Role of Civil Society Organizations in Policy and Advocacy in Risk Reduction

Abstract

There were major development in policy and advocacy in disaster risk reduction (DRR) at international, regional and national levels in the last decade. The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) was adopted in 2005 at the UN Conference on Disaster Reduction and the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergencies Response (AADMER) was ratified in 2009. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) made a great contribution to advocating the gaps in implementation of the HFA between national and local levels on the Views from the Frontline (VFL) report and to bringing up these grassroots voices by the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN) to the higher level through the international and regional events. In such circumstance, the role and expectation on national and local CSOs in policy making process and its advocacy is increased, and the opportunity for them to bring up their voices and highlight their concerns is expanded.