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Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
SDC
National Platform for Natural Hazard PLANAT
Workshop on National Platforms
23 – 29 August 2008, Davos Switzerland
Disaster Risk Reduction National Coordinating Mechanisms
in
NICARAGUA
Context of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in NICARAGUA
• NICARAGUA has a DRR coordinating mechanism embodied in the Law 337:
Creation of the System of Prevention, Mitigation and Attention to Disasters
(SINAPRED)
• The law was promulgated in 2000, and it is still working.
• Nicaragua is threatened by many natural hazards. In the past century, the
capital city, Managua, was destroyed two times by earthquakes, XXX hurricanes
have stroked the Caribbean coast and the Pacific coast, but one of these
hurricane, Mitch, in 1998 caused XX death and material loss of XXX. This last
event induced the national authorities to create a system to cope with these
natural threats in a more organized way.
The Executive Secretary of SINAPRED (ES-SINAPRED) is the HFA focal point.
Legal Framework for DRR and DRR National Plan
• As we have said, the Law 337 indicates the responsibilities of all and every one among the
government institutions in matter of disasters. The system is coordinated by an Executive
Secretary in normal times, and its main responsibility is institutional coordination. Concerning
prevention it is assumed by INETER, the institution in charge of the studies and surveillance of
natural threats, and Civil Defence is in charge of preparedness. Finally, Civil Defence is in charge
of the emergency management and recovery, in close collaboration with the Sectoral
Commissions. Reconstruction activities are established in the law, and are the responsibility of
the Infrastructure Ministry.
• Concerning the DRR National Plan:
• DRR is an important part of the national, sectoral and local development policies and
investment policies.
• The DRR National Plan seeks to establish and develop financial mechanisms to include risk
management in the public investment process.
• The DRR National Plan look for an improvement of preparedness and response capacity at all
levels of SINAPRED.
• The DRRNP tries and develop a strategy to strengthen the economic competitiveness and
private management with DRR measures.
• To increase the quality and availability of risk related information.
• To improve civil society participation.
• In the National Plans of Nicaragua the DRR is a very important issue, mainly concerning the
sustainable development and the improvement of quality of life.
DRR in Sectoral Policies
• Nicaraguan government has promoted in all governmental institutions a culture of prevention through Sectoral
Commissions that have been created by the Law 337. The DRR responsibilities are being gradually delegated to
the municipalities as a contribution to decentralisation. Institutional Development, democratic governance and
decentralisation are the main themes.
• The Ministry of Environment is in charge of prevention of manmade pollution of natural resources, mainly
lakes and rivers. In addition, in close collaboration with the Forestry Institute and Civil Defence, they try to
prevent forest fires and avoid deforestation.
• Nicaragua has a national strategy for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation. This strategy has been
discussed with the other Central American countries in order to have a unique position before international
organizations.
• In May 2007 was promulgated the General Law of National Waters to regulate the administration, conservation,
development, use, sustainable and equitable exploitation, preserving quantity and quality of every water
resource,
• In the Ministry of Environment there is a Department for the clean production, and one of the purpose of this
Department is to encourage producer to use environment friendly mode of production.
• Seismic risk maps have been elaborated for the three main cities. And seismic threat maps for other cities. In
addition, a land use code is in force since several years.
• DRR is included in the primary and high school curricula.
• Health Ministry has different plans for every season and for the different health threats; these plans go down to
the level of Municipalities.
• A new Building Code is in force since last year.
National Preventive Disaster Risk Reduction Mechanism
Technical Link Units
Sectoral Working Commissions
President
(Vice – President)
Executive Secretary
National Committee
Fund
CODE
Departmental Secretaries/
Regional Coordinators
Departmental and Regional
Committees
Mayors
Municipal Committees
National Crisis Management Mechanisms
NATIONAL COMMITTEE
CODE
Health
Education and
Information
Natural
Phenomena
Infrastructure
Environment
Security
Supplies
Special Operations
Consumer Defence
Institutional Actors and Stakeholders in Normal Times
•PNUD
•FAO
•UNICEF
•OPS
•CEPREDENAC
ES-SINAPRED
Departmental/Regional Committees
Local/Municipal Commitees
Private Sector participate eventually
Institutional Actors and Stakeholders in Normal Times
•PNUD
•FAO
•UNICEF
•OPS
•CEPREDENAC
National
Committee
ES-SINAPRED
CODE
Departmental/Regional Committees
Local/Municipal Committees
Private Sector participate eventually
Institutional Actors and Stakeholders (Network in Normal Times)
UNDP
FAO
OPS
CEPREDENAC
Government,
Civil Defence
INETER
Ministry of Environment
Ministry of interior
Army
MINSA
MTI
ES-SINAPRED
NGO
Municipalities
Local communities
Institutional Actors and Stakeholders (Network in Crisis Situation)
National Committee
UNDP
FAO
OPS
CEPREDENAC
CFAC
Government,
Army/Civil Defence
INETER
Ministry of Environment
Ministry of interior
Sectoral Commissions
MINSA
MTI
ES-SINAPRED
NGO
CODE
Municipalities
Local communities
DRR Institutional Relation to Climate Change
The risks associated with Climate Change are included in the risks that are normally addressed by
SINAPRED, such as hurricanes, floods, forest fires, etc.
The Environment Ministry has elaborated a National Strategy for Climate Change, which encompasses
Action Plans for each of the Sectors involved, in adaptation as well as in mitigation activities.
Nicaragua is nowadays preparing for the end of the year the second communication at national level to
inform on the topic of Climate Change and related developments, which include Local Mitigation Strategies
for 2 departments (Boaco and Chontales) in the Sector of Agriculture and Fishing, as well as Adaptation
Strategies for the Coffee Plantation Sector and Food Security in the Municipalities of Jinotega and
Matagalpa.
Regional Coordination of DRR and South-South Collaboration
Nicaragua is a member of a regional (Central American) organization: Centre for the Prevention of Natural
Disaster in Central America (CEPREDENAC). Six Central American countries participate in this organization.
Activities + Results
List some completed or current important activities and contributions of the NP/national DRR coordinating
mechanism such as
• contribution to the elaboration or update of the national DRR legal framework
• awareness raising campaigns
• support of national research in the field of DRR
•…
Identified Strengths and Weaknesses
• In the case of DRR, Nicaragua's main strengths is the existence of the SINAPRED structure. In this structure
are regrouped all the governmental institutions and some NGOs, and with the legal basis of Law 337 they are
able to carry out prevention, mitigation and opportune response activities, in normal times and in crisis situation.
• Among the best practices, one has to underline the interest of the State in promoting a culture of prevention
throughout the whole country, including the insertion of themes related to DRR and Climate Change in the
Education curricula of Primary and Secondary School.
• The main weakness is the scarcity of material resources to cope with the huge needs that normally arise after a
disaster, especially among poor people.