Want to Talk about Mainstreaming DRR??? This is your place.... Start Writing ....

To start with, Please answer the Following questions in the comment section:

1. What do you understand about Mainstreaming DRR?

2. What are your personal and organizational experiences in line with Mainstreaming DRR?

3. What is your expertise in the Mainstreaming DRR process at different level?  

Understanding of CEDRIG

Studying about Mainstreaming DRR automatically will turn someone towards different types of tools, strategies and mechanism. The first tool that I encountered was the CEDRIG. I found it quite amazing because the integration was critical. Even then it is user friendly. The paragraphs below are my understanding of the first part of CEDRIG.

Climate, Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction Integration Guidance – CEDRIG is a way of SDC to find out or investigate whether the present different sort of support, cooperation and planned approach are vulnerable towards the increasing disaster due to climate change, environmental degradation, tectonic movements, effect on GHG emission and the environment.

The CEDRIG is divided into two parts:

1. Rational and Framework of CEDRIG

2. A self explanatory Hands-on guidance practical handbook

Though there are several climate, environment and DRR integration guidance by different development organization. CEDRIG is the tool that is formulated by SDC and applicable to the specific SDC procedures.

As climate change, environmental degradation and frequent disasters can disrupt the process of sustainable development, development organizations follow two different approaches.

(1) Risk perspective – assessment and reduction of risks

(2) Impact perspective - Identification and reduction of impact

They key concept of risk perspective is disaster risk. It results from a combination of different factors. IPCC predicted in its last report that disaster will intensify even further in the coming years. Even in the best scenario, increasing natural and man-made hazards, environmental degradation are inevitable. If we really want to run towards development in this scenario, we must consider ‘increased resilient’ as in combination of Disaster Risk Reduction, Adaptation to Climate change and adaptation to degraded environment which will reduce the vulnerability evidently.

The key concept of impact perspective is mitigation. Mitigation in climate change, environment and in DRR context is all about impact perspective.  

CEDRIG incorporates both perspectives – risk and impact which incorporates the concepts of adaptation to climate change, adaptation to degraded environments, DRR, climate change mitigation and environmental impact mitigation.

CEDRIG is based on the following principles:

Principle 1 - OECD guidance and the Hyogo Framework for Action as references

Principle 2 - Modular approach and flexibility

            There are three modules - (Module 1) Risk and Impact Screening, (Module 2) Detailed Assessment at strategic and programmatic level and (Module 3) Detailed Assessment at project level – this third module has four steps.

Principle 3 - Integration in SDC standard procedures and Project Cycle Management (PCM)

Keeping the perspective approach in following the CEDRIG, the modules are to be followed. When the risk perspective is considered, the module 1: Risk Screening is a must. In this same perspective the module 2: Risk Assessment or the Module 3: Detailed Assessment should be used as tool for climate variability, climate change risks, risks from environmental degradation and risks from tectonic activities. At the time of consideration of Impact perspective, module 1: Impact screening and Module 3:  Impact Assessment should be used as tool for Impacts on GHG emission and environment.

The second and third section discusses about the organizational procedural approaches on using CEGRIG and list of supporting material used for CEDRIG.

   

What is Mainstreaming DRR

As I see it, mainstreaming DRR is a system with which a country/region full-proofs the disaster management. This sounds to be a sustainable solution for disaster losses. Let us look in to some definition from the experts of Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction.

Mainstreaming DRR is inclusion of practical DRR components in all sectoral plans, specific DRR expert units active and effective in sectoral ministries and Agencies Budget lines for DRR integration, “Making communities safer before disaster strike”(strengthening community based disaster preparedness) and far-sighted public governance. (Loy Rego & Arghya Sinha Roy, 2007)

Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development is to consider and address risks coming from natural hazards in medium-term strategic development frameworks, legislation and institutional structures, sectoral strategies and policies, budgetary processes, the design and implementation of individual projects and in monitoring and evaluating all of the above (Benson and Twigg, 2007).

Photo: Naimul Islam Moon

According to UNDP & NDMA, Provision of  having standard and sector-specific DRR guidelines for the work of all other sectors, evaluation of strategies and proposed interventions of all other sectors from a DRR perspective and sensitization and advocacy for all during the Emergency Response phase to highlight the importance of mainstreaming DRR.

All of the experts have given emphasis on sector wise strategy development, planning, policy, intervention, guidelines and budgetary issue. The role of NGO, right governance, individual project and active unit of DRR is also important when it comes to Mainstreaming Disaster Management.

SDC’s Mainstreaming DRR Training

More than 80% of country people are somewhat exposed to earthquakes, cyclones, floods and droughts live across Bangladesh. The colossal cost of these disasters poses a significant threat to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, especially the first goal of halving poverty by 2015. The ever-changing world and its impulsive nature have already publicized the capability of humanity to withstand erratic behavior. The recent past century has experienced hundreds of calamities which destructed not only valuable development but also charged abundant lives. Countries with fragile economic status like Bangladesh went through analogous development encumbrances almost once in every decade.

 

Mainstreaming DRR in different development effort has become inescapable. Accordingly development activity and DRR representing two sides of the same coin needs to be dealt with in unison, with mainstreaming DRR into development planning, policy and implementation. Till date, Government of Bangladesh has adopted notable initiatives (particularly institutional, policy, planning etc); nevertheless, there are huge breaches in mainstreaming those at sectoral level.

SDC, as one of the key development partners of Government of Bangladesh, has been playing vital role in managing adverse natural occurrences like Cyclone, Flood, Storm Surge etc. Mainstreaming DRR into the development process and planning has been integrated by all the leading organizations including SDC and its partners. SDC has incorporated Mainstreaming DRR as one of the key development approaches. Integration of DRR issues into diverse development process, planning and implementation at local and national level capacitating local partner organizations is inevitable.

Mainstreaming involves ensuring that disaster risk reduction perspectives are central to all activities - policy development, research, advocacy, legislation, resource allocation and planning, implementation and monitoring of programmes and projects (ADPC).

Mainstreaming DRR into development pathway required extensive exertion towards inclusiveness and amalgamation within and beyond sector/s planning, management and implementation. Escalating concern in mainstreaming has been fuelled by Growing understanding of disasters as unresolved problems of development, new focus of development strategies around poverty reduction and Rising disaster losses. The factors together have triggered growing realization of the need for win-win solutions for securing sustainable development, reducing poverty and strengthening hazard resilience.

DRR being operative at all levels and across sector, the concerted effort of integrating it into development activities requires consensus and active participation of decision makers and planners at the national level and all related Ministries, with equal support from the donor and development community. It is through the consolidated and concerted efforts of all stakeholders that safer and sustainable communities are to be attainted and thus mainstreaming of DRR has been rightly prioritized in the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) adopted by 168 countries at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) in January 2005.

To act on this understanding, the development agencies have initiated the process of changing their policies and institutional practices to support the countries. As the key development partner of Government of Bangladesh, SDC has been giving effort to better prepare the vulnerable communities through diversified windows. In conjunction with that, SDC also substantially putting exertion to capacitate its local partners involved in rural development activities across the country. To enhance the productivity, improve knowledge and mainstream DRR into focused department like agriculture, public health, education, water etc are inevitable in poverty reduction and quality development as well.  It is realized that DRR should be integrated across and in all sectors, however practitioners has identified, agriculture, infrastructure, housing, education, health and financial services as priority areas to initiate the mainstreaming of DRR.

The broad objective is capacitating SDC partner organization’s in mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction at different level and strengthening collaboration among themselves. The development of the capacity of senior and mid-level staff members of SDC-supported NGOs for mainstreaming of DRR, accentuating the ‘need’ of mainstreaming DRR in crucial development sectors and familiarizing the participants with appropriate mainstreaming mechanisms and tools are the direct objective that SDC wants to achieve.

SDC believes that the participants will be familiar with SDC’s DRR Guidelines/tools, the participants will also be familiar with CDMP/GoB and 2 key sector/NGOs practices on DRR mainstreaming, DRR mainstreaming good practices are documented, Knowledge and understanding on DRR mainstreaming will be used in SDC project designing and implementation.

The articulated training programme will be followed by a participatory attainment analysis process at the partner organization level through field visit and workshop conduction. Two such programmes will focus on how DRR activists are being incorporated within the organizations and for the betterment of community.

All experts would be encouraged to select most-up-date mainstreaming tools and mechanisms available and practiced in country during the training sessions. The selection of these drivers are based on appropriateness of mainstreaming DRR in foremost sectors e.g. agriculture, fisheries, health, education etc. DRR mainstreaming tools would be discussed throughout the training program to make participants better understand the process. Targeted valuable tools practiced by different organizations would be taught by experts.