Guidelines for integrating weather related disasters risk reduction and adaptation in Asia and the Pacific Regions for senior government officials (Volume 1)

Aryal, Komal and Dobson, Olivia (2011) Guidelines for integrating weather related disasters risk reduction and adaptation in Asia and the Pacific Regions for senior government officials (Volume 1). Project Report. Yonsei University and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

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Abstract

Since the World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2005, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) has been promoting disaster risk reduction activities to improve the capacity of all nations to reduce the impact of natural hazards. In many countries, national risk reduction strategies are being developed in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA 2005-2015). Along with risk reduction, adaptation to the impacts of climate change is gaining importance in the international agenda due to the increasing intensity and frequency of climatic hazards that are impacting environmental and socio-economic systems globally.
There is mounting evidence that Asia and the Pacific are experiencing more extreme weather patterns attributable to the effects of global climate change. For this reason, the Fourth Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, hosted by Government of the Republic of Korea’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in partnership with UNISDR, has placed the issue of risks related to climate change high on its agenda. The 4th AMCDRR has adopted the Incheon Road Map and agreed on an Action Plan for the coming five years (2010-2015) to facilitate the adoption of disaster risk reduction strategies within national frameworks. As a part of the Action Plan, NEMA has commissioned Yonsei University to prepare the procedural guidelines that facilitate the integration of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into development planning across all sectors at the national government level.
To provide a fuller explanation of the importance of DRR and CCA integration, the first volume of the guidelines details the trifecta of converging developmental challenges which Asia faces in its immediate future: the widespread impacts of climatic change; substantial projected population growth; and rapidly increasing urbanisation. Together, these factors will combine to escalate the multitude of risks posed to the population from weather-related hazards and for this reason it is crucial for governments to implement risk reduction and adaptation considerations in their current and future planning.
The second volume of the guidelines provides step-by-step recommendations for the procedural integration of DRR and CCA as considerations in policy-making at the national government level. This includes the education of all staff about the nature and context of the risks faced from weather-related hazards; asset information gathering; risk and vulnerability mapping exercises; and comprehensive policy, plan and programme reviews against this data to identify potential opportunities for DRR and/or CCA measures to be assimilated into these existing documents and proposals, and also to highlight where risk or the impacts of climate change may be exacerbated by current agendas and thus require changing. The guide also includes the need to maintain a continuous monitoring and feedback loop within departments wishing to successfully integrate DRR and CCA as this will enable the identification of effective and ineffective strategies, which in turn promotes financial efficacy and social value.

The guidelines do not presume to suggest the details of appropriate risk reduction and adaptation measures as this will be specific to each governmental department and location and are best defined once thorough assessments have been undertaken. The guidelines aim to increase the understanding and awareness of policy makers in Asia about the importance of considering disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in their development planning and suggest the procedure by which this may be achieved.

Item Type:	Report (Project Report)
Subjects:	F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences X900 Others in Education
Department:	Faculties > Engineering and Environment > Geography and Environmental Sciences
Related URLs:	Organisation
Depositing User:	Komal Aryal
Date Deposited:	27 Sep 2012 10:24
Last Modified:	10 Aug 2015 11:18
URI:	http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/9110

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