Training on Disaster Risk Reduction

Background

This course on Disaster Risk Reduction, co-organized by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Nepal, Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) in Mozambique, and the Danida Fellowship Centre (DFC) is a three week course. The first two weeks (25 January – 5 February 2016) in Kathmandu, Nepal will be followed by one week (7–11 March 2016) in Beira, Mozambique.

According to the United Nations Global Assessment report (2015), there has been an increase in the number of disasters globally. In many developing countries, landlocked mountainous countries, and coastal areas climate change is further magnifying the impacts of disasters. Extreme weather and changing climatic patterns, combined with a rapidly growing population, are having an increasing impact on our lives and livelihoods and the ecosystem as a whole. In the last three decades, floods, storm surges, droughts, earthquakes, and wildfires have killed millions of people worldwide and caused huge economic losses.

These recurring disasters and increasing risks are undermining sustainable development globally. Unless disaster risks are reduced, sustainable development cannot be achieved. There has been progress made in disaster risk reduction through the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015), but much remains to be achieved. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 provides a roadmap for managing risks. There is a need for strategic planning principles and strategic management as well as budgets and budgeting procedures that acknowledge the economic and social benefits of risk reduction. To address this need, capacity building and training is essential at various levels, including for managers and disaster risk reduction (DRR) professionals to support DRR and enhance resilience.

Course objectives

• The objective of the training is to provide the concepts of disaster risk reduction and management to managers and planners to help them to:
• Understand the concept of DRR and the terminology  used in relation to risk, vulnerability and hazards
• Recognize the complex relationship between disaster and development and the cycle of disaster risk reduction from prevention and mitigation to response and recovery activities
• Understand the need to conduct risk reduction processes for development programmes and mainstream DRR into development planning, programmes, and budgeting
• Understand the underlying risks and their drivers and develop effective strategies and mechanisms for disaster risk reduction
• Become familiar with multi-hazard risk assessments, scientific and technical advancements in technology, and the implementation of effective early warning systems
• Understand how knowledge management and information enable and sustain informed decision making for managing disaster risk and why it is essential for coordinated action

Expected outcomes

• After the course we expect that participants will have an improved ability to:
• Argue for the importance of, and reasons for, incorporating DRR measures in national and sector policies, budgeting, planning, and execution
• Account for the need for moving DRR from talk to concrete action to save lives and reduce losses Promote the need to analyse disaster risks and socioeconomic vulnerability as part of the analysis and to understand poverty and its root causes
• Outline the processes and steps for integrating DRR into national and sector-specific strategic plans and budgets
• Contribute to, and gain from, South-South cooperation