This is a presentation from an action research project focusing on inclusive disaster risk management

1. Inclusive Disaster Risk
Management
Role of Civil Society Organizations

2. The Project
• Inclusive Community Resilience for Sustainable Disaster Risk
Management (INCRISD)
• Objective: Developing a Inclusive Regional Framework for Disaster
Risk Management in South Asia
• Action Research, Capacity Building and Policy Advocacy
• Across six countries in South Asia: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Pakistan and Afghanistan
• Through ECHO Partners: DIPECHO Actions

3. South Asia: Vulnerability
• 40 disasters in the last 40 years
• Casualty : 8,00,000
Economic Loss: $ 8 billion
• 40 Disasters in 2009 alone
• Of the total populations exposed to floods: 64% from South Asia
• Vulnerability due to Himalayan Mountain Belt; Oceans (Indian Ocean,
Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea) and Rivers
• Disaster takes away development gains: 2% of the GDP

4. Why Focus on the Most Vulnerable
Community?
• Any form of discrimination is contrary to humanitarian principles of
impartiality, neutrality, humanity and independence
• The impact of disaster on the excluded community is the most and
ability to bounce back least (examples Tsunami, Pakistan Earthquake
etc.).
• Access Model (Sen, 1981)
• Vulnerability as a factor of social construct (Cardona et al, 2012)
• Rehabilitation program anti-poor?
• DRM : Impure Public Goods (Boyce, 2000)

5. Social Vulnerability Index (Flanagan,
2011)
1. Socio-economic Status: income, poverty, employment & education
2. Household Composition and Disability: age (children, elderly
people), single parenting and disability; need and dependence on
external support & resources
3. Minority Status and Language: race, ethnicity and language
4. Housing and Transportation: Housing (quality & location), crowding
and vehicle access:

6. Preliminary Framework on Inclusive Approaches in Disaster Risk Reduction
Compilation of inputs from stakeholders to the preliminary framework:
-National Consultations in 6 countries
- National Workshops with DIPECHO partners in 6 countries
-Regional Advisory Committee
Pilot Testing of inclusive
approaches at field level
Good Practice Collection by
relevant committees involving
multiple stakeholders
Validation of good practices and consolidation inclusive DRM framework by
multiple stakeholders at local, national, regional levels
Finalised Inclusive DRM Framework of reference

7. Why Civil Society
• The role of the civil society is to come up with innovations, ideas
which contributes to enhanced DRM interventions.
• The NGOs have the proven expertise and capacity to carry out action
research projects
• Contributing to the larger cause through limited resources
• Perceived and accepted role of civil society
• ActionAid (Social Inclusion), Handicap International (Person’s with
Disabilities) and Oxfam GB (Gender).

8. Critical Takeaways
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Invisible population
Challenges the existing discourse on inclusion: Overarching
Inclusion is not just about: Women, Children, Person’s with Disabilities and Elderly
Power relations
Multiple marginalization
Conscious effort: tools, strategies and processes.
Equity monitoring
Capacity building at all levels: Not uniform at the moment
Enhanced understanding and practice: Sphere, HAP, Good Enough Guide, People in Aid and Do No
Harm
• Comprehensive and long term approach
• Rights based
• Advocacy (HFA, MDG), DM acts and policies: who does it?

9. Key Issues and Challenges
• Inclusion is an attitude/philosophy. It is not a program.
• It is about challenging the existing socio-cultural construct.
• Challenging the existing power relations. Resistance/conflict
• Long term concerted effort/Duration of the project
• Very few secondary literature/lessons learnt

10. Thanks for your patient
listening. Comments and
Queries?
Shakeb Nabi
Regional Project Coordinator : Disaster Risk Management
INCRISD Project (Handicap International, ActionAid International and Oxfam GB)
nabi.shakeb@gmail.com