Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster - GFDRR

and (e) supervise reclaimed areas to ensure that additional
households do not settle there. If these components
are not included, preventive resettlement could
become an incentive for low-income people to settle in
at-risk areas in order to obtain government assistance.
Incorporating resettlement into comprehensive risk
management strategies also ensures continuity in the
process. For example, it has been found that if resettlement
is not incorporated into comprehensive risk management
strategies, the efforts may be interrupted because
they depend on foreign loans, international aid,
budget allocations or changes of government.
Further, such inclusion helps identify the at-risk population
in advance, through studies of hazards, risks and
vulnerabilities, such as were conducted in Bogotá. That
information made it possible for authorities to determine
the magnitude of the problem, formulate strategies
and plans for addressing it, estimate the resources
needed to respond to it, monitor new settlements, generate
institutional and legal frameworks, and systematize
the results to learn from the experience.
4. Resettlement as a
Multidimensional Process
Human resettlement is a complex process. If done inappropriately,
it can create serious problems: For example,
if it is poorly planned or implemented, resettlement may
trigger social, economic and cultural disasters worse
than one it is supposed to prevent. Unfortunately, there
are hundreds of such failures. This risk has led international
organizations such as The World Bank and other
multilateral agencies, to require that resettlement policies
be included in the operations they finance.
The ultimate aim of resettlement is to help people rebuild
their livelihoods, which means not just their houses
but sources of income, economic activities, social relations,
access to public services, and cultural practices.
This can be achieved if the families and communities
moved to new habitats are offered the economic, social
and cultural conditions that will help them re-adapt and
develop their potential further.
Conversely, when resettlement is seen mainly as a new
house in a safe place, resettled people often experience
economic or social disruption; thus, the process must
be multi-dimensional, to help people re-establish their
livelihoods and adjust to their new environment. 2
Another problem arises when populations do not participate
in the planning and implementation, and the
programs fail to consider their social and cultural characteristics.
Since resettlement is multi-dimensional, it must be
planned and implemented with the participation of various
sectors and institutions. Key entities include those
responsible for housing programs, public utilities (water,
electricity, sewage systems, communications and transportation),
social services (education and health care),
training and support for productive activities, as well as
oversight bodies. Although one entity typically leads the
resettlement process, other governmental institutions
(such as those responsible for health and education)
must assume responsibility in their specific areas for the
resettled groups. Their participation also generates synergies
in the implementation of institutional programs
and deployment of human and financial resources, to
ensure the socio-economic integration of resettled communities
in their new habitat and guarantee the continuity
of social programs.
The multi-dimensional approach was adopted in all the
cases studied. In Brazil, the Secretariat for Housing led
the process, which also included the Secretariats for Education,
Health, Transport, Ecology, the Environment and
Culture. In Bogotá, the process was conducted by the
entity specialized in resettlement of at-risk populations,
closely coordinated with those responsible for emergency
response and prevention, education, health, productive
activities and other social programs. In Guatemala, the
reconstruction manager appointed by the Vice-President
of the Republic coordinates a large number of governmental
institutions, international agencies and NGOs
that support various processes, including land purchases,
the design and construction of houses, protection of archeological
findings, education, health, productive projects
and public services. In that country, the institutional
2
For further information on the risks associated with resettlement see Michael Cernea’s publications.
Chapter 7 Comparative Analysis of the Case Studies
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