Disaster preparedness and response during political transition in Nepal: Assessing civil and military roles in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquakes

Using the 2015 earthquake response as a case study, this policy brief highlights the key factors that affected coordination between security-related agencies and the civilian agencies of the Government of Nepal, and identifies potential ways to improve future disaster responses. The paper also looks at ways that international organizations can support future efforts to improve the effectiveness of coordination in disaster response.

The strategic actions highlighted by the brief include:

• Prioritize supporting local-level disaster management trainings as well as training national-level stakeholders
• Aid the improvement of informal ties between the military and civil agencies through workshops, conferences, training, and so on
• Facilitate open and collaborative discussion of the role of the military in disaster response
• Standardize and promote public dissemination of key disaster response information