Transcript ITA in Bangladesh - Humanitarian Info

Disaster Risk Reduction,
Preparedness, Response and Recovery in Bangladesh:
A complex, multifaceted challenge, in any country of the world!
In Bangladesh, there is still a massive amount of work to do!
Nevertheless, real progress in 2012: what’s been done; and how does it relate to the
IASC Transformative Agenda?
Today’s Presentation
Bangladesh, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries!
The evolution of a comprehensive Bangladeshi National
Strategy
Achievements:
1. Revamped and revitalised coordination
2. Disaster Management Act
3. Streamlined Joint Needs Assessment
4. ITA in Action
The Major Challenges Forward in 2013
Increasingly
unpredictable
river flow from
Himalayas
Floods!
Droughts!
India
India
High population
density and poverty
compounds RISK.
India
The rising
Bay of Bengal
Bangladesh:
An
earthquake
fault line
 Waterlogging
 Increasingly
severe cyclones
 Storm surge
Myanmar
Yet, an amazing achievement: saving lives
through disaster preparedness and responses
Date
Disaster
Death toll
Nov. 12, 1970
Cyclone Bhola
500,000
April 29, 1991
Cyclone Gorky
140,000
Nov. 15, 2007
Cyclone Sidr
4,000
May 25, 2009
Cyclone Aila
190
How has this been achieved ?
Evolution of Disaster Risk
Management in Bangladesh
Mobilization ………. Professionalization ………. Paradigm Shift
Volunteers
network
Bhola cyclone
1970
(500,000 killed)
Flood Action Plan
Warning Centers
Refocused Ministry
Floods
1987, 88
(100 yr flood)
Dedicated DRR Unit
Cyclone Shelter Plan
Standing Orders for Disaster
Cyclone Gorki
1991
(138000 killed)
Flood in
1998
(longest
duration)
Climate Plan
Humanitarian Reform
DM Act 2012
Cyclone
Sidr, Aila
Bringing us to today….
Revamping Coordination, taking into account the
Government’s Perspective, UN Capacities…
 The National Structure for Aid Coordination and DER
 Disaster Management Act 2012
 Improving Joint Needs Assessments
Agriculture, Food Security and Rural Development
Chair: M/o Agriculture & FAO
1. Coordination:
The Bangladesh Local
Consultative Group and the
18 LCG Working Groups
Aid Effectiveness
Chair: ERD & DFID
Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT)
Chair: M/o CHT Affairs & UNDP
Climate Change and Environment
Chair: M/o Environment & Forests & DFID
DER
Chair: M/o Disaster Management & Relief & UNRCO
Education
Chair: M/o Primary & Mass Education & EU
GOB/DP Plenary
Bangladesh
Development
Forum
LCG
Secretariat
LCG Working Groups
Energy
Chair: Power Division & ADB
Gender
Chair: M/o Women & Children Affairs & UN Women
Governance
Chair: Cabinet Division & UNDP
Health, Nutrition and Population
Chair: M/o Health & Family Welfare & DFID
ICT - Digital Bangladesh
Chair: M/o ICT
Macro-Economics
Chair: Finance Division & IMF
Poverty Issues
Chair: General Economics Division & UNDP, DFID
DP Plenary
ExComm*
Private Sector Development and Trade
Chair: M/o Commerce & EU
Transport and Communication
Chair: Roads Division & JICA
Urban
Chair: Local Government Division & UNDP, UNICEF
Water Management
Chair: M/o Water Resources & Netherlands
Water Supply and Sanitation
Chair: Local Government Division & WB
* The DP ExComm consists of seven members. Three permanent ones (ADB, WB and UN RC) and four non-permanent ones (currently: Canada, USA/USAID, Switzerland, and EU/Germany),
that represent four groups of bilateral donors and rotate on an annual basis.
1. Coordination (continued):
Strengthened Architecture
 Definition of “how-to” and “who” done inclusively,
 Flexible/light structure built on existing coordination
mechanisms,
 Joint GoB / International Community leadership of
Humanitarian Cluster Coordination Task Team (HCTT)
 Clusters lead sector response/recovery preparedness,
aligned with the relevant LCG WGs
 Linked to DMIC on information management and
baseline data for preparedness.
Local Consultative Group
The DER Coordination Structure:
approved in 01/2012
DER
LCG WG
Working Groups:
Ag. & Food
LCG WG
Health
LCG WG
WATSAN
LCG WG
Education
LCG WG
Poverty
LCG WG
Humanitarian Work, Early Recovery and Resilience
Humanitarian
Coordination
Task Team
Food Security
cluster
Nutrition
cluster
Health
cluster
WASH
cluster
Education
cluster
Early Recovery
cluster
FAO/WFP
UNICEF
WHO
UNICEF
UNICEF/SCF
UNDP
Stand alone
clusters
Logistics
cluster
Shelter
cluster
WFP
UNDP/IFRC*
*IFRC – as convener during emergency phase
February 2013
2. Disaster Management Act, 2012
A significantly improved legal structure approved on
24 September 2012:
 Defines key terms
 Reforms Organizational Structures
 Defines key roles, responsibilities and functions
 Enables fast-track mobilization
 Gov’t asked for and got, substantive UN input
3. Joint Needs Assessment: Background
The Problem:
 13 separate needs assessments carried out in
mid-2011 on Satkhira water-logging
Principles, Tools for a better Response:
 Government has the ultimate responsibility for
needs assessment
 Commitment to a common approach among all
DPs with GoB to assessments
 Utilise a phased approach to assessments
It looks like this:
Joint Needs Assessment
Analyzed and proposed by a DER Task Force; agreed by DER in May 2012;
Put into practice in Chittagong, June 2012, monsoon rains, floods, landslides
4. Bangladesh: The IASC Transformative
Agenda in Action
Accountability:
• Recognizing as principle, Government’s primary
accountability to its citizens;
• In UN system, we’re accountable to both those
living in disaster prone areas and to the
government;
• A coordination structure premised on accountability
combining local knowledge and global guidance
has been developed.
4. ITA in Action (continued)
Leadership:
• Highlighting historic National achievements (advocacy);
• Promoting highest level government engagement
implementing a comprehensive approach to DRR,
Preparedness, Response and Recovery;
• Within UN, explicit engagement of RC;
• Personal commitment of relevant UN heads of agency
and INGOs
• Empowered Cluster Leads with technical expertise and
an “outreach and partnership” attitude.
4. ITA in Action (continued)
Coordination and Partnership:
• Real National Ownership, based on Government’s
prioritization of a comprehensive disaster risk cycle
approach and a tailor made framework;
• Progress, planning and actions based on multistakeholder, consensus driven process;
Resulting in:
• Explicitly improved legislation, systems and tools!
• Involvement and positive reactions from Government,
bilateral donors, I/NGOs.
Challenges Forward
 Saving lives and saving livelihoods: making resilience happen!
 Address climate change, linked to slow-onset, prolonged disasters;
 From joint assessments to joint actions (meaning both operational
modalities, funding & response);
 Strengthening even further, national capacities;
 Making coordination and response consistently more effective;
across sectors ensuring greater integration with LCG WGs
(development);
 The role and the guidance from LCG WGs is very vital in two ways:
 Proactive measures for incorporating DRR in normal development
 Guiding a rapid return to development; building back better!
Thank You very much!
Discussion…