Development of disaster-resilient communities and societies

Material Information

Title:
Development of disaster-resilient communities and societies
Creator:
Japan International Cooperation Agency
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Publisher:
Japan International Cooperation Agency
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2008
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Risk management ( lcshac )
Aid and development ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )

Notes

Summary:
This document is a policy brief explaining the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) policy of cooperation in disaster management. The brief uses cases from selected projects in Thailand, Central America, Bangladesh, Peru, and Kenya to illustrate JICA’s efforts to improve at-risk communities’ capacities for risk identification, mitigation, and preparedness. The impact of disasters caused by natural hazards associated with global climate change have increased significantly over the past couple of decades, particularly in countries where development plans have yet to take disaster risks into account. These disasters not only seriously affect people’s health, sometimes claiming their lives, disasters also destroy much property and devastate social infrastructures. It is for these reasons that JICA has made active engagement in helping developing countries to strengthen their capacities for building more disaster resilient societies a first priority. JICA particularly emphasizes taking action to reduce risks prior to the actual occurrence of disaster as a core component of its work. The document addresses increasing disaster risk management capacity in relation to flood, tsunami, earthquake, and landslide risk. It highlights the development of hazard maps and evacuation drills to create awareness, early warning systems, and other disaster preparedness activities. The brief also acknowledges the lack of knowledge transfer at the regional level, and thus calls for improving the capacity of the Center of Coordination for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America (CEPREDENAC) to facilitate the sharing and exchanging of experiences. The document also includes a short note on the involvement of the Japanese government in the construction of multipurpose cyclone shelters in Bangladesh, and information on the Disaster Reduction Learning Center (DRLC) and its activities. Overall, the document outlines JICA’s role in supporting developing countries in their efforts to understand the disaster risks their societies face and to prepare for potential disasters. The document emphasizes the importance of enhancing the disaster management capacity of communities and local governments, as experience has shown that enhancing disaster management capacity of the central government alone is insufficient to manage or reduce the impact of disasters, which are often experienced as local phenomena. ( English )
Subject:
General Risk Management ( English )
Citation/Reference:
(2008). Development of disaster-resilient communities and societies. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
Resource Identifier:
FI13042638

dpSobek Membership

Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction