Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster - GFDRR
Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster - GFDRR
Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster - GFDRR
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cies pursued in the region have gener<strong>at</strong>ed conditions<br />
<strong>of</strong> vulnerability th<strong>at</strong> a n<strong>at</strong>ural hazard may have turned<br />
into a disaster. In th<strong>at</strong> sense, the increased vulnerability<br />
shows th<strong>at</strong> concepts <strong>of</strong> prevention and mitig<strong>at</strong>ion are<br />
still not sufficiently built into and assimil<strong>at</strong>ed by public<br />
policies and development planning processes in the<br />
region.<br />
<strong>Disaster</strong> risk reduction is still not regarded by many decision<br />
and policy-makers as an investment, despite the<br />
solid evidence accumul<strong>at</strong>ed in recent years about the<br />
advantages <strong>of</strong> prevention and mitig<strong>at</strong>ion as opposed to<br />
policies based on response and reconstruction. Thus,<br />
prevention tends to be seen as a “cost” r<strong>at</strong>her than an<br />
“investment.”<br />
Despite the challenges with respect to including risk<br />
management as an intrinsic part <strong>of</strong> development planning,<br />
institutional progress is being made in the region<br />
which shows a growing recognition <strong>of</strong> the importance<br />
<strong>of</strong> disaster prevention and mitig<strong>at</strong>ion. Some <strong>of</strong> the institutional<br />
and legisl<strong>at</strong>ive changes were introduced in 1985<br />
as a result <strong>of</strong> the impact and general sensitiz<strong>at</strong>ion triggered<br />
by the earthquake in Mexico City and the Nevado<br />
del Ruiz volcanic eruption in Colombia. Between 1985<br />
and the mid-1990s, some n<strong>at</strong>ional disaster agencies<br />
amended their mand<strong>at</strong>es to include aspects <strong>of</strong> prevention,<br />
mitig<strong>at</strong>ion and emergency relief, but their role was<br />
still mainly limited to strengthening disaster preparedness<br />
activities—such as early warning systems (UNIS-<br />
DR, 2004)—and basic mapping <strong>of</strong> hazards.<br />
Since the end <strong>of</strong> the 1990s, the huge impacts <strong>of</strong> several<br />
disasters in the region, particularly the widespread losses<br />
from the 1997-1998 El Niño phenomenon and the<br />
passage <strong>of</strong> Hurricane Mitch through Central America,<br />
served as c<strong>at</strong>alysts by which disaster reduction was<br />
gradually becoming linked to policy agendas and development<br />
planning, both in legisl<strong>at</strong>ive and institutional<br />
arrangements. These changes on the domestic front,<br />
starting with the development <strong>of</strong> n<strong>at</strong>ional disaster prevention<br />
and relief systems in certain countries, were<br />
accompanied by the development <strong>of</strong> specialized intergovernmental<br />
organiz<strong>at</strong>ions in the subregion 20.<br />
3. Institutional Frameworks and<br />
Str<strong>at</strong>egies for <strong>Disaster</strong> <strong>Risk</strong><br />
Reduction<br />
Over the past two decades, discussion <strong>of</strong> wh<strong>at</strong> today<br />
is called disaster risk reduction has been the result <strong>of</strong><br />
a slow transition and change <strong>of</strong> paradigm. Initially, the<br />
emphasis was on the event itself and response activities<br />
(disaster management) but l<strong>at</strong>er it changed towards an<br />
approach in which disaster is understood as a manifest<strong>at</strong>ion<br />
<strong>of</strong> vulnerabilities associ<strong>at</strong>ed with socioeconomic<br />
and environmental processes. In this view, n<strong>at</strong>ural hazards<br />
“trigger” disasters but are not the agents th<strong>at</strong> cause<br />
them (disaster risk management).<br />
This conceptual trend recognizes th<strong>at</strong> risk is an outcome<br />
associ<strong>at</strong>ed with social construction processes and<br />
linked to the predominant forms <strong>of</strong> social and economic<br />
development. For this reason, “disaster risk management”<br />
is inseparable from “development management.”<br />
Further, this change in paradigm—from a focus on disaster,<br />
n<strong>at</strong>ural hazards, and response, to one in which<br />
risk, vulnerability, and their reduction become dominant<br />
themes—has also prompted a reconsider<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>of</strong><br />
institutional roles and needs, so the countries can deal<br />
with the issue more effectively.<br />
A recent milestone <strong>at</strong> the intern<strong>at</strong>ional level was the<br />
World Conference on <strong>Disaster</strong> Reduction, in Kobe, Japan,<br />
in 2005, which the Hyogo Framework for Action<br />
2005–2015 (HFA) was adopted. This framework, endorsed<br />
by 168 governments, aims to substantially reduce<br />
the loss <strong>of</strong> life, and the social, economic and environmental<br />
assets <strong>of</strong> communities and countries by 2015.<br />
The HFA focuses on three str<strong>at</strong>egic goals and five priorities<br />
for action (figure 1.11), and articul<strong>at</strong>es the responsibilities<br />
<strong>of</strong> governments, intern<strong>at</strong>ional organiz<strong>at</strong>ions,<br />
nongovernmental organiz<strong>at</strong>ions (NGOs), and civil society<br />
with respect to their roles in and contributions to<br />
implementing the HFA.<br />
To help implement the HFA, the Intern<strong>at</strong>ional Str<strong>at</strong>egy<br />
for <strong>Disaster</strong> Reduction (ISDR) now includes a “pl<strong>at</strong>forms<br />
system” (the Global Pl<strong>at</strong>form for <strong>Disaster</strong> <strong>Risk</strong><br />
20<br />
The N<strong>at</strong>ional System for Prevention and Assistance to N<strong>at</strong>ural <strong>Disaster</strong>s in Colombia was launched in 1980.<br />
Chapter 1 Global and L<strong>at</strong>in America and the Caribbean N<strong>at</strong>ural <strong>Disaster</strong> Trends 13