Global Report on Human Settlements 2007 - PoA-ISS

Mitigating the impacts of disasters
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Box 12.3 The UN-Habitat Framework for Sustainable Relief and Reconstruction
The Framework for Sustainable Relief and
Reconstruction is the key guide used by UN-Habitat
to support humanitarian agencies and local and
national governments, and to refine the practice of
building back better. The framework builds on UN-
Habitat’s experience and strength in assisting local
capacity development in pre-disaster preparedness
and mitigation and in post-disaster response and
reconstruction.
The aim of the framework is to promote
reconstruction and risk reduction strategies that
promote longer-term sustainable development gains,
as well as reduce disaster risk in human settlements.
Consultation with partners has led to the elaboration
of seven key thematic areas of the framework:
Disaster mitigation and vulnerability
reduction
Often, the root causes of vulnerability are known,
but they are seldom addressed. When building a
culture of prevention, one needs to overcome
preferences for short- over long-term development
options and to demonstrate the cost effectiveness of
risk reduction over post-disaster reconstruction.
The framework recommends integrating disaster
risk reduction within national and local development
and poverty reduction plans, emphasizing risk reduction
in human settlements rather than
reconstruction as the mode of managing disaster
risk, as well as the need for cross-sectoral working.
Land and property administration
Housing, land and property rights are major
challenges in reconstruction. This is often exacerbated
by the disintegration of institutions governing
and protecting land and property rights after disaster
and can increase social tension and add to
conflict. Restitution problems requiring resolution
have challenged reconstruction following the 2004
Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina in 2005
and the 2005 South Asian earthquake.
Longer-term shelter strategies
It is vital to consider the long-term consequences of
post-disaster shelter and infrastructure. The importing
of prefabricated dwellings proves a cheap and
easily transportable short-term solution; but
construction standards are often culturally inappropriate,
environmentally unsustainable or not built to
hazard-resistant standards. The transition from
temporary to permanent housing continues to take
too long and, in some cases, is never achieved. Part
of the resolution of this challenge lies in planning for
long-term recovery at the initial relief stage. This
will also enable the more efficient use of emergency
resources.
Local economic recovery
Even after disaster, affected communities have many
resources and skills that can be used as a base to
rebuild the local economy. Recovery and reconstruction
interventions, especially those in the shelter and
infrastructure sectors, provide a real opportunity for
local economic recovery, and even for increasing the
local skill and experience base. Re-establishing smallscale
production, support for local market
development and skill training can all be part of
shelter reconstruction programmes.
Public participation and good governance
Disaster risk reduction and reconstruction are
opportunities for engaging civil society actors in
development. Effective risk reduction can utilize
participatory vulnerability and risk assessments to
shape local preparedness and response planning.
Inclusive decision-making in recovery that includes
women will be more likely to identify opportunities
and challenges for ‘building back better’. The local
government is best positioned to coordinate public
participation, and a first step is to strengthen the
capacity of local government in community development,
disaster preparedness and recovery planning.
Partnerships
Making best use of the limited resources available
for risk reduction and reconstruction is facilitated
through the building of partnerships between all
stakeholders (local, national and international), the
public sector, civil society and the private sector,
including the media. Partnerships allow individual
organizations to contribute from positions of
strength and can control overlapping functions.
Partnerships can also be a pathway for transferring
skills and for developing relationships that
contribute to development in addition to
reconstruction and risk reduction work.
Capacity-building
The integration of development and disaster
management at the points of preparedness and
recovery provide opportunities for skills enhancement,
knowledge transfer and the building of
confidence that can empower local actors, especially
women. Capacity-building is often supported by
legislation and national or local vulnerability reduction
plans that help to move the focus of risk
management away from a narrow interest in building
standards and engineering techniques to embrace
the social, economic and institutional aspects of life
that shape disaster risk.
The opportunities for moving towards more sustainable
relief and reconstruction methods outlined in
this framework are designed to be compatible with
the objectives of the Hyogo Framework for Action.
Source: UN-Habitat, 2006a, 2006d
The Hyogo Framework for Action,
2005–2015
International action for disaster risk reduction is given direction
by the Hyogo Framework for Action, 2005–2015:
Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to
Disaster. 10 The framework identifies five general priorities
for action:
• Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and
local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation.
• Enhance early warning through improvements in the
identification, assessment and monitoring of disaster
risks.
• Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a
culture of safety and resilience at all levels.
• Reduce the underlying risk factors that are currently
built into development paths.
• Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response
at all levels.