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Material Information

Title:
Disaster risk management in technical cooperation
Creator:
Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Publisher:
Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Risk management ( lcshac )
Sustainable development ( lcshac )
Developing countries ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )

Notes

Summary:
The document Disaster Risk Management in Technical Cooperation outlines how the Government of Germany incorporates disaster risk management (DRM) in its work with developing countries to establish sustainable development and socioeconomic progress. Historically disasters have been viewed by societies as unpredictable and unavoidable acts of nature. People were simply to determine how to rebuild and recover once nature had run its course. Today it has become clear that disasters are not wholly the product of natural occurrences and that disaster risk management (DRM) can play a significant role in mitigating risks, addressing vulnerabilities, and helping communities build resilience. This has become of increasing significance as sustainable development becomes a primary objective of the international community. Germany in particular has taken the lead on such matters by seeking to make DRM an essential component of its development cooperation. Thus it advises its partner countries on the implementation of methods for minimizing risks to disaster, with mainstreaming the concept of prevention as a central goal. In the case of post-tsunami South-East Asia, after the initial relief phase passed, GTZ made disaster prevention objectives key to the reconstruction effort. In Banda Aceh, Indonesia, homes were rebuilt to withstand earthquake and flood hazards; in Thailand, the focus was on establishing emergency plans and early warning systems; while in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, emphasis was placed on helping their education ministries incorporate DRM into school curriculums and educator training programs. Another noteworthy concern of GTZ has been the heightened risk that rural populations face. Disasters have a history of negating years of investment in rural development. Thus there has been an effort by GTZ to combine DRM initiatives with rural development programs. In Mozambique, this has meant building houses and corn stores off the ground to avoid ruin by flooding. In Peru, public investment plans have taken into account areas particularly threatened by earthquakes and landslides. GTZ has also worked with rural populations in Central America on environmental management, sustainable farming, and land-use planning so as to mitigate risks. Beyond these identified initiatives, GTZ provides a number of other advisory services to its developing country partners in regards to DRM. It assists them in developing their capacities for hazard and vulnerability analysis, awareness-raising, and disaster impact monitoring.
Subject:
General Risk Management
Citation/Reference:
Humankind and natural disasters: disaster risk management in technical cooperation. German Agency for Technical Cooperation/Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ).

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
Resource Identifier:
FI13042653

dpSobek Membership

Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction