Institutionalizing CBDRM in national development planning: further up-scaling

7. Institutionalizing CBDRM in national development planning: further up-scaling

Institutional development is a vital part of the disaster risk reduction process (Twigg, 2004). Institutiona li zing CBDRM means incorporating it throughout people’s thinking, structures, culture and operations. Local institutions and community organizations are considered major stakeholders in DRM by govern ments as laid down in the Hyogo Framework for Action, and as such, they should

be involved in planning, particu larly in integrating CBDRM into development planning and allocation of resources. Particularly in countries with a high poverty incidence aggravated by frequent disasters, it is vital to establish mecha nisms for CBDRM to be integrated in national development planning to ensure livelihood security and protection of people’s assets during disasters (Torrente, Zhang & Le-Huu, 2008). Integrating CBDRM into development planning is a strategy to address people’s structural vulnerability to disasters.

In the Philippines, pilot sites were selected to institutionalise CBDRM in development planning. This implies: (1) institutional capacity development of key government staff like budget officers, vice-

mayor/ vice-governor, concerned local legislators and other DRM officers 27 , (2) integration of DRM into revision of the local land use plan with provincial and local planning chiefs and staff, (3) protocol for early warning system and evacuation procedures developed with village heads and legislative councils, indigenous community leaders, local media and communication groups (ibid). Most of the CBDRM activities in the Philippines are no longer framed as disaster preparedness and mitigation, but take a more holistic approach including socio-economic development issues termed as disaster risk reduction.

One lesson from the Philippines is that hazard and risk mapping should become integral part of local land use planning and not a separate activity led by a governmental disaster management agency. A second lesson is that Local Development Councils have the power to allocate 5% of their internal revenue allotment to relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction and other DRM activities – which creates some flexibility and independence from the national level, although the involvement of NGOs is crucial to push government to really implement this 5 %. Overall it is recognized that socio-economic goals of the develop ment process are mostly conceived at the national level and that these need to be linked to priority areas locally (Torrente, Zhang, Le-Huu, 2008). To promote the institutionalization of CBDRM (ADPC, 2008e) the following is recommended:

n Support initiatives that embrace a holistic and comprehensive approach to DRM at the provincial and district levels (i.e. so that personnel are not focused on relief/response only) and promote a more proactive engagement in DRM.

n Take pragmatic steps (depending upon the context) to address the lack of articulation

27 local authorities attended training on how to integrate DRM in local governance (UNDP, 2006) 27 local authorities attended training on how to integrate DRM in local governance (UNDP, 2006)

to develop DRM plans at the community level (principally INGOs, LNGOs and the Red Cross Movement) to help overcome challenges these stakeholders face in ensuring that such plans

Integrating CBDRM in development plans and programmes at all levels encourages increased participa tion and involvement of particularly sub-national governments, while it also enhances cooperation with NGOs which tend to bypass government mechanisms when implementing CBDRM projects at village level (ADPC, 2008e).