How national level strategies contribute to earthquake risk management in Türkiye: The National Earthquake Strategy and Action Plan (UDSEP-2023)
Strategic planning for disasters is an important pillar of strengthening disaster risk reduction. Strategic approaches provide some basic advantages, such as clarification of roles; collaboration methodologies and measures among primary and secondary stakeholders; time-limited actions; setting concrete targets; and planning financial outcomes of the actions.
In this regard, Türkiye’s National Earthquake Strategy and Action Plan – 2023 (UDSEP-2023) is the roadmap for reducing earthquake-related losses by the year 2023. The strategy document is formed along with three principal themes, seven objectives, 29 strategies, and 87 action items. For these, 13 responsible agencies were assigned in 2012, when UDSEP-2023 was first rolled out, to implement the cooperative work.
The fundamental goal of UDSEP-2023 is summarized as the “achievement of new earthquake-resilient, safe, well prepared and sustainable settlements so that the physical, economic, social, environmental and political harms and losses that may be engendered by earthquakes are prevented, or their effects reduced”. The document aims to reduce earthquake risks by enabling better preparedness for this hazard through the examination of the institutional framework and the establishment of R&D priorities on the subject.
In 2021, UDSEP-2023 celebrated the 10th anniversary of its implementation. During these ten years, a number of activities have been successfully completed:
- the National Earthquake Research Fund,
- the Earthquake Hazard Map, a Seismotectonic Map, and Multi-hazard Maps of Türkiye,
- the sustainable development of national seismic observation networks, geodetic observation networks, and a tsunami observation system,
- the Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool,
- the Turkish Earthquake Building Design Code,
- Technical Design Codes for Infrastructures,
- several public awareness campaigns,
- improved earthquake resistance of schools and hospitals,
- earthquake preparedness for hospitals, and
- capacity development of earthquake response.
By 2022, 58% of UDSEP-2023 actions have been successfully carried out. Strategic approaches to DRR measures help countries to manage their DRR activities according to a timetable and in a coordinated way. This methodology also permits funding agencies to prioritize funding for specific projects. Strategic approaches, including time-limited actions with clear responsibility of roles, also prevents duplication of funded projects, and motivates organizations to achieve the results for which they have responsibility, within an agreed schedule.
MIKTA is a diverse and cross-regional grouping of powers that brings together Mexico, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Turkey and Australia. Given the growing challenges our planet is faced with, including disasters from droughts, desertification, loss of biodiversity, food shortages, water scarcity, wildfires, and sea-level rise, MIKTA has reiterated its commitment to investing more in research, innovation and infrastructure to strengthen environmental sustainability, adaptation, and resilience against the adverse effects of climate change and disaster risks. In line with this commitment, MIKTA undertakes a joint advocacy campaign highlighting the triple benefits of investing in prevention to accelerate disaster risk reduction, protect development gains and build resilient communities.
The campaign promotes diverse local and regional examples of efforts by the MIKTA members to strengthen disaster risk resilience through investing in prevention. Through sharing of experiences and good practice, the campaign aims to strengthen global adaptation and resilience efforts and build global consensus around the need to accelerate disaster risk reduction efforts.
This article is part of a series of impact stories to generate ideas and solutions in line with the overarching and main themes identified for GP2022.