Policy Formulation

Policies begin as concepts, which are then developed into plans or courses of action that are approved and adopted by governments and communities. At the global level the UN-ISDR Secretariat was responsible for the development of a comprehensive policy framework called the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005 – 2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities. The HFA provides a global blueprint for disaster risk reduction efforts based on a vulnerability – natural hazard model of disaster risk. The adoption of the framework by 168 countries at the World Conference for Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan 2005 and the subsequent endorsement by all member states through the GA resolution A/RES/61/195 was a landmark achievement.

Under the guidance of the Hyogo Framework, individual member States have the primary responsibilities for the implementation of measures to reduce disaster risk. This necessitates developing a strong institutional basis through disaster-related legislation, institutional frameworks and appropriate policies. These policies are key to creating an enabling environment for disaster risk management by setting out the legal rights and duties of citizens as well as the responsibilities and duties of the state and other sectors in providing safety and protection.

One of the main challenges when formulating policies and institutional frameworks is that they reflect the local context and are appropriate to the actual vulnerabilities and needs of those whom are the primary stakeholders in the process – at-risk people. Invariably these people tend to be the poor, women and children, and other marginalised members of society - people whom are generally excluded from political governance or decision-making processes to formulate policies.

Community representatives and organisations, volunteer groups, non-governmental organisations, academic and research bodies are important governance actors. They must be empowered to play an active role in forming policies to address risk, informing the development of national policies based on a deep understanding of the local context. In reality, local people and their organisations are usually the main actors in disaster response and reduction. This is particularly the case in those locations where disaster risk is highly concentrated yet where public policies and legislation has least applicability due to the informality of housing and livelihood patterns (e.g. rapidly urbanising populations).

What are the main components of the Hyogo Framework for Action?

The Hyogo Framework has an overriding Expected Outcome to be achieved by 2015 :

  • The substantial reduction of disaster losses, in lives and in the social, economic and environmental assets of communities and states

There are three Strategic Goals :-

  1. The integration of disaster risk reduction into sustainable development policies and planning;
  2. Development and strengthening of institutions, mechanisms and capacities to build resilience to hazards
  3. The systematic incorporation of risk reduction approaches into the design and implementation of emergency preparedness, response and recovery programmes

These Strategic Goals are achieved through five Priorities for Action:-

  1. Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation.
  2. Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning.
  3. Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels.
  4. Reduce the underlying risk factors.
  5. Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels.

Increasing the Voice and Visibility of Disaster-prone Communities

As a policy document the HFA acknowledges the need for community participation and the importance of empowering both affected communities and local government authorities to manage and reduce disaster risk by having access to the necessary information, resources and authority at the local level. Yet despite the recognition that the achievement of the HFA requires a top-down / bottom up approach the development of DRR policy remains a top-down process driven by UN and donor imperatives; strategic decisions shaping what happens locally are often made remote from ordinary people and routinely fail to address their needs and aspirations.

In theory, national platforms or similar inter-disciplinary committees provide a forum for dialogue between all the different stakeholders including representing the interests of those groups who are excluded from decision-making processes. In practice, these national coordination mechanisms are considered too remote from affected communities to support their meaningful engagement and are difficult to sustain even at the national level. There is a strong need for greater efforts to strategically and systematically engage affected communities in the development of DRR policies.

Civil society organisations – with their diverse range of skills and experiences, their extensive presence at the grassroots level and established relationships with vulnerable groups - are ideally positioned to amplify local voices at the national, regional and international levels, particularly when policy work has been built on a strong evidence base. Yet the sector is highly fragmented with a multitude of small actors, research, coordination and advocacy capacities are limited, and local initiatives are routinely seen to bypass government authorities making strategic engagement with civil society by governments difficult.

Furthermore, in many countries, civil society is seen as “opposition” to the government who fear “empowering communities” will result in a loss of their own power. Whilst this may be a one-dimensional view of power in a context where power is dynamic, relational and multi-dimensional, in reality there is a strong and urgent need for all parties (government and civil society) to build trust and constructive relationships in support of strengthening participatory governance.

Strength in numbers

Probably one of the most compelling ways to exert influence over policy formulation is by harnessing the collective power of large numbers of different civil society organisations from different regions of the world that are united in their work to build resilient communities, share common objectives and able to develop cohesive advocacy coalitions for coordinated lobby of governments bodies for policy reforms at national, regional and international levels.

The Global Network is committed to joint actions and collaborative approaches and to the building of alliances and coalitions to amplify local voices and concerns at national, regional and international levels.