Disaster Risk Reduction And Disaster Management In Government Planning And Policy Agenda

Reflecting complex linkages between the natural, built, socio-economic and other environments, disasters’ consequences can extend beyond the physical to economic, to social and psychological dimensions. Those dimensions complicate the task of impact estimation, and also, the undertaking of policies and actions — measures considered essential — to mitigate risks and threats to hazards and disasters. Furthermore, based on more recent events, the complexities surrounding a thorough understanding of disasters’ impacts and consequences are growing as well as evolving; which underscore the reality that any attempt to mitigate potential adverse consequences can be a challenge to policymakers and development actors. This chapter aims to broadly assess how do policymakers and development partners — based on existing knowledge — devise and implement policies and actions not only in response to imminent and actual crisis events but also to mitigate economic damages and losses of potential disaster risks and in the meantime, pursue the sustainable development agenda they are committed to. We attempt to look into two broad questions (i) How well the governments in the region have progressed in terms of mainstreaming a DRR agenda into their development policies, strategies and activities not only at the national but also local levels?; and (ii) in the course of pursuing the DRR agenda, What are the gaps and issues that need to be addressed so as to achieve the goal of reducing risks to hazards and disasters and building resilience? We maintain a broad understanding that DRR agenda should ideally blend in risk reduction concepts and appropriate measures in undertaking development planning, policies and activities at the national, sectoral and local levels, thus requiring dissemination and sensitization of risk related knowledge and information to all stakeholders involved. Given that a multitude of priorities and actions are involved in this endeavor, we narrow down the efforts made and focus only on a few selected aspects considered relevant primarily highlighting the issues and challenges involved.