GLOBAL FACILITY FOR DISASTER REDUCTION AND RECOVERY (GFDRR)

MAINSTREAMING DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND ASSESSING DISASTER DAMAGES AND LOSSES IN DEVELOPMENT

TRAINING WORKSHOP FOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

DAKAR, SENEGAL

14-17 APRIL 2008

CONCEPT NOTE

1.	Background

Weather and climate-induced disasters are increasing in occurrence and severity in Africa causing devastating losses in human lives as well as of economic, social and environmental assets that threaten Africa’s ability to implement the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA) and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Consequently, disaster reduction and climate change adaptation cannot be dealt with in isolation. Also, disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the fight against poverty are clearly interlinked. In order to meet poverty objectives, potential hazard risks need to be determined and risk management approaches taken into account while designing poverty reduction strategies and socio-economic development plans.

Various studies, including the GFDRR-financed status review of DRR in Sub-Saharan Africa, have identified the critical constraint of lack of or inadequate capacity for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Africa. Hence, building the resilience of communities and countries in Africa to natural hazards and climate change depends on strengthening institutions, mechanisms and capacities to reduce the risk of disasters and to effectively respond to humanitarian and development needs when disasters occur.

To effectively reduce disaster risk and adapt to climate change and make the case for investment in developing requisite capacities, risks due to disasters and climate change must be known and measured through disaster damage and loss assessment. Effective post-disaster response and recovery depends on comprehensive disaster damage and loss assessment that provides information on the various options and priorities for reducing prospective disaster risk and adapting to climate change as part of national development plans, thereby building on and contributing to the efforts of countries to implement the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015. To achieve this, it is essential that post-event assessment also includes information that can be used for pre-event risk prevention and reduction.

Further, disaster and climate change risk analysis must provide information required to strengthen the capacity of planners, other decision-makers and disaster managers to climate-disaster proof development actions. To strengthen the case for increased investment in DRR and climate change adaptation, it is necessary to enhance awareness of the types of data and information as well as knowledge of how to generate or acquire such information needed to convince decision-makers to include DRR in policies, development plans and financing processes such as budgets and PRSPs.

Because DRR and climate change adaptation are not stand-alone sectors, they need to be factored in all sectors. Key sectors such as agriculture, energy, health, water resources, urban development, forestry and environment need to be engaged in national risk analysis and the prioritization of risk reduction actions, through multi-sectoral national dialogues, involvement in conducting assessments and participation in developing appropriate solution to reduce disaster risk, as called for by the Hyogo Framework for Action

2.	Efforts to reduce the effects of hazards

At the WCDR in Kobe in January 2025 in Kobe, Japan, 168 governments adopted the HFA with the goal of substantially reducing disaster losses in lives and of social, economic and environmental assets by 2015. In Africa, the African Union developed the African Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (2004) and the Programme of Action for the Implementation of the Africa Strategy (2005) both of which have been approved by the relevant organs of the African Union. At the sub-regional level, all of the Regional Economic Commissions (RECs) have developed or are developing sub-regional strategies. At the national level, several countries have increased efforts to address disaster risks in a proactive way, including developing strategies and mechanisms to reduce their potential impacts and incorporating aspects of disaster risk reduction (DRR) into their development policies and planning. However, these mechanisms are at various stages of development, implementation and effectiveness.

The United Nations secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) and the World Bank, in partnership with the African Union, UNDP and other organizations, have been working to strengthen the mechanisms and capacity for disaster reduction and recovery and climate change adaptation, and to ensure that these become a priority for development investments, in countries in the region. The secretariat catalyzes, facilitates and mobilizes commitment and support for the implementation of the ISDR and the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) in partnership with national, regional and international actors of the ISDR system. The World Bank supports and promotes hazard risk management by: (i) providing policy advice for developing comprehensive risk management strategies; (ii) conducting detailed risk assessments and helping countries to implement their national risk mitigation programmes; (iii) raising awareness of and commitment to proactive risk mitigation; and (iv) progressively ensuring that the activities in its assistance portfolio fully integrate hazard risk management.

The World Bank and UN/ISDR operate a Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), which has become a critical component of the ISDR system, to reduce the impact of disasters caused by natural and man-made hazards on populations and their livelihoods particularly through strengthening capacities for hazard risk management and recovery.

3.	Training Workshop Event

As part of activities under Track I of the GFDRR in Africa, the UN/ISDR and the World Bank together with a number of ISDR system partners, including UNDP/Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Reduction (BCPR) and the ProVention Consortium, under the auspices of the African Union, will sponsor a training workshop for Sub-Saharan African countries on mainstreaming DRR into development strategies, including the PRSPs, and assessment of post-disaster needs.

4.1	Objectives

The purpose of the training workshop is to: expose participants to the conceptual framework as well as practical application of methodological tools for integrating DRR into development processes and for assessing disaster damage and loss.

The objectives of the workshop are to:

strengthen participants’ understanding of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) based on discussion of challenges to implementation of the HFA in Africa and lessons learned from actual experiences of countries in responding to recent disasters and mainstreaming DRR into their development instruments

situate disaster damage and loss assessment and mainstreaming within the context of the experience with risk assessment in Africa, including discussing key data, capacity and institutional issues in risk assessment required to strengthen the case for investing in DRR to decision makers

increase participants knowledge of and institutional and monitoring requirements for effectively mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into development

identify existing country capacities and opportunities for strengthening capacities for mainstreaming

discuss strategies and tools of climate change adaptation as mechanisms for DRR and how to bringing together climate change focal points and disaster managers to develop national plans for adaptation and for reducing risk

strengthen participants’ knowledge of tools and requirements for disaster damage and loss assessment and application of post-event assessment results to estimation of recovery and reconstruction financial needs

expose participants to the HFA reporting framework, process, methodology and mechanisms to help obtain their agreement on national and regional indicators and timelines for reporting on progress on HFA implementation to UNISDR secretariat

4.2	Participation

A broad spectrum of participants will attend, comprising:

Government officials (National Platform/HFA Focal Points and relevant senior staff of ministries of finance or planning agencies)

World Bank staff

DRR focal points of UNDP

Representatives of the African Union and the Regional Economic Commissions

Staff of the African Development Bank

Representatives of partner institutions

Representatives of civil society organizations and academic institutions

It is expected that the number of participants will total about 100.

Countries proposed to participate in the workshop are: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central Africa Rep., Chad, Comoros, Dem. Rep. of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

These countries cover:

those with DRR National Platform/HFA Focal Points

those who have PRSPs in place since 2004

countries eligible for GFDRR Track II assistance during FY 2008 and 2009

‘One-UN’ countries.

4.3	Workshop approach, focus and structure

The planned activity is a training (skills development), advocacy, sensitization and knowledge sharing workshop involving lectures by specialists/trainers, country experience presentations, group discussions, and training exercises. Training in mainstreaming will be based on the methodologies and presentational approaches developed by the World Bank, UNDP and ProVention Consortium while that on post-disaster loss assessment will be based on adaptation and enhancement of the ECLAC methodology promoted by the World Bank and the Global Risk Identification Project (GRIP).

The training event will focus on how to: (i) apply risk assessment and identify and obtain key data and capacity needs for risk assessment, (ii) effectively mainstream disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into development and identify existing opportunities for strengthening capacities for mainstreaming, (iii) do disaster damage and loss assessment, identify key requirements for the assessment and use the information from assessments to estimate financial needs for recovery and reconstruction, (iv) expose participants to the HFA reporting framework, process, methodology and mechanisms for reporting on progress on HFA implementation to UNISDR secretariat

The workshop will cover a period of four days.

The first day will focus on key issues to consider in responding to disasters and mainstreaming DRR based on recent experiences of countries with the two processes.

The second day will cover three inter-related issues: (a) how to increase knowledge of key capacity and data in disaster risk assessment as the context for post-event assessment and mainstreaming, and (b) discussion of available tools for mainstreaming, and, (c) strengthening use of climate change adaptation strategies and tools as mechanisms for disaster risk reduction. The session on mainstreaming will address such issues as: the necessary elements an effective strategy to mainstream DRR in the priory sectors, issues to be mainstreamed, criteria for identifying opportunities for mainstreaming, institutional structures for mainstreaming, enhancing coordination of agencies involved in mainstreaming, and, indicators for assessing progress on mainstreaming.

The third day covers topics in identifying, quantifying and assessing damages and losses resulting from disaster events. This segment on damage and loss assessment will follow the recent GFDRR-sponsored training on post-disaster loss assessment in Madagascar held in December 2007. It will include presentations on the conceptual setting of the methodology developed by ECLAC and a general description of the standard practices of the assessments using that methodology. It will also involve overviews and exercises in assessing damages in priority sectors and the macroeconomy as well as issues relating to data availability and use.

The fourth day will cover a key theme essential to developing capacities in mainstreaming and loss assessment: reporting on the implementation and progress of DRR in Africa based on the ISDR system-wide HFA Reporting Framework for 2007-2009. Three major outcomes are expected from this session are: (a) enhanced knowledge of HFA reporting process and requirements, (b) agreement on benchmarks and indicators to track, and, (c) timelines for reporting on progress in Africa to the UNISDR secretariat

4.4	Funding

Funding will mainly come from the Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (Tracks I and II), with additional support to be sought from potential partners, including UNDP, OCHA, IFRC and AFDB.