countries ILO, through its institutional counterpart the
Ministry of Labour, promotes and supports the establishment of Inter-
institutional Livelihood Risk Management Working Groups. This WG,
established within the framework of the National Integrated Disaster
Management Platform, includes different institutions and helps in
maintaining a broad-based dialogue among the Government, Trade Unions
and Employers’ organizations, at national, regional and local levels. The
main task of this WG is to ensure institutional support to the integration of
livelihood risk reduction measures into development policies and planning.
The WG also promotes the necessary legislative modifications and facilitates
coordination of all livelihood risk reduction and recovery preparedness
interventions.
On the basis of the assessment of existing human resource capacities for
livelihood risk reduction, ILO develops capacity-building initiatives for its
constituents and public officials, at central and local levels as appropriate.

Rapid employment and livelihood impact assessments. ILO has a consolidated
methodology for rapid labour market and livelihood assessments that
return information on the extent of the employment situation and
opportunities in disaster-risk areas. Recently ILO and FAO have jointly
developed a toolkit for a comprehensive livelihood impact assessment
(the LAT) that, in combination with hazard mappings and vulnerability
assessments, provides crucial information and enable decision-makers
to assess the needs for increasing resilience and reducing disaster risk
of livelihoods. This assessment also contributes to build up baseline
information, on labour markets and the status of livelihoods in at-risk areas,
that will be essential to quantify and qualify needed recovery interventions
and allow monitoring of recovery programs.

To this aim, ILO in collaboration with other agencies supports the

development of common indicators and methodologies for monitoring
livelihood risk management and recovery programs. It also develops cost–
benefit analysis of the implementation of livelihood risk reduction measures.
In collaboration with other relevant agencies ILO uses space-based
technologies to support assessment of livelihood risks and vulnerabilities
to disasters, particularly for determining potential effects and impacts
of disasters on productive livelihoods in at-risk areas. It is also currently
developing methods in view of incorporating these tools into decision-
making processes.

ILO, through its constituents and taking into consideration the local
culture, supports the dissemination of information on livelihood disaster
risks reduction and recovery options, especially addressing workers’ and
employers’ organizations in high-risk areas, with the aim of encouraging and
enabling people to take action to reduce livelihood risks and build resilience
to disaster shocks. It also promotes the establishment of networks among
disaster and livelihoods experts and shares its knowledge on good practices,
cost-effective livelihood risk reduction measures, and lessons learned in the
field, with all actors involved in disaster risk reduction, through participating
in global coordination platforms, such as the CWGER and the IRP.
Through the ITC/ILO training and capacity building initiatives, the ILO is
directly contributing to increase the level of information and awareness of
local actors in Spanish speaking countries of the Americas, in the field of
local strategic planning for disaster risk reduction, pre-disaster preparedness
and post-disaster sustainable reconstruction linked to local development
processes. The first two editions of the training course have contributed
to the creation of a network of multiplier agents and focal points playing
a key role in increasing and disseminating information in the region. This
peer group of former participants actively contribute to training content
validation, creation of bridges to high-risk and difficult target countries,
systematization of local development and DRR practices, research and
exchange on contents development and new approaches to DRR, advocacy
in support of the implementation of the HFA at the local level.
This network, whose members are from the Americas, should be soon
attached and provide inputs to the new Local Governance Alliance for DRR
initiative promoted by the UN/ISDR Secretariat in Geneva.


Mainstreaming livelihood risk management. ILO works at incorporating
productive livelihoods risk reduction measures into planning policies, post-
disaster recovery and rehabilitation processes and promotes the use of all
opportunities to develop local capacities aiming at reducing livelihood risk
in the long term. Through the mobilization of its constituents, ILO promotes
ILO
the establishment of forms of public–private partnerships to better engage
the local private sector in livelihood risk reduction activities; and encourages
all stakeholders to foster a culture of disaster prevention, putting greater
emphasis on pre-disaster risk reduction interventions.
Capacity development on Disaster Risk Reduction within the Framework of
Sustainable Local Development. The main objective of the training courses
is to contribute to improving individual and institutional capacity in the
design, implementation and assessment of sustainable local development
strategies that fully integrate disaster risk reduction as a key factor of the
sustainable development process.
Incorporating livelihood risk reduction into development planning. ILO
collaborates with relevant ministries and agencies to incorporate livelihood
disaster risk management into: (i) rural development planning and
management; (ii) planning and management of ecosystems, focusing
on strategies for reducing livelihood risk and increasing resilience while
creating job opportunities in the form of “green jobs”; (iii) programs
promoting food security and diversification of agriculture-based livelihoods;
(iv) urban planning and slum-upgrading programmes and management
of disaster-prone human settlements, focusing on livelihood activities
implemented within the house (considering the particular relevance
in terms of livelihood risk reduction since many self-employment and
livelihood activities are implemented mainly informally and in unsafe
conditions in such housing); and (v) health sector programmes, in order
to link livelihood risk reduction with programs for Safety and Health
at Workplace as a component for promoting decent work practices,
consolidate livelihood resilience and reduce risk in case of disaster.
Labour-intensive programs. ILO promotes the use of labour-based/labour-
intensive methods in strengthening, retrofitting and re-building critical
public facilities and other physical infrastructure. In a post-disaster setting,
labour-friendly activities benefit affected communities by generating jobs
and income quickly while rebuilding damaged infrastructure. They

are also an important bridge between immediate needs and longer-term

reconstruction and development.
Enhancing employability through vocational training. ILO invests – in the
aftermath of a disaster – in upgrading the employability of job-seekers to
facilitate their absorption in the labour market. In post-disaster situations
training can help affected individuals and households in restarting their
livelihoods and reducing dependence from relief aid. In addressing this
challenge, ILO has developed a solid expertise, including in the non-formal
or unorthodox approaches sometimes needed to launch adapted training
services in at-risk areas or badly damaged post-disaster economies.
Support to SMEs and micro-enterprises. ILO promotes the diversification of
household income options for populations in high-risk areas in order to
reduce their vulnerability to hazards and ensure that their income and
assets are not undermined by behaviours that increase their vulnerability
to disasters. Through the expanded use of well tested training packages,
such as Start and Improve Your Business, the Women Entrepreneurship
Progamme and other tools, ILO supports enterprises to consolidate their
position into the formal or informal market, provides advisory services to
governments, employers’ organizations and workers’ associations on policies
and programmes to facilitate finance for SMEs, as well as advice on tools
and approaches for responsible restructuring of sectors, value chains and
enterprises. To this aim, ILO also works at enabling the local environment
for enterprises, developing value chains, and enhancing local economic
development and the performance of the small and micro enterprises.
Support to Microfinance Schemes. In order to contribute to livelihood
disaster risk reduction and increase resilience of employment and income,
ILO - through its microfinance programme - promotes the development of
financial risk-sharing mechanisms, particularly insurance and reinsurance
against disasters, as appropriate. It also promotes alternative and
innovative financial instruments for addressing livelihood disaster risk.
ILO’s intervention tools include expert support for micro-scale informal
activities and micro-credit schemes, materials, marketing advice, guidance,
and training to microfinance lenders and micro- and small-scale enterprises,
including cooperatives.
Targeted support to vulnerable groups and sectors. By supporting the
government in implementing special programs targeted to vulnerable
people and sectors, such as, introducing temporary youth employment
programs, ILO contributes to the aim of diversifying livelihoods and

increasing the resilience of the household by reducing the risks related to

the complete loss of job and income in the event of a disaster. ILO also works
to ensure that programmes for displaced persons take into consideration
the employment creation needs and do not increase livelihood risk and
vulnerability to future hazards. Through its Combating Child Labour
Programme – ILO works to raise awareness of the families and target
psychological damage of vulnerable populations, particularly children, in
ILO
the aftermath of disasters. Furthermore, ILO collaborates with the relevant
ministries and agencies engaged in strengthening the implementation
of social safety-net mechanisms targeting the poor, the elderly and the
disabled and other vulnerable populations, as a means of reducing disaster
vulnerabilities and risks.
Social Security and Safety Nets. ILO provides specialized expertise in
support to relevant Ministries for programs aiming the extension of the
coverage of the Social Security to the poor and most-vulnerable, including
those working in the informal sector in at-risk areas. It also supports the
dissemination of information on the role of Safety and Health at the
Workplace and social security and safety nets in mitigating the effects of
natural shocks on the household.
The Local Economic Recovery/Development programmes (LER/D) are
an effective holistic approach that ILO applies in crises scenarios for
harmonizing and enhancing the package of different measures needed
for reducing livelihood disaster risk or for the recovery of affected local
economies. The LER/D approach seeks to support the increasing of
local business capacity and stimulating endogenous dynamics through
consensus-based action. ILO has used LER/D strategies in crisis operations
since the early 1990s. This approach combines tailored tools and
methodologies in such areas as business promotion, employability training,
social finance, employment-intensive investments, and social dialogue.
Emergency Employment Services. In post-disaster situations, ILO’s expertise
in this area helps government revitalize or establish “employment services”
and orient them toward current needs of job seekers and local employers.
ILO works to support governments establish or reorient information
exchanges to meet specific post-disaster needs, including evaluating the
volume and type of job seekers, and the skill requirements of humanitarian
and reconstruction operations. This also contributes to livelihood disaster
risk reduction in view of future natural events. ILO works with the World
Association of Public Employment Services (WAPES) to collect and share
good practices and tools for crisis response.

Cash Transfer programs. In post disaster situations, ILO provides to

government its specialized expertise in strengthening income maintenance
measures for affected people who lost their job, through various measures,
including complementary cash transfer programs.

ILO - through its “Pre-disaster Recovery Planning for Livelihoods” (Pre-
DRP/L)” initiative - helps governments and other constituents to consider,
ahead of time, how best to identify vulnerabilities in the productive
livelihoods of the people living in areas at-risk, promote livelihood risk
reduction measures and increase livelihood recovery preparedness before
disasters strike, thus also contributing to reduce extreme poverty in those
areas.
The Pre-DRP/L is specifically designed to provide key stakeholders with
a guiding document to help quickly and effectively restore and enhance
livelihoods and economic activity and to introduce livelihood risk reduction
measures thus increasing employment resilience in view of future disasters.
ILO has recently developed a first edition of specific “Pre-DRP/L Guidelines”
to orient decision makers and technical practitioners in supporting the
implementation of livelihood risk management and quick livelihood
recovery measures.
Focal point
ILO/CRISIS – ILO Geneva
ITC/ILO – Delnet EMLD (Turin, Italy)
Website
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/crisis/index.htm
This website provides information on ILO/CRISIS operations and links to ILO’s
technical publications and websites.
http://www.itcilo.org/delnet
This website provides information on the ITC/ILO training initiatives and
links to the Delnet Local Development platforms.

ITU
International Telecommunication Union
ITU
ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and
communication technologies. ITU helps governments and the private
sector in three core sectors: radiocommunication, standardization and
development. ITU also organizes TELECOM events and was the lead
organizing agency of the World Summit on the Information Society.
ITU is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and its membership includes 191
Member States and more than 700 Sector Members and Associates.

ITU’s goal in disaster reduction is to strengthen emergency communications
for disaster prevention and mitigation.
All the elements of ITU’s work are centred on the goal of putting every
human being within easy and affordable reach of information and
communication and to contribute significantly towards economic and
social development of all people. ITU develops the standards used to create
infrastructure to deliver telecommunications services on a worldwide basis,
manages the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits to help bring
wireless services to every corner of the world, and provides support to
countries as they pursue telecommunication development strategies.
As the specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for
telecommunications/ICTs, ITU is committed to working with other
organizations in combating climate change. ITU continues to play a leading
role in developing an integrated approach to examining the relationship
between ICTs and climate change, focusing on such key issues in the
global framework as technology, climate data collection and monitoring,
adaptation and mitigation.


One of ITU’s objectives within the purview of the Telecommunication
Development Sector is to support the implementation of global, regional
and other relevant initiatives and projects, including those relating to
underserved areas, indigenous communities and small island developing
states, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, highly
indebted poor countries, countries recovering from conflicts, countries and
territories under occupation, regions with special needs as well as conditions
that pose severe threats to the environment such as natural disasters, which
will facilitate the deployment and operation of telecommunication/ICT
networks and services with a view to fostering their secure, sustainable and
affordable access and use at national, regional and global levels.
ITU assists countries in drafting and adopting appropriate ICT policies,
regulations and guidelines that facilitate the use of ICT for disaster risk
reduction to include Geographical Information Systems, Remote Sensing
which are critical for disaster preparedness and early warning.
At the global level ITU promotes and provides assistance to stakeholders
in the ratification and implementation of the Tampere Convention on
the provision of telecommunication resources for disaster mitigation and
relief operations. The treaty provides the legal framework for the use of
telecommunications in international humanitarian assistance, reduces
regulatory barriers, and protects providers of telecommunication assistance
while safeguarding the interests of the host country.
Government Ministries for Telecommunications and Telecommunications
Regulatory Agencies


ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau works globally with
Governments on the establishment of regulatory frameworks that require
operators to include disaster reduction features in their licensing regime.
ITU
Assist countries in designing and implementing early warning systems.

Design and develop guidelines, publications and websites that are used
to train and raise awareness on disaster risk reduction issues. International,
regional and international workshops are also held for these purposes.

Development and implementation of technical cooperation to assist
developing countries to use ICTs to adapt to and mitigate the effects
of climate change. ITU Study Groups develop technical and spectrum
specifications that provide best practices in this area to include: rresilient
telecommunications installations that allow the installation and deployment
of rugged telecom network plants and a Handbook on Outside Plant
Installations, prioritization of calls, inter-operability of networks, and
harmonization of frequency bands.

The Telecommunication Development Sector has published guidelines
and best practice books on disaster management through the use of
information and communication technologies. It has also designed and ran
national, regional, and international training and awareness raising events

on enhancing preparedness for effective response. Over 20 partnership

agreements were negotiated and signed resulting in equipment and
financial resources being contributed to the ITU’s ongoing effort to
contribute to disaster risk reduction.
Radiocommunications Sector, ITU-R, has developed a number of guidelines
(known as Recommendations), used to identity appropriate systems
for public protection and disaster relief, and requirements for disaster
communications related to amateur and amateur-satellite services including
the use of transportable fixed radiocommunications equipment for relief
operations.
The Telecommunications Standardization Sector has produced technical
standards that provide call preference schemes for the PSTN and for systems
based on Internet Protocol. It is also developing message broadcasting
specification using IP technologies, and is paying special attention to
support of emergency and alert services in Next Generation Networks.
ITU-T has approved a telecommunication security architectural framework
which is applicable to TDR/EW systems (ITU-T Rec.X.805), and a Supplement
on emergency services for third-generation mobile networks. ITU-T has
prepared an Action Plan to accelerate the standardization work of the
technical groups in support for Telecommunications for Disaster Relief and
Early Warning, and has appointed one of the groups to act as focal point for
the activities. These are instrumental specifications that will be used as a
basis for implementation by manufacturers and telecom network operators
of facilities supporting emergency communications.
Focal point
Emergency Telecommunications
Website
www.itu.int

OCHA
United Nations Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs
OCHA
OCHA’s mission is to mobilise and coordinate effective and principled
humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in
order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies, advocate
for the rights of people in need, promote preparedness and prevention and
facilitate sustainable solutions.
OCHA is lead by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and
Emergency Relief Coordinator, who is also the Chair of the ISDR system as
well as the Chair of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee.

One of OCHA’s objectives is greater incorporation of disaster risk reduction
approaches into humanitarian work and strengthened preparedness for
effective humanitarian response.

OCHA, in cooperation with UNISDR, developed a Guidance and Indicator
Package for Implementing Priority 5 of the HFA, Disaster Preparedness for
Effective Response. This tool provides guidance on disaster preparedness
strengthening as set out in Priority 5 of the HFA. It aims primarily to assist
governments, local authorities and other stakeholders and expands upon
the disaster preparedness and response components of the ISDR guidelines
“Words into action: Implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action”.
The revised Inter-Agency Contingency Planning Guidelines for Humanitarian
Assistance aim to assist the United Nations Country Teams in preparing to
respond to potential emergencies with appropriate humanitarian assistance
and protection.

OCHA plans to draft a policy instruction on Emergency Preparedness

(Disaster Preparedness). The purpose of the policy instruction is to provide
guidance on OCHA’s role in disaster preparedness and to identify linkages
among OCHA sections and units that are carrying out preparedness
activities. It will address key elements of emergency preparedness, with a
focus on disasters, and OCHA’s partnership in the wider context of disaster
risk reduction, in the framework of the Hyogo Framework for Action.

Inter-Agency Standing Committee and its subsidiary bodies
ISDR System Inter-Agency Group (IAG)
Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI)
OCHA/UNDGO/UNDP-BCPR Joint Initiative on Recovery Coordination
International Recovery Platform
UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit
National Disaster Management Offices/Ministries

OCHA promotes greater incorporation of disaster risk reduction approaches
and strengthened preparedness in humanitarian response. In responding to
the emerging need for adapting to climate change and other humanitarian
concerns, OCHA is increasingly focused not only on operational
preparedness, which includes building the emergency response capacity of
the humanitarian community through preparedness planning and capacity
development, but also on supporting institutional preparedness through
engagement with national governments, strengthened legal frameworks
and resource mobilization initiatives.


OCHA is involved as one of the ISDR system partners (UNESCO-IOC, WMO,
UNOCHA, WB, UNDP, UNEP, IFRC) in strengthening national capacities
for tsunami early warning and response systems in the Indian Ocean.
Technical assistance and support covers capacities in policy design and
OCHA
planning, institutional and operational infrastructure for national disaster
preparedness, within the context of regional early warning and response
systems.

CADRI (Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative) was created in March
2007 and launched in June 2007 at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk
Reduction to succeed to the UN Disaster Management Training Programme
(UN DMTP) which trained United Nations, government and civil society
professionals for their disaster roles, between 1990-2006. CADRI is an inter-
agency initiative between UNDP/BCPR, OCHA and UNISDR. CADRI aims at
advancing knowledge and practices for the development of sustainable
disaster risk reduction capacities in high-risk countries for Governments
and the UN system and serves as the vehicle through which UNISDR, OCHA
and UNDP/BCPR can achieve a more synergistic approach to disaster risk
management.
OCHA administers ReliefWeb, the world’s leading on-line gateway to
information (documents and maps) on humanitarian emergencies and
disasters. An independent vehicle of information, launched in 1996 and
designed specifically to assist the international humanitarian community in
effective delivery of emergency assistance, it provides timely, reliable and
relevant information as events unfold, while emphasizing the coverage of
“forgotten emergencies” at the same time.
IRIN (The Integrated Regional Information Networks) provides news and
analysis about sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia for the
humanitarian community. The networks target decision-makers in relief
agencies and host and donor governments, among others, and strive to
ensure that affected communities can also access reliable information.


OCHA leads and facilitates a number of inter-agency consultations on the
humanitarian implications of climate change, including the discussions in
the IASC. It also maintains the “special focus” section on ReliefWeb dedicated
to the humanitarian implications of climate change.
OCHA launched a Climate Change Campaign in December 2008 to highlight
the humanitarian impacts of climate change and call for a system-wide
shift of attention, resources and expertise to improve disaster preparedness,
within the wider disaster risk reduction approach.
OCHA promotes to ensure continuity and predictability in coordination
support throughout the recovery period in cooperation with UNDGO and
UNDP/BCPR. It supports and advocates for “building back better” through
the shelter guidelines it publishes in cooperation with major international
relief providers.

At the headquarters level, OCHA coordinates the promotion of disaster
preparedness for effective response in close cooperation with relevant
entities such as UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, UNISDR,
the World Bank, IFRC, donors, and humanitarian agencies in the Inter-Agency
Standing Committee (IASC), including the support to the IASC Task Force on
Climate Change.
Within the Emergency Services Branch, the Emergency Preparedness
Section works in collaboration with other OCHA entities to promote the
implementation of the HFA Priority 5. It supports OCHA’s Regional and Field
Offices in coordinating, providing technical advice and ensuring consistent
disaster preparedness work across geographical regions. In addition,
Pandemic Influenza Contingency (PIC) convenes the UN inter-agency
humanitarian pandemic group and develops simulation packages and other
preparedness tools for the pandemic contingency.
Moreover, OCHA promotes effective response preparedness with the
humanitarian partners in such areas as promotion of inter-agency
contingency planning, strengthening of international response tools
(UNDAC, INSARAG), implementation of the Cluster Approach, HC/RC

strengthening, information management and humanitarian financing

system (CERF, CAP, Flash Appeals). At the field level, OCHA assists promotion
of disaster preparedness in disaster-prone countries and regions, through its
network of Regional and Field Offices as well as Regional Disaster Response
Advisors (RDRAs) and National Disaster Response Advisors (NDRAs).
OCHA
Specifically, OCHA assists RC/HCs and UNCTs in disaster-prone countries
in conducting contingency and preparedness planning and promoting
functioning inter-agency coordination structures. It provides technical
advice to national governments in elaborating national contingency and
preparedness plans, including related practical measures such as customs
facilitation measures and pre-positioning of relief items. It also strengthens
regional collaboration in disaster preparedness with various regional
organizations.
Focal point
Emergency Preparedness Section ([email protected])
OCHA Regional Offices
CADRI Team (UNDP/OCHA/ISDR) at the UNISDR
Website
ochaonline.un.org
www.reliefweb.int
www.unisdr.org/cadri

UNDP
United Nations Development Programme –
Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating
for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and
resources to help people build a better life. UNDP works on the ground in
166 countries, working with countries on their own solutions to global and
national development challenges.

UNDP supports disaster-prone countries in the development of legislative
frameworks, operational systems and coordination mechanisms to ensure
the integration of risk reduction into human development, through its Bu-
reau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery.

The UNDP Strategic Plan (2008-2011) urges UNDP in its strategic
coordinating role of behalf of the United Nations to support the
coordination and assistance for the implementation of the Hyogo
Framework for Action 2005-2015, in the increasingly urgent area of disaster
risk reduction.
The Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) has developed a 2007-
2011 strategy, which identifies two outcome areas: 1) prevention and risk
reduction, 2) recovery.
In 1998 the United Nations General Assembly decided to, “transfer to UNDP
the responsibilities of the Emergency Relief Coordinator for operational
activities for natural disaster mitigation, prevention and preparedness, with
the understanding that the resources for this task will be separate and
additional to the resources of the UNDP for development activities and

that they will be provided by a grant from the regular budget of the United
Nations for the biennium 1998-1999 (A/RES/52/12B, para 16).”
In 2001 UNDP’s Executive Board recognized, “that crisis prevention
and disaster mitigation should be integral parts of sustainable human
development strategies and […] that UNDP has some relevant operational
experience in crisis and post-conflict situations (DP/2002/2).” This
UNDP
resulted in the creation of BCPR “to enhance UNDP’s efforts for sustainable
development, working with partners to reduce the incidence and impact
of disasters and violent conflicts, and to establish the solid foundations for
peace and recovery from crisis, thereby advancing the MDGs on poverty
reduction”. Crisis Prevention and Recovery is one of five UNDP core practice
areas.
In 2007 BCPR made disaster reduction a bureau-wide function supported by
three clusters dealing with strategy and policy, programmes and operations,
and technical advisory services. The technical advisory services cluster
includes a 16-person Disaster Reduction and Recovery Team (DRT). The
DRT’s mandated functional areas of responsibility include leading policy
formulation, managing personnel networks, contributing to knowledge
management, developing practice tools, advocating globally for CPR,
providing technical support for programme design and formulation, and
managing global programs.
UNDP focuses on the national and sub-national levels, where UNDP assists
the national and local governments in implementing disaster risk reduction
activities. BCPR has created positions for full-time senior regional disaster
reduction advisors (RDRA) on all five regions in which UNDP operates. The
RDRAs help provide coherence to UNDP programme portfolio, promote
exchange between countries, provide technical advice and advocate for
implementing new ideas at the national and sub-national levels. The RDRAs
work closely with the Disaster Reduction Team of BCPR and their respective
regional teams.
BCPR also funds 15 National Disaster Reduction Advisors in UNDP offices
in high risk countries (12 more planned for 2009). In addition to providing
technical advice and support to the National Governments at a high level,
the NDRA also works as a resource to the ISDR system.
Based on the demand for UNDP support emanating from countries a
number of key thematic areas have emerged. UNDP has formulated the
following global initiatives in these thematic areas with the purpose of

maximizing on the regional and global knowledge in providing high quality

support to UNDP programme countries:
• The Global Risk Identification Programme (GRIP),
• Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI),
• Climate Risk Management,
• Urban Risk Management,
• International Recovery Platform (IRP),
• Global Mainstreaming Initiative (GMI) and
• Gender Sensitive Disaster Reduction and Recovery.

Inter-Agency Group
Joint Initiative on Recovery Coordination (OCHA, UNDOCO, UNDP/BCPR)
National Governments (Disaster Management/Preparedness, Planning,
Construction)

UNDP promotes efforts to integrate disaster risk reduction into national
development programmes.
UNDP launched a Global Mainstreaming Initiative in 2005 to strengthen the
capacity of governments to integrate disaster risk reduction and other core
development priorities such as human rights, good governance, climate
risk management and food security in national development planning and
programmes. The complex interface of disaster with conflict and political
instability is also an essential consideration. Key activities include:
• Integrating disaster risk reduction into other UNDP priority areas (energy
and environment, poverty reduction and democratic governance) as
well as other central cross-cutting issues, including climate change and
gender.

• Building capacities to integrate disaster risk reduction at the national

level through the development of tools, such as tailored training
packages and practical case studies.
• Promoting harmonization of disaster risk reduction approaches with
key partners, including the World Bank, the ISDR and the ProVention
Consortium.
UNDP
UNDP is undertaking the design and development of a training course on
mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development which is aimed
at government counterparts, UNCT members and UNDP staff. UNDP
is undertaking a series of pivotal pieces of analytical work aimed and
strengthening understanding of DRR governance and mainstreaming.
UNDP also played a key role in the UNDG-ISDR Task Team on mainstreaming
disaster risk reduction into to CCA-UNDAF processes.
UNDP has stressed urban disaster risk reduction as an important area of
engagement and undertaken a series of activities to mainstream DRR into
urban development processes using global advocacy, regional partnership
and local implementation together with ECHO, the Earthquake and
Megacities Initiative, UNISDR, International Institute for Environment and
Development, UN-Habitat and ProVention Consortium.

UNDP has established a risk identification programme (GRIP - Global Risk
Identification Programme) officially launched as the Official Platform for Risk
Identification, that works with international and local expert institutions and
authorities in five main aspects of risk and loss assessment. Project activities
have an early emphasis on capacity development. GRIP creates an improved
evidence base for disaster risk management, including Risk Analysis, the
formation of a global Loss Database and global standards as well as regular
updates on Global Risks. It also develops and enhances national capacities
through training and the formation of communities of practice.
1. Demonstrations – GRIP demonstrates in a few countries that information
on disaster risks and losses can be applied to improve risk management
decisions and development outcomes.
2. Capacity development – GRIP works to develop capacity by local partners
to undertake risk assessments and apply the results. Activities include the
development and promotion of standards and the training of national
actors and institutions in disaster risk analysis.

3. Enhanced global disaster loss data – The GRIP expands and improves
the evidence base on disaster related losses. Work in this outcome area
includes development and promotion of tools and standards for damage
and loss assessment. It also promotes the systematic organization of loss
data into databases for analysis and use.
4. Risk analyses for management decision-support in high-risk countries
create additional opportunities to convene, facilitate and provide
technical support to national crisis risk analysis exercises. As with the
demonstration cases above, governments and local institutions are the
key partners, supported by international agencies as appropriate.
5. Global risk update is a periodically-issued compilation of risk analyses
generated through the GRIP. The update will be widely distributed, and
contribute to a common understanding of disaster risk patterns and
their causes globally. The risk update will be increasingly based on high
resolution analyses contributed by local, national and regional partners.
The first publication of the Global Risk Update will be presented in June
2009, after which the report will be published regularly every two years.
UNDP is developing a Capacity Development portal including a Risk

Assessment toolbox, training modules and a community of practice at
www.gripweb.org. It also establishes National Disaster Loss Data Observatories
for the systematic and sustainable collection, analysis and interpretation of
disaster losses n about 20 high-risk countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
National Risk Atlases to understand magnitude, distribution and causes of
risk as well as to evaluate effectiveness of disaster risk reduction strategies
are being prepared in five countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

The Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI) was conceived in 2007
as an inter-agency programme of UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and
Recovery (UNDP/BCPR), the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) and the secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UNISDR). CADRI is the successor to the UN Disaster Management
Training Programme (UN DMTP).
CADRI serves as a vehicle through which the three organizations can
maximize their ability to “deliver as one” for disaster risk reduction,
focusing on capacity development. CADRI works with the UN system and
governments at the country level and supports the broader ISDR system

to make capacity development a cross-cutting element for disaster risk

reduction. Services include: training and facilitation, materials development
and dissemination, capacity development advisory services, knowledge
exchange and networking.
The BCPR has a full-time disaster reduction advisor focused on the gender
sensitive disaster reduction and recovery. This advisor administers a fund
UNDP
that can be allocated to country offices for the purpose of ensuring that
UNDP’s disaster reduction programmes are based on sound analyses of the
capacities and needs of both women and men and that these are enhanced
and addressed in the resulting programmes.

UNDP’s Climate Risk Management (CRM) programme assesses the
risks associated with climate variability and change. The Climate Risk
Identification Technical Assistance Global Project started in September 2008.
The results feed into set of selected country programmes as well as inform
the practice of climate risk management in general. The project seeks to
address an important gap in the institutionalization and implementation of
appropriate CRM policies and strategies at the national, regional and global
levels.
The project also entails working with national governments, recognizing
their priorities, and helping them build the necessary capacity to manage
climate risk. By undertaking a stakeholder-driven assessment of risks posed
by climate variability and change, based on historical data, observable
trends and predictions, the project generates evidence-based convergence
on risk management priorities for each country based on the best scientific
evidence available.
The project is one vehicle for operationalizing the BCPR-BDP (UNDP
Bureau for Development Policy) joint work plan and provides a unified
service on climate change matters to national governments. The joint work
planning framework between BCPR and BDP/EEG envisions joint work in
approximately 35 countries.
The International Recovery Platform (IRP) focuses on mainstreaming a
culture of prevention, mainly by supporting and facilitating the adoption of
appropriate recovery practices by disaster-affected populations and their
governments with a particular focus on high risk/low capacity countries.


In 2006, UNDP launched its Immediate Crisis Response Initiative (known
internally as ‘SURGE’) to enhance its institutional ability to respond more
quickly and effectively in the recovery phase following a conflict or disaster.
UNDP can deploy SURGE Advisors on very short notice. It has Standard
Operating Procedures for immediate crisis response, which have been
tested, refined and officially adopted, and a toolkit has been developed with
an extensive roll-in phase planed for all UNDP country offices for 2009.
Focal point
Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery/ Disaster Risk Reduction Team
Bureau for Development Policy
Website
www.undp.org
www.gri-p.net
www.unisdr.org/cadri

UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme
UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the environmental
agency of the United Nations. As such, it has the mandate to both drive the
integration of environmental and sustainable principles into the activities of
the UN family, and deliver its own specialist programmes on environment,
sustainable development, and conflicts and disaster management.

UNEP’s objective under its Subprogramme 2 for Disasters and Conflicts
is “to minimize environmental threats to human well-being from the
environmental causes and consequences of existing and potential natural
and man-made disasters.” UNEP seeks:
• enhanced capacity of Member States in environmental management in
order to contribute to natural and man-made disaster risk reduction;
• upon request by Member States to provide early warning on
environmental risks, environmental data and expertise on sustainable
management of transboundary and shared natural resources;
• to contribute to global policy development by mainstreaming
environmental lessons learned and best practice into the relevant policy
and planning processes;
• to conduct rapid and reliable post-crisis assessments following conflicts
and disasters as requested;
• to contribute to improved environmental management and the
sustainable use of natural resources through post-crisis assessment and
recovery process.


The work on risk reduction focuses on countries identified through
assessments as vulnerable to natural hazards and human-made disasters
from environmental factors. UNEP supports the development of responsive
strategies, capacity building and the implementation of pilot projects to
reduce identified risks, as well as assists countries to secure GEF financing
to support their work in disaster risk reduction. UNEP also disseminates
best practice on how natural resource management can contribute to the
reduction of risk from natural hazards and man-made disasters.
Some expected outputs include:
• Early warning and risk assessments delivered, and communicated widely,
at global, regional and national levels;
• Policy toolkits and education modules demonstrating best practices in
reducing risks through improved environmental management taken up
by UN agencies and Member States;
• Policy support and pilot projects in vulnerable countries to catalyze
practical action towards reducing risk from natural hazards and human-
made disasters;
• National preparedness to respond to and to mitigate acute
environmental risks caused by emergencies improved through capacity-
building measures and risk information;
• Integrating environment and disaster risk reduction into the recovery
process;
• Risk reduction for industrial accidents enhanced by strengthening
capacity on preparedness at national and local levels, including through
legal frameworks.

Inter-Agency Group
Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR)
On-going collaboration with the UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit;
various UN agencies and international organizations
UNEP, in partnership with key UN and other international organizations,
has proposed to develop a Global Climate Change Adaptation Network to
support developing countries to better prepare for climate change impacts
and probable disasters through supporting governments, communities and
other users with knowledge, technology, demonstration and capacity

building for their adaptation policy setting, planning and practices, as well
as cross-sectoral and cross-scale cooperation.
National and local authorities responsible for Environment; Planning;
Disaster Management & Preparedness; Coastal Zone Management
UNEP

One of the high-level outcomes of the UNEP-coordinated Partnership on
Environment for Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR) is to scale-up capacity
building, so that governments and implementing organizations are
better able to develop and implement integrated disaster risk reduction,
ecosystem management and livelihood policies, plans and projects. Another
priority of this partnership is to make science-based knowledge and
guidance relevant and usable for governments and appropriate institutions.
The PEDRR promotes better access to data and information, so that
international and national communities are able to understand and start
to incorporate ecosystem management and the livelihoods approach into
disaster risk reduction policies, plans and practices.
UNEP helps vulnerable countries and regions build key adaptive capacity to
cope better with expected adverse impacts of climate change, and climate
related disasters.

The Project of Risk Evaluation, Vulnerability, Information & Early Warning
(PREVIEW), collects data to model hazards, computes human exposure and
incorporates socio-economic and physical factors into risk identification to
produce risk maps and indexes. It allows users to visualise and download
data on hazard, exposure and risk for tropical cyclones, droughts, floods,
earthquakes, forest fires, landslides, volcanoes and tsunamis.
Since 2007 DEWA-Europe is involved in the ISDR system Global Assessment
Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR). Main focus from DEWA-Europe is
on Global Risk Assessment. For this project DEWA-Europe played a key

role by modelling global flood and cyclones distribution (including storm

surges) using very detailed data such as elevation at 90 m resolution.
Computing human and economical exposure for cyclones, floods,
earthquakes, drought, landslides and tsunamis. Using a new methodology,
DEWA-Europe also derived human vulnerability and for three hazards, thus
producing a new risk index for comparing countries. DEWA-Europe will
host the Global Risk Data Platform which is supported by three institutions
(UN/ISDR, UNDP/BCPR and UNEP/DEPI). Data will include tropical cyclones,
floods, drought, earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis. With computation of
exposure and risk at different levels (national and raster at 1x1 km).
UNEP’s Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA) facilitates access
to relevant environmental data for decision-making through monitoring,
analyses and reports on the state of the global and regional environment
and trends, producing such publications as the Global Environment Outlook
(GEO). While UNEP/DEWA does support early warning for typical disasters
such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, etc., the primary focus is on longer-term
warning of “emerging environmental threats.”
The Post-Conflict & Disaster Management Branch (PCDMB) has a focus
on disaster risk reduction with environment and ecosystem factors, and
works to prevent and combat future environmental threats based on early
assessments.

UNEP produces many environmental risk assessments, as well as good
practices and lessons learned initiatives, which help to build awareness, and
therefore resilience.
The Division of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI) works with
international and national partners, providing technical assistance and
advisory services to strengthen environmental management capacity of
developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
The Ecosystem Services Economics Unit under DEPI promotes sustainable
management of ecosystem services, following up on the Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment, liaising with relevant partners including Secretariats
of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and donors to support
their decisions. The Ecosystem Services Economics Unit promotes the idea
that accurate valuation of ecosystem services can lead to better decision-
making when disaster risk reduction is included.

The International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) promotes and

implements environmentally sound technologies, including management
systems for disaster prevention, production and consumption, and water
and sanitation.
UNEP highlights adaptive water resource management to minimize
projected stresses of too little or too much water induced by climate change
UNEP
for disaster reduction, conflict prevention and the realization of the MDGs
through knowledge-based policy, technology and finance interventions.

UNEP’s Post-Conflict & Disaster Management Branch (PCDMB) works
to prevent and combat future environmental threats by characterizing
“emerging environmental threats” in the early stages.
PCDMB and DEWA have a joint project on “Integrating ecosystem and
climate change factors into disaster risk assessments and associated
planning processes,” aiming at incorporating projections of “change in
risk” from environmental and climate change trends in order to identify
emerging areas of high risk.
UNEP focuses also on climate-proofing low-lying coastal zones and glacier
mountain regions. UNEP assists, in particular, South-East Asia, Africa, and
Small Island Developing States to respond better to both the disastrous
threat of sea level rise and more frequent floods down-streams from large
rivers. UNEP supports policy interventions, land use planning, technology
transfer, creation of ecological buffer zones and building key infrastructure.

Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at Local Level (APELL) is a
programme developed by UNEP in conjunction with governments and
industry with the purpose of minimizing the occurrence and harmful
effects of technological accidents and environmental emergencies. The
strategy of the APELL approach is to identify and create awareness of risks
in an industrialized community, to initiate measures for risk reduction and
mitigation, and to develop coordinated preparedness between the industry,
the local authorities and the local population.

Focal point
UNEP - Post-Conflict & Disaster Management Branch (PCDMB)
Website
www.unep.org
http://postconflict.unep.ch/
www.gripweb.org/
www.unep.org/dewa/
www.unep.org/depi/
www.unep.or.jp/

UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization
UNESCO
UNESCO is the United Nations’ specialized agency for education, science and
culture. Since its creation in 1945, the Organization has worked to promote
knowledge and education worldwide. Its close links with professional and
academic communities and other partners in 193 countries put it in a key
position to press for action.

UNESCO assists Member States in building capacities to withstand and
cope with natural events and human induced disasters, including those of a
technological nature. UNESCO seeks to harness knowledge and technology
and promote education for building effective capacities to foster prevention
and reduce vulnerability to all kinds of disasters, particularly affecting poor
populations.

In its 34th session, the General Conference of UNESCO included contributing
to disaster mitigation and preparedness among the fourteen Strategic
Programme Objectives in the Organization’s Medium Term Strategy for
2008-2013 and Programme and Budget for 2008-2009.
UNESCO provides intergovernmental coordination, advice to governments
and policy support for the establishment and operation of monitoring
networks and early warning and risk mitigation systems for natural hazards,
with particular emphasis on earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and landslides.
It also promotes joint multi-stakeholder strategies for enhancing disaster
education and awareness as an intrinsic element of the United Nations
Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (UN DESD) led by
UNESCO, especially in communities at risk located in Africa, LDCs and SIDS.

Integrated approaches and synergies between the natural sciences, the

social sciences, culture, education and information systems lay the basis for
interdisciplinary platforms to manage disaster risks.

Inter-Agency Group
ISDR Thematic Platform for Knowledge and Education
Coalition for Global School Safety and Disaster Prevention Education
(GOGSS-DPE)
International Consortium on Landslides
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
International Flood Initiative (IFI)
International Platform for Reducing Earthquake Disaster (IPRED)
Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS)
Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)
World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)
National Commissions of UNESCO; National committees of water,
oceanographic and earth sciences; Ministries of Education, Construction and
Meteorology and related extension services.


The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO
coordinates the establishment of tsunami early warning systems in the
Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean and

Northeast Atlantic Ocean and connected Seas. The IOC work includes
complementary and sustained activities in tsunami and other sea-level
related hazard risk assessment, tsunami warning training, emergency
response, and preparedness as part of the comprehensive tsunami and
coastal inundation mitigation programmes. IOC is cooperating with and
assisting several Member States in strengthening their national end-to-end
UNESCO
tsunami and other ocean-related hazards warning systems as part of the
ongoing ocean-wide coordination processes. Besides the instrumentation
networks, redundant communication channels, Standard Operating
Procedures (SOP) and preparedness programmes are the key to effective
early warning and thus DRR.
It also promotes the end-to-end concept for early warning systems,
in partnership with the UNISDR and WMO. The IOC has established
intergovernmental tsunami early warning coordination groups for the
Indian Ocean, Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean, and Caribbean Regions
in 2005. The Pacific Tsunami Warning System has been established as early
as 1965.
UNESCO is an active partner in the Integrated Global Observing Strategy
(IGOS) which seeks to provide a comprehensive framework to harmonize
the common interests of the major space-based and in-situ systems
for global observation of the Earth. UNESCO promotes the geohazards
component in the IGOS.
The International Flood Initiative (IFI) is based on the integrated flood
management policy and aims to ensure that end-to-end process of flood
management is put in place, balancing development needs and flood risks,
considering structural and non-structural measures, as well as positive and
negative impacts on floods by stimulating research, improving training in
both informal and academic settings, and networking information.
UNESCO also strengthens international and regional networks on
knowledge sharing and capacity-building for earthquake risk mitigation.
An international platform regarding earthquakes and tsunamis has been
developed in cooperation with the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism, including a research and training platform for
earthquake disaster reduction based on seismology and earthquake
engineering.
The International Consortium on Landslides (ICL) has paved the way for
the organization of a World Landslide Forum. UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere
(MAB) Programme has been particularly concerned with drought and

combating desertification and has produced and disseminated training and

educational materials in this area.

UNESCO plays a pivotal role in the ISDR Thematic Platform on Knowledge
and Education. UNESCO stimulates regional partnerships and networks
devoted to the collection and dissemination of relevant information and
knowledge on hazards, vulnerabilities and risk mitigation capacities. It
disseminates, promotes and advocates guidelines, good practices and tools
for proactive policies to reduce vulnerabilities and to promote integrated
assessment and mitigation of disaster risks.
UNESCO pays particular attention to gender-sensitive and socioculturally
relevant approaches and to the promotion of local and indigenous practices
for risk reduction, to the use of formal and informal channels to mobilize
and sensitize community leaders, women, youth and children, and to the
dissemination of guidelines for the protection of schools and cultural
heritage sites at risk.
Integration of disaster risk reduction is an intrinsic element of the UNESCO-
led United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
(UN DESD). One of the key objectives is to integrate disaster risk reduction
into school curricula and promote guidelines for school safety and
preparedness programmes. The World Disaster Reduction Campaign
“Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School” (2006-2007), jointly coordinated
by UNESCO and UNISDR, created a global momentum for strengthening
disaster risk education and ensuring school safety. UNESCO also collects
and makes information available over the internet on disaster risk reduction
educational materials.



Focal point
Section for Disaster Reduction
IOC’s Tsunami Unit
Website
UNESCO
www.unesco.org
www.unesco.org/disaster
www.ioc-tsunami.org

UNFCCC SECRETARIAT
The United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change Secretariat

In 1992, most countries joined an international treaty -- the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- to begin to consider
what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope with whatever
temperature increases are inevitable. More recently, a number of nations
approved an addition to the treaty: the Kyoto Protocol, which has legally
binding measures and entered into force on 16 February 2005.
The UNFCCC secretariat supports all institutions involved in the climate
change process, particularly the COP, the subsidiary bodies and their Bureau
and cooperative action by States to combat climate change and its impacts
on humanity and ecosystems. The UNFCCC plays a catalytic role regarding
action on climate change, and in particular adaptation, to initiate activities
within the UN System to help implement mandated activities, including the
Bali Action Plan.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the “supreme body” of the
Convention; it is the highest decision-making authority. It is an association
of all the (192) countries that are Parties to the Convention. The COP meets
every year, unless the Parties decide otherwise.
The Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the
Kyoto Protocol (CMP) is the “supreme body” of the Kyoto Protocol. It is an
association of those Parties to the Convention that have also ratified the
Kyoto Protocol. The CMP meets every year during the same period as the
COP.
The Convention established two permanent subsidiary bodies: the
Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the
Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). These bodies give advice to the
COP and the CMP, and each has a specific mandate. The SBSTA and the SBI

traditionally meet in parallel, at least twice a year. Both bodies carry out
activities on adaptation and include inputs on disaster risk reduction in their
work.
UNFCCC SECRETARIAT
At COP 13, the Conference of the Parties, by its decision 1/CP.13, (the Bali
Action Plan), launched a comprehensive process to enable the full, effective
and sustained implementation of the Convention through long-term
cooperative action, now, up to and beyond 2012. This process is being
conducted under a temporary subsidiary body under the Convention,
the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the
Convention (AWG-LCA). The AWG-LCA shall complete its work and present
the outcome to the Conference of the Parties at its fifteenth session
(December 2009).

Decision 1/CP.13, or the Bali Action Plan, highlights the significance of
disaster risk reduction and risk management as part of enhanced action on
climate change adaptation.

The Nairobi Work Programme of the SBSTA identifies ‘climate-related risks
and extreme events’ as one of the work area. Activities under this work area
are implemented with a view to Promoting understanding of impacts of,
and vulnerability to, climate change, current and future climate variability
and extreme events, and the implications for sustainable development.
Another work area of the work programme, adaptation planning and
practices addresses issues in integrating practices, tools and systems for
climate risk assessment and management and disaster risk reduction
strategies into national policies and programmes.
Under the Convention, all Parties are required to report, known as a “national
communication”, on the steps they are taking to implement the Convention.
National communication includes reporting on vulnerability assessment,
expected impacts of climate change and adaptation measures.
The UNFCCC Parties have recognized that existing knowledge and
capacities for coping with extreme weather events must be harnessed to
adapt to climate change. The Bali Action Plan highlights, in paragraph 1(c),
the significance of disaster risk reduction as part of enhanced action on
climate change adaptation. The Bali Action Plan’s directions for enhanced
action on adaptation includes the consideration of:

• “Risk management and risk reduction strategies, including risk sharing

and transfer mechanisms such as insurance;
• Disaster reduction strategies and means to address loss and damage
associated with climate change impacts in developing countries that are
particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.” (FCCC/
CP/2007/6/Add.1, paragraph 1(c) (ii) and (iii))
Also, enhanced action on adaptation in the Bali Action Plan includes

other elements that are highly relevant to reducing disaster risk, such as
vulnerability assessments, capacity-building and response strategies, as well
as integration of actions into sectoral and national planning.

ISDR Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change
National climate change focal points.
As of March 2009, the UNFCCC secretariat had received 39 National

Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPAs), consisting of 437 priority
projects. The priority projects vary among countries according to their
specific vulnerabilities and the adverse effects of climate change variability
and extremes that they are experiencing. Projects have been identified
as cross-sectoral projects as well as those applicable to individual sectors
including: food security, agriculture and livestock; coastal zones and marine
ecosystems; disaster management; early warning and forecasting; education
and training; energy; fisheries; forestry; health; infrastructure; insurance;
terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity; tourism; and water resources.

The Nairobi Work Programme of the SBSTA compiles and disseminates
knowledge in “integrating practices, tools and systems for climate risk

assessment and management and disaster risk reduction strategies into

national policies and programmes”. The UNFCCC prepared a technical paper,
and held a technical workshop in March 2009, in collaboration with UNISDR
Secretariat, on this topic.
UNFCCC SECRETARIAT
Decisions 5/CP.7 (FCCC/CP/2001/13/Add.1) and 1/CP.10 (Buenos Aires
programme of work on adaptation and response measures) (FCCC/
CP/2004/10/Add.1) call for implementation of various adaptation actions,
many of which are relevant and cross-cutting to all HFA priorities, e.g.,
• Integrating climate change considerations into sustainable development
planning;
• Strengthening existing and, where needed, establishing national and
regional systematic observation and monitoring networks (sea-level
rise, climate and hydrological monitoring stations, fire hazards, land
degradation, floods, cyclones and droughts);
• Supporting capacity building, including institutional capacity, for
preventive measures, planning, preparedness of disasters relating
to climate change, including contingency planning, in particular, for
droughts and floods in areas prone to extreme weather events;
• Strengthening existing and, where needed, establishing early warning
systems for extreme weather events in an integrated and interdisciplinary
manner to assist developing country Parties, in particular those most
vulnerable to climate change;
• Supporting education and training in, and public awareness of, climate
change related issues, for example through workshops and information
dissemination;
• Supporting capacity building, including institutional capacity, for
preventive measures, planning, preparedness and management of
disasters relating to climate change, including contingency planning, in
particular, for droughts and floods in areas prone to extreme weather
events.

The UNFCCC Secretariat has undertaken efforts to build capacity on risk
assessment through workshops, and share knowledge and information on
risk assessment, including through publications.
Through the Nairobi Work Programme of the SBSTA, Parties and
organizations share knowledge and information on methods and tools, data
and observations, socio-economic information, climate-related risks

and extreme events, climate modelling, scenarios and downscaling, and

adaptation planning and practices. These efforts are informed by a wide
range of organizations and stakeholders, including by ISDR System.

A series of regional workshops were undertaken under Decision 1/CP.10 to
ascertain Parties’ vulnerability to future climate change; current adaptation
plans, strategies and actions; and future adaptation options (For further
details on the regional workshops under decision 1/CP.10, please see
http://unfccc.int/2535.php). The UNFCCC Secretariat summarized findings
from these workshops, National Communications, National Adaptation
Programmes of Action and other sources in the publication, Climate
Change: Impacts, Vulnerabilities and Adaptation in Developing Countries.
The book reports on countries’ interest in linking disaster risk reduction
and adaptation efforts.( This book is available on-line at: http://unfccc.int/
resource/docs/publications/impacts.pdf )
To promote knowledge sharing in adaptation, the UNFCCC Secretariat
developed a local coping strategies database and adaptation practices
interface. The former intends to facilitate the transfer of long-standing
coping strategies and knowledge from communities which have adapted
to specific hazards or climatic conditions, to communities which may just
be starting to experience such conditions as a result of climate change.
(For more information on the Local coping strategies database, please see
<http://maindb.unfccc.int/public/adaptation/)
The latter is a gateway to information on adaptation practices worldwide.
It provides a summary of adaptation practices by a large range of
organizations, agencies and businesses, along with descriptions and relevant
links and publications. Information is searchable by various work focus and
disciplinary, including disaster risk reduction.( For more information on the
Adaptation practices interface, please see <http://unfccc.int/4555.php)

UNFCCC Secretariat is the convener of international negotiations on climate
change. As awareness among Parties’ has grown that countries will need to
adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change, adaptation has gained

importance in the work under the UNFCCC and in the negotiations. As such,
adaptation is one of the pillars of the Bali Action Plan and an important area
of negotiations under the AWG-LCA.
UNFCCC SECRETARIAT
The Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation
to climate change is mandated by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and
Technological Advice (SBSTA). The five-year programme (2005-2010), which
has completed its first set of mandated activities and is now undertaking
further work, aims to help all countries improve their understanding
and assessment of the impacts of climate change and to make informed
decisions on practical adaptation actions and measures. It is an international
framework implemented by Parties, intergovernmental and non-
governmental organizations, the private sector, communities and other
stakeholders.
The National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) provide an
important way to prioritise urgent adaptation needs for least developed
countries (Article 4.9). They draw on existing information and community-
level input to identify adaptation projects required now in order to enable
these countries to cope with the immediate impacts of climate change.
The National Communication (NCs) provide information on the steps
Parties are taking to implement the Convention. Reporting in the National
Communication includes on vulnerability assessment, expected impacts of
climate change and adaptation measures.
Support for Adaptation: Developing countries require international
assistance to support adaptation (Articles 4.4, 4.8 and 4.9). This includes
funding, technology transfer and insurance as well as resources to reduce
the risk of disasters and raise the resilience of communities to increasing
extreme events. Least developed countries (LDCs) and small island
developing States (SIDS) need particular consideration due to their extreme
vulnerability.
Funding for adaptation is provided through the financial mechanism of the
Convention, currently operated by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Funding opportunities include:
• the Trust Fund, including the Strategic Priority on Adaptation and support
for national communications including vulnerability and adaptation
assessments.
• the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) under the Convention
• the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) under the Convention

A further source of funding is the Adaptation Fund (AF) under the Kyoto
Protocol managed by the Adaptation Fund Board (AFB).

Focal point
UNFCCC Secretariat: Adaptation, Technology and Science Programme
Website
http://unfccc.int/adaptation/items/4159.php

UNFPA
United Nations Population Fund
UNFPA
UNFPA is an international development agency that promotes the right of
every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity.
UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and
programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is
wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every
girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

To ensure adequate emergency preparedness and contingency planning at
country level and to improve environmental protection.

UNFPA’s three-year institutional strategy for emergency preparedness,
humanitarian response and transition and recovery includes various
measures to strengthen technical and institutional capacities to incorporate
population, reproductive health and gender concerns into overall
emergency preparedness, response, transition and recovery. UNFPA supports
national capacity-building in emergency preparedness as an integral part
of regular country programme activities. Various UNFPA programmes have
been strengthened to be adequately prepared on the basis of scenario
planning and risk assessment which also take into account early warning
systems.
UNFPA is actively engaged in emergency preparedness and contingency
planning through (1) ongoing efforts to collect, analyze and monitor basic
population data; (2) building the capacity of national counterparts to
implement the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Reproductive

Health in Crisis Situations, and (3) the pre-positioning of reproductive health

supplies such as reproductive health emergency kits as well as dignity kits.
UNFPA supports the work in the following three focus areas:
1) provision and/or organization of reproductive health and emergency
obstetric care, including distribution of safe delivery kits to field hospitals
and rape kits for women in shelters and assembly points;
2) promotion and protection of women’s rights and dignity in areas
vulnerable to or affected by disasters, including monitoring and
prevention of sexual violence, including follow-up of reported cases; and
3) special attention to the rights of marginalized groups, including
people living with HIV/AIDS, sex workers, street youths, and persons
with disabilities, using community networks as direct vehicles for the
distribution of emergency commodities and vital supplies.
UNFPA works for securing essential supplies – from contraceptives to

HIV testing kits to equipment for emergency obstetric care – so that the
right to reproductive health can be fully exercised. UNFPA takes a lead
role in reproductive health commodity security, coordinating the process,
forecasting needs, mobilizing support and building logistical capacity at the
country level.
The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development
(ICPD) emphasized that “efforts to slow down population growth, to
reduce poverty, to achieve economic progress, to improve environmental
protection, and to reduce unsustainable consumption and production
patterns are mutually reinforcing.” Mobilizing the resources needed
to implement the ICPD Programme of Action is therefore a key action
to protect the environment, as well as to promote women’s rights and
sustainable development.
The 2001 UNFPA State of the World Population Report on Population and
Environmental Change stressed the close and complex relation between
population and the environment. Similarly it was recognized that climate
change would have a serious impact including increased storms, flooding
and soil erosion, accelerated extinction of plants and animals, shifting
agricultural zones, and a threat to public health due to increased water
stress and tropical disease. These conditions could increase environmental
refugees and international economic migration. UNFPA, at an institutional
level, is increasingly studying how to adapt its programming processes to
better incorporate DRR both in development programmes as well as in
emergency preparedness.


Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and its subsidiary bodies
Inter-Agency Working Group for Reproductive Health in Refugee Situations
UNFPA
National Disaster Management Councils/Units of line ministries in
framework of existing contingency plans in some countries
Global MOU with IFRC and MOUs at national level in some countries


UNFPA considers disaster risk reduction in its environmental scanning and
strategic planning work. UNFPA has been involved in modeling methods for
population and environmental dynamics which have helped governments
highlight key population, economic and environmental relationships.
(Threshold 21 (T21) model)
UNFPA has participated through UNDG into adopting indicators for
monitoring the balance between population growth and development,
including environmental impacts, which are now part of the Common
Country Assessment procedures.

UNFPA addresses both population and environmental concerns, by
incorporating reproductive health information and services into existing
environmental protection efforts, or including environmental education in
reproductive health or population education programmes.

UNFPA supports research on mapping the connections between a number

of variables—increasing environmental stress caused by climate change,
fertility patterns, voluntary or forced migration, urbanization, women’s
health and education status, and the push/pull effects of economic
decisions.
In 2007 and 2008, UNFPA carried out a series of regional capacity building
workshops for UNFPA staff as well as government and NGO partners in Latin
America and the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, South and
West Asia and the Pacific Region. These workshops provide skills to be better
prepared for humanitarian preparedness as well as response and recovery
interventions. Focus is increasingly put on climate change related disasters.

UNFPA recognizes that limited land availability can lead poor people
to settle in fragile areas. UNFPA supports constructive policies that will
make the most of opportunities, avoid limits and promote equity. It also
pursues an integrated approach to defeating poverty and protecting the
environment building on national ownership of development initiative as
well as local control and respect for local knowledge at community level.
UNFPA pays attention to the voices of women, who are responsible for food,
water, fuel and other household resources.
UNFPA advocates for climate and environmental policies to address the
geographical distribution and movement of people. The combined effects
of population growth and climate change could produce regional resource
shortages, which in turn could result in the exploitation of environmentally
sensitive areas such as hillsides, flood plains, coastal areas and wetlands.
These conditions will also increase environmental refugees, international
economic migration and associated socio-political challenges.

UNFPA is committed to assisting and protecting women, men and youth
made vulnerable by disasters caused by natural hazards, armed conflict,
and other causes. This includes refugees, internally displaced persons, and
people made homeless or vulnerable by disaster.

Within the coordinated, inter-agency response to disasters, UNFPA takes the

lead in providing supplies and services to protect reproductive health, with
an emphasis on the special needs and vulnerabilities of women and young
people. Priority areas include safe motherhood; prevention of sexually
transmitted infections, including HIV; adolescent health; and gender-based
violence. UNFPA also supports various data collection activities, including
censuses to provide detailed information for planning and rapid health
UNFPA
assessments to allow for appropriate, effective and efficient relief. UNFPA
encourages the full participation of women and young people in efforts to
rebuild their societies.
UNFPA protects the reproductive health of communities in crisis. It also
provides assistance to stricken communities as they move beyond the
acute crisis and enter the reconstruction phase and supports various data
collection activities, including censuses to provide detailed information for
planning and rapid health assessments to allow for appropriate, effective
and efficient relief.
Reproductive health supplies, equipment and medicine are organized
and stored by UNFPA in preparation for immediate distribution when an
earthquake, flood, violent conflict or other crisis arises. A rapid-response
fund enables UNFPA to mount a quick response to emergencies, especially
in the initial stages. The Fund can ship out supplies of condoms and other
commodities within a few days of receiving a request. Once an emergency
situation stabilizes, the procurement of reproductive health materials
becomes a regular part of a more comprehensive health care programme.
Quick response saves lives, which is why UNFPA ships pre-packaged supplies
directly to emergency situations (Pre-packaged Supplies Speed Response).
These supplies help to implement the Minimum Initial Service Package – a
set of objectives and activities for achieving certain minimum requirements
in an emergency. The MISP was developed by the Inter-Agency Working
Group for Reproductive Health in Refugee Situations, of which UNFPA is a
founding member.
Reproductive health needs in the early phase of an emergency include:
• Safe delivery for births with and without skilled help
• Condoms to prevent STI transmission and unwanted pregnancy
• Contraceptives and family planning support
• Rape prevention and management
• STI prevention and drugs for treatment
• HIV/AIDS prevention

• Care after miscarriages and unsafe abortions

• Sutures and surgery for Caesarean sections and bleeding
• Safe blood transfusions and instructions on universal precautions
• Referrals for more advanced care
UNFPA is also increasingly providing “dignity kits” with basic commodities
such as soap, sanitary napkins, underwear, tooth brush/tooth paste to allow
crisis affected populations to maintain their dignity, and access services
which they would otherwise not be able to reach.
Focal point
Humanitarian Response Branch
[email protected]
Website
www.unfpa.org/emergencies

UN-HABITAT
United Nations Human
UN-HABITAT
Settlements Programme

UN-HABITAT is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It
is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and
environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing
adequate shelter for all. UN-HABITAT is one of the few international
institutions that provides an overall perspective on urbanisation processes
and the only one with housing and urban development as its principal
mandate.

UN-HABITAT’s main goals related to disaster risk reduction are:
• Increasing investment in disaster risk reduction - redirecting priorities
from visible and short-term development projects to abstract long term
potential threats and risks.
• Addressing the root causes of disasters - inadequate development
practices increase the vulnerability of communities, and more focus on
pre-disaster risk reduction needs to be integrated in all development
planning.
• Incorporating vulnerability reduction and disaster management into on-
going national and local development and poverty reduction plans.
• Redirecting the focus on disaster risk reduction and mitigation rather
than preparedness and response related strategies in the human
settlements context.
• Building a culture of prevention entails a cross sectoral, multi-dimensional
approach integrating participatory analysis of risk, implementation of
programmes, and development of policy and legal frameworks with all
stakeholders including civil society, private sector, local, national and
international government, in a gendered and comprehensive process.


The Habitat Agenda (Istanbul 1996), which details its mandate, calls upon
the agency to assist member states in disaster prevention, mitigation
and preparedness, and post-disaster rehabilitation capabilities in human
settlements.
In 2007, a Strategic Policy on Human Settlements in Crisis was adopted
starting from UN-HABITAT’s Sustainable Relief and Reconstruction
Framework which includes the Hyogo Framework for Action and aims at:
• Reducing the vulnerabilities of human settlements and strengthen their
capacities for managing disasters at all levels;
• Responding to immediate needs in the aftermath of crises that are linked
to Agency mandated interventions supporting sustainable human
settlements.
The Disaster Management Programme (DMP) has been tasked to fulfill this
mandate through supporting national governments, local authorities and
communities in strengthening their capacity in managing disasters. This
applies both to the prevention and mitigation of disasters as well as the
rehabilitation of human settlements. DMP also creates awareness among
decision makers and communities on mitigation methodologies and
adequate rehabilitation in human settlements. It bridges the gap between
relief and development by combining the technical expertise, normative
understanding and lessons learned through UN-HABITAT field operations.
DMP provides a combination of long term technical and normative support
through ongoing partnerships within and outside UN-HABITAT with a surge
facility to allow for the provision of immediate support during emergency
phases. This combination ensures that DMP is able to impact all phases
of post-conflict and disaster management cycles to promote sustainable
human settlements development within situations of crisis with maximum
effect.

Local Authorities, Ministries of Housing, Urban Development, Land and
Resettlement


UN-HABITAT is working through its operational and normative programmes
UN-HABITAT
towards the adoption of disaster mitigation, environmental planning and
management policies and strategies, in particular at the city level. This
is part of its broader focus on promoting participatory urban planning,
management and governance.

Vulnerability assessment and risk mapping are a priority element of the
Disaster Management Programme. Understanding vulnerability and risk
is central in the development of disaster management models that will
promote self-reliance and long term reduction of the impact of disasters
on human settlements. In partnership with the Global Risk Identification
Programme, UN-HABITAT is developing tools for integrated risk assessment,
with a particular focus on flood and earthquake related risks.

Disaster risk reduction is one aspect that will be highlighted in UN-HABITAT’s
Global Campaign on Sustainable Urbanisation (2008 - 2013). UN-HABITAT
intends to improve its monitoring of Human Settlements and Crisis and to
develop a Global Risk Atlas for urban areas.

DMP has a broad range of experiences on vulnerability reduction and
disaster mitigation through regional consultations in Central America and
the Caribbean, the development of vulnerability reduction tools, support for
national/regional initiatives on flood mitigation in Asia, and through DMP’s
ongoing partnership with UNISDR.


The Disaster Management Programme provides support to national
governments, local authorities and communities by:
• Developing techniques and tools for the management of disaster
prevention, mitigation and rehabilitation;
• Designing and implementing training programmes, as well as supporting
training activities executed by other agencies and field projects;
• Promoting horizontal cooperation by networking institutions, experts
and experience on disaster related activities in human settlements;
• Design, implementation and backstopping of projects at local, national,
regional and global level;
Strengthening coordination and networking among communities, NGOs,

governments and external support organizations in addressing disaster-
related activities.
Focal point
Disaster, Post-Conflict and Safety Section
Disaster Management Programme
Website
www.unhabitat.org
The Disaster Management Programme’s specific site focusing on risk
assessments (www.disasterassessment.org)

UNICEF
United Nations Children’s Fund
UNICEF
UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate
for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to
expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.
UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women and strives to establish girls and boys rights as enduring ethical
principles and international standards of behavior towards children.

To meet the objectives of the HFA, UNICEF believes it is critical that develop-
ment work is ‘hazard proofed’, that education facilities are safe and provide
an opportunity for children and adults to learn about disasters and that
humanitarian action and recovery contribute to a reduction of disaster risk.
UNICEF also supports early warning and emergency preparedness facilitat-
ing a timely, effective and national authority led humanitarian response.

UNICEF is currently refining its global framework for disaster reduction, which
focuses on protection and risk reduction for those who are most vulnerable
to disasters: children and women. Children and women suffer the heaviest
burden from disasters, including loss of life, psychosocial trauma, disruption
of education and impact on livelihoods. Therefore, awareness, preparedness,
mitigation, response and recovery measures need to be adapted to their
specific capacities and vulnerabilities.
UNICEF is committed to sustaining and enhancing its support of national risk
reduction efforts, specifically, those most directly related to threats to children,
both in non-crisis and emergency situations. UNICEF sees risk reduction as an
integral part of all sector activities.

UNICEF encourages a comprehensive approach to disaster risk reduction

from prevention, mitigation, preparedness and early warning through to
response and recovery. UNICEF holds that in all aspects of risk reduction, the
specific needs of women and children should be integrally addressed, their
capacities enhanced, and their participation encouraged and facilitated.
UNICEF believes that disaster risk reduction cannot be fully effective
without the full contribution and participation of women and children,
through family and community mobilization, training, and utilization of
the educational system. Underpinning this child focused approach is a
belief that its efforts should enhance capacities of families, communities,
governments, national institutions and civil society organizations.

Inter-Agency Group
The Sub-Working Group of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Early
Warning and Contingency planning (UNICEF co-chairing with WFP)
Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies
ISDR System Thematic Platform on Knowledge and Education
National and local government including Education, Health, Environment,
and Social Welfare Ministries as well as national Disaster Management
bodies. UNICEF also partners with national and international NGOs.

UNICEF fully engages in national level development processes as well as in
UN country planning (CCA/UNDAF). Where possible it seeks to ensure DRR
is mainstreamed into government development policies and that national
platforms are established. UNICEF also advocates for a strong representation
of civil society, especially children, in the processes at local and national
level.


UNICEF country programmes are based on a regular assessment of disaster
risk. In order to ensure a better understanding of sub-national disaster risk,
UNICEF is working to strengthen its capacity and that of its partners in
vulnerability and capacity assessment.
UNICEF
UNICEF has developed its own organizational early warning system and
plays a lead role in early warning within the IASC Sub Working Group on
Preparedness and Contingency Planning (including co-drafting the IASC
Early Warning / Early Action report).

UNICEF works to ensure that all children realize their right to a quality basic
education. It focuses on, amongst others, the most excluded and vulnerable
children: girls, the disabled, ethnic minorities, rural and urban poor, those
who are affected by war and disasters, and those affected by HIV and AIDS.
UNICEF works with its partners to ensure learning facilities are safe and
that basic preparedness and mitigation measures are included in the
school curriculum. In humanitarian action and post-crisis recovery, UNICEF
works on quickly restoring education and protection services by setting
up safe learning spaces for children. In particular, UNICEF seeks to promote
education services and facilities that ensure the security, privacy, dignity and
full equality for children and women. UNICEF provides basic facilities and
supplies for quality learning. UNICEF believes this provides a platform to
help countries get children back to school, to rebuild sustainable education
systems and to reduce future risk.
As an example, UNICEF and UNISDR have produced an educational kit for
children called “Let’s learn to prevent disasters!”. It includes the board game
“Riskland” whereby players learn about what they can do to reduce disaster
impacts by answering questions and advancing along the board’s winding
path. The kit and game may be adapted according to the different hazards
communities face, and translated into multiple languages.


UNICEF addresses the underlying causes of vulnerability and risk through its
core programmes and through the technical areas of Water, Sanitation and
Hygiene, Health and Nutrition, Education, HIV & AIDS and Child Protection.
Through its leadership and engagement in the humanitarian clusters, it also
endeavors that wherever possible its humanitarian response and recovery
work is cognizant of the underlying causes of risk.

UNICEF protects the rights of children in its emergency response. It deploys
technical and material resources, in coordination with the UN partners and
humanitarian agencies, to guarantee access to basic needs and services for
affected families. It also makes its facilities for rapid response available to
its partners to relieve the suffering of children and those who provide their
care. UNICEF has strengthened emergency support functions at all levels
and has mainstreamed emergency preparedness and contingency planning
throughout the organization.
UNICEF also seeks to advance disaster risk reduction through the
humanitarian clusters. UNICEF is the IASC cluster lead in the areas of WASH
and nutrition; it also co-leads the Education Cluster with Save the Children
Alliance. UNICEF is the sub-lead in the area of emergency datacoms (within
the emergency telecoms cluster) and sector lead in the area of child
protection (within the larger protection cluster).
Focal point
Recovery and Risk Reduction Section, Office of Emergency Programmes
(New York and Geneva)
Early Warning and Preparedness Section, Office of Emergency Programmes
(Geneva)
Website
www.unicef.org

UNITAR
United Nations Institute for Training
and Research
UNITAR
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is making
concrete contributions to developing the capacities of tens of thousands
of people around the world. Since its inception in 1965, UNITAR has built
sustainable partnerships acquiring unique expertise and accumulating
experience and knowledge to fulfill its mandate. These accomplishments
have enabled UNITAR to respond to the growing demand from UN Member
States for training for capacity development in the fields of Environment;
Peace, Security and Diplomacy; and Governance.

Develop capacities of Member States and their local authorities to reduce
disaster risks.

UNITAR’s aim is to develop Member States and their local authorities’
capacities to cope with disaster and benefit fully from concrete tools to
identify risks, to develop DRR strategies as part of their development plans,
and to implement those strategies.
Different programmes of UNITAR contribute to these goals in facilitating
exchange of experiences and good practices, in supporting the design of
mitigation and adaptation strategies to address the challenges posed by
climate changes, and in developing the access to satellite technologies and
geographic information system.


International Charter Space and Major Disasters
Integrated Flood Management Helpdesk
GEO – Group on Earth Observations
Various ministries, local authorities, universities, civil society and private
sector

Support to national and local actors in mainstreaming DRR into their
development plans.

UNITAR operational satellite applications programme develops training
for national and local actors in the use of satellite imagery and geographic
information system to assess risks and to set up plan to reduce their
vulnerability to disasters.

Through its network of training center for local actors (CIFAL), UNITAR
organizes awareness raising workshops that enables peer learning and
exchange of knowledge and of best practices among local actors within a
region or internationally.

UNITAR ensures that the wealth of geographic information provided during
the immediate response phase to a disaster is at the disposal of the national

authorities and other UN agencies to support the implementation of their

recovery and long term development plans.

UNITAR accompanies Member States in setting up geographic information
UNITAR
system allowing them to develop contingency planning and to have timely
access to up-to-date information about the situation on the ground in case
of disaster.
Focal point
Climate Change Programme, Local Development Programme, and
Operational Satellite Applications Programme UNOSAT
[email protected]
Website
www.unitar.org

UN-OHRLLS
Office of the High Representative for the Least
Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing
Countries and Small Island Developing States

UN-OHRLLS, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2001,
advocates for the least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing
countries (LLDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS).
UN-OHRLLS coordinates and mobilizes international support and resources
for the implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for the Least
Developed Countries 2001-2010, adopted by the Third United Nations
Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Brussels in 2001; Almaty
Declaration and Programme of Action for Transit Transport Cooperation
between Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries; and the Mauritius
Strategy, for the further implementation of the Barbados Programme of
Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States,
adopted in Mauritius in 2005. It also supports the Economic and Social
Council as well as the General Assembly regarding the Brussels Programme.

To strengthen disaster mitigation and preparedness and to promote the
sustainable development of the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS.

The Brussels Declaration and the Programme of Action for the Least
Developed Countries aims at improving human conditions of the
population of the LDCs and provides a framework for partnership between
LDCs and their development partners “to accelerate sustained economic
growth and sustainable development in LDCs, to end marginalization by
eradicating poverty, inequality and deprivation in these countries, and to
enable them to integrate beneficially into the global economy”.

In Commitment 6 of the Brussels Programme of Action (Reducing

vulnerability and protecting the environment) LDCs and their developments
partners committed to alleviate vulnerability of these countries to natural
shocks. This commitment sets out the programme’s agenda for protecting
the environment and addresses a wide range of issues related to loss of
biological diversity, drought, desertification, etc.
UN-OHRLLS
The Mauritius Strategy underscores that Small Island Developing States are
located among the most vulnerable regions in the world in relation to the
intensity and frequency of natural and environmental disasters and their
increasing impact, and face disproportionately high economic, social and
environmental consequences. It calls for increased commitments to reduce
the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States, due to their limited
capacity to respond to and recover from disasters.
Brussels Programme of Action: LDCs National Focal Point

SIDS have undertaken to strengthen their respective national frameworks
for more effective disaster management.
In the Mauritius Strategy, Member States committed to: strengthen “the
ISDR and related SIDS regional mechanisms as facilities to improve national
disaster mitigation, preparedness and early warning capacity, increase
public awareness about disaster reduction, stimulate interdisciplinary
and intersectoral partnerships, and support the mainstreaming of risk
management into the national planning process”.
In the Brussels Programme of Action, developments partners of LDCs
have committed themselves to give “priority attention to the LDCs in the
substantive programme and institutional arrangements for implementing
the new International Strategy for Disaster Reduction”.


In the Brussels Programme of Action, LDCs committed to: strengthen
“disaster mitigation policies and mechanisms, with a particular focus on
the poor, especially women and children, and with the involvement of
local communities and NGOs in disaster mitigation, early warning systems
and preparedness and relief efforts;” and to pursue or intensify “efforts to
strengthen national early warning and forecasting mechanisms,” implement
preventive measures and “sensitize relevant parts of the population to the
benefits of disaster preparedness and prevention”.
Their development partners committed to support “LDCs’ enhancement
of capacity to effectively participate in and benefit from regional and
international early warning and disaster mitigation and response networks,
including through satellite-driven technologies”.

In the Mauritius Strategy, Member States committed to: strengthen “the
ISDR and related SIDS regional mechanisms as facilities to (…) increase
public awareness about disaster reduction, stimulate interdisciplinary
and intersectoral partnerships, and support the mainstreaming of risk
management into the national planning process”.
In the Brussels Programme of Action, development partners of LDCs
committed to share “operationally useful disaster information, including
satellite data, as widely as possible within the international disaster relief
community, through appropriate programmes such as the UN web site
ReliefWeb.”

The Brussels Programme of Action states that: “Post-emergency action,
using effective and flexible mechanisms, must ease the transition from the
emergency phase to the development phase, promote the socio-economic
reintegration of the parts of the population affected, remove as far as
possible the causes of the crisis and strengthen institutions and ownership
by local and national actors of their role in formulating a sustainable
development policy. Both LDCs and development partners should

encourage the involvement of the private sector, inter alia in the areas of
disaster mitigation and disaster preparedness.”

UN-OHRLLS
In the Mauritius Strategy, Member States committed to augment
“the capacity of SIDS to predict and respond to emergency situations,
including those affecting human settlements, stemming from natural and
environmental disasters.”
In the Brussels Programme of Action, LDCs committed to develop and
implement “comprehensive disaster mitigation and preparedness, policies
and actions. Such policies should also respond to prolonged disasters
with a slow onset such as drought, which often has very severe economic,
environmental and social impacts”; and to consider “the creation of
innovative financial instruments, such as special insurance schemes, to
facilitate post-disaster reconstruction with a view to maintaining standards
of living and productive capacities in the LDCs.”
Their development partners committed to provide “assistance for disaster
mitigation, at the request of affected countries, as well as for improving the
capacity of LDCs to identify mitigation scenarios and establish protective
measures and contingency plans”.
Focal point
Policy Development and Coordination
Monitoring and Reporting Unit
Small Island Developing States Unit
Website
http://www.un.org/ohrlls

UNOOSA
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) implements the
decisions of the General Assembly and of the Committee on the Peaceful
Uses of Outer Space and its two Subcommittees, the Scientific and Technical
Subcommittee and the Legal Subcommittee. The Office is responsible for
promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space,
and assisting developing countries in using space science and technology.

Ensure that all countries and international and regional organizations have
access to and develop the capacity to use all types of space-based informa-
tion and solutions to support the full disaster management cycle.

In its resolution 61/110 of 14 December 2006 the United Nations General
Assembly established the “United Nations Platform for Space-based
Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response - UN-
SPIDER” as a United Nations programme, with the following mission
statement: “Ensure that all countries and international and regional
organizations have access to and develop the capacity to use all types of
space-based information to support the full disaster management cycle”.
UN-SPIDER is the first global initiative to focus on the need to ensure access
to and use of space-based information and solutions during all phases of
the disaster, including the risk reduction phase, which contributes to an
increasing reduction in loss of lives and property.
UN-SPIDER is being implemented as an open network of providers of space-
based solutions to support disaster management activities. Besides

Vienna (where UNOOSA is located), the programme also has an office in

Bonn, Germany and will also have an office in Beijing, China. Additionally,
Algeria, the I.R. Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Romania, South Africa, Ukraine and the
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) are setting up UN-SPIDER Regional
Support Offices.
UNOOSA
International Charter Space and Major Disasters (Cooperating Body)
United Nations Geographic Information Working Group (UNGIWG) Co-Chair
2009-2010
Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities (Secretariat and
Coordination)
Space agencies and institutions using space-based information and
solutions.
National Focal Points (NFPs) nominated by their respective government for
UN-SPIDER are being established in Members States to strengthen national
disaster management planning and policies and the implementation
of specific national activities that incorporate space-based technology
solutions to support disaster management.

The UN-SPIDER Programme supports the establishment of national disaster
management planning and policies by:
• Contributing, at the request of the relevant national focal points, to the
definition of disaster management planning and policies with regard to
the use of space-based technologies.

• Collecting information on relevant national disaster management plans

that build on space-based technology solutions as well as examples of
national disaster management policies that include the use of space-
based technology solutions.
• Carrying out technical advisory missions to those countries and
contribute to the development of national disaster management
planning and policies.

The Office provides support to the improvement of scientific and technical
methods and capacities for risk assessment, monitoring and early warning,
through research, partnerships, training and technical capacity- building.
This work is carried out by the UN-SPIDER Programme and also through the
United Nations Programme on Space Applications which directly support
the academic activities of the Regional Centres for Space Science and
Technology Education (Affiliated to the United Nations).
Additionally the UN-SPIDER Programme promotes the application of in situ
and space-based earth observations, space technologies, remote sensing,
geographic information systems, hazard modelling and prediction, weather
and climate modelling and forecasting, communication tools and studies of
the costs and benefits of risk assessment and early warning. The information
will be made available in the Knowledge Portal which when implemented
will be accessed through the Programme’s webpage.

The UN-SPIDER Programme promotes the use, application and affordability
of recent information, communication and space-based technologies and
related services, specifically space-based information, to support disaster risk
reduction, particularly for training and for the sharing and dissemination of
information among different categories of users.
This information is disseminated through monthly updates and newsletters
as well as thematic publications and official reports


The UN-SPIDER Programme works to ensure the incorporation of space-
based solutions used during the recovery phase are made available to
develop capacities that reduce disaster risk in the long term, including
through the sharing of expertise, knowledge and lessons learnt.
UNOOSA
The Programme also works to incorporate space-based solutions in disaster
risk assessments, specifically for urban planning and management of
disaster-prone human settlements, in particular highly populated areas and
quickly urbanizing settlements.

The UN-SPIDER is focused on ensuring that authorities, individuals and
communities in hazard-prone areas are well informed and have access to
space-based information to support their preparedness needs. Key activities
include:
• Strengthen policy, technical and institutional capacities in regional,
national and local disaster management, specifically with regard to using
and accessing space-based information and solutions, including those
related to technology, training, and human and material resources.
• Support exchange of information and coordination among early warning,
disaster risk reduction, disaster response, development and other relevant
agencies and institutions at all levels, with regard to accessing and using
space-based information.
Focal point
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
UN-SPIDER
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.unspider.org
Website
www.unoosa.org www.unspider.org

UNU
United Nations University

United Nations University (UNU) is an autonomous organ of the UN
General Assembly dedicated to generating and transferring knowledge
and strengthening capacities relevant to global issues of human security,
development, and welfare. UNU is ‘an international community of scholars,
engaged in research, post-graduate training and dissemination of knowledge’ to
provide fresh, alternative perspective on sustainable development challenges.
United Nations University’s mission was set as: to contribute, through research
and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that
are the concern of the United Nations, its Peoples and Member States. For more
than three decades, UNU has engaged global network of researchers to work
on global problems. Research, capacity building and knowledge sharing are
the three key pillars of the UNU with a specific focus on addressing pressing
challenges of developing and emerging economies.
Currently, United Nations University system has the UNU Centre – Tokyo as the
headquarters location with 13 research and training centers/programs (RTC/Ps),
located in 13 UN Member Nations around the world (Belgium, Canada, China,
Finland, Germany, Ghana, Iceland, Japan, Jordon, Malaysia, Netherland, USA,
and Venezuela). In addition, UNU also have recognized 21 renowned academic
institutions as ‘Associated Institutions’ to promote innovative and quality research.

Knowledge generation, capacity development, knowledge transfer, and
networking are the four cornerstones guiding philosophy and work at UNU.
The overarching goal of the UNU is to provide useful knowledge about, and ef-
fective training on, important issues related to human-environmental-climate
security, peace and development - where social systems act with ecological
systems in a sustainable manner, with all individuals having fair and reason-
able access to environmental goods and means to address crises and conflicts.


UNU proactively persuades “risk management” focusing on both the “hazard”
component of the natural environment and the “vulnerability” component
of the social systems. The disaster risk management programme supports
regional and global programmes on floods and landslide risk reduction, forced
migration, land degradation, urban vulnerability and risks and vulnerability
assessment methodologies. These programmes are closely linked and
UNU
conducted in support of international programmes on risk reduction, with
research and capacity development components.
UNU is committed to the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action
2005–2015, and plays a constructive role for the second and third priority
areas, namely “Risk assessment and early warning systems”, and “Education,
information and public awareness” respectively. The following are UNU’s main
programmes on disaster risk reduction:
UNU-EHS: UNU created the Institute for Environment and Human Security
(UNU-EHS) to address risks and vulnerabilities that are the consequence
of complex - both acute and latent - environmental hazards. The Institute
spearheads research, capacity building and policy-relevant advisory activities
relating to the broad interdisciplinary field of ‘risk and vulnerability’ and explores
threats to human security arising from natural and human-induced hazards.
International Flood Initiative: UNU is an advisory committee member of
this global programme on flood risk reduction. In association, UNU HQ has
developed training modules for flood inundation forecasts and loss assessment
to support designing of appropriate risk reduction strategies. Training
programmes have been conducted so far in Asian and will expand to cover
other developing countries in the future.
International Programme on Landslides: UNU is an advisory committee member
of IPL. UNU hosted the 1st World Landslide Forum at UNU HQ from 17 to 21
November 2008, in which UNU was a co-chair of the conference and responsible
for the organization of a number of sessions.
Asia Urban Regional Task Force: UNU with a number of international partners
and UNISDR supported the launch of a Taskforce for Urban Risk Reduction in
Asia. UNU is a lead organization in the knowledge management and capacity
development components of the programme.
Post graduate student supervision in disaster risk reduction: UNU, with partner
organizations, supervise post graduate studies on disaster risk at a number of
UNU and partner institutes, on a range of topics, notably related to water related
disasters.

Research projects: UNU has a number of ongoing research programs with

networks of research universities around the world funded by governments as
well as private sector.

International Flood Initiative (IFI),
International Programme on Landslides (IPL),
Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM),
Global Risk Identification Programme (GRIP),
Global Environment Fund (GEF),
International Council for Science (ICSU),
International Consortium of Landslides (ICL)
In the year 2007 alone, UNU worked with almost 50 UN system partners.
National universities, research institutions, ministries, depending on the
system of governance and focus of the activities.

UNU provides training to national institutions in the developing countries
involved in disaster risk reduction on use of risk assessment methodologies,
tools and applications.

UNU develops the risk assessment capabilities of the beneficiary countries
by organizing training workshops on coping with extreme floods and
vulnerability assessments. In addition, UNU develops and conducts research
programmes on early warning, related to floods, landslides and tsunamis.


UNU supports capacity development through short and long duration
training, degree-oriented studies, research fellowships/internships, online
learning, engagement with print and digital media, public events and public
outreach programmes.
UNU
UNU aims at academic excellence, in particular through its Centre in Bonn, in
principal priorities of its programme:
(i) Vulnerability assessment, resilience analysis, risk management &
adaptation strategies within linked human-environment systems;
(ii) Internal displacement and trans-boundary migration due to
environmental push-factors,
UNU considers the major drivers, such as land degradation, desertification,

natural hazard events, gradual man-made and natural environmental
and climatic change and variability including water depletion and quality
deterioration in most of its programmes. UNU supports the strengthening of
human security through its focus on preparedness, adaptation and response.

Focal point
UNU-HQ, Tokyo
UNU-EHS, Bonn
Website
http://www.unu.edu

UNV
United Nations Volunteers

The United Nations Volunteers programme is the UN organization that
contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide.
Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling
development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of
development. Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual
volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens,
and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation.
UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition
of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into
development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and
diversity of volunteers, including experienced UNV volunteers, throughout
the world. UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and
recognizes volunteerism in its diversity as well as the values that sustain it:
free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity.
UNV directly mobilizes around 8,000 UNV volunteers every year, of which
one third volunteer within their own countries. Almost 80% of UNV
volunteers come from developing countries.

To mobilize volunteers and strengthen volunteerism initiatives in support of
disaster risk reduction and management, especially to strengthen commu-
nity capacity to respond to and prevent disasters.

UNV mobilizes and places national and international UNV volunteers in
response to requests from UN entities and government partners. UNV
also works with partners to integrate volunteerism into programming for
disaster risk reduction and management. UNV works in disaster response,

risk reduction, crisis prevention and community-based adaptation to climate

change.
The Hyogo Framework for Action adopted at the 2005 World Conference
on Disaster Reduction explicitly recognized volunteer contributions in
disaster risk reduction and the need of the strategic management of
volunteer resources at all levels of DRR, with particular attention to its role
in strengthening the community level. Accordingly, UNV has intensified its
UNV
work in disaster risk reduction and management, together with partners,
especially in strengthening community capacity to respond to and prevent
disasters.
UNV was awarded a United Nations Sasakawa Certificate of Merit for
its achievements in mobilizing university graduates to support disaster
reduction initiatives in Guatemala in 2002.
At the country level UNV is officially represented through the UNDP
Resident Representative. In approximately 100 countries UNV has a Country
Office Team (COT), which is part of the UNDP Country Office. Volunteers
could be placed with all UN entities and with government counterparts.

UNV works with governments on developing national volunteer
infrastructure, which could include supporting the development of specific
volunteer legislation and national volunteer schemes. In some countries
UNV has specifically worked on developing volunteer infrastructure for
disaster risk reduction and management that could support for example the
mobilization of volunteers, coordinate the activities of volunteer involving
organizations, promote good volunteer management, advocate for the
value of volunteerism, and develop a database of volunteers.


UNV supports the creation of early warning systems through the
establishment of disaster management teams and taskforces, and ensuring
community participation by training a large number of volunteers in local
and rural communities. UNV builds expertise in coping capacity in a number
of countries such as India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Pakistan and Brazil.

UNV volunteers assist the mobilization of individuals ensuring wide
dissemination of information, public awareness and strong community
voluntary action. UNV supports the production of village and provincial
disaster risk management plans ensuring full ownership of communities.

UNV volunteers provide a vital link between governments and affected
communities, empowering them to participate actively in rehabilitation
and sustainable livelihoods. UNV supported community reconstruction
in tsunami-affected areas through the involvement of national and
international UNV volunteers.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, UNV is developing a strategy to
strengthen the role of volunteers in sustainable risk reduction and recovery
programmes in a number of countries. These national projects focus on:
a) increasing the capacities of volunteers and Volunteer Involving
Organizations (VIOs) to better respond to disasters;
b) integrating volunteers and VIOs in Disaster Risk Reduction strategies;
c) piloting emergency plans with the involvement of VIOs. This project also
aims to identify best practices and lessons learned at the regional level.

UNV volunteers support the roll-out of disaster management plans and
build community knowledge and resources, such as village-specific maps,

evacuation plans and contingency strategies, and help identify and develop
the capacities of local authorities and volunteer taskforces.
UNV contributed to ‘Communicating Disasters – An Asia Pacific Resource
Book’ co-published by the UNDP-Bangkok Regional Centre and Television
for Education – Asia Pacific. The book, developed after the 2006 stocktaking
exercise of tsunami media coverage, leverages the reach of media to better
inform citizens and save lives.
UNV
Focal point
The Office of the Executive Coordinator and Coordinator of the UNV
UNV Environment Team
Website
www.unvolunteers.org
www.WorldVolunteerWeb.org
www.OnlineVolunteering.org

WFP
World Food Programme

As the food assistance arm of the UN, WFP uses its food to: meet emergency
needs and support economic & social development and promote world
food security. WFP also provides the logistics support necessary to get food
to the right people at the right time and in the right place. WFP heads the
Logistics Cluster in order to provide common service to the humanitarian
community in emergency interventions. WFP works to put hunger at the
centre of the international agenda, promoting policies, strategies and
operations that directly benefit the poor and hungry.

Within its own capacity and resources, WFP strengthens the capacity of af-
fected countries and local communities to prevent, prepare for and respond
to humanitarian crises. With its new Strategic Plan, WFP aims at preventing
acute hunger by investing in disaster preparedness and mitigation meas-
ures (Strategic Objective 2).

The policies governing the use of WFP food aid are oriented towards the
objective of eradicating hunger and poverty.
The consolidated framework of WFP policies emphasizes the mitigation
of the effects of recurring disasters in vulnerable areas as one of the five
priority areas under programming principles. WFP assesses measures to
prevent and mitigate disasters that pose threats to food production or
livelihoods as part of country programming in areas subject to recurring
disasters.

WFP works with local, national and international partners to incorporate

disaster prevention and mitigation activities in Country Strategy Outlines,
Country Programmes and Protracted Relief and Recovery Operations.
WFP develops standard procedures jointly with government counterparts
for borrowing from and replenishing national food stocks and seeks donor
flexibility to use donations, especially directed contributions, for disaster
mitigation.
WFP
WFP Executive Board has endorsed the new DRR strategy in February 2009.
The new strategy aims at strengthening WFP’s compliance with the Hyogo
Framework and mainstreaming DRR at all levels within the Organization. The
next step will be the dissemination of a technical guidance tool to all WFP
country offices and the roll-out of a DRR training course at regional level.
The following principles underlie WFP’s evolving approach to disaster
preparedness and mitigation:
I. In countries prone to recurrent disasters, development activities and
emergency interventions need to be linked.
II. Disaster prevention, preparedness, contingency planning and responses
need to be integral parts of the United Nations Development Assistance
Framework (UNDAF).
III. Disaster mitigation depends on structural and non-structural solutions
in several sectors at various levels of national economies.
IV. Mitigation should be a principal objective of projects in disaster-prone
areas.
V. Targeting must focus on those who cannot cope with recurrent
disasters, not just those who live in disaster-prone areas.
VI. Understanding gender relations in the context of natural hazards is
important in disaster-mitigation strategies.
VII. Preservation of livelihoods must be a central goal of disaster-mitigation
measures.

Inter-Agency Group
The Sub-Working Group of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Early
Warning and Contingency planning (WFP co-chairing with UNICEF)
ISDR Global Drought Risk Reduction Platform (Co-lead)

Governments (Agriculture) and the United Nations Country Teams.


WFP integrates risk assessment and vulnerability analysis and mapping into
its early warning and preparedness systems. Improved disaster risk mapping
supports early targeting systems for populations at risk.
The Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping unit (VAM) of the WFP
establishes the basis for conclusions on why and where food security
and vulnerability exist in any given country. VAM also identifies potential
priorities for the targeting of WFP programmes, the appropriate role of food
aid in addressing food security problems and potential sectors for WFP
intervention. These same elements are also key inputs into the WFP Country
Strategy Outline, where the WFP country office describes its development
strategies and programmes.
Early warning systems focus on tracking the status of regularly occurring
hazards to food security such as drought, floods, El Niño and market
prices over time. WFP uses this information to predict the potential onset
of a crisis that could affect the food security status of groups of people
within a country or region. Where there is no organized early warning
capability within a country or region, WFP and partners (Governments,
NGOs, or regional organizations) work to establish such a mechanism. The
Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping unit may play a key role in assisting
with the design and implementation or data collection or reporting for early
warning activities through monitoring activities.
WFP has developed partnerships with institutional and academic
institutions in order to improve its access to real-time information. The aim is
to improve early warning systems. One example is the ITHACA programme,
launched in February 2007 as a joint initiative with Italy’s Polytechnic

University of Turin. The programme was conceived to provide WFP with

remote sensing-based applications in order to accurately predict and assess
the impact of disasters on communities and infrastructure.
In collaboration with partners such as NASA and the European, Italian,
Canadian and Japanese Space agencies, ITHACA combines remote sensing
data with historical natural hazard analysis and WFP’s own vulnerability
assessment mechanisms to produce models that assist forecasting and
WFP
impact assessment. ITHACA applications have successfully supported
WFP response to a range of major emergencies. The programme has
provided analysis of the impact of severe flooding on the African continent,
hurricanes in Central America and cyclones in South and Southeast Asia.
ITHACA also delivers round-the-clock information on the location and
depth of snow coverage across Central Asia, which is a key to WFP logistics
planning in challenging mountainous environments like Afghanistan and
Nepal.
The IASC Humanitarian Early Warning Service (HEWSweb) is an inter-
agency partnership project aimed at establishing a common platform
for humanitarian early warnings and forecasts for natural hazards. The
service has been developed by WFP who is responsible for coordinating
and managing the overall information content, design, and organization
of HEWSweb on behalf of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and its
members.


WFP undertakes preventive/vulnerability reduction/preparedness measures
in the context of development plans and programmes. WFP intends
to include these measures in post-disaster recovery programmes and
emergency operations when social awareness of disaster vulnerability and
risk is high. In all contexts, WFP aims at comprehensive disaster mitigation
strategies based on an analysis of disaster-related risks and the possibilities
to reduce those risks, especially for poor people who are food insecure or
particularly vulnerable in the event of a crisis or disaster.

WFP has two approaches to Disaster Mitigation, the anticipating approach

and the recovery approach. The former indicates programmes and projects
aiming at longer term mitigation activities to reduce the vulnerability to the
risk of disasters. The recovery approach indicates the inclusion of mitigation
elements in WFP’s general recovery programmes and projects, such as
making sure that houses that are being constructed after a hazard are built
with the technique and/or material needed for them to resist a future shock.

WFP has strengthened emergency support functions at all levels and
mainstreamed emergency preparedness throughout the organization.
Contingency planning and operational planning are used as strategic
planning tools. WFP has also improved its capacities to prepare for and
respond in emergencies through the upgrading of its assessments via the
Strengthening Emergency Needs Assessment Capacity (SENAC) project.
WFP is the leader of the global logistics cluster and co-leader of the
emergency telecommunications cluster. As cluster leader, WFP ensures
efficient, reliable and predictable logistics and ICT services to the
humanitarian community. WFP’s Aviation Branch, its Shipping Branch and
the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) Network are
among initiatives that have proved crucial in serving both WFP’s and the
broader humanitarian community’s needs. WFP’s strategy of pre-positioning
emergency food and support equipment through the UNHRD Network
relies on five strategically located depots providing the humanitarian
community with a global footprint that will drastically reduce the cost of
deploying relief items, decrease response time and, most importantly, save
lives.
Emergency Preparedness and Response Branch is the focal point for
technical aspects of disaster preparedness; Logistics Services leads design
and implementation of logistics work that promotes disaster preparedness
and mitigation in WFP and for the United Nations system. Headquarters-
based Policy, Planning and Strategy units dealing with risk reduction
and disaster mitigation, social protection and livelihoods service and the
emergencies and transitions support country offices in programme design
and implementation. These include Food For Work (FFW), Food For Assets
(FFA) and cash or voucher based initiatives to moderate the effects of
recurring disasters initiatives. These interventions help households and

communities to shift to sustainable livelihoods, improve productivity and

prevent loss or degradation of assets; they include support for shifts to
sustainable natural-resource management and stabilization of areas subject
to resource degradation.
WFP uses food assistance to encourage people to take steps that increase
the yields from their natural resources, such as terracing, tree planting and
soil and water conservation. Food aid can help avert an emergency before
WFP
it turns into a full-fledged crisis. WFP mitigates disasters, such as a flood or a
drought which can destroy the livelihoods of the hungry poor in a matter of
hours.
WFP’s development activities include contingency planning to enhance
its ability to respond to emergencies in countries plagued by disasters.
WFP plans to use its existing and new tools to improve the resilience of
vulnerable populations and comprehensively manage risk in addition to
responding to disasters, such as weather insurance. Weather Risk Transfer
Tools transfer weather related disaster risk from vulnerable populations to
public or private risk takers guaranteeing beneficiaries’ timely, objective,
predictable and transparent disaster assistance. These tools enable
contingency financing for emergency operations to help WFP better fulfill
its role as de-facto “insurer” against food insecurity.
Focal point
Risk Reduction and Disaster Mitigation Policy Unit
Website
www.wfp.org

WHO
World Health Organization

WHO, as a specialized agency of the United Nations, is the directing and
coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. WHO’s
Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948.
WHO is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters,
shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards,
articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to
countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

To support countries in building national capacity in risk reduction and
emergency preparedness, and to assist the health sector in Member States
in reducing the adverse public health consequences for communities in
terms of mortality, morbidity, disability and damage to health care delivery
services resulting from emergencies, disasters and other crises.

WHO Six-Year Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness Strategy for
Health Sector and Community Capacity Development was released in 2007.
The priority areas identified in the strategy include:
• Baseline assessments on the status of risk reduction and emergency
preparedness in the health sector at regional and country levels;
• Institutionalizing emergency preparedness and risk management in
ministries of health; and
• Establishing an effective all-hazard/whole-health programme for this
purpose;

• Encouraging and supporting community-based emergency preparedness

and risk management; and
• Improving knowledge and skills in health emergency preparedness and
response, and risk management.
All-Hazard approach entails developing and implementing emergency

management strategies for the full range of likely risks and emergencies
WHO
(natural, biological, technological and societal). A Whole-Health approach
emphasizes that emergency planning processes, overall coordination
procedures, surge and operational platforms should be unified under one
emergency preparedness and response unit so that the plans of the health
sector can then be effectively coordinated with other sectors as well as with
the designated.
Drawing on experiences and lessons learned from major crises in recent
years and taking stock of the outcomes of the World Disaster Reduction
Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe in 2005, the World Health
Assembly, at its 58th Session in May 2005, adopted resolution WHA
58.1. The Resolution urged Member States to make their best efforts to
engage actively in collective measures to establish global and regional
preparedness plans that integrate risk reduction into the health sector
and to build capacity to respond to health-related crises. It also requested
Member States to formulate national emergency preparedness plans that
give due attention to public health, including health infrastructure, in order
to mitigate the damage and loss of function associated with events related
to hazards and to improve the effectiveness of responses to crises and
contributions to the recovery of health systems.
In 2006, the resolution (WHA59.22) reiterated the importance of action
needed to build national capacities in emergency preparedness.
Resolutions have been passed by every Regional Committee over the past
20 years to reinforce the mandate given to WHO at global level and to
strengthen initiatives in the area of emergency preparedness and response
in Member States.
WHO has developed a global work plan based on the objectives set out
in WHO’s Medium-Term Strategic Plan (MTSP) for 2008-2013. Strategic
Objective 5 of the MTSP is: “To reduce the health consequences of
emergencies, disasters, crises and conflicts, and minimize their social and
economic impact.” The 2008-2009 biennial global work plan recognizes the
crucial importance of supporting countries in the areas of health sector risk

reduction and emergency preparedness, and building institutional capacity

in WHO for emergency preparedness and response.
International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) came into force in June 2007.
The agreement provides a new framework for the coordination of the
management of events that may constitute a public health emergency of
international concerns, and will improve the capacity of all countries to
detect, assess, notify and respond to public health threats.
The Global Health Cluster has recently endorsed a Guidance Note which
promotes the need for a coordinated approach of Global Health Cluster
partners in support of health emergency preparedness and risk reduction at
national and local levels, and recommends that the roll-out of country-level
Health Clusters should take fully into account of national arrangements and
existing capacities for emergency preparedness and response.

Inter-Agency Group
Interagency Standing Committee, including task forces
WHO-AMRO Disaster Mitigation Advisory Group (DiMAG)
Ministry of Health

WHO develops health-related standards and guidelines and provides
technical assistance to national health authorities for the development
of risk reduction and emergency preparedness capacities in countries at
risk. WHO supports Member States in identifying policy options, strategies
and enabling legislation required for enhancing the levels of health risk
reduction and emergency preparedness, including prevention, preparing for
and responding to the health effects of climate change.
WHO works to ensure that health dimensions are addressed within the
context of global and regional risk reduction frameworks, including support

for ISDR system and the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action
and integrates disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness across
WHO’s programmes.
WHO-AMRO/PAHO has had a long-standing Emergency Preparedness
and Disaster Relief Programme (PED) and over the years, AMRO/PAHO’s
Directing Council also has passed a number of Resolutions calling on 35
WHO
Member States in the Western Hemisphere to strengthen their emergency
preparedness and response capacity and to focus attention on health
facilities in their national risk reduction policies. Other Regional Offices
have been steadily increasing their efforts to support capacity building in
terms of national emergency management systems building, mass casualty
management, safe hospital construction and training.
WHO-SEARO has developed a set of benchmarks, standards and indicators,
with the objective to fully integrate the health sector risk reduction
strategies in the health system of Member States, which can catalyse action
and monitor progress on risk reduction and emergency preparedness.
WHO-EMRO has developed an Optimum WHO Risk Reduction and
Emergency Preparedness Package which has identified elements for country
risk reduction, readiness and response to emergencies.
WHO has conducted a Global Assessment of National Health Sector
Emergency Preparedness and Response, which is intended to inform
strategies for assisting Member States in developing and strengthening
national approaches to health emergency preparedness and response. A
second global assessment will be conducted in the next biennium.

WHO supports Member States in assessing and monitoring baseline
information on the status of risk reduction and emergency preparedness
in the health sector at regional and country level. Technical assistance has
been requested by the Member States on environmental health, surveillance
mechanisms and the development of surge capacities and capabilities.
WHO has also developed capacity assessment tools that can contribute to
capacity assessment of health emergency systems for risk reduction and
emergency preparedness

WHO-EMRO has developed the e-Atlas of disaster risk for the Eastern
Mediterranean Region: Exposure to natural hazards, Volume 1. The Atlas
uses geographic information systems and various disaster models to assist
disaster management decision-makers to reduce health risk to vulnerable
populations. Subsequent volumes which are still under development will
focus on vulnerability and risk and capacity assessments, in order to improve
risk reduction and emergency preparedness in the health sector.
WHO has established the Vulnerability and Risk Analysis and Mapping
(VRAM) platform within the WHO Mediterranean Centre for Health Risk
Reduction (WMC) in Tunis. The objective of the VRAM platform is to support
countries in developing the capacity to assess health risks (mortality,
morbidity and disability) and incorporate the results in emergency and
response preparedness planning. As its knowledge base grows, VRAM’s
goal is to become a network of excellence in assessing health-related
vulnerabilities and risks supported by a technical unit whose expertise can
be utilized effectively by various partners (governments, UN and research
organizations, NGOs or others) at an affordable cost. VRAM activities include
partnership with organizations such as WFP.

WHO works with Member States and other partners to improve skills and
knowledge in risk reduction and emergency preparedness and response
in the health sector. The work focuses on two main areas: (1) Developing
and updating guidelines, standards and sound technical information
on emergency preparedness and response; and (2) Promoting the
development of sound and credible training and educational materials and
the organization of courses, workshops, simulations, other mechanisms of
transfer of knowledge, and platforms where health emergency managers
can share experience and material at local, national, regional and
international levels.
Extensive work by all WHO Regional Offices and WHO-HQ has resulted in a
number of guidelines and tools for emergency preparedness and response,
available on the websites of WHO/HAC and the Regional Offices:
• Community Emergency Preparedness: A Manual for Managers and Policy-
Makers; Mass Casualty Management Systems: Strategies and guidelines
for building health sector capacity; and Older People in Emergencies:
Consideration for Action and Policy Development.

• In Latin America and the Caribbean, Member States with strong

and sustained support by WHO/PAHO and the governments of the
U.S. (USAID) and Canada (CIDA), multilateral and non/governmental
organizations, have produced a large body of technical publications
and guidelines over more than 20 years, including the Health Library in
Disasters (HELID) and tools such as the Hospital Safety Index, a tool for
countries to assess risk and vulnerability in health facilities.
WHO
- The Regional Disaster Information Center (CRID) has published a
CD-ROM with a large collection of documents from different agencies
regarding climate change, disasters and health available at
• WHO-EURO has produced guidance on management of health crises in
the region entitled Towards Health Security.
• WHO-SEARO has developed extensive information on emergency
preparedness and response, including case studies on recent emergencies
in India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The Region has developed
Hazard Profiles and Disaster Preparedness in SEAR Countries. A report of
a regional consultation on Emergency Preparedness and Response: From
Lessons to Action contains updated information and recommendations for
action for the countries in the region.
• WHO-WPRO has developed a number of emergency guidelines and
tools, including a pocket emergency manual which contains a section on
preparing for emergencies. It has also produced Field Manual for Capacity
Assessment of Health Facilities in Responding to Emergencies.
Training focuses on awareness raising, advocacy and sensitization on risk

reduction and emergency preparedness health issues, planning processes,
needs assessment in emergencies, inter-sectoral emergency management
and standardizing and building technical skills within all health disciplines
involved in emergency preparedness and response:
• WHO-SEARO and WPRO have a Public Health & Emergency Management
in Asia-Pacific Programme with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center
(ADPC) which provides training courses at bi-regional and national levels
for the development of health system capacities to prepare for and
respond to emergencies. EMRO have a similar programme - Management
of Public Health Risks - which has been conducted at regional and national
levels, while EURO have conducted a regional PHEM-EURO course.
• WHO-HQ and Regional Offices organizes Public Health Pre-deployment
Training courses which prepare health professionals to work effectively
in providing health programmes to populations affected by emergencies,
disasters and other crises.


The World Disaster Reduction Campaign 2008-2009 “Hospitals Safe from
Disasters: Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives” aims at building
the resilience of hospitals and other health facilities to disasters, both
structural and functional, so that they would still be functional under
emergency situations and on making sure health workers are prepared for
natural hazards striking. This global campaign is a joint effort by WHO and
the UNISDR, with support from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and
Recovery of the World Bank.
WHO will dedicate World Health Day 2009 to the key theme of health
facilities in emergencies. WHD 2009 will promote the safe design, building
and operation of all types of health facilities so they (and their staff ) can
withstand any type of emergency and the emergency preparedness of
health facilities to provide health care services during the emergency and in
their aftermath.
The campaign provides a platform for strengthening of hospitals, health
facilities and systems in the context of risk reduction and emergency
preparedness and response. The campaign provides also visibility
and platform for advocacy on risk health reduction and emergency
preparedness at global, national and community levels.

WHO promotes the establishment or strengthening of a risk reduction and
emergency preparedness unit in each Ministry of Health reporting directly
to the highest relevant authority. This unit works as the focal point for the
designated national emergency management agency and for other sectors
involved in emergency preparedness and response. WHO advocates that
proper preparedness requires improvement and protection of the baseline
capacities including health care facilities, services and skills.
WHO assists Ministries of Health to integrate emergency preparedness
into existing community structures. The strategy to support all-hazard
emergency preparedness for the communities includes joining forces
with UNISDR, World Bank and partners in the promotion of health facility
resilience and emergency preparedness as the main disaster reduction
message in 2008-2009.

WHO is the designated lead of the Global Health Custer, the role of which
is to build global capacity for humanitarian health action by developing
global guidance, standards, tools and resources to inform, enhance and
facilitate the implementation of the Cluster Approach at the country level as
well as to improve surge capacity, access to trained technical expertise and
material stockpiles to improve response operations. The strengthening of
the preparedness capacity of countries and communities particularly at risk
WHO
before emergency strikes is a major part of the cluster approach.
Focal point
Department of Emergency Preparedness and Capacity Development, Health
Action in Crises Cluster, WHO, Geneva (HAC/EPC)
Emergency and Humanitarian Action, WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO)
Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief, WHO Regional Office for the
Americas/Pan American Health Organization (AMRO/PAHO)
Emergency Preparedness and Humanitarian Action, WHO Regional Office for
the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO)
Disaster Preparedness and Response, WHO Regional Office for Europe
(EURO)
Emergency and Humanitarian Action, WHO Regional Office for South-east
Asia
Emergency and Humanitarian Action, WHO Regional Office for the Western
Pacific (WPRO)
Website
www.who.int/hac
http://www.afro.who.int/hac/index.html
http://www.emro.who.int/eha/
http://www.euro.who.int/emergencies
www.paho.org/disasters
http://www.searo.who.int/en/Section1257/Section2263.htm
http://www.wpro.who.int/sites/eha/
http://safehospitals.info

WMO
World Meteorological Organization
FAO
WMO is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 188
States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological
Organization, which was founded in 1873. Established in 1950, WMO became
a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1951.
The vision of WMO is to provide world leadership in expertise and
international cooperation in weather, climate, hydrology and water
resources and related environmental issues and thereby contribute to the
safety and well-being of people throughout the world and to the economic
benefit of all nations.

To enhance the contributions of National Meteorological and Hydrologi-
cal Services, in a more cost-effective, systematic and sustainable manner,
towards the protection of lives, livelihoods and property, through strength-
ening of capabilities and cooperation in the field of disaster risk reduction at
national to international levels.

“WMO Strategic Plan 2008-2011 and beyond”, approved by the Fifteenth
World Meteorological Congress 2007, describes the programmes and
activities of the Organization aimed at protecting life and property,
safeguarding the environment and contributing to sustainable
development, all for the enhanced wellbeing of the peoples of the
world. The Plan also reflects WMO’s responsibility to ensure that effective
international cooperation in the fields of meteorology, operational
hydrology, and related disciplines contribute to the benefit of society, in
support of the purposes of the Organization.

The successful implementation of the Plan contributes to national disaster

risk management, by facilitating and strengthening contribution of the
National Meteorological and Hydrological Services through provision of
meteorological, hydrological and climate-related information, for (i) hydro-
meteorological risk identification with in the context of changing climate,
(ii) risk reduction, through provision of meteorological, hydrological and
climate related information for sectoral planning and early warning systems
WMO
and (iii) financial risk transfer for weather related risks such as droughts,
tropical cyclone and floods.
WMO is committed to the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action
2005–2015, and plays a lead role for the second priority area, namely “Identify,
assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning”, in relation with
meteorological, hydrological and climate-related hazards, while contributing
to other priority areas. HFA has been mainstreamed within WMO through
the establishment of the strategic priorities and implementation of WMO’s
DRR programme. Through extensive consultations across WMO network,
HFA was analysed to identify activities to which National Meteorological and
Hydrological Services and WMO provide lead and contributing support. Five
strategic priorities where derived from these analysis and have been approved
by WMO Congress. Specifically,
• Development, improvement and sustainability of early warning systems,
in particular related to scientific and technical infrastructures, systems
and capabilities for research, observing, detecting, forecasting and
warning of weather-, water-, climate-related hazards;
• Development, improvement and sustainability of systems, methods, tools
and applications of modern technologies such as geographic information
systems for recording, analyzing and providing hazard information for risk
assessment, sectoral planning and other informed decision-making;
• Development and delivery of warnings, specialized forecasts and other
products and services that are timely, understandable to those at risk, and
driven by requirements of disaster risk reduction decision processes and
operations;
• Stimulate a culture of disaster preparedness through strengthening
of capacities for better integration of NMHSs’ products and services in
disaster risk reduction, and continued public education and outreach
campaigns;
• Strengthen WMO and NMHSs cooperation and partnerships for
implementation of disaster risk reduction in national, regional and
international mechanisms and structures.

The WMO Disaster Risk Reduction programme builds upon and leverages
the following capacities and resources including coordination among:
1) Nine other international programmes, including,
i. World Weather Watch,
ii. World Climate Programme,
iii. Atmospheric Research and Environment,
iv. Applications of Meteorology,
v. Hydrology and Water Resources,
vi. Education and Training,
vii. Technical Cooperation,
viii. Regional Cooperation,
ix. Space.
2) Its co-sponsored programmes, including, World Climate Research
Programme, Global Climate Observing System, and Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change.
3) WMO coordinated operational networks, including:
1. WMO Integrated Global Observing System,
2. Global Data Processing and Forecasting System,
3. Global Telecommunication System and WMO Information System.
These are further complemented with partnerships with international and

regional agencies, for implementation of national and regional projects that
enhance capacities of Members to manage disaster risks.

Inter-Agency Group
Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM)
Five Regional Tropical Cyclone committees managed by Tropical Cyclone
Programme (TCP):
• Hurricane Committee,
• Tropical Cyclone Committee for the South-West Indian Ocean,
• Tropical Cyclone Committee for the South Pacific and South-East
Indian Ocean,
• Tropical Cyclone Committee for the South Pacific and the South-East
Indian Ocean,

• WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones, and ESCAP/WMO Typhoon

Committee.
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission’s Intergovernmental
Coordination Groups for Tsunami Warning Systems
Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine
Meteorology (JCOMM)
WMO
World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), (WMO is a co-sponsor with
ICSU and UNESCO)
ISDR Platform for Promotion of Early Warning (PPEW)
ISDR System Thematic Cluster/Platform on Knowledge and Education,
Global Risk Identification Programme (GRIP)
OECD High Level Panel on International Network on Financial Management
of Large Scale Catastrophes
International Research Centre on El Niño (CIIFEN)
International Council for Science (ICSU)
WMO has established a cooperation model with GFDRR, UNISDR, UNDP
on development of comprehensive DRR programmes, first cases has been
demonstrated in Southeast Europe and being expanded to other regions.
+ 40 specialized meteorological and climate centers (e.g. 6 tropical cyclone
forecasting centers, 4 drought management centers, etc.)
Six Regional Network of Meteorological Services
Consultative Group of the Space Agencies, EUMETNET
National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, National committees of
water, oceanographic and earth sciences, Coastal Zone Management

WMO, in collaboration with other agencies such as UNDP and the World
Bank, is working through concrete projects to ensure effective planning and

legislation for comprehensive DRR strategies, particularly focusing on the

role and socio-economic benefits of National Metrological and Hydrological
Services in supporting different components of disaster risk management,
such as risk assessment, early warning systems and sectoral planning.

Risk Assessment:
WMO conducted a country-level fact-finding survey on DRR in 2006, which
provided a benchmark on Members’ capacities, requirements and priorities
in disaster risk management. It indicated that droughts, flash and river
floods, strong winds, severe storms, tropical cyclones, storm surges, forest
fires, heat waves, landslides and aviation hazards were the top ten hazards
of concern to all Members. The survey confirmed that over 90% of National
Meteorological and Hydrological Services needed guidance on standard
methodologies for monitoring, archiving, analysis and mapping of hazards
and early warning systems with a multi-hazard approach.
WMO through its Hydrology and Water Resource Programme and
Agricultural Meteorology Programmes and in collaboration with Global
Risk Assessment Programme (GRIP) supports NMHSs in maintenance of
hazard data and analysis for national risk assessments. Initiated projects
aim at developing standard guidelines for maintaining databases,
metadata and mapping methodologies for floods and droughts. Other
initiatives are underway for standardization of hazard information for other
meteorological hazards.
Early Warning Systems:

WMO plays a lead role in strengthening national and regional capacities in
early warning systems. WMO hosted First Experts’ Symposium (May 2006)
on Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS-I), convened by WMO and
co-sponsored by six international agencies. Based on these components,
MHEWS-I identified criteria for “good practices” in early warning systems
(EWS), further discussed major gaps within these components, as revealed
by the Global Early Warning Survey, and identified a number of such good
practices in early warning systems.
WMO has initiated in collaboration with other key partners the following
EWS projects which demonstrate National Meteorological and Hydrological
Services’ institutional cooperation and coordination with disaster risk

management agencies and other stakeholders. Furthermore, these projects

determine whether economies and synergies could be achieved through a
multi-hazard approach.
1) WMO in collaboration with the NMHS and their national partner
ministries and agencies has initiated multi-hazard EWS projects in China
(Shanghai) and France. WMO together with partners is documenting
WMO
these good practices, including those in Cuba and Bangladesh, with
specific focus on the role of NMHS in EWS including their operational
coordination and cooperation with other technical and disaster risk
management agencies from national to local levels;
2) WMO has initiated a number of technical capacity projects to assist NMHS
in several regions in the development of capacities in severe weather
forecasting, flash flood guidance systems, drought monitoring and
forecasting, sand and dust storm forecasting, and with IOC, storm surge
forecasting;
3) WMO works with ISDR system partners including the World Bank
GFDRR, UNDP, IFRC and UNISDR on the modernization of NMHS and to
facilitate national early warning system projects aimed at strengthening
operational coordination and cooperation among the NMHS, disaster risk
management agencies and other key stakeholders such as the Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies (RCRC). These projects address requirements
of disaster risk management agencies for warnings and information,
development of EWS concept of operations and a feedback mechanism
for improving the coordination and operations among the NMHS and
their stakeholders. First set of such pilots are being initiated in Central
America.
4) WMO convened a Second Experts’ Symposium on Multi-Hazard
Early Warning Systems with a focus on the Role of National
Hydrometeorological Services (MHEWS-II) in France on May, 2009. It
also aims at sharing of experiences and lessons learnt and providing
guidelines to support capacity development.
Flood Management:
The Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM) is a joint
initiative of the World Meteorological Organization and the Global Water
Partnership. It promotes the concept of Integrated Flood Management (IFM)
as a new approach to flood management.
The Integrated Flood Management (IFM) HelpDesk is a facility that
provides guidance on flood management policy, strategy and institutional
development related to flood issues to countries that want to adopt

the Integrated Flood Management (IFM) concept. It is based on close

partnership with the country and tailored to their specific needs, with the
aim of assisting in IFM implementation.
The objectives of the IFM HelpDesk are to:
• Provide quick access to relevant flood management information;
• Provide guidance and momentum for reform in favour of IFM in countries
or river basins in developing long-term flood management policies,
strategies and institutional arrangements;
• Serve as a link between flood management practitioners and decision-
makers and multi-disciplinary scientific expertise and best practice in
various fields such as hydrology, river engineering, legal and institutional
development, ecology, sociology and development economics;
• Provide a continuous and sustainable capacity development mechanism
in support of IFM implementation.
The target audience of the HelpDesk includes the following groups:

• National, provincial and local government agencies involved in decision
making charged with a role in flood management (policy makers, flood
management practitioners, development planners, disaster managers;
• National Hydrological and Meteorological Services, etc.;
• River Basin Organizations;
• Bi- and Multi-lateral Organizations involved in Technical and Financial
Cooperation;
• Non-Governmental Organizations, in particular those working with flood
affected communities;
• Voluntary Organizations and Community-based Organizations; and
• Universities.

WMO through its sponsored and co-sponsored Research Programmes
coordinates the development of technical and scientific knowledge on
meteorological, hydrological and climate related hazards, their predictability
and forecasting, and linkages to climate change and climate variability.


Through its new Global Framework for Climate Services, WMO is
launching a new initiative to facilitate the provision of relevant climate
information to support climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
WMO is also developing, through expert teams, guidelines on utilization
of meteorological, hydrological hazard analysis and historical climate
WMO
information and forecasts as input to urban and infrastructure planning,
land use management, etc.

WMO ensures through the projects launched with other ISDR system
partners in Early Warning Systems that feedback is provided for improving
emergency planning and response operations.
WMO is developing capacity development and training programmes
between national meteorological agencies and emergency preparedness
and response agencies.
WMO has established a partnership with WFP and World Bank to support
the development of financial risk transfer and weather risk management
markets, systematically, through facilitating participation of NMHS for
provision of meteorological and hydrological data.
Focal point
DRR Programme
Website
http://www.wmo.int/disasters

THE WORLD BANK
FAO
Since inception in 1944, the World Bank has expanded from a single
institution to a closely associated group of five development institutions.
The mission has evolved from the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development as facilitator of post-war reconstruction and development
to the present day mandate of worldwide poverty alleviation. The five
institutions are the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD), International Development Association (IDA), International Finance
Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and International
Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
The World Bank’s projects and operations are designed to support low-
income and middle-income countries’ poverty reduction strategies. It
does so within each country’s specific socio-economic context, adapting
programmes to country capacity and needs. The Bank provides low-interest
loans, interest-free credits and grants to developing countries for a wide
array of purposes that include investments in disaster recovery and risk
mitigation, education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial
and private sector development, agriculture, and environmental and natural
resource management. Although the Bank has traditionally played a key role
in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, recently it has increased its
involvement in longer term disaster risk reduction.

The overarching objective is to mainstream disaster risk reduction and cli-
mate change adaptation in country development strategies, such as Poverty
Reduction Strategies (PRSP), Country Assistance Strategies (CASes), United
Nations Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAFs), and National Adap-
tation Programmes of Action (NAPAs), to reduce vulnerabilities to natural

hazards. This is done through providing analytical, technical and operational

support to countries for disaster risk reduction.
THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank is the largest provider of development assistance for
disaster recovery and risk mitigation. Disaster assistance has accounted for
nearly a tenth of the World Bank Commitments since 1984. The IDA alone
committed about US$ 12 billion dollars to disaster assistance to low income
countries between 1996 and 2007. Increasingly the focus of the World Bank
is on disaster risk reduction, not just reconstruction.
The World Bank’s ex-ante work in integrating disaster risk reduction in
development is carried out primarily through the Global Facility for Disaster
Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). Together with major donors and the UN,
the World Bank in 2006 launched GFDRR to support the implementation of
the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 and thereby address the needs
of vulnerable countries and provide coherent approaches globally and
regionally to risk reduction and recovery by using the ISDR system.
The GFDRR is managed by the World Bank on behalf of the participating
donor partners and other partnering stakeholders. It offers a unique
business model for advancing disaster risk reduction based on ex ante
support to high risk countries and ex post assistance for accelerated
recovery and risk reduction after a disaster. This partnership has been
successful in raising the profile of disaster risk reduction for sustainable
development.
GFDRR works to reduce disaster risks in countries through three–track
operations. Track I Working in partnership with the UNISDR, the main
objective of this track is to enhance the capacities of regional inter-
governmental organizations. Track II provides technical and financial
assistance to low and middle income countries to mainstream disaster risk
reduction into their country assistance and poverty reduction strategies.
Track III catalyzes greater cooperation between the humanitarian and
development actors for accelerated recovery and risk reduction.
The World Bank has recently established a Global Expert Team (GET) for
Disaster Risk Reduction to provide high quality rapid advisory support
to Governments in disaster risk assessments, risk reduction, risk transfer
and insurance products, post-disaster needs assessment and recovery and
reconstruction operations. GET consists of World Bank staff and

experts from its partner organizations with global expertise in disaster risk
management.

Inter-Agency Group
National Governments

The World Bank supports the development of effective institutional,
governance, legislative and financing frameworks for disaster risk reduction.
It also supports the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction in national
development strategies such as the Country Assistance Strategies, the
Poverty Reduction Strategies and the sectoral strategies.
The World Bank and the UN are jointly conducting the first-ever assessment
on the economics of disaster risk reduction with the aim of evaluating
economic arguments related to disaster risk reduction through an analytical,
conceptual, and empirical examination of the following themes: ex-ante v.
ex-post disaster risk management, longer term impacts of disasters, benefit-
cost analysis, disasters and conflicts and urbanization of disasters. The
findings are intended to influence the broader thinking related to disaster
risk and occurrence, raise awareness of the potential to reduce disaster costs,
and provide guidance on the implementation of disaster risk reduction
investments. The planned launch of the report is in the fall of 2009.

The World Bank provides technical and financial assistance for developing
appropriate instruments for risk assessments and early warning systems.
The World Bank has developed a number of tools and methodologies, which
include: Mitigation and Risk Identification System (MIRISK), Common

Country Risk Assessment (CCRA), Probabilistic Risk Assessments; Climate

Change Primer for City Managers; Drought Adaptation Plan; Vulnerability
Tracking Initiative.
THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank supports the documentation and dissemination of good
practices on disaster risk mainstreaming, facilitates exchange of lessons and
experiences; promotes need-based research and transfer of low-cost risk
reduction solutions.
It trains Bank teams in the methodologies to assess risks, damages,
economic losses and financial needs for recovery and reconstruction; and
disaster risk mitigation and financing.
It also promotes exchange and co-operation in disaster risk reduction: The
South–South Cooperation Programme launched by GFDRR in 2008 catalyses
cooperation in disaster risk reduction by supporting public, private, and civil
society partnerships between institutions and organizations in low-and
middle-income countries.

The World Bank provides technical and financial assistance for developing
appropriate instruments for risk mitigation such as in climate change
adaptation projects, municipal planning and coastal zone management. It
also provides input for incorporating disaster risk reduction into planning/
implementation across different sectors and develops toolkits for safer
school and hospital buildings which provide a step by step guide on
integrating disaster resilience in such investment.
It provides technical and financial assistance for developing appropriate
instruments for risk financing: These include promoting Contingent Loans,
such as the Catastrophe Risk Deferred Drawdown Options (CAT DDO),
and providing access to international catastrophe reinsurance markets on
competitive terms such as the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility
(CCRIF), Insurance Linked Securities such as Cat bonds, Property Catastrophe
Insurance Programs such as the Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool
(TCIP), and Agriculture Insurance Programs such as Index-Based Livestock
Insurance and weather Based Crop Insurance.


The World Bank provides Emergency Recovery Loans to countries in the
aftermath of a major disaster and helps countries coordinate the post-
disaster damage, losses and needs assessment for an efficient and risk
reducing recovery.
It bridges the gap between humanitarian assistance and longer term
recovery in the event of a disaster: GFDRR established the world’s first global
disaster recovery fund - the Standby Recovery Financing Facility (SRFF) for
this purpose. The Fund can be activated when a disaster strikes to provide
assistance for recovery and reconstruction activities, and also to support
damage and loss assessments. The SRFF includes two financing windows:
a Technical Assistance Fund, to support damage loss, needs assessment
and planning; and a Callable Fund, to provide speedy access to financial
resources for disaster recovery.
The World Bank can establish and operationalise a Quick Reaction Team
(QRT) which is a small, mobile group of highly-trained and experienced staff
who in the event of a disaster provide rapid assistance to country teams and
also directly to the governments of disaster-affected nations.
Focal point
GFDRR Secretariat, Washington D.C., USA
Website
www.worldbank.org
www.gfdrr.org

GENERAL ASSEMBLY
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
General description
Established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations, the General
Assembly occupies a central position as the chief deliberative, policymaking
and representative organ of the United Nations. Comprising all 192
Members of the United Nations, it provides a unique forum for multilateral
discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the
Charter. It also plays a significant role in the process of standard-setting
and the codification of international law. The Assembly meets in regular
session intensively from September to December each year, and thereafter
as required.
The Main Committees of the General Assembly discuss the items, seeking
where possible to harmonize the various approaches of States, and present
their recommendations, usually in the form of draft resolutions and
decisions, to a plenary meeting of the Assembly for its consideration. The six
Main Committees are as follows:
• First Committee (Disarmament and International Security Committee);
• Second Committee (Economic and Financial Committee);
• Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee);
• Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization Committee);
• Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary Committee); and
• Sixth Committee (Legal Committee).
Role in disaster risk reduction

General Assembly resolution A/RES/56/195 of 21 December 2001 (after
review of the first 2 years of functioning of ISDR, as set out in the founding
resolution of A/RES/54/219) stressed that “the inter-agency secretariat for
the Strategy should be consolidated and enhanced to perform its functions
effectively, in particular to serve as the focal point in the United Nations
system for the coordination of disaster reduction and to ensure synergies
among the disaster-reduction activities of the United Nations system and
regional organizations and activities in socio-economic and humanitarian
fields;”

International Strategy for Disaster Reduction is considered under Second

Committee agenda item 49 on sustainable development. Sustainable devel-
opment deals also with the following issues relevant to disaster risk reduction:
• Implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further
Implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcomes of the World Summit on
Sustainable Development;
• Follow-up to and implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the
Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States;
• Protection of global climate for present and future generations of
mankind;
• Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or
Desertification, Particularly in Africa;
• Convention on Biological Diversity;
• Report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment
Programme on its tenth special session.
Second Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption

of one annual resolution on disaster risk reduction: International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction and two biennial resolutions: Natural disasters and
vulnerability, and International cooperation to reduce the impact of the El
Niño phenomenon.
In 2008, the General Assembly resolution on International Strategy for

Disaster Reduction (A/RES/63/216) took note of the Ministerial Meeting on
Reducing Disaster Risks in a Changing Climate, noted the risk management
and risk reduction workshop to be held in Poznan, and recognized the im-
portance to coordinate adaptation to climate change with relevant disaster
risk reduction measures.
It also expressed satisfaction with the work carried out by the Global Facility
for Disaster Reduction and Recovery of the World Bank (GFDRR), encouraged
UNISDR to continue to develop improved methods for predictive multi-
risk assessments, including on the economic of disaster risk reduction, and
socio-economic cost-benefit analysis of risk reduction actions at all levels.
It also welcomed the upcoming second session of the Global Platform for
Disaster Risk Reduction to be held in Geneva in June 2009, which would
serve to initiate the midterm review of the implementation of the Hyogo
Framework, expected by 2010.

The resolution acknowledged the importance of the work of the United

Nations in disaster risk reduction and the growing demands on UNISDR
and the need for increased, timely, stable and predictable resources for the
implementation of the Strategy. It encouraged Member States to make
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
multi-annual, unearmarked contributions to the UN Trust Fund for Disaster
Reduction, as early in the year as possible, stressed the importance of
disaster risk reduction and subsequent increased responsibilities of the
secretariat of the ISDR, and requested the Secretary-General to explore
all means of securing additional funding to ensure predictable and stable
financial resources for the operation of the secretariat.
Issues related to International Strategy for Disaster Reduction are also
referred to in the humanitarian resolutions of the Third Committee:
Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of
the United Nations; International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in
the field of natural disasters, from relief to development; and
Strengthening emergency relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and
prevention in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster
The General Assembly resolution on United Nations Millennium Declaration
(A/RES/55/2) decided the following:
“ We resolve therefore to adopt in all our environmental actions a new ethic
of conservation and stewardship and, as first steps, we resolve:
To intensify cooperation to reduce the number and effects of natural and
manmade disasters.”
The UNISDR participates into and organizes side events during the general
debate of the General Assembly and in relation to thematic debates
throughout the year.
Website:
www.un.org/ga

ECOSOC
Economic and Social Council
General description
ECOSOC was established under the United Nations Charter as the principal
organ to coordinate economic, social, and related work of the 14 UN
specialized agencies, functional commissions and five regional commissions.
The Council also receives reports from 11 UN funds and programmes.
ECOSOC serves as the central forum for discussing international economic
and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to
Member States and the United Nations system. It is responsible for:
• promoting higher standards of living, full employment, and economic and
social progress;
• identifying solutions to international economic, social and health
problems;
• facilitating international cultural and educational cooperation; and
• encouraging universal respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms.

ECOSOC endorsed the founding documents of the International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction: the Geneva Mandate and “Strategy for A SAFER
WORLD in the 21st CENTURY: Disaster and Risk Reduction” in 1999 (99/63).
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction was considered under ECOSOC
agenda item on Economic and environmental questions until 2001.
ECOSOC Resolution E/2001/35 on ISDR reiterated the resolution 1999/63 of

30 July 1999 entitled “International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction:
successor arrangements”, and recognized the ISDR as the international
platform for disaster reduction issues, and urged the international
community to provide the necessary resources to the ISDR to promote the
dissemination of the disaster reduction message in view of a successful
implementation of the ISDR. It invited the General Assembly to give full
consideration to the report of the Secretary General at its fifty sixth session,
under the item entitled “Environment and sustainable development”.

ISDR is not formally discussed at the ECOSOC. However, ISDR related issues
are considered in the humanitarian segment of the ECOSOC, and UNISDR
organizes side events during humanitarian and/or general segments. In
2008, there was a panel discussion during humanitarian affairs segment on
“Building capabilities and capacities at all levels for timely humanitarian
assistance, including disaster risk reduction”.
ECOSOC
ECOSOC Functional Commissions most relevant to disaster risk reduction:
The Commission on the Status of Women (CWS) is a functional commission
of ECOSOC dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement
of women. It is the principal global policy-making body established by
ECOSOC resolution 11(II) in 1946. Every year, representatives of Member
States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate
progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and
formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement
of women worldwide.
CWS addressed environmental management and the mitigation of disasters
caused by natural hazards at its 46th session in 2002. In its fifty-second
session in March 2008, it considered “Gender perspectives on climate
change” as the emerging issue.
The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was
established by the UN General Assembly in December 1992 to ensure
effective follow-up of United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED), also known as the Earth Summit.
The Commission is responsible for reviewing progress in the
implementation of Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration on Environment
and Development; as well as providing policy guidance to follow up the
Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) at the local, national, regional
and international levels. The JPOI reaffirmed that the CSD is the high-level
forum for sustainable development within the United Nations system.
The CSD meets annually in New York, in two-year cycles, with each cycle
focusing on clusters of specific thematic and cross-sectoral issues, outlined
in its multi-year programme of work (2003-2017) (E/CN.17/2003/6).
The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation adopted at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002) includes commitments

Trelated to disaster and vulnerability reduction under chapter IV:

Protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social
development.
The 11th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (2003)
adopted the themes of disaster management and vulnerability to be
reviewed in its fifth cycle (2014-2015) in the CSD’s multi-year programme
of work. Risk management and vulnerability have also been examined in
the context of other thematic clusters of CSD, such as water, sanitation and
human settlements (2004-2005) and drought and desertification (2008-
2009). Poverty eradication, protecting and managing the natural resource
base, sustainable development of SIDS and sustainable development for
Africa, in particular land, drought and desertification related issues, are very
relevant to the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action.
UNISDR participates into the CSD and usually organizes one side event
together with its partners during the CSD session.
United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) was established in October
2000, by ECOSOC resolution 2000/35 as a subsidiary body with the main
objective to promote “… the management, conservation and sustainable
development of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political
commitment to this end…” based on the Rio Declaration, the Forest
Principles, Chapter 11 of Agenda 21 and the outcome of the IPF/IFF
Processes and other key milestones of international forest policy.
The outcome of the sixth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests
(E/2006/INF/2/Add.1) expressed its concern about continued deforestation
and forest degradation and its adverse impact on the livelihoods of over
a billion people (including many of the poorest and most vulnerable), and
about the need for more effective implementation of actions to facilitate
the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of
forests.
ECOSOC Regional Commissions are working actively in disaster risk
reduction:
- Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
- Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
- Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)
- Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
- Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

ECOSOC Expert bodies, such as the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

discusses issues relevant to the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for
Action.
Website:
ECOSOC
www.un.org/ecosoc

CEB
The Chief Executives Board
General description
The Chief Executives Board (CEB) furthers coordination and cooperation on
a whole range of substantive and management issues facing United Nations
system organizations. CEB is the successor body to the Administrative
Committee on Coordination (ACC). CEB brings together on a regular basis
the executive heads of the organizations of the United Nations system,
under the chairmanship of the Secretary General of the United Nations.
In addition to its regular reviews of contemporary political issues and major
concerns facing the UN system, on the basis of recommendations from
bodies reporting to it, CEB approves policy statements on behalf of the UN
system as a whole.
CEB is supported by three High Level Committees, HLCP, HLCM and
UNDG. The division of responsibilities between the three bodies can be
summarized as follows:
HLCP: Promotion of global policy coherence, including the development of
common policy tools, including toolkits, in addition to its work on global
policy and programme issues and global public goods.
The High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP), established by CEB
in 2000, is the principal mechanism for system-wide coordination in the
programme area. It is chaired by the President of the International Fund for
Agricultural Development, and is composed of senior-most programme
managers of the organizations of the system.
In addition to providing the forum for inter-agency dialogue in the
development and launching of new programme initiatives, HLCP advises
CEB on issues of strategic planning, policy and programme development
and implementation, and on other areas that require priority attention in
response to the challenges facing the UN system and the global community.
HLCP holds its regular sessions in the spring and fall of each year, and
undertakes consultations on a continuing basis.

HLCM (High Level Committee on Management): Harmonization of business

practices across the system, including general management issues, thus
ensuring overall management coherence from global to country level.
UNDG (United Nations Development Group): Promotion of coherent
and effective oversight, provision of guidance and capacity building with
country level partners, coordination of UN development operations at
country level, addressing policy guidance issues related to country level
CEB
operations, including the implementation of the TCPR resolutions, and
support to the Resident Coordinator (RC) system.

HLCP discussed disaster risk reduction in its sixteenth session in September
2008. The policy paper on Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction
throughout the UN System: Proposal for Mainstreaming and Programmatic
Coherence (CEB/2008/HLCP-XVI/CRP.6) provided the rationale and proposed
action for the UN system to more coherently address the increasing losses
to disasters, through mainstreaming well-developed disaster risk reduction
policy tools and practical measures through the entire UN system.
HLCP has taken forward, through a Working Group on
Climate Change led by its Vice-Chair, the development of a system-wide
approach to address climate change and to support the process for a global
agreement for the post-2012 period. The HLCP Working Group on climate
change prepared a report Acting on Climate Change: The UN Delivering
as One, on UN system actions on climate change for the COP-14 in Poznan
in December 2008. The document provided a mid-term progress report to
Member States meeting in Poznan in December 2008, as work continued
toward the development of a common framework for presentation at the
UNFCCC Conference of Parties meeting in Copenhagen in 2009. CEB has also
produced a complementary on-line inventory of UN system activities on
climate change.
Website:
http://ceb.unsystemceb.org/

UNDG
The United Nations Development Group
General description
The UN Development Group (UNDG) unites the 33 UN funds, programmes,
agencies, departments, and offices that play a role in development. The
group’s common objective is to deliver more coherent, effective and
efficient support to countries seeking to attain internationally agreed
development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.
Established by the Secretary-General in 1997 as an instrument for UN
reform, the UNDG designs system-wide guidance to coordinate, harmonize
and align UN development activities. The group strengthens the UN
development system at the country level, prepares it to meet future
challenges and ensures that operations are conducted in accordance with
mandates from UN governing bodies such as the General Assembly.
By strengthening the UN Resident Coordinator System and helping UN
organizations work together in new and better ways, the UNDG generates
synergies and efficiencies that increase the impact of UN programmes
and policy advice. Coordinating development operations promotes more
strategic support for national plans and priorities, makes operations more
efficient and reduces transaction costs for governments. This helps the UN to
be a more relevant and reliable partner for governments.
The UNDG is one of the three pillars of the UN Chief Executives Board (CEB),
which furthers coordination and cooperation on a wide range of substantive
and management issues facing UN System organizations. The CEB brings the
executive heads of UN organizations together on a regular basis under the
chairmanship of the Secretary-General. Within the CEB structure, the High-
Level Committee on Management works on system-wide administrative and
management issues, the High-Level Committee on Programmes considers
global policy issues, while the United Nations Development Group deals
with operational activities for development with a focus on country-level
work.
The Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) chairs the
UNDG. The UNDG Chair reports to the Secretary-General and the CEB on

progress in implementing the group’s work plan, and on the management

of the Resident Coordinator System.
UNDG members include: ECA, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP, ESCWA, FAO, IFAD, ILO, ITU,
OHCHR, OSAA, SRSGCAC, UN DESA, UN DPI, UNAIDS, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNEP,
UNESCO, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNIFEM, UNODC, UN-
OHRLLS, UNOPS, UNWTO, WFP, WHO, and WMO. The observers include: the
UNDG
World Bank, UNFIP, OCHA, the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-
General, and the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General.
The UN Development Operations Coordination Office (DOCO) (formerly
the Development Group Office) is the technical support unit for the UNDG.
DOCO provides the link between UNDG discussions at headquarters and
the work of the UN development system at the country level, and helps the
group prepare system-wide agreements, policies and guidelines for country
offices.
Much of DOCO’s work focuses on supporting and strengthening the
Resident Coordinator System with funding, policy guidance and training.
DOCO advises RCs on how to make country programmes more efficient,
effective and aligned with national priorities, and work to streamline
coordination mechanisms.

The Common Country Assessment (CCA) is a common instrument of the
United Nations system to analyse the national development situation
and identify key development issues with a focus on the Millennium
Declaration / MDGs, and other internationally agreed treaty obligations and
development goals. One of the five expected results from the UN Country
Team’s (UNCT) analytical contribution to country analysis is the recognition
of the risks of crises and disasters, as well as capacities for crisis prevention
and disaster preparedness.
A key function of the CCA is to support and strengthen the national
development framework which may include planning mechanisms such as:
a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), sector programmes, or a joint
assistance strategy (JAS), and may also involve direct budget support. The
CCA may also assist in a Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) or a transition
strategy, where they are developed. One of the results of the CCA process
is a contribution to developing measures and building capacity for crisis
prevention and disaster preparedness; and where applicable to mitigation

plans, post-conflict/disaster recovery and rehabilitation, and planning the

transition from relief to development.
The UNDG Working Group on Programming Issues endorsed a Guidance
Note on Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction into the Common Country
Assessment and United Nations Development Assistance Framework in
November 2008. The guidance note was revised and updated by a joint
UNDG/ISDR Task Team on Mainstreaming of Disaster Risk Reduction over the
course of 2008. The guidance note was approved by the UNDG in January
2009 after which it is being made available to UNCTs and relevant parties.
Website:
www.undg.org

IASC
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee
IASC
General description
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) is a unique inter-agency
forum for coordination, policy development and decision-making involving
the key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners. The IASC was established
in June 1992 in response to United Nations General Assembly Resolution
46/182 on the strengthening of humanitarian assistance. General Assembly
Resolution 48/57 affirmed its role as the primary mechanism for inter-
agency coordination of humanitarian assistance.
The following are the primary objectives of the IASC:
• To develop and agree on system-wide humanitarian policies;
• To allocate responsibilities among agencies in humanitarian programmes;
• To develop and agree on a common ethical framework for all
humanitarian activities;
• To advocate for common humanitarian principles to parties outside the
IASC;
• To identify areas where gaps in mandates or lack of operational capacity
exist;
• To resolve disputes or disagreement about and between humanitarian
agencies on system-wide humanitarian issues.
According to General Assembly Resolution 46/182, the IASC should be

composed of “all operational organizations and with a standing invitation
to the ICRC, IFRC, and IOM. Relevant NGOs can be invited to participate on
an ad hoc basis.” In practice, no distinction is made between “Members” and
“Standing Invitees” and the number of participating agencies has expanded
since inception of the IASC in 1992.
Members of the IASC include: FAO, OCHA, UNDP, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT,
UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO.
Standing Invitees of the IASC include: ICRC, ICVA, IFRC, InterAction, IOM,
OHCHR, RSG on Human Rights of IDPs, SCHR and the World Bank.

Together with Executive Committee for Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA),

the IASC forms the key strategic coordination mechanism among major
humanitarian actors.
The Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs, ECHA, is one of the four
Committees created by the Secretary-General in the framework of the
UN reform with the aim of enhancing coordination among UN agencies.
Chaired by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, ECHA meets on a monthly
basis in New York. ECHA’s membership, notably with the participation of UN
Departments, adds a political and peacekeeping dimension to humanitarian
consultations.

Disaster preparedness
IASC Working Group requested at its 61st meeting in June 2005, to OCHA
and UNISDR secretariat to consult with all IASC members on the most
appropriate mechanisms by which the IASC can give effect to its obligations
on the Hyogo Framework for Action follow-up taking into account existing
IASC and other mechanisms dealing with preparedness issues, time and
resources. Based on this request, UNISDR and OCHA developed a Disaster
Preparedness for Effective Response - Guidance and Indicator Package for
Implementing Priority Five of the Hyogo Framework, published in 2008.
The tool provides strengthened guidance to facilitate the implementation
of Priority Five of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) and aims to assist
governments, local authorities, and other stakeholders develop and measure
preparedness for response capability at the international, regional, national
and local level.
Inter-Agency Contingency Planning Guidelines for Humanitarian Assistance
were prepared by the IASC Reference Group on Contingency Planning and
Preparedness in 2001 and updated in 2007 by the IASC Sub-Working Group
on Preparedness and Contingency Planning. Guidelines were designed to
provide a common inter-agency methodology for contingency planning
and to ensure effective response to humanitarian needs at the onset of a
crisis.
The IASC Humanitarian Early Warning Service (HEWSweb) is an inter-
agency partnership project aimed at establishing a common platform for
humanitarian early warnings and forecasts for natural hazards. The service
has been developed by WFP who is responsible for coordinating

and managing the overall information content, design, and organization

of HEWSweb on behalf of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and its
members.
Climate change
The IASC Working Group at its 71st meeting in June 2008 requested IFRC
IASC
with support from OCHA, WFP and IOM to convene a Task Force of relevant
IASC organizations to lead the preparation of inputs to the UNFCCC process
leading to the Copenhagen Conference (COP-15) in December 2009 and to
provide guidance to the IASC on related issues. This informal IASC Task Force
on Climate Change and UNISDR made a joint submission in November 2008
to the UNFCCC Ad hoc Working Group on Long Term Cooperative Action on
Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies and Risk Management Practices: Critical
Elements for Adaptation to Climate Change to highlight the disaster risk
reduction and humanitarian implications of climate change to the UNFCCC
Parties. The IASC with its Task Force on Climate Change organized a COP-14
Side Event on the Humanitarian Response to Climate Change: Early Warning
– Early Action.
Moreover, an informal group convened by IOM, in collaboration with
UNHCR and the RSG on Human Rights of IDPs and other interested IASC
organizations produced a working paper on Climate Change, Migration and
Displacement: Who will be affected?, which was submitted to the UNFCCC.
Early recovery
As part of ongoing efforts to improve the timeliness and effectiveness of the
humanitarian response, IASC has embarked upon an initiative to strengthen
leadership and accountability in nine key “clusters” of the humanitarian
response. Among these is the cluster for “early recovery” — a complex area
that is critical in linking immediate responses to disasters with medium and
long-term recovery efforts. UNDP was designated as the lead agency for this
cluster. Working with 17 humanitarian and development partners, UNDP has
identified critical gaps in early recovery and priority actions and resource
requirements, in order to improve capacities and apply the cluster approach
to crisis situations.

Gender
International humanitarian, human rights, and refugee law share a common
goal in aiming to prevent and relieve suffering, and to protect the rights and
freedoms of women, girls, boys and men. While there has been emphasis by
the IASC on promoting gender equality in all aspects of its work, real-time
evaluations conducted in 2005-2006 of the crises in Darfur, the Tsunami and
Pakistan earthquake point to clear gaps in promoting gender equality. To
address this gap,
The IASC issued in 2006 The IASC Gender Handbook, Women, Girls, Boys and
Men: Different Needs – Equal Opportunities which provides field-friendly
guidance on how to deliver humanitarian protection and assistance based
on the different needs, capacities and vulnerabilities of women, girls, boys
and men.
IASC policy statement on Gender Equality in Humanitarian Action was
approved by the IASC Working Group in June 2008.
Website:
http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/iasc/

Key UN System Networks in

Disaster Risk Reduction
Inter-Agency Group (IAG)
FAO, OCHA, UNDP, ILO, UNEP, UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, WMO, World Bank
(and IFRC)
ISDR Platform for Promotion of Early Warning (PPEW)

UNISDR, WMO
ISDR Platform for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction

UNEP, UNISDR
ISDR System Thematic Cluster/Platform on Knowledge and Education

UNESCO, UNICEF, WMO
ISDR Global Drought Risk Reduction Platform

WFP
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)

FAO, OCHA, UNDP, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT, UNICEF, WFP, WHO (UNHCR)
IASC Sub-working group on early warning and contingency planning

OCHA, UNICEF, WFP
IASC-Cluster Working Group on Early Recovery (CWGER)

ILO
Global Early Warning and Response System for Major Animal Diseases
FAO
Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI)

OCHA, UNDP, UNISDR
Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR)

UNEP

International Consortium on Landslides (ICL)

FAO, UNESCO, UNISDR, UNU, WMO
International Programme on Landslides (IPL)

UNU
Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA)

FAO
Fire Management Actions Alliance

FAO
Mountain Partnership
FAO, WMO
Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping System

FAO
World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)

UNESCO, WMO

UNESCO, UNISDR, UNU, WMO
Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM)

UNU, WMO
Integrated Flood Management helpdesk (IFM helpdesk)

WMO, Cap-Net/UNDP, UNISDR, UNESCO-IHE, UNOSAT, UNITAR
Tropical Cyclone Programme (TCP)

Hurricane Committee, Tropical Cyclone Committee for the South-West Indian
Ocean, Tropical Cyclone Committee for the South Pacific and South-East Indian
Ocean, Tropical Cyclone Committee for the South Pacific and the South-East
Indian Ocean, WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones, and ESCAP/WMO Ty-
phoon Committee. WMO, ESCAP
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)

UNESCO, WMO
IOC’s Intergovernmental Coordination Groups for Tsunami Warning Systems

UNESCO, WMO

Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine

Meteorology (JCOMM)
WMO, UNESCO
Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)

UNESCO
Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS)

UNESCO
Global Risk Identification Programme (GRIP)

UNDP, UNU, WMO
Global Environment Fund (GEF)

UNDP, UNEP, WB, FAO, UNIDO
OECD High Level Panel on International Network on Financial Management of

Large Scale Catastrophes
WMO
International Research Centre on El Niño (CIIFEN)

WMO, UNISDR
International Platform for Reducing Earthquake Disaster (IPRED)

UNESCO
International Council for Science (ICSU)

UNESCO, UNU, WMO
International Charter Space and Major Disasters

UNITAR, UNOOSA
United Nations Geographic Information Working Group (UNGIWG)

UNOOSA
Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities

UNOOSA

UNOOSA, UNITAR

Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies

UNICEF
Coalition for Global School Safety and Disaster Prevention education

(GOGSS-DPE)
UNESCO
WHO-AMRO Disaster Mitigation Advisory Group

WHO
Joint Initiative on Recovery Coordination

OCHA, UNDOCO, UNDP/BCPR
International Recovery Platform

OCHA, UNISDR, UNDP, ILO, WB, ADRC, IFRC
Inter-Agency Working Group for Reproductive Health in Refugee Situations

UNFPA
National Counterparts for

Disaster Reduction
Counterpart Ministries and local authorities with related
extension services responsible for:
Agriculture:
FAO, WFP
Departments of Forestry, Livestock and Fisheries and related municipalities
and farmers’ organizations.
Disaster Management/Preparedness:
OCHA, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF
National committees of water, oceanographic and earth sciences, Coastal Zone

Management:
UNEP, UNESCO, WMO

Environment:
UNEP
Planning:
UNEP, UNDP
Land and Resettlement:

UN-HABITAT
Housing:
UN-HABITAT
Construction:
UNESCO, UNESCO
Urban Development:
UN-HABITAT
Education:
UNESCO, UNICEF, UNU (Universities/Research Institutions)
Health:
UNICEF, WHO
Social Welfare:
UNICEF
Meteorological and Hydrological Services:

WMO (meteorological and hydrological), UNESCO (meteorological)
Space:
UNOOSA
And various agency specific counterparts, such as

National Commissions of UNESCO,
National Climate Change Focal Points
National Focal Points for UN-SPIDER,
Brussels Programme of Action/LDCs National Focal Points

ISDR
The Strategy – Secretariat – System
United Nations International Strategy
ISDR
for Disaster Reduction
General description
The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) was adopted by
United Nations Member States in 2000 and is owned by local, national,
regional and international organizations (A/RES/54/597, A/RES/56/195). The
secretariat to ISDR is UNISDR, an entity within the United Nations Secretariat.
UNISDR is led by an Assistant Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction
and overseen by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs,
who also serves as the Chair for the wider ISDR system of partnerships.
The mandate of UNISDR is to act as the focal point in the United Nations
system for the coordination of disaster reduction and to ensure that disaster
risk reduction becomes integral to sound and equitable development,
environmental protection and humanitarian action.
The mission of UNISDR is to be an effective coordinator and guide for all the
ISDR partners, globally and regionally, and to:
• Mobilize political and financial commitments to disaster risk reduction
and Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of
Nations and Communities to Disasters (HFA);
• Develop and sustain a robust, multistakeholder system;
• Provide relevant knowledge and guidance.
Core functions of UNISDR include:
• Inter-agency and stakeholder coordination for disaster risk reduction

policy development, reporting, information sharing and support to
national efforts, at regional and global level;
• Monitoring the implementation of HFA and reporting on progress (core
indicators), including publishing the biennial Global Assessment Report,
organizing regional platforms and managing the Global Platform for
Disaster Risk Reduction;

• Coordinating preparation of policy guidelines for the HFA priority areas, in

particular linking disaster risk reduction to the climate change adaptation
and mitigation;
• Conducting advocacy, awareness campaigns and media outreach;
• Providing information services and practical tools, such as virtual libraries,
and assembling databases of good practices, country profiles, events
calendar, electronic workspaces;
• Promoting national multi-sector coordination mechanisms for disaster
risk reduction (national platforms) and advising UN Resident Coordinators
and ISDR system partners.
UNISDR administrates the UN Trust Fund for Disaster Reduction and is

partner to the World Bank in the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and
Recovery. UNISDR headquarters is based in Geneva, Switzerland, with a
liaison office in New York. It works through regional and sub-regional offices
in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, the Americas and Europe and supports the
thematic platforms on recovery (in Kobe) and early warning (in Bonn).
ISDR system
The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) is a system of
partnerships with the overall objective to generate and support a global
disaster risk reduction movement to implement HFA, which was endorsed
by the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in 2004 and by UN
General Assembly (A/RES/60/195) and serves as the overall framework for
implementing disaster risk reduction. These partnerships comprise a broad
range of actors, all of which have essential roles in supporting nations and
communities to reduce risk. ISDR partners include Governments, inter-
governmental and non-governmental organizations, international financial
institutions, scientific and technical bodies and specialized networks as well
as civil society and the private sector
In addition to the secretariat outlined above, ISDR mechanisms include:
• The biennial Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction as the main
global forum for continued and concerted emphasis on disaster
reduction. Open to all States and the complement of ISDR stakeholders,
it serves primarily to assess progress made in the implementation of the
HFA, enhance awareness of disaster risk reduction, share experiences and
learn from good practice, also identifying remaining gaps and necessary
actions to accelerate national and local implementation.

• Regional platforms for disaster risk reduction, including ministerial

meetings, led by regional inter-governmental organizations.
• An Inter-Agency Group that acts as a venue for ISDR system joint work
programming among the participating organizations (currently FAO,
IFRC, ILO, OCHA, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, WMO and
the World Bank) and to improve coherence thus better supporting
countries in their implementation of the HFA. Thematic platforms led
ISDR
by UN specialized agencies or technical institutions, provide knowledge
products, and help to report on developments (for instance early warning,
recovery, education, risk identification). The Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs also convenes a Management Oversight Board with
his peers (from OCHA; UNDP representing UNDG; the World Bank; WMO;
UNEP; and IFRC). This Board supports the Chair in providing UN system-
wide leadership and high-level advocacy for disaster risk reduction.
• Several stakeholder groups and networks associated to ISDR – among
them a Scientific Technical Committee, Global NGO Network for
DRR, Gender-and-Disasters and Media groupings and an emerging
Parliamentarian Network.
• Member States, which participate actively in ISDR, are called upon in GA
and HFA resolutions to establish multistakeholder national platforms for
disaster risk reduction to facilitate coordination across sectors. A self-
organized ISDR Support Group is an informal body open to all States that
convenes in Geneva. Frequent briefings in New York and initiatives linked
to the General Assembly (GA) and ECOSOC keep Member States abreast
of developments. The Secretary-General reports every year to GA on the
implementation of ISDR in the Second Committee.
Website:
www.unisdr.org
www.preventionweb.net



UNISDR Geneva
Tel. :+41 22 917 8908/8907
[email protected]
www.unisdr.org
UNISDR Liaison Office, New York

[email protected]
UNISDR Africa, Nairobi

[email protected]
www.unisdr.org/africa
UNISDR Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok

[email protected]
www.unisdr.org/asiapacific
UNISDR the Americas, Panama

[email protected]
www.eird.org
UNISDR Europe, Geneva

[email protected]
www.unisdr.org/europe
UNISDR West Asia and North Africa, Cairo

[email protected]
www.unisdr.org/wana
United Nations
UNISDR-21-2009-Geneva

Disaster Risk Reduction in The United Nations: 2009 Roles, Mandates and Areas of Work of Key United Nations Entities

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Disaster Risk

Four years on from the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe,

While this compilation is not exhaustive, it shows an impressive portfolio

Increasingly since 2005, most UN agencies and UN coordination mechanisms,

Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities iii

I would like to encourage all UN entities and ISDR partners committed to

Helena Molin Valdés,

For updated information and organizations not covered by this publication,

iv Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ...........................................................................111

Key UN system networks in disaster risk reduction..................127

ISDR – The Strategy, Secretariat and System ..............................133

Summary Hyogo Framework for Action .....................................136

Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities v

Disaster reduction goal

• Strengthening disaster preparedness and the ability to mitigate the

Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities 1

Policies and programmes in disaster risk reduction

Memberships in key networks

2 Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities

Areas of work (to correspond with HFA priority areas 1-5)

HFA Priority for Action 1

HFA Priority for Action 2

Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities 3

RANET (Radio and Internet for the Communication of Hydro-Meteorological

HFA Priority for Action 3

HFA Priority for Action 4

4 Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities

• agricultural management, marketing and finance;

HFA Priority for Action 5

Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities 5

vaccination campaigns, rehabilitation of agricultural infrastructure;

Key methodologies include: Livelihood Assessment Toolkit (LAT) jointly

6 Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities

Disaster reduction goal

Policies and programmes in disaster risk reduction

Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities 7

in order to (i) support stakeholders for quick recovery in the aftermath

8 Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities

• Rapid assessments of impact of disasters on employment and income

The ILO Crisis Response and Reconstruction Programme (ILO/CRISIS) is

Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities 9

disaster risk reduction and sustainable local development. A one-year

Advocacy and local level awareness: specialized publications and advocacy

Memberships in key networks

Areas of work (to correspond with HFA priority areas 1-5)

HFA Priority for Action 1

10 Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities

Tripartism and social dialogue at enterprise, sectoral and national levels,

HFA Priority for Action 2

Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities 11

To this aim, ILO in collaboration with other agencies supports the

HFA Priority for Action 3

12 Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities

HFA Priority for Action 4

Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities 13

are also an important bridge between immediate needs and longer-term

14 Roles, mandates and areas of work of key UN entities