GUIDE TO
DEVELOPING DISASTER RECOVERY FRAMEWORKS
Sendai Conference Version
MARCH 2015

Disclaimer: This document is the product of work performed by GFDRR staff, based on information provided by GFDRR’s
partners. The findings, analysis and conclusions expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect the views of any individual partner organization of GFDRR, including, for example, the World Bank, the Executive Directors of the World Bank,
UNDP, the European Union, or the governments they represent. Although GFDRR makes reasonable efforts to ensure all theinformation presented in this document is correct, its accuracy and integrity cannot be guaranteed. Use of any data or information from this document is at the user’s own risk and under no circumstances shall GFDRR or any of its partners be liable
for any loss, damage, liability or expense incurred or suffered which is claimed to result from reliance on the data containedin this document.
The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denomination, andother information shown in any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning thelegal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.
ii

ABBREVIATIONSADBAsian Development BankBBB

Building Back Better

BRR

Agency For The Rehabilitation And Reconstruction Of Aceh And Nias - Indonesia

CFO

Commission On Filipinos Overseas - Philippines

CMTS

Construction Monitoring Teams

CSOs

Civil Society Organizations

DRF

Disaster Recovery Frameworks

DRM

Disaster Risk Management

DRR

Disaster Risk Reduction

DRU

District Reconstruction Units - Pakistan

ERRA

Earthquake Reconstruction And Rehabilitation Authority - Pakistan

EU

European Union

FAiTH

Foreign Aid Transparency Hub - Philippines

GDP

Gross Domestic Product

GFDRR

Global Facility For Disaster Reduction And Recovery

IFI

International Financial Institutions

INGC

National Institute For Disaster Management - Mozambique

IRA

Internal Revenue Allotment

LGU

Local Government Units

LINKAPIL

Lingkod Sa Kapwa Pilipino - Philippines

M&E

Monitoring And Evaluation

MDTFs

Multi- Donor Trust Funds

MIRA

Multi-Cluster/Sector Initial Rapid Assessment

MRAZI

Ministry For Restructuring And Managing Flood Zones

NDRRMF

National Disaster Risk Reduction And Management Fund - Philippines

NGOs

Nongovernmental Organizations

OPARR

Office Of The Presidential Assistant For Rehabilitation And Recovery - Philippines

PDNA

Post-Disaster Needs Assessment

PEC

Pakistan Engineering Council

PERRA

Provincial Earthquake Reconstruction And Rehabilitation Authority - Pakistan

PFM

Public Financial Management

PPP

Public-Private Partnerships

RMS

Results Monitoring System

RRF

Reconstruction And Recovery Fund - Yemen

SERRA

State Earthquake Reconstruction And Rehabilitation Authority - Pakistan

UNDP

United Nations Development Programme

WEBEOCWeb-Based Emergency Operations Center - Philippinesiii

CONTENTSn

Disaster Recovery Framework Process FlowchartvinNote To Policy Makers

viii

How Can Policy Makers Use the Guide?
Key Considerations for the Policy Makers in the Recovery Process

viii
viii

Introduction

1

Why Disaster Recovery Frameworks?
What Does the DRF Guide Do?
DRF Guide Objectives
How Is the DRF Guide Used?

1
2
2
2

MODULE 1. CONDUCTING POST-DISASTER DAMAGE AND NEEDS ASSESSMENT

5

Checklist

9

n

n

n

n

n

iv

Module 2. Policy and Strategy Setting for Recovery

11

Development of a Central Vision for Recovery
Policy Frameworks for Recovery
Programmatic Framework for Recovery
Intersectoral Prioritization
Setting up Sector-Level Recovery
Disaster Recovery in Conflict Contexts
Checklist

11
12
14
17
18
21
22

Module 3. Institutional Framework for Recovery

25

Ensuring Continuity from Humanitarian Response to Recovery
Who Will Manage Recovery?
Selecting an Effective Lead Agency
Appointing an Effective Recovery Leader
Creating a Legal Institutional Mandate for Post-Disaster Land Use PlanningStaffing for Recovery
Ensuring Community ParticipationRole of Private Sector
Government Coordination and Local Implementation
Roles of International Agencies and Development Partners
Checklist

25
26
27
30
31
32
34
35
36
37
38

Module 4. Financing for Recovery

39

Post Disaster Budget Review
Disaster Assessments for Resource Mobilization
Resource Mobilization
Coordination and Allocation of Financial Resources
Public Financial Management Systems

41
42
42
44
45

Auditing and Monitoring, Oversight
Checklist

47
48

Module 5. Implementation Arrangements and Recovery Management

49

Coordination Mechanisms
Standard Implementation Mechanisms
Establish Reconstruction Standards
Decentralize Implementation
Monitoring and Evaluation
Procurement
Communication Strategy for Recovery
Promoting Transparency in Recovery
Checklist

49
50
50
51
51
53
55
56
57

Module 6. Strenghtening Recovery Systems in National and Local Governments

59

Develop Capacity to Implement Disaster Assessments
Preparing Recovery Frameworks Prior to a Disaster Improves Resilience
Predictable Financing

59
60
61

Common Good Practices and Lessons Identified

65

Recap of Country Case Studies under the Recovery Framework Guide Initiative
Lessons Learned Provide Options for Policy Action on Recovery
Key Lessons from the Recovery Framework Case Studies

65

65
66

n

Annex I: Integrated Results Framework for Recovery Planning71

nAnnex II: Sector Recovery Planning From the National Disaster Recovery Framework, India 75

nGlossary

80nSelected Bibliography

85nFigures

n

n

n

1.1
2.1
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
6.1
n

PDNA and DRF Relationship
Recovery Planning Processes
Global View of Post-Disaster Financing
Key Elements of Recovery Financing
Overlap between Public and Private Funding
Timeframe for Use of Allocated Resources
Risk Layering of Disaster Risk Financing Options

8
11
40
40
41
44
62

Table
3.1 Pros and Cons of Recovery-Specific and Planning Agencies’ Participation in Recovery

29
v

vi

vii

NOTE TO POLICY MAKERS
Instruments such as the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) provide a solid basis for quantifying
recovery needs and formulating broad strategies. However, experience in the last several decades has
shown that meeting recovery needs must go beyond simply conducting post-disaster assessments.
Demand has been growing globally for a disaster recovery framework for resilient recovery that canbuild on the PDNA or other such assessments.
In response, the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) collaborated
with the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to produce
this Guide to Developing Disaster Recovery Frameworks. The guide is intended as a practice-based,
results-focused tool to assist governments and partners in planning for resilient post-disaster recovery.

How Can Policy Makers Use the Guide?
The guide provides the essential information to assist policy makers and other stakeholders in formulating a framework for the medium- to long-term post-disaster recovery. This framework will help inarticulating the recovery vision; defining the recovery strategy; prioritizing actions; fine-tuning planning;and providing guidance on financing, implementing, and monitoring the recovery. The framework also
is a tool that helps in learning and self-evaluation, leading to continuous improvements over the courseof the recovery implementation.

Key Considerations for the Policy Makers in the Recovery Process
Depending on the nature of the disaster, the development of a recovery framework can range frombeing relatively resource-light to being resource-intensive. Similarly, depending on the scale of recovery
and reconstruction required, the framework can take from a few weeks to several months to develop.

Institutional Arrangements
The preferable arrangement for post disaster recovery is to have a pre-existing entity for the core recovery
planning and oversight functions required to meet recovery objectives. In the absence of such arrangements it is critical to designate an agency to take the lead role in coordinating or planning recovery.
A lead recovery agency should be designated early into the recovery process. This guide elaborates
a multitude of possible institutional arrangements for recovery implementation. However, the key

viiielements of an effective lead recovery agency are that it should have a clear mandate and that it should
be backed by effective political and technical leadership.

Vision and Guiding Principles
Another important initial step in setting up a recovery framework is the articulation of the recovery vision andguiding principles. They enable the government to convey its recovery priorities to the public, stakeholders,and partners; and to build national or subnational consensus around them. Early setting of the vision andguiding principles for recovery is important to ensure effective transition from the immediate humanitarian
response to the medium- to long-term recovery. For example, guiding principles could encourage the use of
shelter materials in the humanitarian response that could be reused to reconstruct homes.

Programmatic Approach
The lead recovery agency may help the government develop a framework that takes a programmatic
approach to identify priority sectors that are critical for restoring livelihoods. Such a framework would
enable the use of holistic recovery management. In it, the activities of government agencies, communities,
and nongovernmental entities complement one another under a government-led framework. Becausea significant portion of recovery activities are undertaken by the nongovernmental entities, an inclusive
recovery process would help avoid duplications and gaps. For example, certain geographic areas or sectors
may be allocated to particular donors, NGOs, and implementation partners.
The lead agency would oversee the development of the recovery framework and would play a critical rolein its implementation. The lead agency also could play a central role in the coordination, oversight, andmonitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the progress of the recovery.

Financing for Recovery
Recovery implementation needs to be supported by the mobilization of funds and coordination mechanismsthat channel funds to the implementation entities in a timely manner. Recovery may be funded throughgovernment funds, international aid, private sector financing, and community contribution. To manage recovery in a holistic manner, it is recommended that the government have an effective funds tracking mechanism
for both on-budget and off-budget funds. A good fund-tracking mechanism along with a strong publicfinancial management system enhance donor confidence and help in mobilizing additional funds for recovery.

Simplified Procurement
The increase in the volume of transactions and the urgency with which they need to be completed often
overwhelm existing government systems. Simplified procurement procedures can provide a robust mechanism for the timely purchase of goods and services. Experience suggests that responsible officers are
reluctant at times to use the simplified procurement procedures even if they exist within the government
systems. The mandate given to the lead recovery agency under the recovery framework is important ininvoking and promoting the use of simplified procedures.

Communication
Recovery is often a multisectoral activity that encompasses a broad range of actors and affected communities. For this reason, it is crucial for the government to have a consolidated communications system thatconveys the progress of the recovery and addresses the expectations of the affected communities. A coherent communications platform also is useful in communicating with donors and beneficiaries.

ix

INTRODUCTION
The World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) collaborated with theEuropean Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to produce this Guide
to Developing Disaster Recovery Frameworks (DRF guide).1 This DRF guide is intended primarily foraudiences involved in recovery planning within the government systems. These groups include policymakers, leaders, and managers of recovery institutions; financial managers; monitoring and evaluation(M&E) experts; and governmental implementing agencies. Other national stakeholders including civilsociety organizations (CSOs), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and private sector entities also
may benefit from the DRF guide.
This DRF guide is based primarily on good practices compiled from (a) nine countries’ disaster recovery experiences and (b) collaboration with the international advisory and technical working groups
formed to develop the DRF guide. It is intended as a practice-based, results-focused tool to assist
governments and partners in planning for resilient post-disaster recovery 2 following a large-scaledisaster. The DRF guide also can be used to respond to smaller scale, recurring disasters. Finally, it
provides key planning and decision-making processes for the development of recovery policies andprograms. However, the DRF guide does not necessarily cover the full breadth of the actual implementation of recovery.

Why Disaster Recovery Frameworks?
Tools such as the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) or similar assessments provide a solid basis forquantifying recovery needs and formulating broad strategies. Globally, these assessments have become
regular practice immediately following disasters. However, experiences in the last several decades haveshown that meeting recovery needs must go beyond simply conducting post-disaster assessments.
Enabling communities to recover from disasters requires both good preparedness before the disasterand ensuring that recovery measures are aligned with ongoing development following the disaster.
Consequently, demand has been growing globally for a framework for resilient recovery that can buildon the PDNA or other disaster assessments tools. This framework would guide governments and other
implementing stakeholders in the middle and longer term recovery efforts. The framework would help
in articulating a vision for recovery; defining a strategy; prioritizing actions; fine-tuning planning; andproviding guidance on financing, implementing, and monitoring the recovery.
1

Through developing a country-level disaster recovery framework, a government will be better positioned
to drive a process that unites all development partners’ efforts. Additionally, by developing a framework to manage recovery, a government may be able to better address longer term disaster vulnerability through coherent programs that bridge the current gap between recovery and development. For
example, such programs could address disaster-resistant housing, building code enforcement, safety
nets, green growth, and climate change resilience. As a result of developing its recovery framework, agovernment likely would be able to prioritize disaster risk reduction and resilience measures within bothits short- and long-term development goals.

What Does the DRF Guide Do?
This DRF guide will enable a government to create a national disaster recovery framework (DRFs) that:• Complements PDNAs or similar assessments as a tool to program and plan the recovery.
• Lays out the roles, responsibilities, and organizing structure of the governmental and nongovernmental
agencies, as well as of the local authorities and groups responsible for disaster recovery.
• Provides an integrated, program-level action plan to facilitate multisector recovery planning, prioritization,
and activity sequencing. The frameworks also will guide funding and portfolio management decisions.
• Functions as a living baseline document to monitor progress and evaluate impacts.
• Ensures aid effectiveness by bringing together multiple stakeholders, governmental and nongovernmental, around one common and inclusive government-led platform for recovery strategizing,planning, and project management.
The DRF guide is not intended to burden the recovery process with complex rules of engagement orcooperation among national agencies and development partners. It is not a prescriptive or in-depth
treatment of country-specific recovery issues and challenges. Instead, this flexible, practice-based guideoffers options that can be adapted to an individual country’s conditions. Finally, the DRF guide is not an
in-depth treatment of all sectoral recovery issues and challenges. Instead, it focuses on broader multiand intersectoral recovery planning aspects.

DRF Guide Objectives
The DRF guide is intended as a tool to assist governments and partners in planning for resilient postdisaster recovery that will lead to sustainable development. Expected outcomes of implementing recovery
frameworks are:
• Informed institutional and policy-setting for recovery• Prioritization and programming based on an inclusive, transparent process that ensures participation of
all stakeholders and uses national and international good practices• Effective coordination among partners during the recovery and reconstruction processes• Comprehensive framework for recovery financing• Improved Implementation and monitoring and evaluation systems for recovery programs.

How Is the DRF Guide Used?
The DRF guide presents information customized to the different needs of target audiences. Understanding
its structure will assist users to navigate it. The detailed content of the DRF guide is arranged in six modules,
or units. These modules follow the sequence of steps required to develop and implement a framework.
2Module 1: Conducting Post-Disaster Damage and Needs Assessment
Module 1 establishes the link between the PDNA, or similar disaster assessment, and the DRF. Additionally, the PDNA provides a brief overview of the key objectives and guiding principles of conducting
disaster assessments.

Module 2: Policy and Strategy-Setting for Recovery
At almost the same time that it estimates the total damages and recovery needs of a disaster, the government can begin to set policies and strategies for recovery. Module 2 describes the guiding recovery principles and good practices and the key results associated with developing programs for integrated, cross-sectoral disaster recovery.

Module 3: Institutional Framework for Recovery
In addition to policy formulation and strategy, how institutions are set up is critical for a successful recovery.
Module 3 describes good practices and key results associated with the development of effective institutional structures, leadership and human resources –for overseeing, managing, coordinating and implementing reconstruction.

Module 4: Financing for Recovery
Module 4 concentrates on the major financing challenges of post-disaster reconstruction. These challenges
include quickly quantifying the economic and financial costs of the disaster, developing reconstruction
budgets, identifying sources of financing, and setting up the mechanisms to manage and track funds.

Module 5: Implementation Arrangements and Recovery Management
Recovery programs must be quickly implemented and visibly improve the lives of disaster-affected populations. Module 5 supplies the background information required to ensure that program implementation iseffective, equitable, timely, and working toward building back a better future.

Module 6: Strengthening Recovery Systems in National and Local Governance
Module 6 examines various reforms and improvements to institutional and legislative arrangements thatcan be developed and implemented in advance of disasters. These advance improvements offer the best
hope for disaster risk reduction.
Additional features common to all six modules are:• Each module features Results Charts, which recommend recovery planning processes based on the
results intended. The Results Charts all contain the same components: core planning processes, outputs,
and actors.
• Checklists are featured at the end of each module. These checklists enable target audiences to assess
rapidly whether that module’s thematic issues are integrated in the development of a DRF.
• Additional details on the strategic and implementation options available for various modules can befound either in the country good practice text boxes that accompany the main text, or in the country
case studies (https://www.gfdrr.org/recoveryframework).

3

Additional Sections of the DRF Guide
The common best practices and lessons identified from all countries also are combined in a concluding
section, “Common Best Practices and Lessons Identified”.
All good practice results at various stages of recovery planning are integrated in a Results Framework(appendix 1). It provides a clear overview of all outcomes and outputs generated by the recovery planning.
A broad range of actors come together to develop disaster recovery frameworks. To ensure a shared understanding, this DRF guide provides a Glossary of terms that may not be familiar to all users.
Detailed country case studies—the technical and thematic appendices to the DRF guide—also are available
at https://www.gfdrr.org/recoveryframework. Thematic appendices that focus on specialized areas will be
added to the online DRF guide progressively.

Endnotes
1 “Recovery” is defined as the restoration, and where appropriate, improvement of facilities, livelihoods, and living conditions of disaster-affected communities, including efforts to reduce disaster risk factors. While, “reconstruction” focuses
primarily on the construction or replacement of damaged physical structures, and the restoration of local services andinfrastructure. The term “recovery” in this guide encompasses both “recovery” and “reconstruction”.
2 “Resilient recovery” builds resilience during recovery and promotes resilience in regular development. Resilient recovery isa means to sustainable development.

4

MODULE 1. CONDUCTING POST-DISASTER DAMAGE AND
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
A post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) is a prerequisite for developing a Disaster Recovery Framework (DRF). The affected country decides which damage and needs assessment methodology will
be used to conduct the initial assessment. The PDNA is one established methodology for estimating
damages and needs that is often used. The intent of Module 1 is to establish the linkage between the
PDNA, or similar disaster assessments, and the DRF.1
Need for post-disaster assessment. Early recovery can start while humanitarian response activities
are ongoing. A decision by the government on the nature of the disaster assessment and DRF is the firsttransitional step from humanitarian assistance to full-scale recovery and reconstruction with defined
objectives. In the initial period after impact, questions arise as to what the priority recovery needs
are and what the specific objectives of recovery should be. Answering these complex questions will
require understanding the magnitude of the disaster. The understanding is acquired by the government
undertaking assessments of damage and needs in light of the recovery objectives agreed by government policy-makers and other key actors.
Disaster assessments provide the basis on which the DRF can be further developed. Specifically, assessments help in the development of operational plans for deploying human, financial, and information
resources to implement large-scale reconstruction programs. They also help set up credible baselines
for the subsequent monitoring and evaluation of the recovery program.
Key elements of a post-disaster assessment. Some disaster-impacted countries may intend to
fund the recovery to the fullest extent possible. Other such countries may have to rely on external
aid for funding part of their recovery programs. For both groups, it is important at the very outset
to commission a disaster assessment that will aggregate the cost of damages and losses. The assessment needs to be government led. However, the assessment also must be inclusive. Inclusion meansthat the government must ensure participation and consultation by relevant government departments (both horizontally and vertically), civil society, the private sector, and face to face with people
in the affected communities.

5Assessments should provide a fairly reliable estimate of the overall resource requirements and financing
available to a country’s reconstruction policy- and financial decision-makers. The estimates then would
enable them to initiate strategic and holistic reconstruction planning. Having a strategic perspective
helps develop operational plans for deploying human, financial, and information resources to implement
large-scale reconstruction programs. It also helps set up credible baselines for the subsequent monitoringand evaluation (M&E) of the recovery program.
Assessments can take different forms depending on the type and size of the disaster and on the national
context. Examples follow of the types of assessments that could be used in post-disaster scenarios.
Humanitarian and early recovery assessments. Governments and international actors conduct
rapid assessments in the immediate aftermath of disasters to identify humanitarian needs. These
assessments often are organized around clusters that will use their sector-specific assessment methodologies and tools. These assessments may be carried out jointly, such as through the Multi-Cluster/
Sector Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA). In some cases, these humanitarian assessments also identify
early recovery needs. In other cases, separate assessments are designed specifically to identify earlyrecovery needs. These assessments are undertaken at the same time as, or immediately following, thehumanitarian assessments.
Sector-specific assessments. Governments conduct sector assessments by using the relevant line
ministries. However, the individual line ministries may not necessarily form part of a multisectoral
assessment. In the sectors in which they have expertise, international organisations such as the World
Bank, the United Nations (UN) system, or the European Union (EU) can support sector-specific assessments. In such cases, these international agencies would supply punctual technical assistance to three
specific operations:
1. Carry out the assessment
2. Setting up an assessment team that includes representatives from the relevant government ministries and other relevant stakeholders
3. Applying the appropriate assessment methodologies and tools.
Post-disaster needs assessments (PDNA). The PDNA is a common assessment approach developedby the EU, UNDP, and World Bank to support governments to assess damages and recovery needs. It is
an inclusive process that builds on the capacity and expertise of national and international actors. Whenparticipating in such assessments, the PDNA Guides Volumes A and B should be used.2
This tool is being used in an increasing number of countries, particularly for larger scale emergencies.
Governments conduct PDNAs with the support of the international community. The main goal of PDNAs
is to assist a government to assess the full extent of a disaster’s impact on the country and what is needed
for the nation to recover. The findings serve as the basis for designing a resilient recovery framework andfor mobilizing financial resources to implement it. PDNAs provide a more comprehensive empirical basis
for costing post-disaster recovery and reconstruction and for informing an international donor conference.

6

Result 1. Post-disaster Damage and Needs Assessment Provides Basis for the Developmentof Recovery Framework.
Process

OutputActors1

Build on the preliminary assessments bygovernment and humanitarian response
agencies, and the initial damage surveys
leading to a disaster assessment.

Preliminary assessment
reports
Compilation and transmittalof damage and loss data to acentral node

Lead Agency:
National/subnational
focal point
Others:Line ministries, local
government
departments, national
technical agencies, UN
agencies

2

Select the most appropriate and achievable
processes and methodology for conducting
early and credible damage and needs
assessments.

Credible Disaster damage
and needs assessment
Quantitative and qualitative
baseline for damage, loss,
and needs across sectors
and administrative divisions
Results monitoring andevaluation plan for recovery
programNational/subnational
focal point, line ministries, local government
departments

Key difference between PDNA and DRF. The PDNA and similar disaster assessments are an essential
component of a successful DRF. However, their limited scope means that they cannot replace a DRF. The
PDNA provides damage and loss estimates, and quantifies needs. The recovery framework (DRF) thenbuilds on the damage and loss assessment for detailed sequencing, prioritization, financing, and implementation of the recovery.
The PDNA and the recovery framework should be implemented together. In most instances, combining theprocess will not require additional financial resources or time. In fact, the process will significantly increase
the likelihood of translating PDNA and DNA recommendations into a recovery that is resilient.
Figure 1 provides a more comprehensive look at how does the DRF build on the results of the PDNA.

7

Figure 1.1 PDNA and DRF Relationship

8Module 1 Checklist
This checklist covers the 8 different steps required to carry out a PDNA or other similar assessment.
The list is not comprehensive, but provides an overview of the primary steps to be followed.
❑❑ Draft terms of reference. The terms of reference guides the needs assessment regarding thesectors to be covered, data to be collected, teams to be deployed, and reports that need to
be prepared.
❑❑ Schedule and timeframe. The needs assessment should commence after 1 or 2 weeks of
disaster. However, the schedule can vary depending on the scale and nature of the disaster.
Completing the needs assessment can take a minimum of 3 to 6 weeks. Before the needs
assessment is begun, the government must ensure that the relief phase of disaster is almost
over and that conducting a needs assessment would not impede the continuance of any
relief activity.
❑❑ Government participation. The government must nominate its officials and experts to participate in the needs assessment.
❑❑ Formation and training of sector teams. The needs assessment must cover all affected sectors.
For each sector, [the government will choose] a team that will include the relevant experts fromthe government departments and other agencies. The government also must support the training of sector teams in needs assessment methods through training programs.
❑❑ Collection of baseline and primary data. Government agencies should provide baseline data
in relation to all the sectors that are being assessed.
❑❑ Field visits. Sector teams must undertake field visits to carry out assessments. These fieldvisits need to be organized by the government. The number of field visits as well as theplaces to be visited will be decided in consultation with the government agencies.
❑❑ Writing the report. All sector teams must write their sector-specific reports and submit them
to a core writing team, who will prepare and finalize the needs assessment report.
❑❑ Review and approval of the needs assessment report. The report will be submitted to thegovernment for its review. The government will circulate the report within various ministries/
departments for their comments. The review needs to be conducted with a strict deadline.
The writing team will incorporate the comments and finalize the report. Once the final PDNA
or similar assessment report is submitted to the government, the government should approveit. The needs assessment report then becomes official and will form the basis for recovery
planning and implementation.

Endnotes
1 For additional details on conducting a PDNA, see EU (European Union), UN (United Nations), and World Bank, PostDisaster Needs Assessment Guide, Vol. A, 2013, www.recoveryplatform.org.
2 EC (European Union, UN (United Nations), and World Bank, Post-Disaster Needs Assessment Guide, Vols. A and B, EC,
UN, and World Bank, 2013, www.recoveryplatform.org.

9

10

MODULE 2. POLICY AND STRATEGY SETTING FOR RECOVERY
Visioning, policy making, and strategy setting can begin at the same time that damage assessments aretaking place. These first three processes provide the government with the opportunity to reach out toaffected communities to define the scope of programs. Module 2 describes the vision, guiding principles,and appropriate strategies needed to achieve integrated, cross-sectoral disaster recovery.
Figure 2.1 provides a flowchart of the different processes to be followed for recovery planning.

Development of a Central Vision for Recovery

Figure 2.1 Recovery Planning Processes

The articulation of a recovery vision enables the government
to convey its recovery priorities, and build national or subnational consensus around them. The vision is the starting pointaround which the entire recovery process will be formulated.
The core elements to be included in a recovery vision follow.
• Ensuring that the vision is developed at thehighest level of government is critical for building
consensus among the range of stakeholders. The
government can invite groups of internal and external
stakeholders to sessions in which it communicates andseeks input for its vision of recovery. Seeking agreement from stakeholders will smooth the way for unified
planning. These consultations at the start of the recovery process then guide the expectations of the affected
communities and reconstruction partners• Ensuring coherence with development programs.
The recovery vision is intended to be coherent with thegovernment’s broader, longer term development goals andgrowth and poverty reduction strategies. The vision can
provide a strategic continuum between pre- and post-disaster development planning by bridging both pre-existingdevelopment gaps and new gaps triggered by the disaster.

VISIONfor Recovery

POLICY FRAMEWORKBBBPro-poor

SECTORSTRATEGY

Opportunity

PROGRAMDEVELOPMENT

PROJECT
IMPLEMENTATION

11• Incorporating resilience and BBB in recovery vision. Resilient recovery is not well understood bymost development practitioners. Countries are beginning to develop their own standards and definitions for resilient recovery. To support resilient recovery, this DRF guide recommends that countries pay
particular attention to seven issues: Building Back Better (BBB), gender concerns, equity, vulnerability
reduction, natural resource conservation, environmental protection, and climate change adaptation.
• Optimizing recovery across sectors. Whenever possible, the recovery vision should encompass public
and private sectors, and promote norms for nondiscriminatory and equitable asset disbursement amongindividuals and communities. In the past, infrastructure reconstruction often has dominated post-disaster recovery. However, equally important is the priority given to the recovery of the lives and livelihoods
in disaster-affected communities. People-focused recovery can be facilitated by reconstructing private
assets through direct subsidies, where affordable; or through other enabling policy measures, whereappropriate. Showing sensitivity to the needs of the affected population also is important in meetingand managing public expectations.
Result 2. A Recovery Vision Acceptable to All Stakeholders
Process

OutputActors1

The first step in developing a recovery framework is to define a clear vision for recovery at
the highest possible political and bureaucraticlevels of government. It is key to relate thisvision to the country’s broader development
context and its growth and poverty reduction
programs. To be truly inclusive, a vision must include input from multistakeholder consultations.

Articulation of a recovery
visionSetting up community meetings to build consensus forthe recovery vision

Lead Agency:
National planning agency
Others:Designated recovery
agency, national/
subnational government,
line ministries, civilsociety, communities,
other partners

2

The recovery vision needs to be refined toWorking out the sectoral,
make clear (a) prioritized goals for overall recon- geographic, and functional
struction and recovery, (b) policy standards, (c) details of recovery
timeframe for implementation, (d) identificationof stakeholders, (e) strategic priorities by sector
and geographic area, and (f) functional responsibilities for recovery program managers.

Lead Agency:
National planning agency
Others:Designated recovery
agency, national/
subnational government,
line ministries

Policy Frameworks for Recovery
To adequately finance and implement post-disaster recovery and to achieve the vision, a recovery policy
framework is critical. The framework should be backed by the country’s highest political and policy-making levels as well as by its planning and financial institutions. The framework requires high-level consensus
building around the key cross-cutting operating principles and program-level performance benchmarks ofmultisectoral recovery.
Policy frameworks for large scale recovery from around the world typically consist of the following elements:• Central policy-making and coordination• Subsidiarity1 and local implementation• Public sector facilitation of private recovery• Restoration of sustainable livelihoods

12• Independent oversight and transparency• Effective management of public expectations and grievances• Fostering public-private partnerships.
Ensuring and promoting longer term disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, environmental
and social safeguards, gender sensitivity, and protection of vulnerable groups.
Result 3. Provision of an Enabling Policy Framework to Achieve a Recovery Vision
Process

OutputActors1

The government needs to develop an enabling
policy framework for recovery that reflects
multistakeholder consensus for action at thenational and subnational levels.

Policy framework and guiding
principles for recovery
Consistent and equitableapplication of key crosscutting operating principles

Lead Agency:
National planning agency
Others:Designated recovery
agency, national/
subnational government,
line ministries

2

The policy framework identifies the governIdentification of primary
ment’s priority sectors for recovery and reflects sectors for inclusion in theintrasectoral prioritization. In in most postrecovery program
disaster contexts, recovery needs aresequenced through the PDNA. The government
needs to communicate its top recovery priorities to donors, recovery partners, and affected
communities. Good communication by thegovernment will build support for its priorities
among the various stakeholders.

Lead Agency:
National planning agency
Others:Designated recovery
agency, national/
subnational government,
line ministries

Key Policy Imperatives for Recovery
Successful disaster recovery experiences from around the world have in common the adoption of at least
three crucial policies: (a) Building Back Better, (b) converting adversity into opportunity, and (c) prioritizing
pro-poor recovery.
• Building Back Better. Building Back Better (BBB) is the reconstruction approach that aims to reduce
vulnerability and improve living conditions, while promoting more effective reconstruction. BBB addresses
the importance of improving community resilience following disasters and identifies what is considered successful recovery. Recovery policy-makers and practitioners lack consensus on what BBB should
include or not. However, at a minimum, BBB signifies policy commitment to right-sizing, right-siting, andimproving the resilience of critical infrastructure.
• Converting adversity into opportunity. Disaster recovery can be an opportunity to replace old infrastructure and update service delivery systems with affordable, resilient improvements.
• Pro-poor recovery.2 Prioritizing reconstruction planning to address the needs of socioeconomically vulnerable individuals and groups contributes to a more equitable society. If their needs are
ignored, the poor and vulnerable are more susceptible to future hazards and shocks. Many disasterrecovery programs include the provision of direct livelihood support, income generation opportunities, improved access to finance and microcredit, and new skills training. Governments also subsidize or facilitate the reconstruction of private assets, such as housing and local business enterprises.
However, governments cannot substitute for private insurance to pay recovery costs.
13

Box 2.1 Building Back Better in Queensland, Australia
Following extensive flooding from Tropical Cyclone Oswald in 2013, the Australian and the regional Queensland
government pooled resources to create an $80 million Betterment Fund. The fund enables local councils to restore
or replace essential public assets damaged by Tropical Cyclone Oswald to a more disaster-resilient standard thantheir pre-disaster standard.
Two of the projects financed by the Betterment Fund are described below.
George Bell Crossing ProjectGeorge Bell Crossing is a bridge located in the Somerset region of Queensland. The bridge had just finished being
rebuilt from damage sustained in 2011 when flooding from Tropical Cyclone Owald completely washed away thecrossing. Floodwaters also caused severe scouring and erosion to the eastern approach, resulting in complete
demolition of the crossing.
The Betterment project will replace the crossing with a larger concrete bridge. This structure will reduce the risksof the construction material washing out and of the scouring and saturation of the pavement and subgrade. The
project will make the asset more resilient against future flood events. As one local authority explained, “These
funds will allow Council to replace bridges and causeways with better and more robust structures that will have
longer life-spans and hopefully withstand natural disasters.
Upper Mount Bentley Road Project
The Upper Mount Bentley Road Project is located on Palm Island, a remote indigenous community. The roadprovides the only on-ground access to vital telecommunications infrastructure located at the peak of Mount Bentley.
This road was impacted by disaster events 8 times between January 2008 and January 2013, significantly reducing
safe access during disaster events.
The Betterment project included constructing concrete surfacing of the steepest or most vulnerable sections of
the road. This road repair facilitated repairs to be carried out without delay to the communications tower.
Source: G. Newton, “Building It Back Better to Reduce Risks after Multiple Disaster Events,” Queensland
Reconstruction Authority, Queensland, Australia, n.d.

Identification of Priority Sectors for Recovery
The next step entails the identification of priority sectors for recovery in line with the broader recovery
vision and policy framework, and based on the detailed needs and damage assessment carried out at the
PDNA stage. The typical breakdown of programmatic recovery includes the following sectors: rural/urban
housing development, water and sanitation, governance, transport, power, communications infrastructure,environment,3 livelihoods, tourism, social protection, health, and education.

Programmatic Framework for Recovery
Programmatic Approach to Recovery
The achievement of the recovery goals, targets, and priorities, as defined by the vision and policy framework, requires development and maintenance of a strategic and programmatic framework. This strategic
framework is the central planning tool and oversight mechanism for cross-sectoral and integrated
disaster recovery.
Where the center of such recovery planning is located is not important. In cases of inter-provincial recovery
programs, it could be within a central government authority. In cases of subnational or local programs,
14

Box 2.2 Prioritizing Sector Recovery in Practice
Sri Lanka, Tsunami, 2004
Following the December 2004 Tsunami, the government of Sri Lanka prioritized short-term and longterm financial needs in proportion to the damages
sustained and the recovery strategy.
• Short-term financial needs included the housing,transportation, and livelihood
restoration sectors.
• Damaged assets in housing and health have been
replaced with those of equal value.
• Damaged assets in transportation, water supply, andsanitation have been upgraded. (These sectors already had suffered damages before the tsunami dueto the civil war.)
Lao PDR, Tropical Storms, 2009, 2011, 2013
Across multiple flood-related disasters over 2009
to 2013, in-depth inter- and intra-sectoral assessments emerged as important aspects of the overall
post-disaster assessment framework.

planning center could be located within subnational recovery planning and oversight entities.
What is important is that large scale recovery
should have a central meeting point, or node. At
this point, the recovery plans and projects of thenational, subnational, and local entities converge
to provide the complete programmatic picture ofrecovery for policy-makers at all relevant levels.
In many countries, the major portion of recovery interventions are undertaken by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). A programmatic
approach also provides an opportunity to exercise
holistic management of recovery. In this approach,the activities of government agencies, NGOs,
communities, and the private sector complement
each other within a government-led framework.

Benefits of Programmatic Approach

Key benefits that can be derived from programmatic and centrally overseen recovery include(a) consistent application of policy principles• The government’s primary post-disaster data gatheringand imperatives across all sector programs andtool was a multisectoral rapid assessment. It was carprojects; (b) harmonized and mutually reinforcried out within the first two weeks following a disaster.
ing recovery results and outcomes across sectors;• Each line agency assessed the damages and needs
for its relevant sector.
(c) needs prioritization within and across sector
programs; (d) sequencing of recovery activities• Outputs of these assessments included line
agency reports that were forwarded to central
according to the agreed order of prioritizationlevel ministries.
to ensure the planned outcomes (e) mutually
reinforcing governmental and nongovernmental recovery interventions, and (f) a central nodefrom which to monitor and evaluate recovery at a programmatic level, enabling strategic adjustments to
be made as required.

Setting Program-Level Objectives for Recovery
Programmatic recovery objectives are different from sector-specific objectives. Program objectives specify
what is meant by effective, efficient, and resilient recovery in the country and post-disaster context. Reconstruction and recovery plans are intended to mitigate not only the effects of the current disaster but also
the impacts of future hazard events.

15

Result 4. Application of Policy Principles for Mutually Reinforcing Recovery Outcomes across
Sectors
1

Process

OutputActorsThe government needs to develop and maintain a strategic and programmatic framework. This framework will serve as the central
planning node and oversight mechanism forcross-sectoral and integrated disaster recovery.
The strategic and programmatic framework
increases the likelihood of (a) more equitable
resource allocation and equitable needs prioritization within and across various sectoral
programs; (b) systematic sequencing of recovery activities according to the agreed order ofprioritization to ensure the planned outcomesat the planned times, and (c) instituting mechanisms for central monitoring and evaluationof recovery at the programmatic level, thus
making space for strategic alterations.

Programmatic recovery
framework

Lead Agency:
National planning agency
Others:Designated recovery
agency, national/
subnational government,
line ministries

Wide-Area Land Use and Physical Planning
Existing development policies should form the basis of recovery and reconstruction planning. However,pre-existing policies may require rethinking land use zoning and the provision of physical infrastructure.
Rethinking may be particularly necessary for entire regions that have been devastated and need to be
re-planned and reconstructed.4
In some post-disaster situations, an area-wide planning process also can be commissioned. It would span,
but also differentiate between, the urban-rural and local-regional contexts and requirements.5 Area-wideplanning can deliver an integrated treatment of a broad range of land uses: settlements and residential
areas; commercial areas and productive infrastructure; public infrastructure including physical, economic,
and social infrastructure; and typically rural contexts such as community-owned infrastructure, forestry,
farmland, animal husbandry, and fisheries.
At local levels, considerations can include plans for consolidation of unused land, improvements in energy
efficiency, mitigation of environmental impact, reconstruction of strategic towns, integration of residential,
ecological, and economic land uses, and plans for emergency access.

16

Box 2.3 Resettlement after Disasters
Samoa Earthquake and Tsunami 2009
After the September 29, 2009 earthquake and tsunami, the Government of Samoa considered resettling disaster-affected population centers away from coastal areas.
Since the tsunami, a significant part of the affected population has moved away from the coastal areas andindicated a wish to settle permanently in new locations away from the coast. Such population movements andattempts to rebuild communities away from natural hazard areas are common after tsunami disasters. However,the success—or failure—of communities’ and governments’ efforts to reduce vulnerability to natural risks byestablishing resettlement areas is highly dependent on whether basic services can be provided quickly andsustainably post disaster to relocated people.
Affected Samoans have resettled in traditional plantation areas, in which infrastructure networks (water, electricity,
roads) are nonexistent, or of poor quality. To support a more permanent upland resettlement of villages that weredestroyed by the tsunami, additional investments are needed to create the necessary infrastructure networks andfacilities needed to provide services at the new locations.
China Earthquake 2008
On May 12, 2008 Sichuan Province, China was struck by an 8.0 magnitude earthquake. The World Bank helped
the Government develop an “Environmental and Social Safeguards Screening and Assessment Framework”. This
provided a simple checklist to ascertain whether reconstruction projects needed an Environmental Impact Assessment or a more simplified procedure. Clear guidance was given to communities and cities on which areas could
be used for rebuilding and which areas should remain untouched. Most importantly, environmental and disaster
reduction considerations were built into the assessment, which enabled local communities to rapidly deploy theirresources, rebuild their homes where possible, and return to normalcy. As a result, reconstruction activities did
not take place in environmentally sensitive or disaster-prone areas, which greatly helped to minimize the impactof future risk.

Intersectoral Prioritization
Prioritization across sectors can help ensure equitable and demand-responsive recovery across affectedjurisdictions and communities. Prioritization also can promote conflict-sensitive, pro-poor, pro-vulnerable,
and gender-sensitive recovery agendas.
The areas considered sectors include the social sectors (housing, land and settlements, education, health,and nutrition); production sectors (employment and livelihoods, agriculture, commerce and trade, andindustry); infrastructure sectors (community infrastructure, water, sanitation and hygiene, transport andtelecommunications, and energy and electricity). Cross-cutting sectors include disaster risk reduction,
environment, gender, and governance.
The first step in prioritizing is to identify the sectors targeted for reconstruction. Second, a criteria-basedprioritization of recovery needs across competing intersectoral priorities should be made. Such prioritization broadens the resource allocation and the annual on- and off-budgetary flows for recovery throughout
the expected recovery period.
The rule of thumb for prioritization is, first, to determine the sectors and sectoral priorities that help leverage direct humanitarian impact in the shortest time. The case studies in this DRF guide show that housing
and livelihoods often take precedence over other sectors. These two sectors are given precedence because
they directly impact disaster-affected populations. The interventions in these two sectors take place simultaneously with restoration of critical public infrastructure and service delivery. The next phase is medium- tolong-term reconstruction and generation of sustainable livelihoods.
17

Developing Principles for Intersectoral Prioritization
The government needs to establish principles to determine the criteria for intersectoral prioritization to help
ensure equitable and demand-responsive recovery across affected jurisdictions and communities. Prioritization grounded in principles ensures that sectoral program development remains consistent with the overall
objectives of the reconstruction program.
Certain criteria used to prioritize recovery actions arise consistently in countries’ experiences.6 These
criteria include:• Potential for direct and widest humanitarian impact• Pro-poor, pro-vulnerable, and gender-sensitive agendas• Potential to generate sustainable livelihoods• Balance between public and private sector recovery• Balance between physical infrastructure reconstruction and less visible recovery (such as capacity building
and governance)• Restoration and rebuilding of critical infrastructure and services.
Result 5. Ensure Equitable and Demand-Responsive Recovery across Affected Communities
1

Process

OutputActorsThe government needs to establish a set ofprinciples to determine criteria for intersectoral prioritization. Prioritization ensures that
subsequent sector program development andprojects remain consistent with the overall objectives of the reconstruction program. Prioritization also helps leverage direct humanitarian
impact in the shortest time.
The various sectors will compete for available
resources. The government needs to establish criteria-based and objectively verifiablecross-sectoral prioritization of recovery needs
across these competing intersectoral priorities.
Prioritization can help ensure equitable anddemand-responsive recovery across affectedjurisdictions and communities.

Development of criteria forintersectoral prioritizationand their programming andsequencing for recovery
Objective, criteria-based
resource allocation; annual
rationalization of recovery
budgetLead Agency:
National planning agency
Others:Lead recovery agency,line ministries, Ministryof Finance

Setting up Sector-Level Recovery
Establishing sectoral strategies early can ensure that they are in line with the government’s overarching
principles for the recovery.

Developing Sector-Specific Recovery Programs
After the policy framework and intersectoral strategies are established, the lead recovery agency typicallyundertakes a program-by-program approach to define sector-specific recovery programs. These programs
translate the policy priorities into programs and projects that can be financed and implemented. Sectorspecific recovery programs and projects are expected to reflect the policy framework and intersectoral
18

strategies. The programs would draw on information from assessments and surveys to plan individual
sectoral projects. This consultative process broadens ownership of the recovery program. Consultation
ensures the implementation of the guiding principles at the project level.

Preparatory Actions and Information Collection for Sector Program Development
By developing broad sectoral strategies early in the recovery process, sectoral policies and reconstruction
objectives can be aligned to ensure synergy between reconstruction activities and development goals.
The post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) or similar initial assessment is an important reference for thedevelopment of sector-specific recovery plans. These plans can be overseen by the lead implementation
agency. Technical agencies would assist with the conceptualization and development of assessment frameworks, objectives, and instruments. The lead implementation agency also may engage other public sector
agencies, private sector enterprises, or civil society and community organizations for these purposes.
Result 6. Translate Intersectoral Recovery Strategy into Sector-Specific Programs
1

Process

OutputActors

Initial assessments following the disasterprovide a baseline for developing sector strategies. Sectoral policies and strategies should
be refined and checked against realities on
the ground. Involving local implementers andaffected communities in the design phase is themost effective way to do this.

Detailed sector-specificprograms developed andreviewed by affected
communities

Lead Agency:
National planning agency
Others:Local government
departments, national
technical agencies, civilsociety, communities,
other partners

To inform the development of sectoral recovery programs and projects, the following surveys/assessments
may be carried out:
• Land Risk Survey/Assessment. An essential input for determining whether any relocation of communities is necessary.
• Land Tenure Survey/Assessment. Analyzes the issue of land and tenure records. Any disputes overownership may delay, or even stop, the implementation of the sector planning recommendations.
• Land Availability Assessment. Primary means to identify available and suitable land that may provesocially and economically viable for displaced populations.
• Governance and Implementation Capacity Assessment. Measures the government’s capacity to
implement programs.
• Social Risks and Vulnerability Survey/Assessment. Assists in identifying vulnerable disasteraffected persons.
• Infrastructure and Service Delivery Survey/Assessment. Provides results that may help design
program components for rehabilitating infrastructure and resuming essential services.
• Economic and Livelihood Survey/Assessment. Assists in the adequate resumption of economic
activities and livelihoods for beneficiaries of the land use and physical plans.
• Environmental Assessment. An essential input for the program to safeguard environmental objectives.
19Setting up Consultative Processes and Forums for Inclusive Planning
Even when centrally initiated and regulated, sector-level program development is most effective when it
happens early, takes action, and includes multiple stakeholders. An effective process also has a conflict-sensitive perspective. Consultative processes are important to ensure that sector strategies are relevant across different locales. Thematic open meetings that cut across sectors (such as housing sector recovery planning andhousing design) can be organized by the lead recovery agency jointly with the relevant sectoral departments.
Consulting communities about recovery increases the likelihood of widespread acceptance of it. In fact,community participation is fundamental to ensure the demand for, local ownership of, and longer term
sustainability of recovery efforts. Communities’ participation also ensures that they regain access to viable
sources of livelihood, economic infrastructure, and social services that are similar to or better than what
they enjoyed before the disaster.

Being Conflict Sensitive and Acting to Reduce Conflicts
To this end, it is essential for the participating agencies to understand the conflict dynamics, particularly
the relations between stakeholders and the issues, that create tensions and problems. It then is importantto analyze how a particular intervention will impact on these dynamics.
Being conflict-sensitive is not only about understanding but also about acting on the understanding. It is
important to build in the appropriate provisions and activities when interventions are first being planned—
or to adjust ongoing interventions. Taking these actions will ensure that interventions do not worsen, but
help to reduce, conflict tensions by reducing inequalities and bridging divisions.7
Result 7. Sector-Level Recovery Programs Developed in a Consultative and Inclusive Manner
Process

OutputActors1

Establish a consultative process to map all key
Process to map key
stakeholders. Mapping will identify the stakestakeholders
holders to be included in the planning process,thus reducing potential grievances and ensuring
wide acceptance of the recovery program.

Lead Agency:Line ministries
Others:Lead recovery agency,
local government
departments,
communities, civilsociety, NGOs

2

Consultations among sectors and among
Diverse consultationdifferent levels of stakeholders (from national to modalities
community levels) are important to develop andcoordinate recovery programs. This communication introduces different perspectives for consideration in planning and implementing recovery.

Lead Agency:Line ministries
Others:Lead recovery agency,
local government
departments,
communities, civilsociety, NGOs

3

Organize open meetings to involve subnational Forums for wider consultative
government, civil society, technical institutions, groups
academia, private sector, and affected communities. These forums can facilitate dialogue andconsensus building. They are crucial for building
communities’ ownership of sector recovery
programs at all levels. (See more information onbuilding ownership in Phase 3: Implementation.)

Lead Agency:Line ministries
Others:Lead recovery agency,
local government
departments,
communities, civilsociety, NGOs

20

Disaster Recovery in Conflict Contexts
In conflict-affected areas, there is a two-way relationship between intervention/action and conflict. All
recovery actions in conflict contexts can be affected by the conflicts. However, the opposite is also true:
action in a conflict-affected setting can, and is likely to, have an impact on the conflict.

Box 2.4 Four-Step Conflict-Sensitive-Approach in
Disaster Recovery

Being Sensitive to Conflict and Acting toReduce Conflict

Understand the nature of intervention. This stepmeans not just what you do (your programming), butalso how you operate, where, when, and with whom(your entire engagement in the conflict context).

All conflict situations require great sensitivity fromthe recovery-planning agency. Recovery actions
should contribute to conflict prevention, structural stability, and peace building.8 To these ends,
it is essential to be sensitive to conflict contexts,
analyze each intervention for its effects, and act
to avoid tensions and build peace.

Analyze the interaction between your intervention
and the context to identify conflict risks and peacebuilding opportunities.

Ensuring That All Sides in Conflict
Situations Receive Fair Treatment

Understand the context in which you operate,
especially the conflict drivers and dynamics.

Act on this analysis to avoid negative impacts andmaximize positive ones.

Realization is growing that disaster risk-reduction
and conflict-prevention measures should occur
together. Disaster response must be conflict sensitive in order to prevent hard-won peace dividends
being undermined and to ensure aid programming is effective.

21

Module 2 Checklist
This checklist covers the different steps required to develop an effective vision, policies, and strategies for recovery. The checklist is not comprehensive, but provides an overview of the primary steps
to be followed.

National Planning Agency❑❑ Define a national recovery vision incorporating the development principles of : Build Back
Better, Converting Adversity into Opportunity and Pro-poor recovery.
❑❑ Ensure vision is coherent with the government’s broader, longer-term development goals andgrowth and poverty reduction strategies.
❑❑ Formulate a recovery policy which prioritizes sectors for recovery, and defines key operating
principles and performance benchmarks.
❑❑ Ensure consensus of all participants on policy framework. Setting up Consultative Processes
and Forums for Inclusive Planning.
❑❑ Develop a program framework that sequences and makes a criteria-based prioritization of
sector recovery.
❑❑ In conflict situations, ensure neutral and impartial treatment.

Lead Recovery Agency❑❑ Contribute to development of recovery vision and policy.
❑❑ Support the development of guiding principles.
❑❑ Communicate top recovery priorities to donors, recovery partners and to affected communities.
❑❑ Set Program-Level Objectives for Recovery. Program objectives specify what is meant byeffective, efficient and resilient recovery in your country and post-disaster context.
❑❑ Create forums for consultation with subnational government, civil society, technical institutions, academia, private sector, and affected communities. Multi-stakeholder forums are
crucial for building ownership of sector recovery programs at all levels.
❑❑ Rethink pre-existing policies on land use zoning and the provision of physical infrastructure.
Rethinking may be necessary for entire regions that have been devastated and need to be
re-planned and reconstructed.

Line Ministries❑❑ Contribute to development of recovery vision and policy.
❑❑ Support the development of guiding principles.
❑❑ Set up sector level recovery strategy.
❑❑ Identify recovery priorities within each sector. Promote sector needs in line with the broader
recovery vision and policy framework and based on the detailed needs and damage assessment carried out in conjunction at the PDNA stage.

22

Endnotes
1 See Glossary.
2 World Bank on behalf of the Operationalizing Pro-Poor Growth Research Program, “Pro-Poor Growth in the 1990s:
Lessons and Insights from 14 Countries,” World Bank, Washington, DC, 2005, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPGI/Resources/342674-1119450037681/Pro-poor_growth_in_the_1990s.pdf.
3 F.G. Renaud, K. Sudmeier-Rieux, and M. Estrella, eds., The Role of Ecosystems in Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations
University (UNU) Press, Tokyo, 2013.
4 For example, in Samoa, after the 2009 earthquake and tsunami, the Government of Samoa considered resettlementaway from the coastal areas.
5 A.K. Jha, with J.D Barenstein, P.M. Phelps, D. Pittet, and S. Sena, Safer Homes, Stronger Communities: A Handbook for
Reconstructing after Natural Disasters, Washington, DC: World Bank, 2010, 3.
6 For details, refer to country case studies, Guide for Developing Disaster Recovery Frameworks, vol. 2, www.gfdrr.org/
recoveryframework.
7 http://www.saferworld.org.uk/downloads/pubdocs/EUConflictSensitivity_Final.pdf.
8 http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/file/13/11/2013_-900/guidance_note_on_conflict_analysis_in_
support_of_eu_external_action.pdf.

23

24

MODULE 3. INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR RECOVERYHow institutions are set up is critical for a successful recovery. A collective effort across government, NGOs,
the private sector, and communities promotes a successful recovery process. To effectively manage thecontributions of various stakeholders in the recovery, it is important to clarify their roles. Clarifying roles iscritical at both the national and community levels. Program implementation must be coordinated since it
may involve the private and public sectors, communities, and market-driven recovery.
Module 3 describes good practices and key results associated with the development of institutionalframeworks for overseeing, managing, and coordinating recovery.

Ensuring Continuity from Humanitarian Response to Recovery
Humanitarian response and early recovery activities form the first two phases of the recovery continuum. It is important to integrate the knowledge and work of humanitarian action into early recovery.
During and immediately after a crisis, national and international relief agencies concentrate on saving
lives, limiting damage and restoring order. However, there is widespread understanding that resilient
recovery and a return to longer term development should be an integral part of emergency relief
planning. Aid workers develop programs that ensure that relief efforts will contribute to the recoveryof national and local systems. These programs concentrate on providing a safe environment capable ofdelivering basic services, improving livelihoods, lessening the risk of another crisis, and creating conditions for future sustainable development.
To ensure the maximum impact from the humanitarian response phase to early recovery activities, theworking methodology for many humanitarian interventions is the cluster approach. Developed by theUnited Nations, clusters are composed of humanitarian organizations, both within and outside the UN
system, both international and national. This cluster of organizations is responsible for managing workin the different sectors impacted by a disaster. These sectors are similar to the multisectors identified
for recovery. The cluster sectors are water, sanitation and hygiene, health, nutrition, food security,
education, protection, shelter, early recovery, camp coordination and camp management, logistics, andemergency telecommunications.
The experience of humanitarian agencies is that the cluster approach lays the foundation for recovery
institutions to continue the work to rebuild affected communities. For these reasons, the government’s
25

medium- to longer term recovery efforts to restore livelihood opportunities, essential infrastructure andservices, governance capacity, and social cohesiveness can be greatly strengthened if these efforts follow
directly on from emergency assistance programs. Such a transition will establish the continuum fromhumanitarian operations and recovery initiatives taken by affected communities into longer term recovery
on to sustainable development.1
If the recovery vision, guiding principles, policies, and program framework (Module 2) are established quickly
after disaster strikes, they can smooth the transition from humanitarian response to recovery. By establishingthese structures early, the government can rapidly identify the humanitarian resources relevant to recovery.
A practical way to ensure continuity from humanitarian response to recovery is to hire professional andtechnical experts from the relief organizations into the recovery agencies. In this way, their institutional
knowledge, as well as the community relationships and goodwill, will continue to grow. Already established contacts and lines of informal communication with the affected communities can be key to sustained
and productive community feedback on reconstruction activities. The contacts and communications also
help to ensure that recovery and reconstruction objectives stay aligned with the preceding humanitarian
response activities.2
Result 8. Continuity between Humanitarian Response and Recovery
Process1

OutputActorsTo the extent possible, recovery should build on Maintenance of institutional
Lead Agency:
the activities of the humanitarian phase. They
knowledge from humanitarian Designated humanitarian
should not been seen as separate.
response to recovery
response agency/
Designated recovery
agency/ variety ofhumanitarian phase andrecovery implementers

Who Will Manage Recovery?
• Geographic and political spread of disaster should inform the assessment. Following a disaster,
an immediate step is for the government to assess its existing capacity to conduct post-disaster recovery.
The profiles of the lead manager and the lead agency for post-disaster reconstruction will depend on
the magnitude and nature of the disaster. Nevertheless, the lead agency needs to be identified at thestart of the recovery.3 Factors that may influence the selection of lead manager and lead agency are
the geographic impact of the disaster (such as cutting across jurisdictional lines) and whether existing
government capacity is adequate for the estimated duration of the reconstruction.
• Skills and logistical capacities need to be assessed. The two main criteria to measure the capacityof an entity to manage recovery are human resource capacity and skill sets. Capacity assessments
examine sector-specific requirements. Sufficient (perhaps even excess) expertise to successfully conduct
recovery may reside in one sector. Another sector may be under skilled and under staffed.
The lead agency’s prior involvement in disaster recovery is not required. More important is its provenability to produce results under tight deadlines; to multitask; to collaborate with other agencies, local
authorities, and civil society; and to be flexible about working within quickly evolving circumstances.
• Capacity to manage contracts and procurements are critical. Consideration of an agency’s capacity
to manage contracts is important for the procurement of reconstruction equipment and material, evaluation26

of tenders, and oversight of recovery projects. These processes require dedicated time and humanresources as well as specific technical knowledge. In some recovery operations, third-party contractors
form a substantial bulk of the implementers. In these cases, the skill and logistical capacity of the leadagency to manage contracts is critical to the successful implementation of the recovery.
Result 9. Assessment of Human Resource Capacity and Specialist Skills Required
1

Process

OutputActorsPost-disaster resource capacity assessments
may begin with the PDNA or similar assessments. These assessments should be sensitive
to the needs for specialized skills (such asengineering, contract, and project management). The assessment also should be alert forexperts who possess the logistical capacity toundertake the broad range of recovery tasks.
Capacity assessments also should be sensitive
to sector-specific requirements.

Appropriate capacity assessments are conducted

Lead Agency:
National planning agency

Selecting an Effective Lead Agency
Lead agency coordinates disparate recovery efforts. In developing the recovery program, the lead agency
pays special attention to harmonizing strategies across sectors. Harmonizing strategies means distributing
resources to avoid discrimination against minorities and inequities in spending and quality of delivery. The leadagency also must maintain the urgency to deliver results by keeping its focus on deliverables and targets.
Five criteria exist for choosing the lead agency. Globally, post-disaster recovery experience reveals
a range of potential institutional set-ups. The selection of the lead agency usually depends on five criteria.
They are the (a) characteristics of the disaster; (b) current governance structure; (c) agency’s prior disasterrecovery experience; (d) agency’s ability to reach out and include communities in defining and implementing their recovery process, and capacity to work with local authorities and nongovernmental organizations;and (e) overarching coordination, monitoring, oversight, and control frameworks in operation among a
country’s agencies, line ministries, local governments, and civil society. The government may choose a leadagency after having necessary consultations with key stakeholders and future implementers of programs
both within and outside the government. Nevertheless, the decision must be made urgently.
Three options for structure of lead agency. The three most typical compositions of lead agencies follow.
1. Strengthen and coordinate existing sectoral line ministries to lead the reconstruction by
sector. This option depends on establishing recovery frameworks under which individual line ministries
work independently to manage recovery, and to supervise and implement projects, in their sectors. This
option usually begins with the line ministries jointly preparing an action plan for recovery that identifies
the respective roles and activities of the line ministries to support reconstruction. In this option, the existing capacities of government line ministries must be adequate to deal with additional urgent responsibilities. Possible difficulties include:• Rapid recruitment of temporary human resources may not adequately supplement the capacities• Recovery coordination may be difficult if the line ministry staff lack sufficient experience• Line ministries may struggle to focus on recovery programs at the expense of longer term goals.
27Box 3.1 Senegal’s Flood Recovery Institution
In 2012, following widespread urban flooding three
years earlier, the Senegalese Government established the Ministry for Restructuring and Managing
Flood Zones (MRAZI), the first ministry in Senegal’s
history exclusively dedicated to address floods.
The ministry was designed to promote coherent
flood management. It was based on mobilizing
all stakeholders to jointly develop a real strategy for flood risk management and future flood
prevention. MRAZI also is intended to reduce thenegative impacts of floods and to coordinate theimplementation of action plans resulting from thenational strategy.

2. Create a new institution to manage recovery. This option creates a single lead implementing agency. This agency envisions, strategizes, plans, implements, and controls theoverall multisectoral reconstruction program.
This option has several advantages. They
are the agency’s autonomy, the clear line of
responsibilities, effective internal and external
communication, and the capacity to handle
complicated financial and monitoring andevaluation (M&E) arrangements.

Potential disadvantages of option 2 include
the lead agency’s lack of authority to achieve
results, possible lack of ownership by line
ministries, and the line ministries’ potential
institutional resentment due to compromised
authority and duplicated mandates at various levels of government. Another risk could be insufficient
inclusion of civil society and communities affected by the disaster in recovery planning. Moreover,start-up will incur high administrative costs, may inadequately represent local needs, and struggle tomeet urgent planning and implementation demands.
Box 3.2 Hybrid Model in Indonesia
The hybrid model was used in Indonesia following
the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The sunset clauseexisted from the outset. The four-year mandate of
the Agency for the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Aceh and Nias maintained urgency for reconstruction and enforced a handover strategy to theexisting administration in Indonesia.

3. Hybrid arrangement. A third option increasingly being used by governments is a hybrid
institutional model. It combines the advantagesof the above options while offsetting theirrisks. Under this arrangement, existing government structures are strengthened through thecreation of a temporary agency with a built-in
end-date. The agency will provide overarching
central guidance, management, and support
services to keep the reconstruction programon its planned course.

The creation of a new institution may be desirable in situations in which existing government agencies areunlikely to be able to coordinate and implement a high number of additional projects at increased speed
while sustaining their routine public services. The hybrid option ensures relatively speedy delivery of reconstruction deliverables and meeting targets. It consolidates recovery into a single agency that will oversee
the process. This agency will be the single point of coordination of national and international stakeholders.
It will be responsible for ensuring the inclusion of line ministries, local authorities, the private sector, andcivil society in all phases of the recovery. This agency will work with local governments and nongovernmental organizations to delegate implementation responsibilities.
One drawback of the hybrid is that, as the recovery transitions to development and the temporary agency’s
mandate expires, its accumulated capacity, knowledge, and experience may be lost.

28

Mandates and Operational Modalities Must Be Clear to Ensure Fair Resource Allocation
Special mechanisms for allocating resources to reconstruction, procurement, and human resources may need
to be established by the lead agency. These mechanisms must ensure fair distribution of resources to protect
against discrimination or inequities. For time-bound mandates, employment contracts should include a clear
termination date so that the designated institution cannot live on beyond its reconstruction mandate.4
Choosing the lead agency. There are two distinct types of agencies to consider when selecting a leadagency: the reconstruction-led-agency model and the planning-agency-led model. Table 3.1 provides an
overview of their strengths and weaknesses.
Table 3.1 Pros and Cons of Recovery-Specific and Planning Agencies’ Participation in
RecoveryReconstruction-Led
Agency Model

Planning Agency-Led
Model

Pros

Cons

• Has mechanisms to implement reconstruction• Has mandate to implement reconstruction• Has insufficient knowledge oflong-term development goals• Has capacity to address the scope and magnitude of work required• Does not have a “business as usual” approach• Has knowledge of planning objectives• Has knowledge of approval procedures forplanning initiatives• Has coordination mechanisms to assist withreconstruction• Institutional inertia can prevent
reconstruction from being implemented urgently• Lacks the capacity and institutional mechanisms to address
reconstruction needs with speed
and flexibility

Lead agency needs to be inclusive. When establishing new agencies to lead recovery, governments
should ensure checks on potential unilateral actions by the lead agency. Checking lead agency unilateral
actions can be achieved through early and continuous involvement by sector ministries and departments,
regional and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, community members, and private sector
partners. Together, they can set the overall strategic principles and the design parameters and standards
for development and implementation of local reconstruction plans.5

Box 3.3 Establishing Mandates and Operational Modalities in Pakistan
Pakistan’s Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) was set up following the 2005 earthquake asa time-bound central authority under the prime minister’s office. The authority’s purpose was to tackle early recovery,and long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation. Long-term efforts make up the overwhelming bulk of its mandate.
ERRA’s scope of work included strategic planning, resource mobilization, coordination with all stakeholders, andmonitoring reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in earthquake-affected areas. ERRA was established because ofa recognized need for a central oversight body to coordinate the activities of the broad spectrum of actors participating in the reconstruction. These actors included multilateral and bilateral donors, international NGOs, civil society, andgovernment agencies. It was anticipated that having multiple agencies overseeing reconstruction would likely become
unmanageable. Centralizing some functions within a single, dedicated body was seen as essential.

29

Result 10. Mandate and Operational Modalities for Lead Recovery Agency
1

Process

OutputActorsBased on disaster context and type and scaleof impacts, an appropriate institutional mechanism should be chosen or developed to leadthe response and recovery effort.

The most relevant institution- Lead Agency:
al framework is chosen andNational planning agency
developed to be central bodybehind which donors andpartners align financing
and efforts

Appointing an Effective Recovery Leader
A recovery institution is empowered through both a clear mandate and the appointment of an experienced
and informed leader to manage it.
An effective leader must be committed to the recovery process, have strong team-building
skills, and the capacity to reach out to affected people. As stated earlier in the framework, recovery requires the participation of all recovery stakeholders, most importantly, the communities affected.
The leader must have the skills to lead an inclusive recovery process that brings together the institutions,authorities, and affected people.
An effective leader can ensure good recovery practices. Effective leadership can drive adoption andimplementation of good recovery practices. In certain quarters, these practices may engender politicaldebate. Building Back Better (BBB) is a recovery philosophy entails potential political aspects, such as defining BBB and budgetary implications, and managing expectations of affected populations.
A dedicated and empowered leader of the recovery also can help to keep investments, both monetaryand nonmonetary, focused to enable resilient reconstruction. Diverting funds diminishes the impact of risk
reduction measures, keeping many of the pre-disaster risks intact.
An effective leader can raise necessary resources. Leadership will be strengthened if the candidate
has credibility with all stakeholders in the recovery process, including donors. This credibility is critical toraise funds for recovery. Donor governments, organizations, and individuals look to the leader for guarantees of transparency and accountability in post-disaster recovery efforts.
An effective leader can overcome institutional barriers. Reconstruction organizations often faceresistance from existing line ministries, national development organizations, and NGOs that might feelthat reconstruction is encroaching on their mandates. The recovery leader must resolve organizational
divisions among all participants in the recovery, including donors, international and national nongovernmental organizations, and local and federal governments.
Additionally, strong support for the recovery effort from the highest levels of political leadership can, whennecessary, help overcome institutional resistance over issues such as potentially overlapping jurisdictions or
mandates. An experienced and informed leader who has good political and communication skills and iswell known can strongly attract political backing for the recovery effort.

30

Result 11. An Empowered Recovery Institution with Effective Leadership
1

Process

OutputActorsAppoint a respected and credible person tolead the recovery effort.

Choosing the appropriate
leader for an empowered
recovery institution

Lead Agency:
National and local legislatures, national
planning agency

Creating a Legal Institutional Mandate for Post-Disaster Land Use Planning
A legislative mandate enables institution(s) tasked with overseeing recovery to function successfully. Three
effective options exist to create a legal mandate for improvised or new institutional arrangements forpost-disaster strategic land use and physical planning. These are by:
1. Amending existing legislation
2. Introducing new legislation
3. Creating a mandate through ordinances and government orders (regulation).

Legislation Establishes Operational Framework for the Institution
Legislation should clearly codify functions and authorities of the implementing institution(s), clarify funding
mechanism(s), and establish an end-date or sunset clause for the institution.6

Legislation Necessary to Clarify Institutional Roles and Responsibilities
Legislation should include specifications on which agency will reconstruct which asset, thus setting thebasis for organizing recovery institutions and implementing programs. Experience shows that recovery
can stumble if there is legislative confusion over institutional ownership and responsibility. Confusion canlead to institutional friction among line ministries, development agencies, reconstruction authorities, andnongovernmental implementing agencies. Institutional friction, in turn, risks aspects of the recovery being
neglected or becoming the focus of too much attention.

Legislate Early Involvement of Agencies That Will Have Eventual Responsibility
for Reconstructed Assets
Certain assets may have a history of interagency handover or interagency inheritance. Examples include
schools that have been built, or livelihood policies that have been introduced by a development agency with
the intention of subsequently transferring them to local government. Early involvement of the agencies thatare to maintain responsibility for reconstructed assets will facilitate effective and efficient recovery.

Cross-Jurisdictional Assets
Assets that cut across local governments’ jurisdictional boundaries are additional areas for which clear
understanding of roles and responsibilities will assist recovery. Examples of such assets are highways, water,
and irrigation systems. During recovery, economic and livelihood policies instituted by the central government but implemented by lower tiers of government and civil society require dialogue and coordination
among the different partners. Advance legal clarity on the degree of policy and implementation authority
at each level of national and local government helps avoid friction among levels of government.

31

Box 3.4 Setting up Legal Frameworks
Haiti, Earthquake, 2010
The 2010 Haitian earthquake destroyed and severely damaged many government buildings. The legal infrastructure of the country/region was heavily impacted. Legislative and judicial proceedings were disrupted, making it
doubly difficult to institutionalize and clarify the mandate of relevant agencies. In such cases, special powers,
such as executive authority, have been invoked in other countries as a means of providing short-term empowerment to the agencies.
Indonesia, Tsunami, 2004
Following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Indonesian government established a regulatory framework forpost-disaster responses. It identified the responsibilities of the central and local governments as well as thefunctions and duties of the national and regional disaster management agencies. The regulations outlined thedisaster risk financing framework, which is a shared responsibility between the central and local governments.
The framework stipulated the three phases of a disaster: emergency, recovery, and reconstruction.
Yemen, 1997 Civil Defense Law
In Yemen, the 1997 Civil Defense Law defined the responsibilities of the Civil Defense General Directorate withrespect to disaster management. Later legislation created the Supreme Council of Civil Defense. Chaired by the
Minister of Interior, the council is responsible for providing policy direction, approving plans for disaster preparedness and response, and defining the tasks and responsibilities of each ministry/agency, actors and stakeholders
before and during any emergency.

Clear Legal Policies on Private Assets Simplify Recovery Process
Disasters can heavily impact privately owned assets such as houses and businesses. To enable the lead
institution(s) to act effectively, advance legal clarification on the recovery of private sector assets is essential.
Issues for consideration include the responsibility that recovery institution(s) may have to repair or replace
private sector assets. The housing sector experiences many of these issues.
Result 12. Institutions with Clear Purpose and Jurisdiction
Process1

OutputActorsGovernments need clear institutional mandates Appropriate attention is given Lead Agency:that specify the role of each agency, and clarify to all lost/damaged assets;
National and local
the responsibilities of the various stakeholders, focus is kept on recovery
legislaturesin the recovery. Countries that face post-disaster recovery often are not prepared for thescope of the task. First, there are the significant
financial, infrastructural, and resource requirements of recovery.

Staffing for Recovery
Some affected governments are unable to meet the increased professional and technical requirements forrecovery in both the short and longer terms. These governments can solicit expertise from elsewhere to
give direction to programmatic activities. It is critical that searching out and hiring these human resources
be written into the institutional framework for recovery.

32

Immediate-Term Human Resource Needs• Human resource professional, administrative, and specialist skills can be strengthened throughtargeted employment policies. As noted above, sometimes a new lead agency is formed. Other times,
an existing institution is made responsible for recovery. In both cases, human resource capacity almost
invariably needs to be strengthened by adding new personnel, often with specialized skills. One option
is to draw expertise from other sources such as line departments, humanitarian response agencies, thedomestic and international private sectors, civil society, and international agencies. Reporting lines can betransferred to the lead agency by secondment and other special arrangements (even if temporary).
• Significant benefits arise from forming recovery teams that are well connected to the wide
variety of recovery recovery stakeholders. By
recruiting experts from domestic and international agencies or experienced nongovernmental organizations, the lead agency can bringglobal good practices to its recovery effort.

Box 3.5 Surge Staffing Procedures
As part of disaster response, the United States
has established surge-staffing procedures, which
outline the short-term staff procurement procedures for affected departments.

Long-Term Human Resource Requirements
Long-term staffing should include input from successor agencies. Increasing the number of professional
and technical experts to support recovery efforts is not sustainable beyond the initial years of post-disasterrecovery. To facilitate the eventual handover of the recovery portfolio to the development agencies,7 thelead agency can recruit liaison officers and transition teams from these agencies early in the planning stage.
These individuals then can participate from the beginning as planning partners of the recovery. Combining
short-term and longer term human resource needs also can alert the lead agency to the capacities andrequirements of the line ministries.
Result 13. Ensuring Adequate Human Resources throughout Recovery Process1

Process

OutputActors

The agency chosen to lead the reconstructionneeds to be strengthened with additional staff
from the public, private, and civilsociety sectors.

Employ necessary professional and technical humanresources

Lead Agency:
Designated recovery
agencyGenerally, key skills are required for:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Planning and programming
Procurement,
Contract management
Financial management
Hazard mitigation
Risk inspection
Technical/engineering
Monitoring and evaluation
Municipal management
Social safeguards
Gender inclusion.
33

Ensuring Community Participation
Community Participation Is a Cornerstone of the Recovery Process
The principal resource available for recovery is the affected people themselves and their local knowledge and expertise. Affected people need to be included and consulted throughout the process inassessments, defining problems and needs, identifying solutions and implementing projects, and giving
feedback. The leadership is responsible for ensuring this participation, establishing the necessary mechanisms and working closely with civil society and nongovernmental organizations to enable people tobe heard.
Beneficiary participation also should enable those who are usually marginalized within their communities—women; the elderly; the disabled; and members of certain social classes, castes, or ethnic groups—
to influence decision-making.
Incorporating local knowledge and expertise into recovery and ensuring community ownership of it are
effective means to ensure the long-term success of the recovery and to guarantee that it meets real needs
and provide sustainable solutions.

Box 3.6 Engaging Communities and Using Local Labor
Yemen, Tropical Storm, 2008
After the 2008 tropical storm, Yemen createdthe Reconstruction and Recovery Fund (RRF). Its
executive management was comprised of diverse
technical, engineering, and legal experts from theprivate sector plus individuals who had experience
working with the local authorities of Hadramout
and Al-Mahara. The presence of these individuals
also would facilitate the link between citizens andthe fund.
Engineers and construction teams were all local
hires because of their expertise and experience
working with local materials and methods, including clay-based construction.
The provision of jobs for residents of the affectedareas through the implementation of labor-intensive projects proved to be a success. This provisionenabled local communities, particularly individuals
who had been affected, to participate in the reconstruction of their homes as well as in the implementation of infrastructure projects. The use of local materials and local labor in reconstruction following local
traditions encouraged local enterprises to engage inreconstruction programs which, in turn, stimulated
the local economy.

34

Civil Society and Nongovernmental
Organizations Can Ensure Community
Participation
Civil society and nongovernmental organizations often have well-cultivated links to theaffected communities so can play formal roles inensuring community participation and managing implementation. Ensuring the participation of civil society and NGOs in defining andimplementing the post-disaster recovery fromthe outset provides access to their knowledge
and connections. As mentioned earlier, appointing respected civil society leaders to serve on
policy and coordination mechanisms is essential for the success of recovery. These appointments also may be part of the ongoing efforts
to ensure social and gender inclusion in therecovery process.
NGOs are instrumental in the implementation ofprojects. In many instances, government authorities can outsource projects to NGOs that are
made up of members of the affected communities. Project agreements can be drawn up
between the government and the NGO to ensuretransparency and fairness during implementation.

Role of Private Sector
Public and Private Sectors Gain by Working Together for Recovery
The private sector can support disaster recovery in many ways. It pays a significant amount of the costof recovery and reconstruction. It designs the structures and infrastructure that are built. It supplies thematerials that enable reconstruction. Finally, the private sector performs the construction itself. If local,
national, and regional economies are to grow and to be built back better after a disaster, the participationof the private sector in recovery planning and operations is paramount.
The private sector can play three roles in disaster recovery:
1. Purveyors of goods and services participating in an economic transaction
2. Local institutions that represent long term interests of the community
3. Charitable donors of goods, services, and expertise.
A formal relationship that links private entities to the official response and recovery institutions in the formof public-private partnerships (PPPs) is essential. PPPs must be fostered, and the relationships need to bebuilt long before disasters strike.
The benefits of PPPs include:• PPPs enhance both the government’s and the private sector’s ability to recover from financial losses; lossof market share; and damage to infrastructure, equipment, products, or business interruption by assembling resources and forces and making preparedness a win-win option.
• PPPs facilitate the government’s job by making compliance with regulatory and safety requirements
everybody’s concern. PPPs also can increase oversight to prevent corruption, which remains a major riskthat trigger disasters.
• PPPs reinforce social bonds among community members, local governments, and the business community.

Professional Associations Can Provide Expert Advice on Recovery Planning
Expert and industry associations, such as those for engineers, agriculturalists, and educators, can serve as focal
points for expert advice on recovery and reconstruction planning. Professional associations also can provide
valuable information on operational aspects of recovery. They often have informal (anecdotal) familiarity with
contractors and their particular industries. The expert and industry associations can evaluate tenders andcontracting bids, and act in other positions that require widespread industry knowledge. Regarding tenders,the associations can provide an increased level of transparency and fairness to the selection process. Both areparticularly useful when the influx of donor money makes tender selection a contentious issue.
Result 14. Recovery Program That Integrates Civil Society and Private Sector Participation
1

Process

OutputActorsDraw on the resources offered by civil society,the private sector, and expert associations to
inform DRF policy formulation and implementation.

Mechanisms to include civilsociety, private sector,
and expert associations
in recovery

Lead Agency:
Designated recovery
agencyOthers:Line ministries, local government departments,
civil society, NGOs,
private sector entities
35

Government Coordination and Local Implementation
It is necessary to define the recovery vision and policy at the highest levels of government to ensure acceptance and coherent application across the many simultaneous ongoing reconstruction projects (Module 2).
A tiered implementation is recommended within the DRF process that balances national government policy
setting with decentralized implementation. Program implementation is recommended to take place at the
local level, closest to the affected communities and individuals.
It is the role of the lead agency to establish and oversee the coordination mechanisms that guarantee
coherent policy application and effective implementation at the regional and local levels. The work of theimplementing agency is overseen by the lead agency within the context of a coordination mechanism.
Box 3.7 Multiple-Level Coordination and Implementation Structure
Following Pakistan’s 2005 earthquake, the lead reconstruction agency, Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), combined central coordination alongside local implementation by creating a tiered
coordination and implementation structure.
• The ERRA Council acted as the leadership, which provided strategic direction for policy formulation and ensured
adequate funding. The council was coupled with the ERRA Board, which ensured implementation of approved policy
decisions. The board also developed and implemented annual plans, programs, and projects.
• Similarly, at the provincial and state levels, the Provincial Steering Committee was partnered with the Provincial
Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (PERRA). The State Steering Committee was coupled with theState Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (SERRA). At the district level, the District Reconstruction Advisory Committees provided work-plan oversight to the District Reconstruction Units (DRUs) within designed
programmatic interventions.
• National government enabled local implementation by allocating independent budgets to PERRA, SERRA, and the
DRUs. The independent budgets enabled the implementing organizations to create and manage their own work
plans. Transferring ownership to the local levels helped ensure that projects were locally planned.

Lead Agency Ensures That All Recovery Stakeholders Are Part of Coordination Mechanism
Because NGOs and the private sector are vital implementing agencies, it is crucial that they be included inlead agency coordination mechanisms. Their inclusion helps to ensure that some level of policy coherence ismaintained across the many reconstruction programs being implemented within the government and externally.
Result 15. Decentralized Implementation Guided by Centrally Established Policy and
Coordination
1

36

Process

OutputActorsRecovery policy is set at the national level,but implementation will be carried out at
local levels.

Clear structures for setting
recovery policy and implementation

Lead Agency:
National planning agency,
Designated recovery
agencyOthers:Line ministries

Roles of International Agencies and Development Partners
After a disaster, the government faces the tasks of, first, appointing or creating the lead recovery andreconstruction agency.8 Next, the government must ensure that the agency selected has the ability andcapacity to coordinate with partners and international agencies. This coordination is particularly necessary
when the latter are major donors and interested in being implementing partners in the recovery and reconstruction effort.
International agencies usually are quick to offer assistance after a disaster. However, their funding may
have requirements and conditions. One requirement common to many donors is that the recipient government must provide evidence of strong financial tracking and reporting mechanisms. The disaster may havedamaged these aid-tracking mechanisms. Nevertheless, donors have obligations to report back to theirown constituents on the good use of their contributions for disaster recovery. Thus, international organizations may be reluctant to contribute directly to the government’s recovery budget. Instead, the donors
may choose to manage their own recovery funding alongside the national system.9
Creating joint ownership of the government-led recovery process among international partners enables
them to become familiar with the specific complexities of the context. Joint ownership also can encourage partners to make long-term commitments to projects that they have pledged to fund and implement.
However, partners’ long-term involvement must be balanced with the need to ensure that the lead agency
does not cede control of the recovery program to international agencies and development partners.
By clarifying from the outset the role of international agencies and development partners, the government
can identify avenues for their participation in the recovery. The government then can establish clear guidelines on their roles, responsibilities, and mandates.
Result 16. Well-Managed Integration of International Agencies and Development Partners
1

Process

OutputActorsClarify the role of international agencies anddevelopment partners.

Institutionalizing role of inter- Lead Agency:
national agencies and devel- Designated recovery
opment partners; establishagency
ment of donor coordination
forums37

Module 3 Checklist
This checklist covers the different steps required to create effective institutional arrangements forrecovery. The list is not comprehensive, but provides an overview of the primary steps to be followed.

National Planning Agency❑❑ Decide on appropriate institutional arrangements.
❑❑ Provide legal mandate for recovery which clarifies institutional roles and responsibilities.
❑❑ Designate lead recovery agency.
❑❑ Appoint an effective recovery leader.

Lead Recovery Agency❑❑ Ensure continuity between humanitarian and recovery work.
❑❑ Clarify role of international organizations and development partners.
❑❑ Coordinate recovery efforts across sectors with multiple stakeholders.
❑❑ Include civil society, private sector, communities and NGOs in the recovery process.
❑❑ Identify and ensure that appropriate human resources are available throughout the recovery.

Endnotes
1 M. Arnold and C. Burton, “Protecting and Empowering Vulnerable Groups in Disaster Recovery,” World Reconstruction
Conference Proceedings, World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011, 210–40.
2 See Pakistan Case Study, DRF guide, vol. 2, World Bank, Washington, DC, forthcoming.
3 Ideally, the selection of the lead agency and other institutional arrangements to prepare for a future disaster will havebeen made in advance. See Module 6, Strengthening Recovery Systems in National and Local Government Systems.
4 In Pakistan, the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) was established as a time-bound central
authority under the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. Pakistan Case Study, DRF guide, vol. 2, World Bank, Washington, DC,
forthcoming.
5 For details, refer to section on Monitoring and Evaluation.
6 See Indonesia, Pakistan, and Yemen case studies, DRF guide, vol. 2, World Bank, Washington, DC, forthcoming.
7 Typically, line ministries and development agencies.
8 To see the three options for how to select a lead DRR agency, see section entitled, “Selecting the Appropriate Lead
Institution.”
9 See section on Financing for Recovery.

38

MODULE 4. FINANCING FOR RECOVERYIn post-disaster recovery, there are four major financing challenges. They are to quickly quantify the
economic costs of the disaster, develop recovery and recovery budgets, identify sources of financing,and set up the mechanisms to manage and track funds.
Good financial practice across post-disaster experience shares the common characteristics of rapid
disbursement, coordination of resources, and flexible sources of funding.
Rapid Disbursement. Meeting the recovery objectives demands quick response. Actions must occur
under significant time pressures and must be completed within the set timeframes.1 Compared tonormal projects, the necessity for speed mandates short timelines for project preparation, approval,
and procurement. Special dispensations or accelerated processes may be applied to disburse the funds
available for recovery as quickly (yet transparently) as possible.
Coordination of Resources. Often, numerous government and nongovernmental actors engage
in the recovery efforts. Their number poses significant coordination challenges for the lead agency.
Having a variety of stakeholders and donors contributing to the same objectives requires the use ofdifferent types of coordination mechanisms to marry policy to funding and implementation. A rangeof such mechanisms is especially necessary
when many funds will be managed not by thegovernment (on-budget) but by the funding
Box 4.1 Calculating Public and Private Sector
sources (off-budget).
Reconstruction Costs in Yemen

Flexible Funding Sources. In post-disasterenvironments, conditions change so rapidlythat unacceptable delays may occur if budgeting revisions have to wait until the normal
budget cycle. The government may haveestablished a contingency fund to respondto the immediacy of a disaster. Such funds arecharacterized by flexibility to respond appropriately, especially in the immediate aftermathof the disaster. Pooled funds from donors that

The total value of the disaster impact caused by
the October 2008 storm and floods in Yemen was
estimated at US$1,638 million. This amount is equivalent to 6 percent of Yemen’s GDP. Of this amount,private sector costs amounted to US$402 million.
Super typhoon Haiyan in 2013 caused USD $12.9
billion in damages in the Philippines, which isestimated to be 0.9% of the country’s GDP.
Damage to infrastructure was USD $218.18 million
and outright losses totaled USD $59.09 million.

39

are administered by a trustee also are characterized by their flexibility to finance recovery needs that may
be unattractive to the bilateral donors or do not fit within the government’s budget.
Financial considerations of recovery start with budgeting within the pre-disaster and macroeconomic
context. Depending on the scale of the disaster and the capacity of a national economy, the government
may either rely largely on national resources, or appeal to external sources for funding. The latter option isuseful particularly when the government already has cooperation agreements with donors and/or multilateral agencies. Figure 4.1 details the elements of recovery financing from the variety of funding source possibilities—both domestic and external. The lead agency should ensure that all of these funds are allocatedin accordance with the national recovery priorities, whether or not the funds are channeled on or off thenational budgetary system.
Figure 4.1 Global View of Post-Disaster Financing

Allocations to:

On-budget• within National
Government’s
control

Domestic

External• Reallocation• Development bonds• Surcharges/tax• Insurance• Co-sharing with• Development finance• Reprogramming• Trust funds/MDTFs• Loans• NGOs/donations• Incl MDBs loans• Remittances

Off-budget

private sector• Private donations• Ministries• Provinces• Contractors

Pooled funds• Can be on/off-budget• Aligned with National
Priorities• National
Government
can not manage
directly

Bilaterals & UN agencies
Individuals
NGOs
Faith based organizations
Private Sector

Figure 4.2 Illustrates the key elements of post-disaster recovery financing covered in the DRF guide, incorporating mechanisms for both national and international resources.
Figure 4.2 Key Elements of Recovery Financing

Damage and
Needs
Assessment

Resource

Coordination andMobilization

Allocation

Post-Disaster Budget Review

40

Funds flow
Government
Systems &Other Modalities

Auditing andMonitoring
Oversight

Post Disaster Budget Review
Natural Disasters Impact Public FinanceDisasters force reallocation of tight government budgets and a search for supplementary revenue. At thesame time, disasters can reduce government revenue by disrupting economic activity. Effects include lowering productivity, increasing inflation, reducing purchasing power, and possibly lowering trade or imports
and exports. All of these effects impact direct and indirect tax revenues.

Ongoing Post-Disaster Budget Review
The initial budget review should focus on channeling urgent resources for the humanitarian and relief
efforts. Subsequent reviews can be based on the recommendations of the PDNA or similar rapid assessment. These findings involve detailed sequencing, prioritizing, and financing and implementing the recovery and reconstruction process. Even during the disaster recovery framework implementation phase, thelead agency needs to analyze the budgets for variances from actual performance.

Private Funds Gap Analysis
The first of two challenges of post-disaster budgeting is to capture the overlap between public andprivate financing. Figure 4.3 highlights the sectors in which overlap exists. The second challenge is toallocate public resources for key private goods. Housing is one example. Disaster-affected people may
not have the resources necessary to rebuild, which is critical for restoring normalcy, and there may be a
gap in private funds.
Figure 4.3 Overlap between Public and Private Funding

Public goods

Public Finance

Roads
Rail

Public/Private Partnership

Schools

Housing
Livelihoods

Hospitals

Hospitals
Private Finance

Private goods

Hotels andRestaurants
Schools

Housing41

Result 17. Adequate Financing for Recovery
1

Process

OutputActorsNational and subnational governments will
review the existing budget allocations to reallocate financing initially to humanitarian relief
and recovery. Government has the primary
responsibility to respond to the needs of the
post-disaster context. Governments respond todisaster by re-budgeting and signaling recovery priorities. Multilateral institutions, bilateral
donors, NGOs, and nonstate organizations
provide resources.
Recovery budgets may need to be drawn up fromscratch to operate outside the regular national or
subnational budget so that they can be implemented rapidly. Government makes the choice on
activities to be financed on or off budget.

Revised budgetary allocations
focusing initially on postdisaster response; later onrecoveryLead Agency:
Finance Ministry
Others:National planning agency,
lead recovery agency,line ministries, local
government
departments, national
technical agencies

Disaster Assessments for Resource Mobilization
The damages to infrastructure and assets are valued, first, in physical terms (number, extension of areaor surface, as applicable) (Module 1). Second, damages are assigned monetary value, expressed as thereplacement costs, according to the market prices prevailing just before and after the disaster. These
costs are the baseline cost. The reason is that the calculation of recovery costs would have to accountfor additional costs. They are post-disaster price alterations, improvements associated with risk reduction,and the concept of build back better introduced by the recovery framework. Additional economic losses
calculated refer to changes in economic flows arising from the disaster. Changes in flows continue until
the achievement of full economic recovery, in some cases requiring several years, up to a decade or more.2

Resource Mobilization
The challenge of post-disaster recovery is to mobilize additional resources. To the extent possible, recovery
should not be at the expense of normal, ongoing development processes. Depending on the nature andscale of the disaster, recovery funding can come from domestic or external resources.

Domestic Funding
Domestic resources generated by disaster-affected governments are:• Reallocation among the budget items from “less” to “more” disaster-hit sectors• Issuing sovereign reconstruction or development bonds• Levying tax or surcharge for recovery• Introducing policy incentives for the private sector to share recovery costs• Voluntary civil society and private philanthropies’ contributions• Insurance.
Most important, a huge amount of recovery is supported by the people themselves. The public sector’sshare in recovery can vary widely. It depends on the nature and scale of disaster damage and relativebalance of public and private sector asset ownership in the affected areas. In most cases, the biggest
42contribution to recovery financing comes from the citizens within the country and abroad. These sourcesof funding, among them remittances, are becoming increasingly important in recovery programmes.
Box 4.2 Samples of Domestic Funding
Mozambique, Flooding, 2000-2013
In Mozambique, the Ministry of Finance uses a provision that withholds 10 percent of each sector and local
government budget in reserve for unforeseen expenditures, such as disasters. If unused, these funds are dispersed
during the last financial quarter of the fiscal year. In addition, the central government allocates $3.5-4.0 million
a year to fund the expected costs of the first 72 hours of a disaster.
Philippines, Typhoon Yolanda, 2013
In the Philippines, the national government assumed responsibility for funding the majority of recovery within
its own budget. Disbursements were made from the national government to local government units (LGUs)
through the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) mechanism. This mechanism focuses its funding on development.
The limited funds of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund were not adequate to meetrecovery needs of LGUs.
Lao PDR, Typhoons and Tropical Storms 2009, 2011, 2013
In Laos, funding streams for disaster response and recovery include the National Disaster Fund, National Contingency Fund, and State Accumulation Fund. The National Disaster Fund is used for a variety of activities ranging
from dissemination of strategies, plans, and laws; and media promotion to damage and loss assessments; victim
relief; and economic/social infrastructure recovery. The National Contingency allocates some LAK 100 billion(US$12.5 million) annually to provincial government designed recovery plans. The State Accumulation Fundderives its funding from an allocation of 3 percent of total government budget annually, and requires national
government approval before disbursement.

External/International Sources of Funding
External resources for post-disaster recovery can be sourced from multilateral development banks, regional
development banks, bilateral development partners, international NGOs, private philanthropies and charities, remittances and, most recently, social media.
Frequent methods used to access external or international funds are international appeals anddonor conferences.
International Appeals. National, regional, and international relief systems are able to mobilize andrespond to large-scale disasters that require a system-wide response to humanitarian crises by launching appeals. A renewed appeal is usually launched after the the first appeal that covers recovery needs
in detail.
Donor Conferences. An international donors’ conference may be organized as soon as possible by thegovernment or international community, preferably within the first three months following a large-scaledisaster or complex emergency. Holding a donor conference is an effective and coherent way of sourcing
funding for the post-disaster activities from governments. Donors commit resources for humanitarianneeds as well as long-term recovery and reconstruction in keeping with their own strategic priorities.
International Financial Institutions. International financial institutions (IFIs), such as the WorldBank and regional development banks (including the Inter-American Development Bank and the Asian43

Box 4.3 Successful Donor Conference for PostEarthquake Pakistan
The success of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake Donor
Conference was enabled by an early and well-crafted
implementation strategy that calmed frequent
donor concerns about financial transparency andsustainable recovery.
Four aspects of the government’s presentation at
the Donor Conference were:• Implementation plan. Based on the PDNA in
which the government identified the sectors that
required recovery.
• Implementation arrangements. Using the
PDNA, which suggested the establishment offederal- and district-level organizations for implementation, the government outlined its strategy
for implementing recovery.
• Coordination arrangements. Given the scaleof recovery required, care was taken to address
how recovery would be sensitive to coordination
requirements. Good coordination was of particular importance to donors, who typically facechallenges in coordinating with governments
during recovery.
• Incorporation of DRR in recovery. Disasterrisk reduction was established early as one of the
key guiding principles in recovery. The recovery
planning presented at the Donor Conference wasorganized around this principle.

Development Bank), increasingly have been
engaged in providing lending and nonlending
services to developing countries for post-disaster recovery. The financial assistance, generally
provided as soft loans, is used to rebuild physical assets, including private housing. Nonlending assistance from IFIs includes damage andloss assessments, acting in an advisory role, andother forms of technical assistance.
Joint assessments have become an importantmechanism for engaging with other donors andensuring that borrower needs are met without
overlaps. In almost all major disasters in the recent
past, IFIs have been one of the most importantsources of financial assistance for recovery.3

Coordination and Allocation of
Financial Resources
Managing the inflows of resources and spending
them effectively are challenging in a post-disasterenvironment. The actual allocation of resources
occurs through a budgetary process. Figure 4.4
highlights the different timeframes for resource
allocation. Typically, reconstruction expenditures
will be heavy in the medium to long terms as
destroyed or damaged infrastructure is replaced.

Figure 4.4 Timeframe for Use of Allocated Resources

Ex-post financing
Contingency budget
Donor assistance (relief)
Reallocation of annual budget
External loans
Capital budget realignment
Donor assistance (reconstruction)
Tax increase

Short-term

Medium-termLong-term

Source: Adapted from ASEAN, “Advancing Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance in ASEAN Member States: Framework and Options
for Implementation,” Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Jakarta, 2012.

44

Funds from the private sector and nongovernmental organizations outside the government budget are
critical to recovery. In many instances, government funding is not sufficient. The programmatic approach
can help coordinate funding sources, ensure communication among different sources of funds, and ensurethat monies spent do not duplicate efforts. For example, private sector funds may be allocated to a specificsector or area. Funds coming from nongovernmental organizations could be allocated to social needs.

Public Financial Management Systems
An important step toward fulfilling recovery objectives is setting up financial systems that allocate anddisburse funds from one level of government to another; and/or communities or systems that manage
external resources.
In large-scale disasters, external resource flows usually are significant. Therefore, recovery financing likely
will be managed through both the government’s budget (on-budget) and off-budget funding.
Result 18. Functioning Financial Systems for Recovery
Process

OutputActors1

The government is advised to obtain thehighest possible level of involvement andendorsement for establishing project-level
financial systems as early as possible. Comprehensive financial planning and establishmentof financial structures to manage the inflow of
external resources immediately after a disastercan encourage international involvement andconfidence in the recovery plan.4

Financial system endorsed by Lead Agency:
the highest political level able Ministry of Finance withto absorb inflows
highest level of politicalinvolvement

2

The government will need to transfer fundingor cash to (a) subnational entities; and/or (b)nongovernmental organizations, communities,
households, and individuals. Decentralized
implementation speeds up recovery and is more
likely to correspond to the actual needs of theaffected communities.

Establish procedures for sharing assessment data with
implementing agencies; identify means for monitoring
and auditing transfers anduse of funds

Lead Agency:
Ministry of Finance/leadrecovery agency/ line
ministries

Whether a share of external resources is channeled through the government’s budget systems is likely todepend on a number of factors. To maximize the impact of domestic and external resources, the international community increasingly has advocated the use of budget systems and other public financial management (PFM) systems. The same principles of aid effectiveness apply in a recovery context. The key to PFM
arrangements is government and donor flexibility. The reason is that, even though core fiduciary principles
apply, recovery financing has proven to be fundamentally different from the implementation of regulardevelopment financing.
Efforts to support and strengthen the national PFM system may take into consideration the following:• Capacity of institutions and budget systems, and opportunities to strengthen them
• Scale of international aid and coordination of aid• Scale of aid on-budget vs. off-budget prior to the disaster45

Box 4.4 Donor Assistance: On-Budget Arrangement
Following floods and cyclones in Mozambique in2000 and 2009, the public sector financial management system successfully handled donor fundswith due accountability and transparency withoutestablishing a donor trust fund. To manage recovery from the floods and cyclones of 2000 and 2001,
the government set in motion a post-flood recovery program with the support of external donors
and managed largely through the national budget
system. This program avoided multiple complex
arrangements while strengthening national accountability and transparency mechanisms.
Funds were channeled through government budgets
rather than trust funds, giving the government full
responsibility for accountability and supervision.
Having funds directed through the national systemmeant that the recovery program would be fully
integrated with the public sector financial management system.

• Number of institutional levels involved in
PFM cycle• Financial arrangements for emergency relief
and long-term recovery• Nature of emergency procedures and implementation arrangements (including procurement and logistics)• Fiduciary integrity and anticorruption.

Multi-Donor Trust Funds (MDTFs)
In many countries affected by large-scale disasters, Multi-Donor Trust Funds (MDTFs) have been
set up to channel donor resources in a coordinated way and in accordance with national priorities. The MDTF provides a convenient way ofpooling donor resources and avoids setting up
multiple bank accounts and programs.

Expenditures from the MDTFs are initiated,planned, and implemented primarily by governments. Allocations of the funds are endorsed bya steering committee with government, donor, and civil society membership. The role of the fund’s trustee
is to ensure that monies are disbursed, accounted for, and spent in accordance with objectives, measurable
outputs, and transparent procedures. The trust fund earns interest as it awaits disbursement. The AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and World Bank have acted
as both trustee and administrator of such pooled funds. This process can reduce fragmentation of aid bycreating a forum for policy dialogue and aid coordination between donors and the government.
Result 19. Strengthened Public Financial Management
Process

OutputActors1

A government is encouraged to strengthen
Policy that strengthens andand/or establish effective PFM modalities These establishes effective modalimodalities would need to harmonize with local ties in PFM
capacities and fiduciary risk. In accordance with
BBB principles, a focus on national ownershipand capacity development should be built into
the recovery process.

Lead Agency:
Ministry of Finance/
national audit authority

2

Establishing a MDTF can be an importantmeans to manage coordination, risk, andinformation. The trust fund enables donors tocollectively address key recovery priorities.

Lead Agency:
National government
Support:Development banks
and UN46

Model to manage resources
coming from bilateral andmultilateral donors

Auditing, Monitoring and Oversight
The monitoring system that is most appropriate depends on the magnitude of the disaster, number ofactors engaged in recovery spending, quality of their reporting, and existing capacity of the national
agency responsible for it. The key benchmarks for the financial Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system
are the production of timely and comprehensive estimates of:• Funds allocated and spent covering all sources: domestic, international, public, and private• Recovery progress• Economic and social impacts.
Auditing and monitoring oversight is designed at three levels. At the highest level is the overall recovery program monitoring. Program-level monitoring builds on sector-level monitoring, which consolidates
the reporting of each sector. At the lowest level is the individual projects monitoring. The auditing andmonitoring system should be designed to integrate oversight at all three levels. Special additional systems
may be required to monitor inflows, use, and impact of recovery financing.
The credibility of the government’s recovery budget is based on delivering the resources promised for recovery and using them for their intended purposes within a set timeframe. The accountability of the recovery
plan to the affected population and to the financing sources is critical. Often, as part of the accountability
process, it is beneficial for the government to have an independent third party auditor.
Both internal and external audits are required because each serves a different purpose. In general, thescope of an external audit is much more defined with a set end. The scope of an internal audit is broader
and more open-ended.5 External audits focus after the fact on a distinct event (a set of financial statements) and ask the question, “What, if anything, went wrong in managing recovery expenditures?” In
contrast, internal audits focus on an ongoing process and assess risks and controls to answer the question,“What could go wrong in managing recovery financing at various levels?”
A government must ensure that resources are spent for their intended purposes. Contributors to the recovery financing likely will require assurance that resources are allocated efficiently and that specific sectors
and subsectors are fully financed. Therefore, tracking recovery aid is very important. Aid tracking is complex
because of the various sources of funding as well as various channels through which funds are allocated.
However, it is extremely important to set up a tracking system very early to ensure that funds are spent
for the indented purposes. The tracking system should capture aid flows at the individual sector as wellas project level. An effective aid tracking system should incorporate tracking multiple streams of funding,including public sources, donor funds (on and off budget), private sector contributions, and NGO sources.
Result 20. Adequate Monitoring and Oversight of Expenditures
Process12

Output

The government needs to establish aid-tracking
mechanisms that help to coordinate and alloFinancial oversight mechacate resources under a central programmatic
nisms that enhance the confiframework.
dence that recovery funds arebeing spent for the intended
Government will ensure that projects have
purposes.
effective internal and external audits.

ActorsLead Agency:
Lead recovery agency/
Ministry of Finance/ national audit authority

47

Module 4 Checklist
This checklist covers finance issues from budget review and resource mobilization to good oversightof fund disbursements. The list is not comprehensive, but covers the key actions to be taken withrespect to mobilizing and managing resources.

Ministry of Finance / Lead Recovery Agency.
❑❑ Conduct funding gap analysis and budget review.
❑❑ Identify domestic sources of funding.
❑❑ Identify external sources of funding.
❑❑ Organize international appeal or donor conference to access international funding.
❑❑ Define mechanism to manage inflow of funds. Specifically financial systems that disburse
funds between levels of government, or directly to communities or systems that manage
external resources.
❑❑ Coordinate and allocate funds.
❑❑ Set up system for aid tracking.
❑❑ Strengthen public financial management system.
❑❑ Engage external third-party auditing services.

Endnotes
1 For details on how to conduct a PDNA or similar assessment, see Post-Disaster Needs Assessment Guide, vol. A, EU/UN/
WB, 2013.
2 http://sheltercentre.org/sites/default/files/transitional_settlement_and_reconstruction_after_natural_disasters_0.pdf.
3 For more details on overall monitoring, see Module 5, “Implementation Arrangements and Recovery Management,” inthis DRF guide.
4 M. Locatelli, “Good Internal Control and Auditor Independence,” The CPA Journal, 2002.

48

MODULE 5. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS ANDRECOVERY MANAGEMENT
The recovery policy framework, institutions, and financing are discussed in earlier chapters. However,
the issues and options related to them are of little relevance unless recovery programs are implemented
quickly, and visibly improve the lives of disaster-affected populations.

Coordination Mechanisms
In the context of implementing a recovery program, coordination refers to applying various tools toensure coherent support for recovery policies and programs. Coordination also includes assigning
different areas of recovery to the governmental or nongovernmental agencies in their areas of expertise.
Coordination brings together a larger number of partners and stakeholders to support the recovery program. The growth in numbers results in resource pooling, new initiatives and innovations, andimprovement in quality and speed of implementation. Involvement of variety of actors in the implementation process makes recovery more transparent, and participatory. One coordination approach involves
harnessing the ongoing cluster groups of humanitarian organizations (Module 3). Their convening power
can continue the coordination into the recovery phase of monitoring achievements and ongoing projects.
Coordination can take place both vertically and horizontally. When the implementing agency interacts
with the national government and local administration, it is a case of vertical coordination. When theagency starts working with the private sector, non governmental organizations (NGOs), and civil society
organizations (CSOs) to allocate areas of responsibilities and maximize the use of resources in thecourse of implementation, it is a case of horizontal coordination.
Several types of coordination mechanisms can be set up, depending on the type of coordination andstakeholders. A coordination mechanism at each level of policy-making, planning, and implementationis helpful in developing consensus and resolving conflicts and disputes. Some coordination mechanismsthat are functioning or can be set up to support recovery implementation are:1• Task Force/Empowered Committee. Consisting of senior politicians, administrators, and professional experts, the task force can be set up at a high level in the government to develop a recovery
policy/program.
49• Donor Coordination. Coordination can be accomplished by the lead agency assigning a donor lead
responsibility for specific sectors or projects.
• NGOs’ Coordination Committee. The government can set up the committee at the subnational
level to assist the NGOs with their participation in the recovery program. In this forum, NGOs meet the
government officials and resolve all the program issues. The committee also provides NGOs with thenecessary support and authorization to implement.
• Local Level Project Management Committee. This committee can consist of local government
officials, NGOs, and representatives of affected communities. A number of local issues related to recovery can be discussed at this level.

Standard Implementation Procedures
Existing project approval and procurement, reporting, and staffing procedures in the country may need
to be simplified to meet the pressing demands of the recovery process. Often recovery projects are stalled
due to lengthy bureaucratic procedures for project approval and procurement. Even if fast-track approval
processes exist, at times responsible officers are reluctant to use them [why?]. The authority given to thelead recovery agency by the government can play a critical role in promoting the use of simplified procedures and processes across all sector and entities for more rapid implementation.

Establish Reconstruction Standards
In Module 2, the key policy imperatives for disaster recovery were explained in detail. They are:
1. Building Back Better
2. Converting adversity into opportunity
3. Pro-poor recovery.
As the government drafts its recovery framework, it needs to formulate the guiding principles for recovery based on these three key policy imperatives. As the recovery moves into the implementation phase,the guiding principles need to be translated into practical recovery and reconstruction standards. Local
stakeholders from both the government and civil society, including NGOs and the private sector, can work
together to detail these standards.

Reconstruction Standards Can Cover Recovery Sectors and Implementation Mechanisms
Reconstruction standards are specific to the sector and the type of natural disaster. Moreover, thesestandards must be detailed well ahead of actual implementation. For example, after an earthquake, thereconstruction must conform to appropriate seismic safety, quality, technological, and environmental
standards. In another example, reconstruction of schools could include the standard that all schools must
be rebuilt to function as shelters during a disaster. Reconstruction standards also could ensure that firstconsideration is given to local resourcing of materials and technical expertise.
Ensuring compliance with reconstruction standards during the implementation phase is key to resilient
recovery. To ensure compliance, construction monitoring teams could be established by the lead agency
to monitor technical aspects of both the inputs and outputs of reconstruction. In addition to alerting therelevant authorities of any missteps or lack of adherence to standards by the implementers, the lead agency
also should support implementation entities to correct their procedures.

50

Result 21. Reconstruction Standards Applied to Relevant Projects
Process1

Output

The government needs to set and implement
Recovery projects incorporeconstruction standards that adhere to the key rate resilience against future
policy imperatives for recovery.
disasters

ActorsLead Agency:
Lead recovery agency/line ministries
Other:
Local governments/
experts in reconstructionindustry

Decentralized Implementation
Policy and coordination for recovery can be overseen by the lead agency, but responsibility for implementation is best positioned at the local level (Module 3).2 Centralizing implementation within a single agency
can alienate local governments and other agencies that expect to control some aspects of recovery andreconstruction. As much as possible, decisions for implementation must be made by those responsible forthem. Local decision-making empowers the implementing agencies and creates greater ownership of thedecisions among affected communities.
Local implementation also helps build community ownership of the recovery process. Involving people
and communities on the ground will empower them and provide them with the opportunity to find local
solutions to local problems. Additionally, local implementation could build, if necessary, the capacity of
implementing agencies to manage small to large-scale projects.
Result 22. A Decentralized Implementation Process1

Process

OutputActorsLocal communities and nongovernmentalorganizations manage project implementation
to ensure relevance to the needs of thepeople affected.

Community-owned projects
that meet real needs

Lead Agency:
Local governments/nongovernmental implementing agencies/private
sectorMonitoring and Evaluation
Effective M&E systems enable the progress of recovery to be assessed, ensure compliance with sectoral
recovery policies and strategies, and provide early warning for corrective action. Ongoing M&E is critical toidentify mid-course corrections in the implementation and adjust the strategy, particularly in response tocommunity feedback about project design and results.
M&E reviews provide:• A holistic assessment of recovery framework implementation• A fresh view of the recovery framework implementation• Potentials for improvement• Actionable, realistic, results-oriented, and concrete recommendations• A learning opportunity for all involved.
In addition, M&E provides substantive inputs into the periodic evaluations that donors require to continue
funding projects.
51

Establishing an M&E system involves defining what to monitor and evaluate (activities and outcomes),
when to monitor and evaluate (timing and frequency), how to monitor and evaluate (tools and indicators),
who will monitor and evaluate, and how to use the results. An effective M&E system for recovery shouldbe able to:• Track physical progress of reconstruction activities• Track results for other recovery activities outside scope of reconstruction• Provide regular and comprehensive information on allocation and disbursement of funds (public
and private)• Provide data for evaluating economic and social impacts of recovery programs• Inform outcome-based mid-term review of the recovery implementation.3

Ongoing Monitoring Necessary
Monitoring is a continuous activity that indicates whether activities are on track. Monitoring bothresults and activities is recommended. Results monitoring refers to monitoring recovery objectives andpriorities. Ideally, results monitoring should be done quarterly and be conducted or guided by the main
implementing agency.

Results Monitoring plus Reporting and Activity Monitoring Create Good Data
Monitoring results ideally should go hand in hand with reporting and activity monitoring. The combinationof the three establishes a good database and indicates whether planned activities and programs can be
executed as planned. Results monitoring may be done by the lead recovery agency. Activity monitoring
preferably should be done by all agencies for their respective sectors and programs and be consolidated
by the lead recovery agency.

Results Framework Implemented Best through Results Monitoring System
The results framework should be implemented through a systematic Results Monitoring System (RMS). The
RMS specifies the monitoring and evaluation plans, data collection instruments, and indicator value-determination methodologies for all outputs and outcomes. Once fully developed, the RMS also will provide an
overall medium-term M&E plan. This plan specifies the frequency, requirements, and means for monitoring,evaluating, and reporting, both at the broader level and for each of the selected outcomes.

Ten Steps to Build and Sustain Results-Based M&E Systems
Commonly used results-based M&E systems can be built and sustained by following the 10 steps below.
With some modifications, these steps can be applied to post-disaster recovery programs to create effective
M&E systems.
1. Conduct a readiness assessment
2. Agree on outcomes to monitor and evaluate
3. Select key indicators to monitor outcomes
4. Identify baseline data on indicators: ask “Where are we today?”
5. Plan for improvements: select results targets
6. Monitor results
7. Conduct evaluations
8. Report findings
9. Use findings
10. Sustain the M&E system within the organization.
52

Dedicated management information systems (MIS) are required to build a results-based M&E system. MIS
is the digital system to store all M&E information and collate results based on the different inputs.

Box 5.1 Myanmar Community Involved in First Social Impact Assessment of Recovery
Carried out in Myanmar in 2008 following a powerful cyclone, the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment was the first timethat an assessment of the social impacts of disaster was included as part of the formal damage and loss assessment.
The Tripartite Core Group consisted of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Government of the Unionof Myanmar, and the United States. After the disaster, this group set up a monitoring system, which included
ongoing monitoring of the social impacts of the cyclone. The monitoring had three foci: aid effectiveness (including needs and shortfalls, targeting and decision-making, aid equity, and complaints), socioeconomic impacts(including impacts on farmers, fishers, and casual laborers, indebtedness, migration, and displacement), andimpacts on social relations (including social capital and cohesion, group relations, and relations among villagers
and leaders).
Reliable statistics and community-level information in Myanmar were scarce. A local NGO with good local
knowledge and networks was engaged to conduct the research. It involved in-depth interviews, focus group
discussions, and participant observation. The research took place in three rounds: roughly 6 months, 1 year, and2 years after the cyclone. This research identified key issues that would not have emerged through the standard
methodologies. These key issues included aid shortfalls, aid equity, and complaint mechanisms, along with theprovision of some inappropriate livelihoods aid.

Result 23. Efficient Central Oversight Mechanism That Informs Mid-Term Review Process
Process

OutputActors1

Establishing dedicated monitoring body andindicators as early as possible can help createclear understanding of monitoring objectives
among all recovery stakeholders. Early involvement of state auditors and leaders from affected communities in defining appropriate indicators will facilitate a smoother, more realistic
monitoring process.

Evaluation framework
established early in recovery
process enables mid-course
corrections and early partner
buy-inLead Agency:
Monitoring andcoordination wings ofrecovery agency/ auditorsfrom subnational
governments/ affected
community leaders

2

M&E system should be used for outcome-based mid-term review of recovery
framework implementation.

Mid-term reviews of recovery Lead Agency:
framework implementation
Lead recovery agency
Other:
Line ministries/local
governments/
communities/ NGOs

Procurement
Rapid Procurement Systems
Rapid procurement of goods and services can be a crucial element for an efficient and successful recovery.
However, procurement in post-disaster settings can be haphazard, leading to gaps in implementation andpotential abuse of procedures.4 Several types of procurement systems will facilitate the purchase of goods
and services during recovery. Two are pre-arranged procurement and fast-track procurement.

53

Pre-arranged Procurement
Pre-arranged procurement pre-establishes a list of qualified contractors. This list can be categorized bytype of expertise and competencies. Having a prequalifying system in place expedites issuing contracts andevaluating tender responses. A pre-qualifying system also eliminates inexperienced contractors, who cansignificantly underbid more experienced competition, but who lack the expertise required to successfully
implement the reconstruction project.

Fast-Track Procurement
Fast-tracking procurement means using simplified, agreed tender and purchasing processes to quickly getgoods and services to the areas in which they are needed. To further expedite procurement, a single source
for the purchase of specific goods and services could be pre-determined.
Box 5.2 Fast-Track Procurement in Mozambique
Mozambique
During emergencies, the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC) in Mozambique is able to suspend
duties and taxes placed on the purchase of emergency supplies. After the emergency, the INGC is obligated toreconcile these exemptions with the fiscal authorities.
Pakistan
Pakistan was able to streamline its procurements through the services of the engineering profession’s statutory
body, Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC). PEC set up a pre-arranged system of procurement for emergences witha pre-approved list of contractors for reconstruction. The list enabled more rapid issuing of contracts, pre-determined standards for evaluating tender responses, and provided logical consistency in responses for why particularfirms were awarded reconstruction contracts. In general, this pre-arranged structure ensured transparency at thestart of the procurement process.
Lao PDR
Lao PDR has developed an emergency road repair fast-track financing mechanism to ensure timely facilitation ofurgent road infrastructure repairs. The Minister of Finance and 17 provincial governors created this mechanism
through an agreement enabling governors to authorize engagement of road contractors for post-disaster rehabilitation works without prior central government approval.

Fast-tracked procurement systems can be used by both the private sector and nongovernmental entities. To
facilitate oversight and monitoring, it is helpful that all stakeholders that procure goods and services sharesome of the same procedures. As part of the third-party audit mentioned in the transparency section ofModule 4, procurement needs to be scrutinized closely.
Result 24. Fast, Efficient, and Transparent Procurement
154

Process

OutputActorsAdopt procurement procedures that facilitate
the purchase of goods and services, but do
not compromise transparency and equitableprocesses.

Faster procurement withmore reliable contractors

Lead Agency:
All government agencies
and partners that procure
goods and contractor
services in affected areas
under normal development circumstances;compiled by lead recovery
agencyCommunications Strategy for Recovery
Throughout the recovery process, it is in the government’s best interest to maintain ongoing dialogue andshare information with all other stakeholders and partners in the recovery. A well-defined internal andpublic communications strategy recognizes the different types of stakeholders and identifies the mosteffective means of communicating with them.

Internal Communication among Recovery Partners
Internal communication includes all stakeholders directly involved in the recovery process. This communication can take many forms. Examples are a dedicated internal information-sharing website that includes accessto the M& E database, peer dialogues among government agencies, focus group discussions with communities, or policy dialogues with donors. Such information-sharing can contribute to the transparency of recovery,build credibility and consensus on recovery goals, and identify coverage gaps and project overlaps.
For example, information flows between sectors and line ministries can result in fewer coverage gaps andproject overlaps among multisectoral programs. The government can schedule monthly decision meetings
with international partners in which the recovery objectives of the government, private sector, and civil society
are communicated. Such meetings will conserve the time of senior government officials, enabling them tostay focused on meeting their respective recovery milestones and objectives. Speaking with and mapping
plans with planners, implementers, and community groups will strengthen transparency, minimize duplication of effort, highlight gaps in assistance, and build consensus for achieving common recovery goals.
Internal communication creates a space for exchange and feedback among all involved. This communication also can serve as one mechanism by which to redress grievances.
Result 25. Effective Internal Communication among Recovery Partners
Process

OutputActors1

The government ensures effective flows ofInformation easily shared
information between sectors and line ministries between sectors andthat improve overall project coordination.
ministries

Lead Agency:
Communications and coordination wings of leadrecovery agency

2

Good internal communication between central Ongoing consultations
government and affected communities canbetween central government
have a measurable impact on the latter’s ability and communities
to recover.

Lead Agency:
Communications wing oflead recovery agency

Effective Public Communication
An effective public communications strategy can raise awareness of the recovery effort—policies, plans,
and projects—among the general public, both national and international, particularly in donor countries.
The strategy should define the key communications for broadcast, print, and social media. These messages
are intended to inform public expectations about the scope and timeframe of the recovery.
In addition, by recognizing visible signs of early physical recovery and announcing longer term goals, aneffective public communication strategy can keep the entire recovery community and general public galvanized for subsequent phases of recovery and reconstruction.

55

Public communication initiatives can consist of:• Using time markers (such as 100th day post-disaster; 6-month anniversary; 1-year anniversary) to show
visible evidence and images of progress on websites of the different recovery institutional stakeholders• Facilitating access for the media, if an issue, to do stories from the affected areas• Organizing press conferences highlighting results from updated evaluations or feedback from field visits• Create visual or text content that tells the story of the different stages of the recovery process.
Result 26. Effective Public Communication
Process

OutputActors1

The government drafts a public communication
strategy that includes carrying out an effective campaign that raises awareness with thegeneral public of the recovery program andprocess.

Public communication campaign enables all actors to beaware of changes in recovery
programLead Agency:
Communications sectionof lead recovery agency
with support from key
recovery partners inprivate sector, civil society,and donor community

2

Government ensures public communication
strategy includes initiatives to inform public
expectations for recovery.

Communicate clear andrealistic goals for recovery,minimizing unrealistic
expectations

Lead Agency:
Communications sectionof lead recovery agency
to organize outreach andmedia coverage

Promoting Transparency in Recovery
One of the challenges in implementing a recovery program is to control corruption and increase transparency. These two goals require instituting an audit system. The system encompasses public auditing ofprocurement and disbursements, carrying out a technical audit of the works carried out, and conducting
a social audit of the benefits delivered. While, in most countries, a financial audit of accounts and expenditures is a well-established system, technical and social audits are relatively new, evolving concepts. Social
auditing is a process through which a recovery and reconstruction program is able to monitor its social,economic, and environmental benefits by involving all the stakeholders: NGOs, homeowners, donors, andthe implementing agency.
Box 5.3 Using New Technologies to Enhance Transparency in the Philippines
Following Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, the Philippines leveraged several social media tools and knowledge-sharing platforms to strengthen the transparency of its recovery efforts for all stakeholders, most importantly, thegeneral public.
• The Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR) developed the web tool, EMPATHY,
to monitor live progress of activities related to Yolanda recovery. The EMPATHY electronic infrastructure transmits
information to the Office of the President via the Web-Based Emergency Operations Center (WebEOC).
• Foreign Aid Transparency Hub (FAiTH) is an online portal administered by the Department of Budget and Management. FAiTH provides information on disaster assistance pledged or given by countries and international organizations; as well as donations received by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas’ (CFO), Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino
program (LINKAPIL); and in the future, donations received by Philippine embassies abroad.
• Open Reconstruction is a website that enables all levels of government units to submit their reconstruction project
requests, and enables the public to track approved projects’ progress. This website gives the public access to important post-disaster information: project requests by affected government units, financing by the national government,
and statistics for both.
56

Result 27. Transparency Resulting in Confidence among All Recovery Stakeholders
1

Process

OutputActorsAdopting parallel systems of monitoring andevaluation––internal and external––can improve project transparency. Stakeholders areable to cross-check reports with multiple sources of information, identify key problem areas,and possibly suggest alternative strategies toresolve problems. Strengthened transparency
increases stakeholders’ confidence in the recovery program.

More reliable results information available; partners work
together to produce information and analyze results

Lead Agency:
Monitoring wing of leadrecovery agency/support
from Ministry of Financeand key donors

Checklist Module 5This checklist covers the different steps required to create effective institutional arrangements forrecovery. The list is not comprehensive, but provides an overview of the primary steps to be followed.

Lead Recovery Agency❑❑ Set up and run different coordination mechanisms. Coordinate responsibility for recovery
across the national government, local government, donor, civil society, and community levels.
❑❑ Establish standard procedures for project approval, procurement, reporting, and contracts.
❑❑ Define reconstruction standards.
❑❑ Set up rapid procurement procedures.
❑❑ Support decentralized implementation of the recovery activities.
❑❑ Establish good internal communication among recovery partners. Discourage recovery actors
from working in isolation.
❑❑ Raise awareness of recovery progress through effective public communication. Set clear and realistic goals to minimize unrealistic expectations, and provide a grievance redress to communities.
❑❑ Ensure transparency in all activities linked to the recovery program.
❑❑ Undertake monitoring and evaluation of the recovery projects.
❑❑ Propose mid-course corrections for improving recovery activities.

Endnotes
1 The coordination mechanisms are adapted from the draft National Disaster Recovery Framework, India, 2015.
2 T. Courchene, J. Martinez-Vazquez, C.E. McLure, Jr., and S.B. Webb, “Principles of Decentralization”, in Achievements
and Challenges of Fiscal Decentralization: Lessons from Mexico, Washington, DC: World Bank, 2000, 85, http://www1.
worldbank.org/publicsector/LearningProgram/Decentralization/achievementsandchallengesTOC.pdf.
3 UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development
Results, NY: UNDP: 2009, http://web.undp.org/evaluation/handbook/documents/english/pme-handbook.pdf.
4 For the staffing needs, see section entitled “Staffing for Reconstruction”.

57

58

MODULE 6. STRENGTHENING RECOVERY SYSTEMS IN
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
Strengthening recovery systems refers to enhancing governmental capacity to help a country andits people recover from disasters. In addition to strengthening recovery systems, national governments need to incorporate disaster risk management (DRM) in their development planning. Stengthening recovery systems requires defining institutional and financial systems before a disaster happens.
Strengthening recovery systems will improve the links among readiness, recovery, and development
processes; and ensure that all investment and development in a country is not wiped out when adisaster strikes.
Module 6 examines three specific areas in which governments can strengthen their recovery systems:
assessments, recovery frameworks, and financial arrangements.

Develop Capacity to Implement Disaster Assessments
Before a disaster occurs, the government can identify a standard assessment tool to be used incase of a disaster. The tool could be a PDNA or similar assessment. By settling on the particularassessment and training people to use it in advance, when a disaster strikes, governments will beready to immediately carry out assessments to establish reliable and comparable baseline data.
Additionally, an agreed assessment tool would enable the production of data drawn from previous
recovery experiences.
Prior agreement on the assessment tool also will improve their efficiency, accuracy, and groundapplicability. One way these improvements will be achieved is by pre-designating the institution(s)or agency(ies) responsible for maintaining PDNA preparedness and conducting the assessments. This
designated entity could be responsible for training through national and regional support centers. The
training programs could simulate actual field conditions and provide examples of good practice andlessons learned related to assessments. Training also could be used as an opportunity to develop rapid
assessment methodologies to speed up PDNAs. The time saved will leave more time to formulate
recovery strategies during a disaster.

59

Result 28. Assessment Tool (PDNA or Similar Tool) Defined Prior to a Disaster
Process

OutputActors1

The government develops and standardizes anacceptable post-disaster assessment methodology (PDNA or similar tool) in advance.

Quantitative and qualitative
baseline for damage andneeds across sectors andadministrative units

Lead Agency:
National/Subnational
focal point/line ministries/
local government departments

2

Government can strengthen capacity of nation- Strengthened capacity toal and local government staff, private sector,
conduct disaster assessments
academia, and civil society to conduct disaster
assessments.

Lead Agency:
National/Subnational
focal point/line ministries

3

Government promotes national or regional
centers of excellence for conducting disaster
assessments.

Lead Agency:
National/Subnational
focal point/line ministries

Strengthened capacity of alllevels and sectors to conductdisaster assessments

Box 6.1 Post-Disaster Needs Assessment System and Recovery Planning in the Kyrgyz Republic
Despite a high frequency of natural disasters and emergency situations, the Kyrgyz Republic had no official procedures to assess disaster damage, loss, and recovery needs. Post-disaster recovery planning was not based on
systematic needs assessments, with longer term disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures incorporated. The WorldBank supported the country in institutionalizing post-disaster assessment and recovery planning.
Working with the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, relevant line ministries and local governments, thegovernment articulated a National Action Plan. It identified the actions required to improve the country’s needs
assessment structure and methodology and recovery planning standards and provisions. Training workshops,
guidance manuals, and similar capacity measures were conducted to build expertise in needs assessment. The
process was endorsed by and incorporated in the functioning of the highest levels of disaster management
systems of the country. This institutionalization of a key aspect of recovery planning offered an avenue to incorporate DRR measures into reconstruction policies. Building Back Better (BBB) was prioritized in the training ofneeds assessment staff. The importance of BBB as an investment in future resilience—not just as an additionalpresent cost—was underscored.

Preparing Recovery Frameworks Prior to a Disaster Improves Resilience
Putting the recovery framework in place prior to a disaster increases the likelihood that the gains from therecovery process will carry over into sustainable development. The framework will help bring consensus on
issues that can be pre-defined among the multiple stakeholders involved in disaster response, freeing thelead agency to focus on implementation. Two areas that could be clarified prior to the disaster are (1) roles
and responsibilities of all potential stakeholders in a recovery and (2) definition of coordination mechanisms.
Previous modules showed that establishing roles and responsibilities and coordination mechanisms can becomplex and time consuming. By having a draft organizational chart in place, implementers spend time on
negotiating these issues.
Shared standards for reconstruction include those for construction and building codes. Many of thesestandards could be pre-defined and, in many instances, predefinition could be achieved prior to a disaster(Module 5). Standardizing certain implementation procedures and monitoring reports before a disasteralso means that the lead agency and line ministries do not lose time on administrative matters during therecovery process.
60

Most important, by standardizing reporting tools, whether they are related to budgeting or monitoringand evaluation, ongoing advance training could be organized for people responsible for these areas. This
training will enable them to be familiar with the tools ahead of the disaster, again leading to time saved
and rapidity in setting up a disaster recovery framework.
Result 29. Draft Disaster Recovery Framework Prior to a Disaster
Process

OutputActors1

Government implements, reforms, andimproves institutional and legislative recovery
arrangements in advance of disasters.

National and decentralized
multisectoral action plans

Lead Agency:
National/Subnational
focal point
Other:
Line ministries/ local government departments/
national technical agencies/ UN agencies

2

Government establishes clear roles andresponsibilities for all actors in a recovery
setting. Stakeholders include national and local
governments, private sector, academia, andcivil society organizations, and communities.

National and decentralized
inclusive multisectoral action
plans

Lead Agency:
National/Subnational
focal point
Other:
Line ministries/ local government departments

3

Government strengthens capacity for recovery
planning and monitoring at all levels (national,
local, community); makes capacity building
activities more open and available to all actors.

Recovery framework andpolicies at institutional andlegislative levels/results monitoring and evaluation plan forrecovery program

Lead Agency:
National/Subnational
focal point
Other:
Line ministries/ local government departments

4

Government institutes special proceduresfor fast-track project procurement andimplementation.

Fast-track project procurement and implementation
procedures

Lead Agency:
National/ Subnational
governments

Predictable Financial Financing
Governments need to explore practical ways to set aside funds for disaster recovery in their fiscal strategies toreduce the budget shock of natural disasters. When countries lack the financial capacity to respond immediately and effectively to a disaster, the human costs increase rapidly. Long-term development prospects suffer
as the government diverts public funding from social and economic development programs to fill the recovery gaps. Reconstruction may be delayed or not take place at all due to a lack of resources.
Governments can take steps to reduce the negative financial effects of disasters in a way that protects bothpeople and assets. Over the past two decades, policy makers increasingly began to recognize the benefitsof pre-planning for the financial management of disasters.
Disaster risk finance helps countries better manage these shocks. Countries can increase their financial
resilience against natural disasters by implementing sustainable and cost-effective financial protection strategies against climate and disaster risks. The objective is to ensure that national and local governments,
businesses, and households can identify their risks from, and meet the costs of, disasters while minimizing
the threats to development, fiscal stability, or wellbeing. Financial protection complements risk reduction
and building resilience, and can mobilize investments in them.
61

Disaster risk finance strategies for governments (figure 6.1) look comprehensively at contingent liabilities
or potential assets that are vulnerable to natural disasters. The strategies then combine different financial
instruments to protect against possible losses in events of different frequency and severity. These diverse
financial instruments can support governmental efforts to invest in enabling efficient risk markets, leveraging private sector capital and expertise through public private-partnerships, and promoting domestic
disaster risk insurance markets.
Figure 6.1 Risk Layering of Disaster Risk Financing Options

Risk Transfer

Low Frequency/
High Severity

International AssistanceSovereign Risk Tranfer(e.g. Cat. Bond/Cat. Swap, [re]insurance )Insurance of Public Assets

Risk Retention

High Frequency/
Low Severity

Contingent Credit Lines

Post Disaster Credits

Government Reserves, Contingency Budget / Funds

Emergency Funding

Reconstruction Financing

Source: World Bank, GFDRR Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance Program, Washington, DC, 2015.

Developing a disaster financial protection strategy requires effective leadership by a country’s Ministryof Finance. As a first step, the ministry should prioritize its key policy objectives and, ideally, identify inadvance its post-disaster spending priorities. Next, officials would have to consider possible solutions anddecide on the country’s own ideal combination of financial tools.1

International Financial Institutions Contingency Funding
International financial institutions (IFIs) can contribute significantly both technically and financially toward
creating contingency disaster risk funding mechanisms in less developed countries. In more developedor transitional economies, IFIs can help set up advanced risk transfer mechanisms. The scope is huge forenhanced development cooperation and aid harmonization across IFIs and donors in the area of disasterrisk financing.

62

Contingency Budgeting
As part of disaster risk finance strategies, when governments are identifying financial instruments to protect
against losses, contingency funding mechanisms are an important one. A contingency instrument2 could
be the establishment of a tax or surcharge to be placed into a fund that can be drawn on when a disasteroccurs. Another example is to put unused funds at the end of a budgetary year into a special budget specifically for disaster recovery. While the sources of the funds could differ, the primary aim is to have them inplace before the disaster for a more rapid recovery.

Financial Management Mechanisms
There are two levels of financial mechanisms that could be established before a disaster. The first is to build
the lead agency’s capacity to receive large donor contributions. This mechanism consists of establishingdraft agreements with potential donor governments and setting up mechanisms to receive and manage
contributions. The second financial mechanism is internal to the country. It is the aid-tracking mechanismthat enables the lead agency to manage, disburse, and account for funds with local implementers.

Disaster Risk Insurance
Disaster risk insurance aims to increase the financial response capacity of national and subnational
governments to secure cost-effective access to adequate funding for emergency response, reconstruction, and recovery.3
It includes agricultural insurance, property catastrophe risk insurance, and social protection.
Result 30. Predictable Financial Management for Resilient Recovery
Process

OutputActors1

Government develops disaster risk financing
Framework for disaster risk
strategies that identify public and private finan- financing.
cial tools to deploy in the event of a disaster.
Government adopts prior budget management
and post-disaster budget execution mechanisms for natural disasters.

Lead Agency:
Ministry of finance
Other:
Line ministries/ local
government departments

2

Government uses comprehensive risk assessments to aid in budgetary planning and establishment of contingency financing mechanisms
in the case of a disaster.

Physical and quality control
standards for reconstruction
program inform budgetaryplanning

Lead Agency:
National planning agency
Other:
Line ministries/ local
government departments

3

Government establishes agreements and mech- Recovery action plan withanisms to ensure coordination of donor recov- detailed financing and coorery financing with government recovery plans. dination mechanism section

Lead Agency:
National planning agency/ designatedrecovery agency

Endnotes
1

Disaster Risk Finance to Build Financial Protection, GFDRR, World Bank, 2015.

2

Some are discussed in Module 4.

3

For additional details, see GFDRR’s Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (DRFI) Program, https://www.gfdrr.org/disaster-risk-financing-and-insurance.
63

64

COMMON BEST PRACTICES AND LESSONS IDENTIFIEDIN COUNTRY CASE STUDIESEvery disaster is both an opportunity to salvage positive outcomes from a negative event and a source of
guidance regarding possible responses to future disasters.
Not all countries recover from disasters in the same manner or to the same degree. Countries employ
different policies, institutional arrangements, financing mechanisms, and implementation practices intheir recoveries. Consequently, definitions, standards and results for what constitutes efficient, effective,
and resilient recovery vary widely across countries.
Some of the key lessons and good practices emerging from the case studies conducted for this DRF
guide can be applied only case by case. However, a number of general takeaways and commonalities
can be drawn from these distinct recovery efforts. This chapter identifies lessons that are common to thevarious country case studies under this initiative.

Recap of Country Case Studies under the Recovery Framework Guide Initiative
The case studies conducted under the Recovery Guide Initiative were designed to collect and analyze
information on:
1. Disaster recovery standards and principles adapted by countries for their specific disasters
2. Means adopted by countries to maximize the efficiency, fairness, and resilience of their recovery efforts.
3. Policies, institutions, and capacities put in place by countries to implement and monitor
disaster recovery.
4. Means adopted by countries to translate the gains of resilient recovery plans into longer term risk
reduction and resilient development.1

Lessons Learned Provide Options for Policy Action on Recovery
The inability to fully capitalize on the opportunities provided by recovery to put in place disaster risk
reduction (DRR) has left many countries more vulnerable to future shocks. In many cases, the inability
to implement DRR during recovery has exacerbated existing developmental deficits due to technicallyinadequate and non-resilient reconstruction of infrastructure and other assets.2
65

Poorly planned disaster recovery does not meet social expectations, puts governance at risk, and could
expose affected states and stakeholders to political instability. The analysis of the country cases in the
DRF guide reveals that it is in the best interest of countries and stakeholder groups to be prepared torecover from disasters. The lessons gleaned from these case studies provide a roadmap for translating and institutionalizing these past experiences into future policy options. These lessons, in turn, caninform preparatory work to help guide future recovery efforts that also reduce disaster risk. Disaster-prone countries may need to adapt some of these lessons to fit their distinct national priorities andresource constraints.

Institutionalized Task-Specific Structures
for Recovery.
• While all of the country cases studied have a trackrecord of exposure to disaster risk, very few had institutionalized task-specific structures for recovery prior
to the event.
• Laos, Mozambique, Turkey, and Yemen maintained
pre-existing disaster management and recovery entities.
• Chile, Indonesia, the Maldives, Pakistan, Senegal,
and Sri Lanka built such entities only in the wake ofmajor disasters.
• Haiti maintained no such state structures prior to
the 2010 earthquake, while China has traditionallyrelied on varying arrangements for local, provincial
and central government disaster recovery in various
past disasters.

Key Lessons from the Recovery
Framework Case Studies
A priori institutionalization can help ensure
effective disaster recovery. The necessity to beprepared for disaster recovery is a central lesson
that permeates across all studies in this DRF.
Being ready for a disaster helps maximize thechances of effective recovery.3 Identifying preexisting risks and vulnerabilities helps countries to
put in place policies, standards, and institutionalarrangements for managing recovery before
disaster strikes.

The effectiveness and role of institutions tasked
with disaster recovery planning and management are maximized if such entities are established prior to a major event. Moreover, throughinstitutionalizing recovery, countries and stakeholders will be able to maintain continuity from thehumanitarian relief phase to reconstruction to longer term sustainable development across a range ofpossible post-disaster activities.
Efforts made in advance can formalize and predict at least some of the strategic and resource commitmentsthat may be needed for recovery planning, implementation, and performance management. Planning forrecovery can also mitigate against recurring challenges in sustaining national ownership and development
cooperation, inherent in maintaining traction and momentum on recovery.4
Dedicated institutions with a legal mandate and wide credibility are usually a necessary prerequisite to successful recovery. Creating institutions to plan for or manage disasters is insufficient if these
entities have no legal mandate to take the lead in responding to a major event. Credibility is critical also
to manage conditions competing for a priority response in an environment in which resource scarcity andprioritization must be taken into account. The creation of specific institutions with coordinating humanitarian response, recovery, and reconstruction backed by strong vertical and horizontal political support is one
crucial means of mitigating disaster. Because the leadership is clear, the mandated institution or institutions
are able to focus on implementing the multiple, often competing, recovery objectives while creating anenvironment conducive to enable donors and other implementers to carry out their roles.5

66Setting up Dedicated Recovery Institutions with a Legal Mandate and Credibility• In 2014, after experiencing recurring floods, the government of Mozambique ratified the country’s Disaster Management Law, with specific provisions for recovery.
• The 2005 earthquake in Pakistan illustrated both the need to maintain one dedicated disaster management institution—ERRA—and the legal structure to empower effective responses.
• Flooding in 2009 and tropical storms in 2011 mainstreamed disaster risk management into Laos’ 7th Socio-Economic
Development Plan 2011-2015 and led to the appointment of minister level representatives to the National Disaster
Prevention and Control Committee (NDPCC) responsible inter alia for recovery. This has elevated the stature of thecountry’s institutional apparatus for disaster recovery

Managing National Budgets and Multi-Donor
Trust Funds.
• In the cases of Chile in 2010, China, Laos in 2011,
Mozambique in 2013, and Yemen in 2008, budget
allocation and reallocation provided immediate availability of resources to begin recovery in all sectors.
• Indonesia’s experience with disaster recovery over the
2004-2010 period was to use a relatively balanced
mixed budgeting, linking central government, NGO
and international aid funds.

Effective management of national budgetingand donor/multi-donor trust funds is criticalto maintaining credibility with citizens anddonors. Countries recovering from disaster will
face very different resource constraints. Whenit comes to funding disaster relief and recovery
and the ratio of national funds to foreign aid anddonor funds, each country will vary. Wheneverpossible, relying on dedicated national funds overexternal aid is more sustainable in the long run.

• Disaster events in Haiti, the Maldives, Pakistan,
and Turkey were followed by responses that wereheavily reliant on foreign donors, the World Bankand other institutions.

However, in resource-scarce and fiscally constrained
country cases, affected states would be wellserved by being institutionally ready to effectively manage external aid flows. In dealing with• The absence of effective financial oversight in Haiti
both national and foreign aid funds, countries are
may have resulted in duplication of effort andadvised to maintain checks and balances to ensure
wastage of aid resources geared toward recovery.
the accurate and accountable use of all funds tied
to recovery. To this end, ideally, the lead recovery
agency or organization, the executive branch, andthe national legislative structures all would reinforce one another to ensure the effective management of all
recovery funds.
Maintain operational transparency and accountability in any disaster response effort. Beyond
creating effective institutions and effectively managing resources, disaster-affected countries would be

Maintaining Operational Transparency and Accountability in Disaster Response.
• In China, supervisory groups leading recovery efforts monitor and disclose project development and information on
the receipt and use of funds.
• Chile’s Presidential Compliance Management Unit is intended to both measure progress and manage complianceactions on recovery.
• For three years following the 2004 Tsunami, the Maldives adopted a participatory and partner-inclusive approach forassessing and reporting progress toward recovery.

67

wise to maintain maximum transparency. In other words, these countries are advised to report on thereal world implementation of planned state responses to any disaster. Communicating transparently
manages national and subnational expectations, supports effective strategic communication, sustains
political stability, and reduces barriers to secure external aid and assistance should they be deemed in
the national interest.
Ensuring Multi-Agency Inclusion while
Avoiding Duplication.
• After the 2008 earthquake, China’s Wenchuan Earthquake Restoration and Reconstruction Coordination
Group was established to coordinate and communicate between government agencies at national andlocal levels.
• In Pakistan, the establishment of ERRA institutionalized multi-tier collaboration at the local, technical,
and ministerial levels to engender ownership across awide range of stakeholders.

Ensure multi-agency and multi-tier inclusion
while avoiding duplication of effort. Unifying
recovery policy and implementation under one
umbrella could generate optimal results. Howevera unified approach to disaster recovery should notcome at the expense of maximizing the effortsof the other organizations and entities that aresupporting the overall recovery effort.

These organizations may be stratified bothhorizontally and vertically, belong to ministries
that do or do not have a history of interagency• In Haiti, after 2010, no single participatory
cooperation, and maintain a broad mix of discreet
planning process existed at a national level, so NGOs
institutional priorities. These organizations also
and other executing agencies sought input from bencould exist both within and beyond the public
eficiaries at the project level in order to meet urgent
humanitarian needs
sector. Examples of the latter case are NGOs, civilsociety groups, and private sector actors. Inclusion and coordination are favorable, but neither
should impede the overall recovery effort. The lead recovery agency should have the authority to put inplace mechanisms to avoid duplication of effort and wasting scarce resources.
Implementation responsibilities should be delegated to subnational, or district and municipal levels as needed. An effective disaster response effort cannot be driven by central government
priorities and focus alone. Affected states should take necessary action as close as possible to theimpacted location to tailor the overall response to best meet the recovery objectives. Depending on thenational and subnational country circumscriptions, recovery can be assisted by forming local, district orprovincial reconstruction committees; and expanding the network of community-based organizations(CBOs). Different countries have grappled with very different levels of administrative and government
centralization and decentralization. Thus, some countries may be better positioned to move quickly toenact local action in response to a major event.

Responsibilities Delegated to Sub-National Levels.
• Since 2010, Chile has developed a mixed approach of central financing and reliance on established assistance practices that asked provinces and municipalities to participate in recovery partnership that included local government, theprivate sector, and civil society groups.
• After the 2010 earthquake and in the absence of a robust central government, municipalities in Haiti often collaborated with NGOs and faith-based organizations on the ground while receiving resources on an ad hoc basis.
• In Pakistan, after the 2005 earthquake, the ERRA’s tiered system provided individual programs at the local level withindependent decision-making over which initiatives to implement.

68Institutionalizing PDNA’s.
• Many developing countries now have a history conducting PDNAs, including Haiti, Pakistan, Indonesia,
Laos, the Maldives, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Turkey,
and Yemen.
• Most countries that conduct PDNA do so intermittently and many do not conduct them in the wake ofevery major disaster event.

Institutionalize post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) for future funding, coordination, tracking, and evaluation. Many countries
affected by disasters have little to no experience
conducting PDNAs. However, any set of assessments of real-world socioeconomic, demographic,
infrastructural, governance, or service provision
challenges identified after a disaster provide a defacto baseline.

Detailed assessments help inform recovery policies. The assessments then can be used as a vulnerability
mapping exercise to assist future reconstruction projects as well as longer term developmental planning.
The assessments may have uncovered key lessons on national resource shortfalls and estimates of levels of
external assistance that may be required to respond effectively to a future large-scale event.
Transitioning from Disaster Recovery
to Development.
• Because no cross-sectoral recovery framework wasdeveloped in Haiti in 2010, no schedule of recovery activities was defined within or across sectors,
leading to uncertainty regarding the completion ofrecovery activities.

Set clear guidelines and milestones fortransitioning from disaster recovery andreconstruction to a post-disaster development response. National agencies tasked withresponding to a disaster event are essential.
Nevertheless, clear and specific guidelines must
be written into the legal mandate by which theseagencies must transition out of the overall recovery effort in the post-disaster phase.

Doing so may require a clear transitional strategy and sunset clauses triggered by pre-determined milestones,
institutional design, or both. In the former case, a pre-determined milestone could mean the achievementof a major recovery target set by a national government. In the latter case, the institution or agency inquestion may be authorized to provide only the initial impetus for the recovery. After that point, other stateor subnational institutions, such as relevant line ministries, would take over.
Link post-disaster recovery to poverty alleviation and long-term development objectives. Governments should take advantage ofrecovery plans to include in them their national• As part of Building Back better, the 2005 earthquake
recovery in Pakistan was taken as an opportunity topoverty alleviation and long-term development
incorporate improvements in the educational sector
objectives. On one hand, doing so spans moving
and health care provision.
from emergency humanitarian relief to long-term• In 2010, the earthquake in Haiti was seen as ansustainable development. On the other hand,
opportunity to develop the country into what was laincluding long-term development goals in thebeled the “New Haiti” by the government. However
recovery plan means that a focus on livelihood
it became apparent for aid agencies and the Haitian
government that there was a gap between the initial
generation, particularly for vulnerable groups,
phase of recovery and sustainable development.
is a key means of sustaining the local economy.
Injecting cash into the economy via cash grants
is a tried means of supporting livelihoods. Finally, a focus on improved access to services and service delivery could go hand in hand with the reconstruction of resilient infrastructure. The recovery plan could give
sectors such as education, health, and water and sanitation attention equal to that given to transportationand housing reconstruction.
Linking Disaster Recovery to Poverty Alleviation andLonger-term Development.

69

Endnotes
1 See DRF guide, vol. 2, Case Studies Preamble. “Resilient” includes the concept of “sustainable.” See Glossary.
2 Drawn from work/case studies associated with the DRF guide.
3 See Glossary for a definition of “preparedness.”
4 Refer to the section on Institutionalization of Recovery in National and Local Governance Systems.
5 Refer to the section on Institutionalization of Recovery in National and Local Governance Systems.

70

ANNEX 1: INTEGRATED RESULTS FRAMEWORK FOR
RECOVERY PLANNING
The Integrated Results Framework for Recovery Planning aggregates and encapsulates the key results
and outputs by each aspect of recovery framework. This results framework is a useful tool that can beutilized for monitoring the process of recovery planning in sequential or thematic manner. This tool also
provides a quick look at the key results of successful recovery planning at relevant stages of progression
to ensure timely actions.

Conducting Post-Disaster Damage and Needs Assessment
Results

Outputs

Preliminary assessment reports
Compilation and transmittal of damage and loss data toa central node
Broad and Consistent Policy Framework for
Recovery Planning through the PDNA

Credible Disaster damage and needs assessment
Quantitative and qualitative baseline for damage, loss,
and needs across sectors and administrative divisions
Results monitoring and evaluation plan for recovery
program

Policy- and Strategy Setting for Recovery
Results

A Recovery Vision Acceptable to
All Stakeholders

Outputs

Articulation of a recovery vision
Setting up community meetings to build consensus forthe recovery vision
Working out the sectoral, geographic, and functional
details of recovery

71

Results

Provision of an Enabling Policy Framework to
Achieve a Recovery Vision

Outputs

Policy framework and guiding principles for recovery
Consistent and equitable application of key cross-cutting
operating principles
Identification of primary sectors for inclusion in the recovery program

Application of Policy Principles for Mutually
Reinforcing Recovery Outcomes across Sectors

Programmatic recovery framework

Ensure Equitable and Demand-Responsive
Recovery across Affected Communities

Development of criteria for intersectoral prioritization andtheir programming and sequencing for recovery
Objective, criteria-based resource allocation; annual rationalization of recovery budget
Process to map key stakeholders

Sector-Level Recovery Programs are Developedin a Consultative and Inclusive Manner

Diverse consultation modalities
Forums for wider consultative groups

Institutional Framework for Recovery
Results

Outputs

Continuity between Relief and Recovery

Maintenance of institutional knowledge from humanitarian
response to recovery

Assessment of Human Resource Capacity
and Specialist Skills Required

Appropriate capacity assessments are conducted

Mandate and Operational Modalities for
Lead Recovery Agency

The most relevant institutional framework is chosen anddeveloped to be central body behind which donors andpartners align financing and efforts

An Empowered Recovery Institution with
Effective Leadership

Choosing the appropriate leader for an empowered
recovery institution

Institutions with Clear Purpose and Jurisdiction

Appropriate attention is given to all lost/damaged assets;
focus is kept on recovery

Ensuring Adequate Human Resources through- Employ necessary professional and technical human reout Recovery Processsources
Recovery Program That Integrates Civil
Society and Private Sector Participation

Mechanisms to include civil society, private sector, andexpert associations in recovery

Decentralized Implementation Guided byCentrally Established Policy and Coordination

Clear structures for setting recovery policy andimplementation

Well-Managed Integration of International
Agencies and Development Partners

Institutionalizing role of international agencies and development partners; establishment of donor coordination
forums72

Financing for Recovery
Results

Outputs

Adequate Financing for Recovery

Revised budgetary allocations focusing initially on
post-disaster response and later on recovery

Functioning Financial Systems for Recovery

Financial system endorsed by the highest political level
able to absorb inflows.

Strengthened Public Financial Management

Adequate Monitoring & Evaluation

Policy that strengthens and establishes effective
modalities in PFM.
Model to manage resources coming from bilateral andmultilateral donors.
Establish procedures for sharing assessment data with
implementing agencies. Identify means for monitoring
and auditing transfers and use of funds.
Financial oversight mechanisms that enhance theconfidence that recovery funds are being spent for theintended purposes.

Implementation Arrangements and Recovery Management
Results

Outputs

Reconstruction standards applied to relevant
projects

Recovery projects incorporate resilience to future disasters

A Decentralized Implementation Process

Community-owned projects that meet real needs

Efficient Central Oversight Mechanism That
Informs Mid-Term Review Process

Fast, Efficient, and Transparent Procurement
Effective Internal Communication Between
Recovery Partners

Effective Public Communication

Transparency Resulting in Confidence Among all
Recovery Stakeholders

Evaluation framework established early in recovery
process, allowing for mid-course corrections and earlypartner buy-in
Mid-term reviews of the recovery framework implementation
Faster procurement with more reliable contractors
Information easily shared between sectors and ministries
Ongoing consultations between central governmentand communities.
Public communication campaign enables all actors to beaware of changes in the recovery program.
Communicate clear and realistic goals for recovery, minimizing unrealistic expectations.
More reliable results information available. Partners
work together to produce information and analyze
results.

73

74

ANNEX 2: SECTOR RECOVERY PLANNING FROM THE
NATIONAL DISASTER RECOVERY FRAMEWORK, INDIA
Below are select generalized steps and guidelines for various sector recovery plans detailed in thedraft of the “National Disaster Recovery Framework, India”. These key steps for medium-term recovery
planning are applicable following completion of needs assessments and institutional framework design.
Guidelines, are considerations to be kept in mind over the course of recovery implementation, and serve
as a potential criteria to assess the success of recovery goals. Shelter, Education, and Water and Sanitation Recovery Plans are provided below as examples to illustrate the variance in steps and guidelines
based on the different sector context. It is important that a recovery plan develops an appropriate listof steps and guidelines for each of the priority recovery sectors.

Shelter Recovery Planning
A reconstruction strategy for permanent shelter must be based on the Needs Assessment findings on
shelter damage, capacity and needs. It must account for the availability of land, land tenure, building
materials, provision of civic and community infrastructure, and risk reduction measures. Key steps andguidelines for reconstruction by sector, using the examples from the National Disaster Recovery Framework, India are described in the box below:

KEY STEPS IN MEDIUM-TERM RECOVERY SHELTER PLANNING
i. A detailed Needs Assessment must be conducted to inform the shelter reconstruction strategy.
ii. In cases of relocation, a viable site must be secured based on its hazard risk assessment, soil quality,hydrology, topography, geology, land security rights and environmental impact of construction on the site.
iii. Provide financial assistance to beneficiaries for house construction.
iv. Provide technical assistance to guide communities to select appropriate building material, optimally utilise
available resources, to design culturally sensitive, disaster resilient andappropriate settlement plans and shelters that minimise construction’s environmental impact.
v. Train local masons and artisans in multi-hazard resistant and sustainable building techniques.

75

KEY STEPS IN MEDIUM-TERM RECOVERY SHELTER PLANNING (cont.)
vi. Promote and build special needs capacity of communities for building shelter and provide community- based shelter support to people with special needs.
vii. Provide a range of shelter options to suit the diverse needs that arise due to the scale and pattern of damage,rural and urban settings, large extended families, single-headed households, the lone elderly, safe and unsafe
locations and on-site construction or relocation.
viii. Provide all houses with sanitation facility, water supply and electricity supply, ideally throughsustainable energy sources.
ix. Provide additional financial assistance to beneficiaries for the associated additional costs to support
incorporation of Disaster Risk Reduction features.
x.

Identify and provide access to alternative, affordable and environmentally sustainable building
technologies and materials for repair and reconstruction.

xi. Promote local production of environmentally friendly materials to provide new generators of local
employment and livelihoods, and reduce the negative environmental impacts associated with construction.
If done appropriately, these measures can reduce overall construction costs.
xii. Support tax deduction on building materials, freezing costs and material banks for shelter reconstruction.
xiii. Promote Technology Demonstration Projects as an effective mean to show the communities theadvantages of using appropriate technology construction and means of incorporating disaster resilientfeatures in a building.
xiv. Create a shelter planning hub per two or three local community-level units that is managed by anengineer and two social facilitators with the following responsibilities:• To organize training programs for local community-level engineers and masons• To act as the bridge between the district officials and the beneficiaries• To monitor the reconstruction program and manage the flow of information.
xv. Set up a Support Unit for Space division multiple access (SDMA) in districts as required managed by theDistrict Project Officer with the following responsibilities:• To develop and maintain the database and flow of information at the district level• To support the district administration in the project management, which includes reporting, communication andgrievance redress.
KEY STEPS IN MEDIUM-TERM RECOVERY SHELTER PLANNING (cont.)
xvi. Appoint adequate site engineers, social workers, master craftsmen, construction supervisors at the
local community level.
xvii. Coordinate with implementing partners, assess capacities of local building material producers & markets.
xviii.Identify national building regulations in recovery shelter and review building codes and enforcement.
xix. Set shelter reconstruction standards in accordance to National and State building codes, previous
recovery programs and Sphere Standards (Refer ‘Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and MinimumStandards in Humanitarian Response’).
xx. Prepare local community level plans in consultation with the community.

76

GUIDELINES IN MEDIUM-TERM RECOVERY SHELTER PLANNING
Site Selection• Communities must be involved in risk mapping, decision-making concerning rebuilding in-situ or relocation.
• The trade-off between livelihoods and relocation to a safer site must be balanced carefully.
• Access to appropriate livelihood opportunities, adequate medical and public health services, safe and affordable food, drinking water, affordable basic utility services must be ensured.

• Impact of new settlement construction on surroundings must be evaluated before construction.
• The distance between relocated settlements and former homes should be minimized to allow communities tomaintain social networks and livelihood.
Settlement Planning• Consideration must be given to original community settlement patterns and proximity to communities’ livelihood options.

• Settlements should be protected from immediate hazards.
• Pre-disaster built environments must be rehabilitated or reconstructed, in cases where it is possible.
• An integrated approach in design and implementation must be adopted in reconstruction. Shelter recovery designs
should link with other basic survival needs such as: water and sanitation, health and livelihood. Implementation
should converge central with state government programs to create an overall sustainable habitat development.
House Design• Communities’ cultural, social and livelihood needs must be reflected.
• Women participation in design stages must be encouraged.
• Design must allow for future incremental growth for adapting to increase in family sizes and changing needs.
• Communities should be able to introduce their design features in the chosen design.
• Social mobilisation must be prioritised to ensure complete community ownership, cultural appropriateness andan understanding of structurally safe multi-hazard resistant technical features.
Building Materials• Locally available materials that are cost-effective and environmentally friendly must be used.
• Good quality building materials should be selected.
• Recycling and productive use of construction materials extracted from the debris or rubble after the disastermust be taken into consideration.

• Local production of sustainable building materials should not be overlooked.
Construction Technologies• Sustainable construction technologies must be promoted which are climate, culturally and socially appropriate,affordable, use local materials or encourage local production of sustainable materials that minimise constructions’ negative environmental impact.

• Disaster resilient technology must be adopted. All construction should follow a resilient building code standard,regardless of whether the local building bylaws incorporate them or not.

• Compliance of housing construction with Local, State and National building codes must be ensured.

77

Education Recovery Planning
Following a disaster event, children in large numbers are excluded from schooling and many do not get
an opportunity to return. Further, past experiences have shown that the education sector is among thehardest hit along with other sectors post-disaster. Most schools lack minimum standards and measures toprotect students and teachers from any natural or human made hazard. Recovery activities in education
revolve around a child’s right to uninterrupted continuous education, right for safe environment and DRR.
KEY STEPS IN MEDIUM-TERM RECOVERY IN EDUCATIONi.

Carry out repairs, maintenance and upgrading of damaged schools to at least pre-disaster levels, andutilize Building Back Better improvements based on sound risk assessment wherever possible.

ii.

Provide support in rebuilding damaged infrastructure at all levels: schools, colleges, and technical institutes through grants, soft loans, and/or public private partnerships (PPP).

iii. Facilitate capacity building programs for safer school design and construction targeted at academia,
professional associations, line department, and licensing bodies. Ensure that architect, engineers and builders
correctly apply appropriate codes and construction techniques.
iv. Ensure incorporation of Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) guidelines into safe school construction standards.
v.

Ensure provision of water supply and sanitation facilities in all schools.

vi. Relocate schools in highly-hazard prone areas to safer sites.
vii. Conduct risk assessments (hazard, vulnerability, and capacity) to inform long-term action.
viii. Provide financial assistance/grant aid to reconstruct and rehabilitate public schools.
ix. Provide soft-term credit for reconstruction of damaged private schools, where appropriate.
x. Visit children’s homes to bring back the drop outs and provide additional coaching to affected students.
xi. Reschedule any standardized or level qualification examination dates to affected students so thatthey have the opportunity to advance with their national cohort level.
xii. Identify, assess, and monitor disaster risks in the education sector.
xiii. Build a culture of safety through Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) education.
xiv. Reduce the underlying risk factors to identified risks in the education sector.
xv. Impart training and mock drills to school children, teachers, university students etc., in emergency
evacuation, emergency first aid and handling fire safety equipment.
xvi. Build capacity of affected people through community-based education in emergencies and DRR.

GUIDELINES FOR RECOVERY IN EDUCATION• Specifications of school reconstruction should comply with national, state, and local building codes.
• Involve key and relevant partners, which can provide a positive synergy to recovery in education.
• New school buildings constructed must be multi-hazard resistant and comply with structural specifications

78

Water & Sanitation Recovery Planning
KEY STEPS IN MEDIUM-TERM RECOVERY IN WATER AND SANITATIONi.

Carry out repair, maintenance and upgrading of damaged systems to at least pre-disaster levels, andutilize Building Back Better improvements based on sound risk assessment wherever possible.

ii.

Provide appropriate drainage facilities so that dwelling areas and water distribution points are kept freeof standing wastewater, and that storm water drains are kept cleariii. Use sustainable construction materials and technologies appropriate to the local context.
iv. Involve affected groups in decision making as a component of Disaster Risk Reduction.
v.

Form Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) committees with at least 50% representation by women to
ensure representation of women’s concerns, proper management, and to promote sustainability of the facility.

vi. Promote hygiene education through awareness building and training campaigns in communities, universities, and schools.
vii. Strengthen WATSAN Committees’ capacity to handle operation, maintenance, and management ofwater supply and sanitation systems.

GUIDELINES FOR RECOVERY IN WATER AND SANITATION• Food security, malnutrition, health status and special needs of communities need to be taken considered whileplanning interventions.

• Protect toilets and sewers from flooding in order to avoid structural damage and leakage.
• Prevent contamination of water sources by wastewater from washing and bathing areas.
• Plan, build, and maintain water point drainage to ensure that mosquitoes do not breed in areas close to dwellings.
• Seek an equitable participation of women and men in planning, decision-making, and local management tohelp ensure that the entire affected population has safe and easy access to water supply and sanitation services.

79

GLOSSARYADAPTATION:
The adjustment in natural or human systems in response toactual or expected climatic or other stimuli or their effects,
which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities.
AUDIT:
An official examination and verification of accounts andrecords to analyze the legality and regularity of project
expenditures and income, in accordance with laws,
regulations, and contracts, such as loan contracts andaccounting rules. Also may analyze the efficient andeffective use of funds.
BASELINE DATA:
Initial information collected during an assessment, including
facts, numbers, and descriptions. This information will
permit comparison with the situation that existed before
the disaster and measurement of the impact of the
project implemented.
BASIC NEEDS:The items that people need to survive. They can include safe
access to essential goods and services such as food, water,
shelter, clothing, healthcare, sanitation, and education.
BUILD BACK BETTER (BBB):
Approach to reconstruction to reduce vulnerability andimprove living conditions, while promoting a more effective
and sustainable reconstruction. BBB uses the opportunity of
having to rebuild to examine the suitability of reconstructing
in the same location and making a home warmer, drier, andcheaper to run.
BUILDING CODE:A set of ordinances or regulations and associated standards
intended to control aspects of the design, constructions,materials, alteration and occupancy of structures that arenecessary to ensure human safety and welfare, including
resistance to collapse and damage.
CASH TRANSFERS:
Direct payments or vouchers to provide resources to affected
populations.
CAPACITY:
The combination of all physical, institutional, social, and/or economic strengths, attributes, and resources available
within a community, society, or organization that can beused to achieve agreed goals. Also includes collective
attributes such as leadership and management.
80

CAPACITY BUILDING:
process by which individuals, groups, and organizations
build their knowledge, abilities, relationships, and values tosolve problems and achieve development objectives. The
impacts of capacity building thus may be seen at different
scales––individual, households, communities,
and governments.
CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE:
The ability to resist, absorb, adapt to, and recover frommeteorological changes attributed directly or indirectly tohuman activities that alter the composition of the global
atmosphere or the natural climate variability.
See also “Resilience.”
COMMUNITY:
A social group of any size whose members reside in a
specific locality, share government, and often have acommon cultural and historical heritage.
COMMUNITY CONTRACTING:
Procurement by or on behalf of a community. While there
are many different models of community contracting, acommon feature is that they seek to give the community
degrees of control over investment and implementation, toencourage ownership and sustainability.
COMPLEMENTARITIES:
Complementarities refer to a situation where two or morefactors increase each other’s effects on performance.
CONSEQUENCES:
Outcomes of an event, such as a landslide hazard. Dependon the exposure and vulnerability of the elements at risk,such as human beings, houses, and infrastructure.
CORRUPTION:
Misuse of an entrusted position for private gain by using
bribery, extortion, fraud, deception, collusion, and moneylaundering. Includes gains accruing to a person’s family
members, political party, or institution in which the person
has an interest.
DIRECT COSTS (OR DAMAGE):
Reconstruction costs incurred by total or partial destructionof physical assets existing in the affected area. Damage
occurs during and immediately after the disaster and ismeasured in physical units. Its monetary value is expressedin terms of replacement costs according to prices prevailing
just before the event.

DISASTER:
A situation or event that overwhelms local capacity,necessitating a request to a national or an international level for
external assistance; an unforeseen and often sudden event thatcauses great damage, destruction, and human suffering.
DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT (DRM):
Systematic process of using administrative directives,
organizations, and operational skills and capacities to implement
strategies, policies, and improved coping capacities to lessen theadverse impacts of hazards and the possibility of disaster.
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION (DRR):
Concept and practice of reducing disaster risks throughsystematic efforts to analyze and manage the causal factors of
disasters. Results of DRR include reduced exposure to hazards,
lessened vulnerability of people and property, wise managementof land and the environment, and improved preparedness.
EARLY WARNING SYSTEM:
The set of capacities needed to generate and disseminate
timely and meaningful warning information to enable
individuals, communities, and organizations threatened by ahazard to prepare and to act appropriately; and in sufficient time
to reduce the possibility of harm to or loss of life or livelihoods,
injury, damage to property, and damage to the environment.
A people-centered early warning system comprises four key
elements. They are (a) knowing the risks; (b) monitoring,
analyzing, and forecasting the hazards; (c) communicating
or disseminating alerts and warnings; and (d) developing the
local capacities to respond to the warnings. The term “endto-end warning systems” is used to emphasize that warning
systems need to span all steps from detecting hazards to thecommunity’s response.
EFFICIENT RECOVERY:
Stabilizing lives and livelihoods to return to normal; and rapidly
restoring critical social, physical, and productive infrastructureand service delivery.
EFFECTIVE RECOVERY:
Achieving the intended outcomes of medium- to long-term
recovery such as the rehabilitation and reconstruction ofdamaged infrastructure and the re-creation of sustainable
livelihoods and income-generating opportunities.
EMPOWERMENT:
Authority given to an institution, organization, or individual todetermine policy and make decisions.

ENABLING ENVIRONMENT:The rules and regulations, both national and local, which
provide a supportive environment for a specific activity, such ascommunity participation or DRM, to take place.
EQUITY:
Quality of being impartial and “fair” in the distribution ofdevelopment benefits and costs and the provision of access ofopportunities for all.
EX-POST MEASURES:
Actions taken after a disaster has occurred to seek to mitigate or
repair all damages caused by the disaster.
EXPOSURE:
People, property, systems, or other elements present in hazard
zones that thereby are subject to potential losses.
EXTENSIVE RISK:
Widespread risk associated with the exposure of dispersed
populations to repeated or persistent hazard conditions of low ormoderate intensity, often of a localized nature. Such persisting
exposure can have debilitating cumulative disaster impacts. This
type of risk is a characteristic primarily of rural areas and urban
margins. See also “Risk” and “Intensive risk.”

FLOOD:
General and temporary condition of partial or complete
inundation of normally dry land areas from (a) the overflow ofinland or tidal waters, (b) the unusual and rapid accumulation or
runoff of surface waters from any source, or (c) mudflows or thesudden collapse inland of shoreline.
FLOOD FORECASTING:
Use of real-time precipitation and streamflow data in rainfallrunoff and streamflow routing models to forecast flow rates andwater levels from a few hours to days ahead, depending on thesize of the watershed or river basin.
FORECAST:
Definite statement or statistical estimate of the likely occurrence ofa future event or conditions for a specific area.
FUNGIBILITY:
Property of a good or a commodity whose individual units arecapable of mutual substitution.

81

GREEN GROWTH:
Growth that is efficient in its use of natural resources; clean
in that it minimizes pollution and environmental impacts; andresilient in that it takes into account natural hazards and therole of environmental management and natural capital inpreventing physical disasters.
HAZARD:
Natural process or phenomenon or human activity that has
the potential to cause property damage, loss of livelihoods
and services, social and economic disruption, and/or
environmental degradation.
HOUSING:
Immediate physical environment, including inside and outsideof buildings, in which families and households live and soserves as a shelter.
HOUSING-SECTOR ASSESSMENT:
Assessment that collects data including demographic, housing
types, housing tenure status, settlement patterns before andafter the disaster, government interventions in the housing
sector, infrastructure access, construction capacity, and market
capacity to provide materials and labor for reconstruction.
HUMANITARIAN RELIEF:
Process that seeks to lead to sustainable development
opportunities by generating self-sustaining processes for postdisaster recovery. Humanitarian relief encompasses livelihoods,
shelter, governance, environment, and social dimensions,
including the reintegration of displaced populations. It also
addresses the underlying risks that contributed to the crisis.
INFRASTRUCTURE:
Systems and networks by which public services are delivered.
These services include water supply and sanitation, energy, andother utility networks, and transportation networks for all
forms of travel.
INTENSIVE RISK:
Risk associated with the exposure of large concentrations ofpeople and economic activities to intense hazard events that canlead to potentially catastrophic disaster impacts involving highmortality and asset loss. A characteristic primarily of large cities
or densely populated areas that not only are exposed to intense
hazards but also have high levels of vulnerability to them. See
also “Risk” and “Extensive risk.”
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIS):
Quantitative and qualitative measures of project outputs andoutcomes used to evaluate the progress of success of the project.

82

LIVELIHOODS:
The ways in which people earn access to the resources thatthey need, individually and communally, including food, water,
clothing, and shelter.
LOSSES:
Include the decline in output in productive sectors and thelower revenues and higher operational costs in the provisionof services. Also considered losses are the unexpected
expenditures to meet emergency needs. Losses are expressedin current values.
LOSS ASSESSMENT:An assessment that analyzes the changes in economic flows that
occur after a disaster and over time, valued at current prices.
MITIGATE/MITIGATION:
The use of reasonable care and diligence to minimize damage; totake protective action to avoid additional injury or loss; to lessen
or limit the adverse impact of hazards and disasters.
MONITORING:
Ongoing task of collecting and reviewing program-related
information that pertains to the program’s goals, objectives,and activities.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT:
Process for estimating (usually based on a damage assessment)
the financial, technical, and human resources needed to
implement the agreed program of recovery, reconstruction, andrisk management.
NODE:
The central Location for staff and materials during adisaster event.
NONSTRUCTURAL MEASURE:
Any measure not involving physical construction that uses
knowledge, practice or agreement to reduce risks and impacts,
particularly through policies and laws, public awareness-raising,training, and education. See also “Structural measures.”
OFF-BUDGET FINANCING:
Could not be managed directly by the national government or is
not comprised in its budget.
ON-BUDGET FINANCING:
Within the national government’s control, including Own Source
Revenue (OSR) as well as external funding and loans.

PARTNERS:
Donor community or any group or individual taking part andsharing the responsibility of the reconstruction and recovery
process. In contrast, see “Stakeholders.
PHYSICAL PLANNING:
Design exercise based on a land use plan to propose optimal
infrastructure for public services, transport, economic activities,
recreation, and environmental protection for a settlement orarea. A physical plan can have rural and urban components.
POLICY:
Principle or protocol to guide decisions and achieve
rational outcomes.
POST-DISASTER NEEDS ASSESSMENT (PDNA):A multisectoral assessment that measures the impact ofdisasters on the society, economy, and environment of thedisaster-affected area.
PREPAREDNESS:The knowledge and capacities developed by governments,
professional response and recovery organizations, communities,
and individuals to effectively anticipate, respond to, and recoverfrom the impacts of likely, imminent, or current hazard events
or conditions.
PREVENTION:
To avoid and minimize the adverse impact of related
environmental, technological, and biological disasters by raisingpublic awareness and providing education related to disasterrisk reduction, changing attitudes and behavior.

RECOVERY:
Decisions and actions taken after a disaster to restore or improve
the pre-disaster living conditions of the affected communities
while encouraging and facilitating necessary adjustments to
reduce disaster risk. Focuses not only on physical reconstruction
but also on revitalization of the economy and the restoration ofsocial and cultural life.
RECOVERY FRAMEWORK:
Pragmatic, sequenced, prioritized, programmatic, yet living(and flexible) action plan that ensures resilient recovery aftera disaster.
RELIEF:
Provision of assistance or intervention immediately after adisaster to meet the life preservation and basic subsistenceneeds of the persons affected.
RELOCATION:
Process whereby a community’s housing assets and public
infrastructure are rebuilt in another location.
RESIDUAL RISK:
The risk that remains in unmanaged form, even wheneffective disaster risk reduction measures are in place, andfor which emergency response and recovery capacities must
be maintained. The presence of residual risk implies acontinuing need to develop and support effective capacities
for emergency services, preparedness, response, and recovery
together with socioeconomic policies such as safety nets andrisk transfer mechanisms.

PROJECT OUTPUTS:
Results of a project that are measurable at the immediate pointof project completion.

RESILIENCE:
The ability of a system, community, or society exposed tohazards to resist, absorb, accommodate, and recover fromthe effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner,
including through the preservation and restoration of its
essential structures and functions. Resilience is determinedby the degree to which the community has the necessary
resources and is capable of organizing itself both prior toand during times of need.

PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT:
Assessment that provides immediate information on needs,
possible interventions, and resource requirements. May be
conducted as a multisectoral assessment or in a single sector or
location.

RESILIENT RECOVERY:
Builds resilience during recovery and promotes resilience inregular development. Resilient recovery is a means to sustainable
development. See also “Resilience,” “Recovery,” “Disaster risk
management,” and “Disaster risk reduction.”

RECONSTRUCTION:
Focuses primarily on the construction or replacement ofdamaged physical structures, and the restoration of local services
and infrastructure.

RESPONSE:
The provision of emergency services and public assistance during
or immediately after a disaster to save lives, reduce healthimpacts, ensure public safety, and meet the basic subsistenceneeds of the people affected. See also “Humanitarian relief.”

PRIOR MEASURES (EX-ANTE):
Actions taken in advance of a disaster in the expectation thatthey will either prevent or significantly reduce the impacts of a
possible disaster.

83

RIGHT-SITING:
Facilities are rebuilt in areas that are less prone to disasters andaccessible to the community.

SUBSIDIARITY:
Principle by which matters ought to be handled by the smallest,lowest or least centralized competent authority.

RIGHT-SIZING:
Rebuilding facilities such that they adequately respond to theexisting demand; for example, if classes are crowded, moreclasses could be built.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
Development that meets the needs of the present withoutcompromising the ability of future generations to meet theirown needs. This 1987 Brundtland Commission definition
does not address questions regarding the meaning of theword “development” and the social, economic, andenvironmental processes involved. Disaster risk is associatedwith unsustainable elements of development such asenvironmental degradation. Conversely, disaster risk reduction
can contribute to sustainable development by reducing
losses and improving development practices.

RISK:
The combination of the probability of an event and its
negative consequences.
RISK TRANSFER:
Process of formally or informally shifting the financial
consequences of particular risks from one party to another. In
this transaction, one party (household, community, enterprise,or state authority) will obtain post-disaster resources fromanother party in exchange for ongoing or compensatorysocial or financial benefits.
SCOPING:
Investigation or discussion to determine the effect that a
proposed policy or project would have on a community or
the environment.
STAKEHOLDERS:
Groups who have any direct or indirect interest in therecovery interventions, or who can affect or be affected by
the implementation and outcomes. Term includes groups
undertaking, managing, reporting on, affected by, promoting,and funding the interventions. Stakeholders include vulnerable
segments of the population, local governments that are in
direct dialogue with communities.

TARGETING:
Identification and recruitment by local communities, government,
or external agencies of potential assistance recipients.
VULNERABILITY:
Characteristics and circumstances of a community, system,or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effects
of a hazard.
VULNERABLE GROUPS:
Groups or members of groups who are particularly exposedto the impacts of hazards. Examples are displaced persons,
women, the elderly, the disabled, orphans, and any groupsubject to discrimination.
WATERSHED:
Area of land from which all of the water under it or on it drainsto the same place, which may be a river, lake, reservoir, estuary,
wetland, sea, or ocean.

STRUCTURAL MEASURE:
Any physical construction to reduce or avoid possible impactsof hazards, or application of engineering techniques to achieve
hazard-resistance and resilience in structures or systems. See
also “Nonstructural measures.”Note: Definitions in the glossary, where applicable, are based on the 2009 UNISDR Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction.

84

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderson, G.A., and E. Holcombe. 2013. “Community-Based Landslide Risk Reduction: Managing Disasters in
Small Steps,” 404. World Bank, Washington, DC.
Arnold, M., and C. Burton. 2011. “Protecting and Empowering Vulnerable Groups in Disaster Recovery.” InWorld Reconstruction Conference Proceedings, 210–40. World Bank, Washington, DC.
ADB (Asian Development Bank), JBIC (Japan Bank for International Cooperation), and World Bank. 2005. “Preliminary Damage and Needs Assessment. Sri Lanka 2005 Post-Tsunami Recovery Programme.” ADB, JBIC, andWorld Bank, Colombo.
2000. “Belize: Assessment of the Damage Caused by Hurricane Keith.”
Benson, C., and E. Clay. 2002. “Bangladesh Disasters and Public Finance.” Disaster Risk Management Working
Paper Series 6, 114. World Bank, Washington, DC.
Bissell, R, ed. 2013. “Preparedness and Response for Catastrophic Disasters,” 391. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press,
Taylor and Francis Group.
Bollin, C., and S. Khanna. 2007. “Post-Disaster Recovery Needs Assessment Methodologies: Experiences from
Asia and Latin America,” 110. UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), New York.
Buss, T., and A. Gardner. 2008. “Haiti in the Balance: Why Foreign Aid Has Failed and What We Can Do aboutIt.” Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. 2012. “Christchurch Recovery and Reconstruction Strategy,” 56.
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, South Island, New Zealand.
China, Government of, Ministry of Finance. 2012. “Supporting Sustainable Post-Earthquake Recovery in China,”
290. GFDRR (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery), World Bank, Washington, DC.
Courchene, T., J. Martinez-Vazquez, C. McLure, and S.B. Webb. 2000. “Principles of Decentralization.” In
Achievements and Challenges of Fiscal Decentralization: Lessons from Mexico, ed. M.M. Giugale and S.B. Webb,
chap. 1, 279. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Dubois, L. 2012. “Haiti: The Aftershocks of History.” New York: Picador.
Fan, L. 2013. “Disaster as Opportunity? Building Back Better in Aceh, Myanmar and Haiti,”35. Humanitarian
Policy Group, ODI (Overseas Development Institute), London.
Fengler, W., and A. Ihsan. 2006. “Tracking the Money: 10 Lessons from the Aceh and Nias Reconstruction Effort.” Presentation, PREM Week, World Bank, Washington, D.C. May.
2013. “Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, March 2013, Tropical Cyclone Evan,” 79. December 17.
GFDRR (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery). 2011. “Earthquake Reconstruction,” 82. World
Bank, Washington, DC.
GFDRR (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery). 2009. “Guidance Notes on Safer School Construction,” 133. Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, World Bank. Washington, DC.
Comisión Centroamericana de Ambiente y Desarrollo. 2001. “El impacto socioeconomico y ambiental de la sequia de 2001 en centromamerica.” ECLAC Subregional Headquarters , Mexico.
2001. “El Salvador Earthquake Assessment.”85

El Salvador, Government of. 2009. “El Salvador Damage, Loss and Needs Assessment for Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction after the Low Pressure System Associated with Tropical Storm Ida,” 150. Prepared by the Government of El
Salvador with the Support of the International Community, San Salvador.
GOI-UNDP (Government of India-United Nations Development Programme).2008. “Guidelines for Hospital Emergency
Preparedness Planning. 2002–2008.” United Nations Development Programme, New York.
Nigeria, Government of. 2013. “Nigeria Post-Disaster Needs Assessment 2012 Floods.” A Report by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Abuja, 153. May.
Sri Lanka, Government of. 2005. “Post-Tsunami Recovery and Reconstruction. Joint Report of the Government of Sri
Lanka and Development Partners.” Colombo.
2004. “Grenada Hurricane Ivan Assessment.” September.
2001. “Gujarat Earthquake Assessment.” March.
2005. “Guyana Flood Needs Assessment.” January.
GFDRR (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery). 2010. “Haiti Earthquake Reconstruction,”. 31. World Bank,
Washington, DC.
Haiti, Office of the Special Envoy for. 2011. “Has Aid Changed? Channeling Assistance to Haiti before and after the
Earthquake.” June.
IADB (Inter-American Development Bank) and World Bank. 2010. Damage and Loss Assessment Guidance Notes 1, 2,
and 3. IADB and the World Bank, Washington, DC.
2005. “India Post-Tsunami Damage and Needs Assessment.” March.
2005. “Indonesia Post-Tsunami Damage and Needs Assessment.”January.
2006. “Indonesia Post-Earthquake Damage and Loss Assessment for Central Java and Yogyakarta.” June.
IRP (International Recovery Platform). 2013. “Recommendations for Recovery and Reconstruction in Post-2015 Global
Framework for DRR (HFA2).” Kobe, Japan. www.recoveryplatform.org.
IRP (International Recovery Platform). 2009. “Why Gender Issues in Recovery Are Important.” Knowledge for Recovery
Series. Kobe, Japan: IRP. www.recoveryplatform.org.
Jha, A.K., with J.D. Barenstein, P.M. Phelps, D. Pittet, and S.Sena. 2010. Safer Homes, Stronger Communities: A Handbook for Reconstructing after Natural Disasters. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Jha, A.K., R. Bloch, and J. Lamond. 2012. “Cities and Flooding. A Guide to Integrated Urban Flood Risk Management forthe 21st Century,” 629. GFDRR and World Bank, Washington, DC. www.openknowledge.worldbank.org.
Kennedy, J., J. Ashmore, E. Babister, and I. Kelman. 2008. “The Meaning of ‘Build Back Better’: Evidence from Post-Tsunami Aceh and Sri Lanka.” Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 16 (1) (March): 24–36.
Lao PDR, Government of the. 2009. “The Ketsana Typhoon in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic September 29,
2009. Damage, Loss and Needs Assessment,” 106. A Report Prepared by the Government of the LOA PDR with Support
from the World Bank, ADB, ASEAN, FAO, AusAID, GFDRR and ADPC Vientiane. Vientiane. November 2009.
2013 “Lessons from International Disaster Recovery. Toolkit and Selected Case Studies,” 78. Disaster Recovery Framework Initiative. World Bank, Washington, DC. November.
2005. “Maldives Post-Tsunami Damage and Needs Assessment.” February.
Mannakkara, S., and S. Wilkinson. 2013. “Build Back Better: Lessons from Sri Lanka’s Recovery from the 2004 Indian
Ocean Tsunami.” International Journal of Architectural Research 7 (3): 108–121.Monday, J.L. 2002. “Building Back Better:
Creating a Sustainable Community after Disaster.” Natural Hazards Informer, 3 (accessed 3.7.14) http://www.colorado.
edu/hazards/publications/informer/infrmr3/informer3b.htm.
86

2000. “Mozambique: Preliminary Assessment of Damage from the Flood and Cyclone Emergency.” March.
2005. “Pakistan 2005 Earthquake: Preliminary Damage and Needs Assessment.” November.
Ranghieri, F., and M. Ishiwatari. 2014. “Learning from Megadisasters: Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake.”
World Bank, Washington, DC, https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/18864 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Madeleine Fogde, Luis Macario and Kirsten Carey . 2013. “The Role of Ecosystems in Disaster Risk Reduction, The matter
is not if, but when and where: The role of capacity development in disaster risk reduction aiming for a sustainable watersupply and sanitation,” 286. New York: United Nations University Press.
Samoa, Government of. 2009. “Samoa Post-Disaster Needs Assessment Following the Earthquake and Tsunami of 29th
September 2009, 94.” Government of Samoa, Apia. December.
Samoa, Government of. 2013. “Samoa Post-Disaster Needs Assessment Cyclone Evan 2012.” Government of Samoa,
Apia. March.
Schencking, J.C. 2008. “The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Culture of Catastrophe and Reconstruction in 1920s Japan.” Journal of Japanese Studies 34 (2).
Strauss-Kahn, D. 2010. “Why We Need a Marshall Plan for Haiti.” Huffington Post, January 22. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dominique-strausskahn/why-we-need-a-marshall-pl_b_432919.html
2005. “Sri Lanka Post-Tsunami Damage and Needs Assessment.” February.
Tannous, M-N. 2014. “Syria: Preparing for Reconstruction,” 11. Arab Reform Initiative. May.
1999. “Turkey Marmara Earthquake.” September.
UN (United Nations). 2006. “Key Propositions for Building Back Better: A Report by the UN Secretary-General’s Special
Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, William J. Clinton.” United Nations, New York.
UN (United Nations). 2013. “Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2013. From Shared Risk to Shared
Value: The Business Case for Disaster Risk Reduction.” United Nations, New York.
UNDG (United Nations Development Group), World Bank, and EU (European Union). 2013. “Post-Disaster Needs Assessment. Guide A,” 129. UNDG, World Bank, and EU, New York.
UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). 2009. “Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results,” 213. United Nations Development Programme, New York.
UNECLAC/CEPAL (United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). 2003. “Handbook for
Estimating the Socio-Economic Impact and Environmental Impact of Disasters,” 2d ed., Santiago de Chile.
UNESCO IIEP (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation International Institute for Education Planning). 2006. “Guidebook for Planning Education in Emergencies and Reconstruction.” Chap. 35, “Budget and Financial
Management”; chap. 27, “Donor Relations and Funding Mechanisms.” UNESCO IIEP, Paris. www.iiep.unesco.org.
UNISDR (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction). 2009. “UNISDR Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction,” 30.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Geneva.
UNISDR (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction). 2009. “Risk and Poverty in a Changing Climate. Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction.” United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Geneva.
UNISDR (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction). 2013. “From Shared Risk to Shared Value: The Business Casefor Disaster Risk Reduction. Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction.” United Nations Office for Disaster
Risk Reduction, Geneva.
UNISDR/IRP (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction/International Recovery Platform). 2013. “Guidance Noteon Recovery. Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning,” 45. UNISDR/IRP, Kobe.

87

BNPB. 2009. “West Sumatra and Jambi Natural Disasters: Damage, Loss and Preliminary Needs Assessment,” 181. A
Joint Report by the BNPB, Bappenas, and the Provincial and District/City Governments of West Sumatra and Jambi andInternational Partners, Jakarta. October.
WHO (World Health Organization). 2005. “Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (ETAT).” World Health Organization, Geneva.
World Bank. 2005. “Pro-Poor Growth in the 1990’s: Lessons and Insights from 14 Countries. Operationalizing Pro-Poor
Growth Research Program,” 96. World Bank, Washington DC.
World Bank. 2005. “World Bank Response to the Tsunami Disaster,” 27. World Bank, Washington, DC.
World Bank. 2007. “One Year after the Java Earthquake and Tsunami: Reconstruction Achievements and the Results of
the Java Reconstruction Fund,” 52. Jakarta.
World Bank. 2011. “Analyzing the Social Impacts of Disasters.” World Bank, Washington, DC.
World Bank. 2011. “Gender and Climate Change: Three Things You Should Know.” World Bank, Washington, DC. http://
www.worldbank.org/socialresilience.
World Bank. 2011. “Social Resilience and Climate Change: Operational Toolkit.” SDN (Social Development Network),
World Bank, Washington, DC.
GFDRR. 2011. “Recovering and Reducing Risks after Natural Disasters,” 347. Proceedings of the [first] World Reconstruction Conference, Geneva, May 10–13, 2011.
World Bank. 2012. “Inclusive Green Growth. The Pathway to Sustainable Development,” 171. World Bank, Washington, DC.
World Bank. 2012. “The Sendai Report: Managing Disaster Risks for a Resilient Future,” 79. World Bank, GFDRR, andGovernment of Japan, Washington, DC.
World Bank. 2012. “Thai Flood 2011: Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and Reconstruction Planning.” World Bank,
Bangkok. http://www.gfdrr.org/sites/gfdrr.org/files/publication/Thai_Flood_2011_2.pdf.
World Bank. 2014. “Open Data for Resilience Field Guide,” 117. World Bank, Washington, DC.
World Bank. 2014. “Resilient Recovery: An Imperative for Resilient Development,” 11. Draft Discussion Paper for Regional
Platforms on Disaster Risk Reduction. April 2.
World Bank and GFDRR. 2013. “Building Resilience to Disaster and Climate Change through Social Protection.” Synthesis
Note. World Bank Group Rapid Social Response and GFDRR, Washington, DC.
World Bank and UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction). “The Structure, Role and Mandate of Civil Protection in Disaster Risk Reduction for South Eastern Europe,” 179. South Eastern Europe Disaster Risk
Mitigation and Adaptation Programme, World Bank, Washington, DC.
Yonder, A., with S. Akcar, and P. Gopalan. 2005. “Women’s Participation in Disaster Relief and Recovery.” Seeds Series.
Population Council, New York. http://www.popcouncil.org/uploads/pdfs/seeds/Seeds22.pdf.

88

GLOBAL FACILITY FOR DISASTER REDUCTION AND RECOVERY

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433, USA
202.473.1000
www.worldbank.org