Disaster Risk Management Instruments for Local Governments

25-01-07

ICLEI Members and international experts in disaster risk management (DRM) gathered in Freiburg (Germany) from 21-23 January 2007 to assess the usability for local governments of 21 selected DRM instruments. The implementation of DRM at the local government level encompasses the use of various instruments such as tools, policies, and procedures. Given the multitude of existing instruments available, ICLEI’s goal was to gather a selection of existing instruments (such as manuals, handbooks, and software) that support DRM efforts at the local government level, and, at a workshop, assess them in terms of their usability by local governments.

Department heads and disaster and emergency managers from ICLEI Members Blue Mountains (Australia), Cape Town (South Africa), Makati City (Philippines), and São Paulo (Brazil) participated in the workshop along with disaster management experts from the Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative (EMI), ProVention Consortium, UNDP, UN-HABITAT, and the UN Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR). The workshop was organized by World Secretariat staff Kathleen Ryan and Hartmut Fuenfgeld with support from ICLEI’s International Training Centre, and funded by the German Technical Cooperation Agency. During the workshop participants identified a list of key characteristics of usable DRM instruments. Participants found that usable DRM instruments include an explicit rationale for DRM, a clear definition of the target groups(s), clear language and structure, guidance for engaging the community in DRM, address training and capacity-building needs, institutionalize monitoring and evaluation, and include annotated references and web links. As well, a series of strategies for ensuring the broader application of DRM instruments by local governments was developed. These strategies include: advocating and raising awareness in international

decision-making; assessing local governments’ specific DRM needs; adapting existing DRM instruments to specific contexts and needs; strengthening DRM training and capacity-building for local governments; and establishing monitoring and evaluation systems for DRM at the local government level. ICLEI’s Resilient Communities & Cities Initiative aims to help local governments reduce their vulnerability to extreme events and anticipate and respond creatively to economic, social and environmental change in order to increase their long-term sustainability. For more information, please visit the Resilient Communities & Cities website at www.iclei.org/rcc.