RECOMMENDATIONS

The National Alliance of Disaster Risk Reduction (NADRR) was launched on November 4, 2007 at a meeting of over 150 civil society leaders. Participants included leaders from disaster affected communities, national and regional civil society networks, NGOs, international humanitarian organizations and policymakers. The two day event "People, Policy and Partnerships for Disaster Resilient Development" focused on sharing lessons and building partnerships to scale up community-led disaster reduction initiatives.

Endorsing the National Alliance policymakers and practitioners arrived at a consensus on the urgent need for a common platform to scale up and sustain effective community driven practices on disaster risk reduction. It was suggested that the Alliance evolve as a network that expands horizontally with two-way feedback mechanisms that enable communities to lead practice and influence policy.

The workshop proceedings were centered on a wide range of community level risk reduction efforts that were building capacities of communities to reduce disaster risk as well as influence development processes. Community leaders from drought, cyclone, earthquake and tsunami affected areas reiterated the need for their efforts to be recognized and the importance of protecting their development gains and livelihoods while preventing programs that leave the poor more vulnerable in the name of development. Drawing attention to the critical role of grassroots women's groups in disaster risk reduction, Kasthuri Chandrasekhar, leader of a federation of self-help groups asserted that grassroots women play a key role in sustaining resilient development processes. Civil society participants urged the Government to partner with disaster affected communities in order to reduce vulnerabilities; build local capacities and reach out to the marginalized.

Prof. Vinod Menon, Member, National Disaster Management Authority wholeheartedly welcomed the Alliance's efforts on disaster reduction, emphasizing its potential to create synergies that can impact the lives of a billion people. He stressed that "the National Alliance can play an important role in bridging people and policies through scaled up partnerships for resilient development."

We urge governments at the Second Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to adopt the following recommendations: 1. Establish institutional mechanisms that enable affected communities to access resources for disaster risk reduction and critically engage policymakers at local, regional and national levels to scale up effective community-led solutions, recognizing that those most acutely affected by natural disasters do not have a voice in agenda-setting and planning for disaster risk reduction.

2. Ensure that infrastructure development programs do not increase disaster risk as it is evident that existing development investments have caused irreversible ecological damage, increasing the vulnerability of the poor to natural disasters and climate change stresses.

3. Development professionals, scientists and government should recognize and validate local knowledge and capacities, providing technical assistance to build on existing experiences of reducing disaster risk.

http://www.disasterwatch.net/nadrr.htm