Utilizing SFDRR Priorities to Strengthen Local Governance and Local Disaster Management

This document shows that local governance requires a flexible national framework to allow for tailored solutions at the local level. It calls for the countries and their humanitarian and development partners to urgently ensure that local governments implement a policy of awareness, resilience and information sharing. A future dialogue for local authorities to be informed and inform national and regional plans should feature in the Asia regional implementation plans, Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) declaration, and disaster management plans and policies, and collect better data to monitor the progress.

Enhancing local governance and local disaster management requires an effective legal framework and the engagement of multiple stakeholders. The lack of legal oversight, accountability and engagement of multiple stakeholders are the most prevalent issues in South Asia and the Asia-Pacific Region. In both regions, local disaster management has become increasingly important. Accordingly, the participants of the AMCDRR in India support key elements to be included in the AMCDRR declarations:

• Countries in Asia Region must address disaster and climate risks in development through strengthened governance arrangements in sectors and territories. This requires a combination of prospective risk management to ensure that risks are appropriately managed in new investments, corrective risk management to reduce the risk present in existing capital stock, and efforts to strengthen resilience at all levels. 
• National governments should ensure the enabling policies, guidelines and legal frameworks are in place at the national and sub-national level to support the implementation of a local governance framework informed by the national agenda and tailored for local needs.
• National governments should commit to improving local government capacity with multi-hazard approaches including conflict and ensure local governments are prepared for different events relevant to their circumstances as part of the national disaster risk reduction and to develop a plan to effectively implement it with adequate budget allocation by 2020.
• National governments should commit to build capacity of local communities on what they should do before, during and after disasters and encourages local communities, particularly women, to participate in decision-making processes on how their livelihoods can be made safer for themselves.
• National governments should give attention and protection to vulnerable members of local communities, before, during and after disasters and to ensure that local governments provide safe facilities to cater to the needs of the community so that they would be able to survive during disasters.
• National governments should ensure local government investments are able to follow national and regional agendas whilst allowing flexibility and integration of DRR in the local community context. 

This policy brief was prepared in advance of the Asia Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR), in India, 2-5 November 2016.