Integration Of Disaster Risk Reduction Research Articles

Disaster Risk Reduction Education Through Digital Technologies in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development: A Curricula Analysis of Security and Defense Studies in Serbia

This study examines the integration of disaster risk reduction (DRR) into security and defense studies curricula at Serbian universities, focusing on public and private institutions. As climate change accelerates and natural disasters become more frequent, addressing these risks is critical for national security and sustainable development. This research evaluates the extent of DRR incorporation in curricula and the use of emerging technologies in DRR education. A qualitative analysis of programs at institutions such as the Faculty of Security Studies at the University of Belgrade, the Military Academy, the University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies, and private universities like Singidunum and Educons University reveals that public institutions have made significant progress. However, private universities still need comprehensive DRR-focused courses and technological integration. This study recommends fostering collaboration between public and private universities, expanding access to the National Simulation Center, and incorporating modern technologies and active learning strategies across curricula to bridge existing gaps. These steps equip future security professionals with the practical skills and interdisciplinary knowledge necessary for effective disaster management in an increasingly complex risk environment.

Integrating natural disasters into protected area designing for global primate conservation under climate change

Disaster risk reduction, an essential function of protected areas (PAs), has been generally overlooked in PA design. Using primates as a model, we designed a disaster risk index (DRI) to measure the disaster sensitivity of primate species. High-conservation-need areas (HCN) were identified by both their richness and number of threatened primate species. We also constructed high-disaster-risk areas (HDR) and climate-sensitive areas (CS) based on a disaster risk assessment and temperature change under climate change. We overlaid HCN and HDR areas to obtain HDR-HCN areas. We defined species conservation targets as the percent of each species’ range that should be effectively conserved using “Zonation”. Landslides had the highest DRI (1.43 ± 0.88), but have been overlooked in previous studies. PA coverage in HDR-HCN (30%) was similar to that in HCN areas (28%), indicating that current PA design fails to account for disaster risk reduction. About 50% of the HDR-HCN areas overlapped with CS areas. Presently, 43% of primate species meet their conservation targets. Fifty-seven of primate species would meet their conservation targets and 67% of primates could benefit from PA expansion if HDR-HCN areas are fully incorporated into PAs. Increasing PA coverage in HDR-HCN areas is essential to achieving both primate conservation and disaster risk reduction. The study calls for integrating disaster risk reduction into PA design guidelines, particularly in regions like the western Amazon, and recommends flexible conservation approaches in other areas.

Integration of disaster risk reductionand climate change adaptation in Aceh: Progress and challenges after 20 Years of Indian Ocean Tsunamis

The Indian Ocean Tsunami (IOT) of 2004, which tragically claimed 168,000 lives and displaced about half a million people in the Aceh region of Indonesia, established Aceh's reputation as one of the most geologically volatile areas in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, the 2004 IOT also altered some geomorphological changes, particularly land subsidence in the coastal areas of South, Southwest, and West Aceh, making these regions more susceptible to coastal floods and inundation over the last 20 years. The 2004 tsunamigenic earthquakes had been compounded by hydroclimatic hazards (and required to reduce risk beyond geological disasters) that continued to cause loss and damage, compromise communities' well-being, and reproduce vulnerabilities. This article examines the progress and challenges for integrating disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) in Aceh, with a focus on the capital city, Banda Aceh using in-depth stakeholder interviews and document reviews. Anticipating gaps in meeting Sendai Framework 2030 target, as also observed elsewhere in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, the findings suggest various key challenges for the integration, including (1) fragmented DRR and CCA policies leading shaped the gap in coordination and collaboration among actors; (2) nurturing political commitment remains a challenge at local level; (3) lack of fiscal capacity and lack of earmarked allocation hampers the potential integration; (4) and deficits in community participation delayed adaptation and integration. The study offers recommendations for policy insights and consideration.

Profiling disaster risk management research: A bibliometric analysis

Background: Disaster risk management is essential to mitigate the adverse impacts of disasters and ensure sustainable development. This study explores the importance of disaster information management and integrating information and communication technologies in crisis management strategies. It emphasizes the role of technologies, such as location-based systems and big data analytics, in reducing disaster losses. Methods: This study uses a qualitative descriptive approach to understand the social and cultural context by analyzing documents from various sources such as papers, regulations, and academic literature. Data collection techniques were library review, 957 relevant documents, and a minimal keyword search on Scopus, resulting in 44 journal articles discussed in the public administration and governance framework. The articles included journals indexed from Google Scholar to WOS and Scopus and nationally accredited journals. Findings: This study underscores the importance of disaster resilience strategies, especially in urban areas vulnerable to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and floods due to inadequate urban planning. Furthermore, this study examines international efforts to integrate disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into sustainable development frameworks, including UN initiatives. Conclusions: This comprehensive analysis highlights the global relevance of disaster risk management and its implications for policy and community resilience. Novelty/Originality of this study: Research on disaster risk management integrates the latest information and communication technologies, such as location-based systems and big data analytics, into crisis management strategies. This provides a new approach to disaster mitigation.

Building Community Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change: Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction in the Coastal Regions of Bangladesh

Building Community Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change: Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction in the Coastal Regions of Bangladesh

Evaluation of Climate Resilience Strategies in Vulnerable Communities in Ethiopia

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate on the evaluation of climate resilience strategies in vulnerable communities in Ethiopia. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: In Ethiopia, climate resilience strategies have been evaluated to address the increasing challenges faced by vulnerable communities. The Partners for Resilience program, implemented by CARE and other partners, has made significant strides in integrating disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and ecosystem management and restoration, positively impacting over 1.2 million people. Efforts have focused on diversifying livelihoods, strengthening civil society's capacity for dialogue and advocacy, and rehabilitating water schemes and farmland. The Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (CVCA) by CARE Ethiopia has been instrumental in understanding local vulnerabilities and developing adaptive capacities against climate variability. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social-ecological systems theory (SES), community-based adaptation (CBA) theory & vulnerability and resilience theory may be used to anchor future studies on evaluation of climate resilience strategies in vulnerable communities in Ethiopia. Strengthens community ownership, adaptive capacity, and sustainability of resilience interventions. Advocating for integrated policy frameworks that mainstream climate resilience into national and local development plans.

Exploring Students’ and Teachers’ Insights on School-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Safety: A Case Study of Western Morava Basin, Serbia

Integrated disaster risk reduction in schools represents a key component of safety strategies within the educational sector of every country. The aim of this study is to comprehensively explore the impact of various demographic and socio-economic factors on the perceptions of students and teachers regarding disaster risk reduction and safety in schools. This study is distinguished by its extensive empirical approach, employing a multistage random sampling method to conduct 850 face-to-face interviews (650 with students and 200 with teachers) throughout 2023 in 10 out of the total 18 municipalities in the Western Morava Basin of the Republic of Serbia. Two structured survey instruments were developed, incorporating a mix of qualitative (closed-ended) multiple-choice questions and five-point Likert scales. The research proposes two central hypotheses regarding school-based disaster risk reduction. Firstly, it suggests that gender, age, parent’s employment, academic achievement, living situation, parental education levels, and engagement with social media collectively influence students’ perspectives on this matter (H1–H8). Secondly, it posits that gender, age, marital status, parenthood, and educational background significantly impact teachers’ viewpoints on school-based disaster risk reduction (H1–H5). Multivariate linear regression was used to explore predictors of students’ and teachers’ insights on school-based disaster risk reduction. Various statistical tests, including Chi-square, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation, were employed to investigate the influence of demographic and socioeconomic factors on these insights. The results of multivariate regression analyses indicate that age, gender, and marital status emerge as the primary predictors across various facets of students’ and teachers’ insights on school-based disaster risk reduction, including awareness of disasters, disaster education activities, attitudes toward disaster risk reduction education, and enhancement of disaster information accessibility. The findings of this study provide comprehensive insights into the key factors influencing students’ and teachers’ perceptions of disaster risk reduction in schools. This research not only contributes to the academic discourse on disaster education but also serves as a foundational basis for improving educational programs, developing policies and strategies, refining normative educational frameworks, guiding teacher training, and informing further research in disaster education.

Risk reduction through spatial plan: A case study from Surabaya, Indonesia

Spatial planning has a vital role in mitigating and reducing risks by discouraging settlements and other forms of development in hazard-prone areas. Integrating spatial planning and disaster risk reduction is crucial to achieving resilient cities. Selecting Surabaya City in Indonesia as a case study, this research uses a questionnaire, in-depth interview, and documentary study to evaluate the performance of Surabaya spatial planning documents on risk reduction. This paper aims to formulate substantial steps to integrate risk reduction in Indonesian spatial planning based on evaluation to Surabaya spatial plans. The result shows that the performance of Surabaya spatial plans on average is scored 2.26 out of 5, indicating that the integration of disaster risk reduction on the Surabaya spatial planning document is still low. In response to this performance gap, eight policy recommendations are formulated to improve the future Indonesian spatial plan. In conclusion, the policy recommendations for future Indonesian spatial planning in making resilient cities are; conducting comprehensive research on risk management, mainstreaming risk reduction in development policies, limiting urban development in hazard-prone areas, providing adequate risk reduction infrastructures and emergency infrastructures, considering both hazard and risk maps for land-use allocation, making a detailed land-use control based on varieties of relevant hazards, and enacting clear incentives and disincentives mechanism related to risk reduction.

Assessing the integration between disaster risk reduction and urban and regional planning curricula at tertiary institutions in South Africa

Urban areas are increasingly being affected by more frequent and severe disasters. It has been argued in theory and international development policy that the integration of disaster risk reduction (DRR) within existing urban planning (UP) curricula would greatly benefit efforts to build resilient urban environments. However, the current status quo and progress of this crucial transdisciplinary integration in the South African University context remain unclear. Through the application of an exploratory mixed method research design, this article established that UP lecturers at South African universities have a good grasp of the theoretical need for the integration of DRR into existing curriculums and have also tentatively started to integrate DRR into some of their modules. However, because of challenges such as full curricula, financial and human resources constraints and integration predominantly happening on postgraduate level, integration has not occurred in sufficient depth while also missing the opportunity to expose the majority of the student cohort and future urban planners to much-needed DRR knowledge.Transdisciplinary contribution: This article illuminates the current status of integration across and collaboration between DRR and UP at selected South African Universities.

Disaster Risk Reduction Education in Geography at Schools in Greece

In Greece, the school subject of geography is used as a tool to integrate Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the national school curriculum. In order to investigate the content development of DRR in the Greek school geography curricula, this study analyzed the primary and secondary geography curricula from 2003 to 2023, using the five dimensions of the DRR learning system (knowledge, reaction , action, participation and integration) as platforms and conceptual assumptions. Qualitative content analysis indicated the following: (a) the DRR-relevant content in the geography curricula used for analysis underwent minimal changes from 2003 to 2023; (b) the changes in the DRR-relevant content in the primary and secondary school curricula presented almost identical characteristics. Therefore, should the geography curriculum be revised in the future, it is necessary to understand that the term “disaster” does not only describe the natural event per se but also its impact on and the consequences for infrastructure and society. Such revisions in the school geography curriculum are bound to add more DRR-relevant content that belongs to the “action” and “participation” dimensions, and as they should systematically incorporate the DRR-relevant content of the “integration” dimension.

Assessing Climate Finance Practices in Developing Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

The purpose of this study is to investigate climate financing practice in developing countries by following the systematic literature review process. Emerging scholarly and policy literature conclude that developing and small island Pacific countries are the most vulnerable in the world and similarly they have facing a big gap between the requirement of adaptation and mitigating financing and actual funds received by them. Developing countries are facing various problems such as Local level / beneficiaries’ participation & Green Climate Fund mobilization, unified reporting framework challenges, lack of effectiveness in Green Climate Fund (GCF) mobilization and transparency in mobilization, Governance, and policy focus, integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in theory and practice etc. By following the rigorous systematic literature review process, it found that these countries are trying to overcome from such problems which may country specific and some have similar to other countries. It is found that government, multilateral and bilateral funding is insufficient so that capacity building of the local communities and attracting of private investment in climate financing activities is crucial to the sustainability roadmap of the countries.

Policy coherence for resilience in Sri Lanka coherence of climate change adaptation (CCA) disaster risk reduction (DRR) and sustainable development goals (SDGs)

PurposePolicy coherence is a complex and tough task for many developing nations because their capacity to examine and deliver evidence-based inputs to policymaking is limited, and policy dialogue platforms need to be effectively used. Resolving these difficulties is a critical requirement for policy consistency. As a result, the study focuses on the level of policy coherence for climate change adaptation (CCA), disaster risk reduction (DRR) and sustainable development goals (SDG) in Sri Lanka and suggests routes for policy coherence for Resilience. This study aims to investigate the coherent approach of CCA, DRR and SDG; to identify concerns in policy documents addressing the coherence of CCA, DRR and SDG in local context; and to propose policy coherence suggestions for resilience in Sri Lanka.Design/methodology/approachMethodology comprises a review and content analysis of 17 policy and legal documents in Sri Lanka and a qualitative study. The qualitative approach consists of semistructured interviews that obtained deep and broad expertise knowledge with ten government representatives and stakeholders. Both content analysis and interview data were analyzed by using NVivo.FindingsIt was discovered that there are several issues with the coherence of policies in Sri Lanka, including the fragmented approach, lack of integration, inadequate coordination, limited resources and lack of monitoring and evaluation. The policies are inspired by international frameworks, and local implementations are not focused, leading to inadequate implementation of policies. The lack of development cooperation for the use of innovative approaches, such as climate-resilient infrastructure and environmentally friendly solutions for CCA and DRR, further aggravates the situation. Another concern is the lack of land use management and responsibility for the development of physical infrastructure for DRR integration with CCA. It is found that there is a limited community involvement which is vital for the implementation of policies. Local implementations are encouraged to fill the gaps in existing policies/acts. The analytical framework of the study is based on a preliminary examination of policy documents, a review of the literature and discussions with practitioners. The framework reflects the current situation of policy integration which addresses strategic, conceptual, institutional, operational and financial coherence. The research suggests pathways for achieving policy coherence in CCA, DRR and SDG in Sri Lanka, such as enhancing the strategic coherence by improving goals to increase the coherence within CCA, DRR and SDG; improving the credibility of the unified approach for developing DRR and CCA risk assessments; intensifying institutional cooperation and stakeholder management; improving the common monitoring and evaluation; establishing implementation strategies; and increasing the community involvement.Research limitations/implicationsThe study on policy coherence in Sri Lanka recommends increasing community and professional involvement, conducting more research, developing a national strategy, increasing capacity building, strengthening international collaboration and fostering multisectoral collaboration. These recommendations can help improve policy coherence between CCA, DRR and SDGs, align policies with national goals and priorities and improve implementation effectiveness. By implementing these recommendations, Sri Lanka can address the challenges of climate change and natural disasters and achieve SDGs.Practical implicationsThe study on policy coherence for resilience in Sri Lanka has practical implications, including improved coordination and resource allocation, increased capacity building, improved reputation and sustainability. By integrating CCA, DRR and SDGs, this study can help Sri Lanka become more resilient to climate change and natural disasters, achieve SDGs and become a responsible actor in the international community. These implications can contribute to a more sustainable future and ensure that development goals are achieved in a way that is resilient to climate change and natural disasters.Social implicationsIncreased community participation: the study emphasizes the importance of community involvement in the policy development process. This can help build trust between communities and government agencies, improve transparency and ensure that policies are developed in a way that is responsive to local needs and priorities.Originality/valueBased on the identified existing loopholes in the policies and pathways to policy coherence, the issues in policymaking could be overcome. It could be used to establish strong linkages between policies based on CCA, DRR and SDGs to achieve long-term resilience.

Training and Assistance in the Implementation of Disaster Safe Schools/Madrasahs (SMAB) as an Effort to Reduce Disaster Risk in Muhammadiyah 1 High School Malang City

Until now, schools in Indonesia that have received disaster education, whether facilitated or only limited to socialization, are still recorded at around 9%, which is still very few. SMA Muhammadiyah (SMAM) 1 Malang City, one of the schools in a potential disaster area, is located in a watershed area (DAS), a one-way road that has a risk of disaster, such as traffic accidents, landslides, and fires. Meanwhile, the vulnerabilities include building maps which tend to be difficult for the evacuation process in the event of a disaster. In 2018 and 2019 every rainy season there are always schools affected by landslides at the back of the school which is right in the Brantas DAS caused by the erosion of the river banks. Training and Assistance in the Implementation of Disaster Safe Schools/Madrasahs (SMAB) as an Effort to Reduce Disaster Risk at Muhammadiyah 1 Middle School Malang City based on Law no. 24 of 2007 concerning Disaster Management. It clearly states that everyone has the right to receive education, training, counselling, and skills in disaster management, both in situations where a disaster does not occur or when there is a potential for disaster. Through education it is hoped that disaster risk reduction efforts can achieve broader targets and can be introduced earlier to all students, by integrating disaster risk reduction education into the school curriculum as well as into extracurricular activities. Preparation for the implementation of disaster-safe schools/madrasas (SMAB) begins with compiling materials on the SMAB framework and transformation of implementation information based on guidelines from BNPB/BPBD and the Ministry of Education and Culture/Disdikbud. The second step is to arrange training for educators and education staff regarding the framework and assistance for SMAB implementation. The last stage is compiling disaster risk reduction learning practices for students in subjects and compiling activities to increase students' knowledge and skills about first aid, protection and rescue.

Assessment of Disaster Preparedness and Related Knowledge Among Senior High Students in Del Pilar National High School, Cabadbaran City, Agusan Del Norte, Philippines

The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) are put into practice by the Department of Education (DepEd). It aimed to increase students’ degree of resilience to natural disasters by integrating Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) into the curricula and other educational programs. This study was conducted to assess the disaster preparedness and related knowledge among Senior High School students of Del Pilar National High School in Cabadbaran City. A total of 120 respondents from Grades 11 and Grade 12 were subjected to the study. An adapted and modified survey questionnaire was utilized to collect the data. A five-point Likert scale was used to evaluate the responses. The results obtained high disaster preparedness (WM- 3.88) and disaster-related-knowledge indicators (WM- 3.53) with its verbal interpretation of Prepared. This indicates a helpful indicator that the students in the study area were equipped with disaster management. While a significant correlation P< 0.0001 between age to disaster preparedness and related knowledge has been obtained. This indicates a strong relationship that age is an important factor in influencing disaster management. Further, results obtained from a high level of participants showed related knowledge, preparedness, and awareness of disasters associated with the use of effective, safe, and standardized methods. Employing the study emphasizes readiness, and resiliency while assessing the knowledge among the students in responding to the disaster. Thus, it presented information for students to improve and sustain their level of disaster preparedness to ensure safety on the school premises.

Extent of Disaster Risk Reduction Management in Selected Elementary Schools: Evidence from the Philippines

This study examined the implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) in the 11 Elementary Schools in Santiago District in the Philippines using the Gawad Kalasag criteria. It determined the problems encountered by the schools in the implementation of DRRM and assessed the areas of enabling environment, safe learning facilities, school disaster risk reduction management, and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in education. Complete enumeration was employed for the school heads and DRR coordinators while random sampling for teachers and pupils. The responses were analyzed using a four-point Likert scale weighted mean. The results found that the schools have fully implemented safe learning facilities and partially implemented enabling environment and school disaster risk reduction management criteria, with the lowest mean in the DRR in education criteria. Common problems encountered in the implementation of DRRM include creating policies, lack of personnel and budget, and lack of education and information. The study recommends development of DRR integration module, conduct of DRRM training, and budget allocation on DRR.

Addressing unavoidable climate change loss and damage: A case study from Fiji’s sugar industry

Climate change loss and damage (L&D) presents an existential threat to the Fiji Islands. This case study examines how rural Indo-Fijian sugarcane farming communities face challenges in minimising, averting, and addressing L&D from cyclones. In-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 68) were conducted with 40 sugarcane farmers in two Indo-Fijian sugarcane communities, Barotu and Toko settlements in Western Viti Levu, Fiji, and with 28 key stakeholders from government ministries, academia, and climate change response services. Despite implementing climate change adaptation measures, Fiji’s sugar industry has faced devastating L&D from frequent and severe cyclones. Much of the climate change L&D to crops, property, and income was irreversible and unavoidable. Non-economic loss and damage (NELD) was found insurmountable in both field sites, including the loss of homes and places of worship, cascading and flow-on effects as well as the heightening of uncertainty, fear, and trauma. Evidence suggests that L&D, including NELD, is highly context specific, and UNFCCC’s broad NELD categories do not fully capture L&D at the local level. The systematic documentation of L&D within vulnerable communities would improve understanding of L&D, including NELD, and assist to facilitate the mobilisation of immediate support and action to address L&D in countries that lack the capacities to respond independently. This paper recommends crucial policy interventions such as livelihood diversification, integration of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, land tenure policy reforms, and the operationalisation of the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage.

A reality check for the applicability of comprehensive climate risk assessment and management: Experiences from Peru, India and Austria

Climate-related risks are a major threat to humanity, affecting the lives and livelihoods of communities globally. Even with adaptation, climate change is projected to increase the severity of risks, leading to impacts and residual risks, also termed losses and damages. Frameworks and approaches using Climate Risk Management (CRM), an integration of Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation, and sustainable development, are being devised to support the comprehensive management of increasing climate-related risks. Here we discuss to what extent comprehensive CRM has been implemented in three specific cases – in Peru, India and Austria. The approach is conceptually represented and evaluated using a CRM framework. The cases deal with risks associated with glacial lake outburst floods, sea level rise, tropical cyclones, salinization, riverine floods and agricultural droughts. Ultimately, we synthesise policy and research recommendations to help understand what is feasible for CRM approaches applied in practice. We find that successful CRM implementation in practice benefits from being flexible, and participatory from beginning to end, whilst considering compounding risks, and the spectrum of (just and equitable) incremental to transformational adaptation measures necessary for attending to current and projected future increases in climate-related risks.

Addressing the interplay of the Sendai Framework with sustainable development goals in Latin America and the Caribbean: moving forward or going backwards?

PurposeThe 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) constitute an overarching global milestone for creating a better sustainable future worldwide. The risk component of the agenda under the SFDRR must be better embedded into the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and integrating disaster risk management policy with broader development objectives at national and subnational levels in many countries is still a work in progress. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the progress between the SDGs and the SFDRR in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and its complementary featuresDesign/methodology/approachComprehensive and contextualized analyses of the progress of SFDRR and SDGs related to the LAC region need to be fully addressed to examine synergies and trade-offs with the two global agendas. Based on empirical evidence from United Nations global reports, a literature review of DRR and DRM, as well as development planning evidence, this paper addresses the implications of building coherence between the SDGs and the SFDRR in the region.FindingsInterplay and connections of the two agendas are highlighted together with an analysis of coherence among indicators. Despite the richness of several indicators, the examined evidence suggests that derived from the current progress, indicators are unable to completely reflect the dynamics among disaster risk drivers for both the SFDRR and the SDGs in the region.Research limitations/implicationsData availability at UNIDSR as well as at the regional level can limit the scope of the research. When comparing and matching the agendas, results could be further improved upon new releases of data. SFDRR and SDGs have also ground for improvement and countries are doing well but still slow.Practical implicationsThe paper offers new insights and findings for decision/policy makers in Latina America and the Caribbean.Originality/valueThe paper offers an overall understanding of the progress and coherence among SFDRR and SDGs global frameworks and provides insights to identify the gaps and opportunities that need to be addressed to integrate disaster risk reduction into sustainable development planning at national and regional scales in LAC.

Co-producing knowledge to address disaster risks in informal settlements in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: pathways toward urban equality?

In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, small-scale and everyday disasters are a manifestation of the multidimensional inequalities faced by residents of informal settlements. The co-production of knowledge about disaster and other risks, bringing together residents with local NGOs and local government representatives, is a potential entry point for addressing inequalities. This paper reports on such a co-production process in two informal settlements, carried out by the Centre for Community Initiatives with the Tanzania Urban Poor Federation and local government at the Mtaa level, and it looks at how community assessments of risks travel into local governance and policymaking. The involvement of Mtaa officials in this process has led to incremental changes in local governance, for example better linking of local budgets with disaster risk reduction (DRR) priorities and the representation of civil society on the municipal disaster management committees. The paper also points to the challenges of achieving integration of DRR and development activities at the local level.

Principles and practice: Towards disaster risk reduction in New South Wales, Australia

By ratifying the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), the Australian Government has accepted the need to mainstream disaster risk reduction (DRR) principles into policy and procedures. This research explores the extent to which this rhetoric has been actioned, using local-government policy as an indicator. The rationale for this approach is that evidence of DRR integration should be observable in recovery procedures related to the aftermath of disasters, which could extend over a period of years and require transformational changes. Using the targets and priorities of the SFDRR, a meta-synthesis of research conducted since its ratification was used to create a conceptual framework of DRR principles and practices. This framework was then used to conduct a policy analysis of the New South Wales Local Disaster Recovery Plan (NSWLDRP) template for alignment/non-alignment to the principles of the SFDRR, with the intention of indicating where future efforts in policy development should be directed.The analysis revealed gaps in intent between the NSWLDRP template and DRR principles and practices. While some underlying concepts of DRR are incorporated into the plan, such as vulnerability assessments and communication tools, fundamental risk reduction policies, including prevention, mitigation and participatory mechanisms are largely absent. This gap between the principles of the SFDRR and its limited application at the local level in NSW highlights the need for greater mainstreaming of DRR principles in both State and Federal Government frameworks since they direct both local disaster management arrangements and subsequent ongoing community development. The benefits of this includes reduced load on emergency services during extreme events, and increased community resilience after them, including reduced reconstruction and less disruption to community productivity in their aftermath.