A global review of disaster reduction initiatives - Welcome to the ...

Taking these developments into account, duringthe past 30 years, there has been a continuousevolution in the common understanding andpractice of disaster management. To differentpolitical constituencies or various professionalinterests at particular times, there have beenmany different approaches to addressing catastrophiccircumstances from natural hazardsand their impacts on societies. These bodies ofpractice have variously been known as emergencyassistance, disaster response, humanitarianassistance, civil defence, civil protection,homeland security and disaster prevention.Currently, a more holistic approach focussingon risk and vulnerability has brought about theconcept of risk reduction or disaster risk management.There is no doubt that the role of relief assistanceduring the acute phase of a crisis willremain important and need to be enhanced atall levels. However, the question must beasked: Can modern societies afford to valuetheir social and material assets only after theyhave been lost in a disaster? In many placespolitical commitment and the allocation ofresources to address hazardous conditions havebeen concentrated overwhelmingly on shorttermemergency contingencies. Much greaterattention will need to be given to protectivestrategies that can contribute to saving livesand protecting property and resources beforethey are lost.From 1990 to 1999, during the InternationalDecade for Natural Disaster Reduction(IDNDR) proclaimed by the General Assemblyof the United Nations, work was done toadvance a wider commitment to activities thatcould reduce the consequences of natural disasters,under the theme Building a Culture ofPrevention. The Yokohama Strategy and Plan ofAction for a Safer World (World Conference onNatural Disaster Reduction, Yokohama, 1994)stressed that every country had the sovereignand primary responsibility to protect its people,infrastructure and national social or economicassets from the impact of natural disasters.Experience gained since then has demonstratedthat by focusing on the socio-economic factorsinvolved, human actions can reduce vulnerabilityof societies to natural hazards andrelated technological and environmental disasters.Living with risk - focus on disaster risk reductionThe role of science and technologyThe idea of launching a decade dedicated to natural disasterreduction came from the scientific community.It wasmotivated by a desire to expand the scope and access ofscientific and technical abilities and knowledge for disasterreduction into the decision-making processes and widerpractical implementation.Science and technology play key roles in monitoring hazardsand vulnerabilities, developing an understanding oftheir continually changing patterns and in developing toolsand methodologies for disaster risk reduction. The disseminationand application of new strategies and measures toprotect lives, livelihoods and property within societies experiencingdynamic change are key areas of work for the scientificand technical communities. Scientific knowledge,technical expertise and experiences to reduce risk have tobe shared and made widely available as an integral part ofmulti-disciplinary technical cooperation. Efficient disasterreduction needs a mutually reinforcing interaction betweenscientists, decision-makers and informed citizens.However, the limitations of science and technology inresponding to the fundamental problems of people andpolitical processes in identifying and managing risk factorsneed to be carefully considered. An over-concentration ontechnical abilities at the expense of being able to motivatethe human aspects that compose the economic, social andpolitical dimensions of societies will continue to provide disappointingresults in effective or sustained commitments torisk reduction. It must also be recognized that in particularcircumstances science and technology can be misapplied,sometimes provoking or aggravating risks to a society.The scientific and technical applications relating to eachaspect of disaster risk reduction are extensively addressedthroughout this report.Initially, the IDNDR was influenced bylargely scientific and technical interestgroups. However, a broader global awarenessof the social and economic consequences ofnatural disasters developed as the decadeprogressed, highlighting the increasingimportance of engaging a much broadercommunity in hazard awareness and riskmanagement practices. The importance givento socio-economic vulnerability as a rapidlyincreasing factor of risk in most of today’ssocieties underlined the need to encouragethe wider participation of local communitiesin hazard and risk reduction activities.171