Role of women in disaster management Experience from Asia and Africa "To awaken the people, it is the women who must be awakened. Once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves, the nation moves". Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru

1. Role of women in disaster
management
Experience from Asia and Africa
Bibhuti Bhusan Gadanayak
Senior Technical Advisor, DRM &
Emergency
UNDP-MINEMA
Rwanda
Man-Made disaster, women as responder since independence,
Organised by Department of Geography, Aditi Mahavidyalaya, University of Delhi and
NIDM, GoI, 23rd to 25th February 2022

2. Session outline
1. Women empowerment
2. What is disaster management?
3. Disasters experienced in Asia & Africa
4. Disaster Impact on the women
5. PM 10-point agenda at AMCDRR
6. Vulnerability faced by women
7. Causes influencing the vulnerability
8. Case studies –ASIA-AFRICA-
CARIBBEAN
9. Video
10. Role of women
11. Reference

3. Women empowerment
Words from Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru
"To awaken the people, it is the women who must be
awakened. Once she is on the move, the family moves, the
village moves, the nation moves".
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru
These lines are indeed true as a country cannot be said developed until or unless the women in that
country are given equal rights as men. Women should come forward to gain their rights and
awareness campaigns should be conducted because if women are given equal rights and are treated
equally in the society then then they will surely perform miracles.

4. What is disaster Management
• It is the collective term for all activities that contribute to increasing capacities
and will lead to reducing immediate and long-term vulnerabilities.
- It covers activities before, during and after a disaster.
• The IFRC - the organisation and management of resources and
responsibilities for dealing with all the humanitarian aspects of
emergencies, in particular
-preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters.
Disaster management efforts aim to reduce or avoid the potential losses
from hazards, assure prompt and appropriate assistance to the victims of a
disaster, and achieve a rapid and effective recovery.
-It is crucial that the critical infrastructures remain safe and functional during and
after disasters.

5. Disasters experienced in Asia & Africa
ASIA
The top 10 recorded disasters
in Asia account for
- 70% (680 837 deaths) of
the total lives lost
- 22% (US$ 266.62 billion)
of economic losses
No of events: 1,699
No of people killed 708,712
Average killed per year 24,438
No of people affected 319,465,876
Average affected per year 11,016,065
Ecomomic Damage (US$ X 1,000) 24,141,032
Ecomomic Damage per year (US$ X 1,000) 832,449
% of people reported affected by disaster type
AFRICA

6. Hazard, Risk and Vulnerability Profile of India
India
Land area 3.287 m. km²
Earthquake 59 %
Flood 12 %
Cyclone 5700 km
Drought 68 % Cultivable area
Tsunami 5700 km

7. Major natural disasters
experienced in India
1. Kerala Flood- 2018
2. Kashmir Flood- 2014
3. Uttarakhand Flood- 2013
4. Tsunami- 2004
5. Gujarat Earthquake- 2001
6. Odisha Super Cyclone- 1999
7. Bengal Famine- 1770.

8. Disaster and impact on the women
The studies reveal
7.5 magnitude earthquake shook Hindu Kush, Afghanistan on 26
October 2015, 70% of the victims were women and girls.
1991 cyclone in Bangladesh, 91% of the fatalities were women.
Cyclone Nargis barreled through Myanmar in 2008; 61% of deaths
were female.
Women and children are 14 times more likely to die during a
disaster UNDP.
The examples are plentiful.
The reason for the gendered impact of disasters is simple: information equals power, and women’s lack of access to
information is what makes them more vulnerable to disasters than men.
Those who have access to early warnings are more likely to be prepared for the onslaught of a natural hazard – it’s called
“adaptive capacity.”

9. Role women in DM and global commitments
SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Targets: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and
management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on
women, youth and local and marginalized communities.
SFDRR: The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction outlines the inclusive, all-of-society
approach that must be taken to reduce disaster risk. It acknowledges both the specific vulnerabilities
that women face in disasters, due to pervasive gender inequality that exists across all societies,
while recognising the indispensable role of women in risk reduction efforts. The Sendai Framework
emphasises that a gender equitable and universally accessible approach is key, and it calls for the
mobilisation of women’s leadership in building resilience.
UNFCCC have recognized the importance of involving women and men equally in UNFCCC
processes and in the development and implementation of national climate policies that are gender-
responsive by establishing a dedicated agenda item under the Convention addressing issues of gender and
climate change and by including overarching text in the Paris Agreement.

10. National Policy on DM 2009, programmes,
India and women
• In the NPDM formulated in 2009, women, especially destitute women, are considered an
important vulnerable group.
• The NPDM focuses on linking recovery with safe development, and on women as a target group to
encourage social, economic, and infrastructural development.
• The guideline also suggested inclusion of women within the SDFR (GoI 2009) as women survivors
could be better attended.
• In CBDP, the participation of women in the decision-making process is being encouraged in the
guideline as government departments and other disaster intervention agencies should facilitate recovery
for women from the grassroots level.
• Women are also being prioritized for livelihood restoration efforts.

11. Prime Minister’s 10 point
agenda –at AMCDRR 2016
3. Greater Involvement and Leadership of Women in Disaster Risk
Management “...women are disproportionately affected by disasters.
They also have unique strengths and insights...”
Explanation
It is necessary to encourage greater involvement and leadership of women in disaster risk management to support special needs of women affected by disasters. Women are generally seen as vulnerable to disasters. But women can play an important role in
disaster risk reduction at the household, society, community and beyond. We need large number of women volunteers, engineers, masons and building artisans to participate in post-disaster reconstruction and promote women self-help groups which can assist
in livelihood recovery. There is a need to include women in National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and SDRF, and to train elected women representatives at the local level under development.
Key actions
• Include women among the new units of NDRF and SDRF under development
• Sizeable representation of women in development of volunteer schemes such as ‘Aapda-Mitra’
• Prioritize training and sensitization of elected women representatives at the local level

12. Vulnerability faced by women during disasters
1 2 3 4 5 6
Emotional
vulnerability
Economical
vulnerability
Social
vulnerability
Ecological
vulnerability
Political
vulnerability
Physical
vulnerability
Fear, anxiety Employment Adapting to
social change
Moving place
to place in
search of
food
Participation
in decision
making
process
Dressing
pattern

13. Causes influencing the vulnerability
Vulnerability Causes
Material/economic vulnerability Lack of Access to resources
Social vulnerability Disintegration of social patterns
Ecological vulnerability Degradation of the environment and inability to protect it
Organizational vulnerability Lack of strong national and local institutional structures
Educational vulnerability Lack of access to information and knowledge
Attitudinal and motivational vulnerability Lack of public awareness
Political vulnerability Limited access to political power and representation
Cultural vulnerability Certain beliefs and customs
Physical vulnerability Weak buildings or weak individuals

14. Experience-
Role played by
women in DM
ASIA
India - Odisha Super Cyclone 1999:
 Formation of women SHG
 Sharing the responsibility
 Participating in CBDP playing the vital role
 Involvement of AnganWadi worker
 Construction of MPCS
 Formation of Disaster Management Committees; S&R,
EW, Shelter Management, FA etc…….
AFRICA:
The Gambia:
 Grain bank
 Awareness generation
 Youth Ambassadors
CARIBBEAN:
 Education in Emergency
 Hurricane preparedness
 IEC materials development along with DDME

15. Experience from
Africa
Empowering women
using ICT skills at
radio stations - EW

16. Women in Super
cyclone Odisha

17. The role women
in DM from
experience
•Preparedness
•Prevention
•Mitigation and
•Response

18. Reference
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkG7IHERnSM
• https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/National%20Disaster%20Management%20Plan%20May
%202016.pdf
• https://www.statista.com/statistics/1271188/biggest-climate-disasters-in-africa-by-human-loss/
• https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/missing-half-sendai-framework-gender-and-women-
implementation-global-disaster-risk
• https://www.emdat.be/emdat_atlas/
• https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-5-gender-equality

19. Thank you