Desktop Study on - Regional Climate Change Adaptation ...

Assessment of Capacity Gaps and Needs of South East Asia Countries
in Addressing Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Variability and Climate Change
Disaster Risk Management
In addition, Viet Nam has a longstanding institutional
response system for natural disasters, which is
coordinated mainly by the Central Committee for
Flood and Storm Control (CCFSC), chaired by the
MARD. The CCFSC was created in 1955 to coordinate
disaster risk management activities; other relevant
ministries are also members such as the Department
of Floods and Storm Control and Dyke Management,
the Disaster Management Centre, the Hydrometeorological
Service, and the Viet Nam Red Cross
(VNRC) (which is working from national to commune
level on awareness raising, disaster preparedness,
response and prevention). The CCFSC is responsible
of data and record flood and storm events, as well as
send out official warnings and coordinating disaster
response and mitigation measures. Local authorities
and each sector ministry also have committees
for flood and storm control (CFSCs), which are
important for sharing information on damage and
needs, communicating early warning information,
damage assessments, coordinating rescue during
floods, and protecting dykes and other infrastructure
(Chaudhry and Ruysschaert, 2007). These crosssectoral
committees are presently expected to
produce annual disaster preparedness plans.
The Government, NGOs and donors compose the
Natural Disaster Mitigation Partnership (NDM-P)
to promote dialogue and common ways of working
for disaster reduction rather than disaster response.
The MARD was assigned by the Government
to lead the initiative supported by the Royal
Netherlands Embassy (RNE) and the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP); also it is in charge
of coordinating the implementation of the Second
National Strategy and Action Plan for Disaster
Mitigation and Management (discussed below).
National Strategy for Natural
Disaster Prevention, Response and
Mitigation
Viet Nam’s policy framework for disaster
management is set in the National Strategy and Action
Plan for Disaster Mitigation and Management 2001-
2020, in which the MARD is the standing agency,
and the Central Committee for Flood and Storm
Control, will both preside the implementation for
the strategy to 2020 and the Government is the one
that has to ensure enough resources, investment and
mobilization of society. The national strategy states
that it must be implemented in synchronous, periodbase
and priorities-based manners, responsive
to both intermediate and long term purposes and
following the “four-on-the-spot” principles for
response (command, man-power, materials and
logistics).
The National Strategy’s specific objectives
are: enhancing disaster forecasting, improve
development planning (integrating strategy and
plans of disaster risk management) and building
codes, trainee and strength human resource (staff)
for disaster prevention and increased public
awareness, complete relocation of people living
in disaster vulnerable areas, improve response to
emergency situations (search and rescue capacity),
ensure national security and defence in coastal areas
(improved sea dykes and embankments), improved
safety of reservoirs, completion of shelters for
shipping, improved communications system for
fishing boats. It also proposes to formulate a law,
consolidate organizational structures and ensure
there are sufficient budgetary resources for disaster
risk management.
The strategy describes in detail the general
responsibilities and solutions for developing the
specific objectives as well as the natural disaster
prevention, response and mitigation responsibilities
and solutions for each region (Red River Delta and
North Central, Central Coast, Eastern South and
Islands, Mekong River Delta, Mountainous areas and
Central Highlands, and Sea areas).
The national strategy provides a list of programs
grouped according to the objectives and
responsibilities and ordered by priority. Among
the priorities can be found: complete the system
of legal documents, especially Natural Disaster
Prevention Response and Mitigation Law; strengthen
organizational mechanism giving priority to the
steering mechanism for natural disaster prevention,
response and mitigation at all levels; among the nonstructural
measures, there are several programs
involved, the program of establishing and reviewing
plans (here the priority is given to create a zoning
map of flash-flood risk), the program of improving
the community awareness (which starts with
the inclusion of knowledge related to disasters
at the secondary school), program of planting
and preserving protective forest (starting with
upstream forest) and program of enhancing disaster
management and science and technology application
capacity; and finally, the structural measures, starts
with the program to review, upgrade, and build
structures for natural disaster prevention, response
and mitigation in line with the designed standards
and natural disaster characteristics of each region
(and local).
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