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282Towards safer and more secure citiesThe HyogoFramework recognizesunplannedurbanisation as akey factor drivingincreasing globalvulnerability andlosses to…disastersThe UN-HabitatFramework onSustainable Reliefand Reconstruction… identifies futureopportunities for …integrating disasterrisk reduction andurban developmentThe Hyogo Framework recognizes unplanned urbanization asa key factor driving increasing global vulnerability and lossesto natural and human-made disasters. Detailed urbanspecificrecommendations encourage two priority actions forurban development and land-use planning:Institutions dealing with urban developmentshould provide information to the public ondisaster reduction options prior to constructions,land purchase or land sale. (Section 3,i (f))Incorporate disaster risk assessments into theurban planning and management of disasterpronehuman settlements, [particularly] highlypopulated areas and quickly urbanizing settlements.The issues of informal ornon-permanent housing and the location ofhousing in high-risk areas should be addressedas priorities, including in the framework ofurban poverty reduction and slum-upgradingprogrammes. (Section 4, iii (n))In addition, international organizations are encouraged tosupport states in building and maintaining urban search andrescue capacity, mainly through the development of mechanismsto mainstream disaster risk reduction intodevelopment financing and assistance for urban development.Recommendations for action also include many crosscuttingthemes that apply to urban, but also to peri-urbanand rural, contexts. These include human resource development,early warning, emergency planning, and partnershipsbetween local, national and international actors.Plans for implementing the Hyogo Framework havebeen agreed and explicitly acknowledge the need to breakthe negative spiral of poverty, accelerated urbanization,environmental degradation and disaster. 11 Work is requiredat national and international levels to build the institutionalstructures that can take the Hyogo Framework forward. Asurvey of progress made at the national level in 2006indicates that some good progress has already been made. 12A total of 60 governments have designated focal points withresponsibility for implementing the framework and 40countries have reported concrete disaster risk reductionactivities. Examples of reported national-level progress are asfollows:• The strengthening of national institutions for risk reductionhas been the area where most progress has beenachieved, to date. In many countries, this is a first stepin building the organizational infrastructure from whichmore targeted initiatives can be developed. Examples ofprogress include work in Argentina, where the Ministryof Federal Planning, Public Investments and Serviceshas embarked on a two-year national programme tomainstream disaster risk reduction at the national,provincial and local levels as part of an overall FederalLand-Use Planning Strategy. In El Salvador, authoritieshave developed a National Action Plan for Disaster RiskReduction. In Uganda, disaster reduction has beenmainstreamed into a national Poverty Eradication Plan.Nepal has designed a national strategy and comprehensivenational plan on disaster reduction. Indonesia hasprepared a comprehensive disaster management law onresponse, risk mitigation and recovery for all hazards.Bolivia included disaster risk reduction in its nationaldevelopment plan. Cuba is implementing a policy of riskassessment in all of its development initiatives.• National risk assessment and early warning programmeshave also been developed. There is increasing investmentin seismic hazard monitoring capacity in severalCentral Asian countries. Thailand, the Maldives and tencountries in East Africa with coastal settlements havestrengthened their capacities in flood and tsunami earlywarningand response systems.• Efforts by governments aimed at building a culture ofawareness through public education and informationprogrammes include disaster reduction in nationalcurricula (e.g. in Indonesia and Kazakhstan). In China,promoting awareness through schools is complementedby public awareness campaigns focusing on communitiesand villages. There are also many examples ofgraduate and postgraduate studies that have integrateddisaster risk reduction. One example is the Universityof the West Indies in Jamaica.• A national policy to reduce underlying risk factors isessential, but requires strong political will. Somelaudable progress has already been made by Indiathrough creating a training programme for saferconstruction. Cuba and Grenada have also developedprogrammes for safer construction. In Simeulue Island(Indonesia), community knowledge has been used inthe design of local regulations and the promotion offorest and mangrove conservation.• The challenge of integrating risk reduction withinemergency recovery plans has already been met byBolivia and Guatemala. Elsewhere, while integration hasnot yet been achieved, progress has been made onstrengthening disaster preparedness and responseplanning in Comoros, China, the Islamic Republic ofIran and Tajikistan. Pakistan has developed a nationalscheme for volunteers and Cuba, the DominicanRepublic, Haiti and Jamaica have initiatives to increasetheir preparedness and response capacity.Integrating disaster risk reduction and urbandevelopmentProgress is being made in bringing together urban development,disaster risk reduction and humanitarian action. TheUN-Habitat Framework on Sustainable Relief andReconstruction is a key document in this process. Here, UN-Habitat identifies future opportunities for working with theinternational community, local authorities and communitiesin integrating disaster risk reduction and urban development.The vision of sustainable relief and reconstructionencompasses all phases of disaster management, fromprevention through relief to recovery, and aims to provide a