ASIAN DISASTER REDUCTION CENTER
Final Report Laos PDR

Visiting Researcher
Program on date 10 January to 24 march 2024 (FY2023)
Report by: Ms Sonekham PHOMMAHAXAY
Social Welfare Department , Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare

1Disclaimer
This report was compiled by an ADRC visiting researcher (VR) from ADRC
member countries. The views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect theviews of the ADRC. The boundaries and names shown and the designations usedon the maps in the report also do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by
the ADRC.

2

Contants
1. Introduction
1.1 Background and sgnificance………………………………………………………4
1.2 Specific Aims………………………………………………………………………..4
1.3 Expected results…………………………………………………………………….5
1.4 Scope of Study………………………………………………………………………5
2. Disaster management System in Lao ……………………………………………5
2.1 Geneal Overview of the County…………………………………………………..5
2.2 Geographical Data………………………………………………………………….5
2.3 Climate Chang information .……………………………………………………….7
3. Disaster Risk Situation Lao PDR …………………………………………………8
3.1 History of natural Disaster on July 2018 floods..………………………………10
3.2 Disaster Risk Management Principles…………………………………………11
4. Disaster Risk management Mechanisms ………………………………………12
4.1 Role Central Disaster management Communittee…………………………….13
4.2 Role province Disaster management Communittee………………………….13
4.3 Role District Disaster management Communittee…………………………….13
4.4 Role Village Disaster management Communittee…………………………….13
5. Infeastructure System DRR………………………………………………………14
6. Diaster Risk management plan in Japan and laos…………………………….23
6.1 Disaster Risk management planl in Japan……………………………………..23
6.2 Disaster Countermeasures Laws and Acts…………………………………….23
6.3 Disastermanagement planing…………………………………………………...24
6.4 Mission of the office Japan………………………………………………………25
6.5 National Conference promotingDRR……………………………………………26
6.6 Reginal Cooperation Through ADRC Center…………………………………..27
6.7 Community Disaster management plan ………………………………………..28
7. Summery Leanings DRR in lao…………………………………………………..30
8. Conclusion Lessons Learned From Japan……………………………………..31
9. References………………………………………………………………………….34
3

1. Introduction
1.1 Background and sgnificance
Laos is a country with a moderate level of disaster risk, but if compared to
Developing counties with the level of risk higt to ensure such full and affective
implementation yet it require joint effort at both national to local leval full andaffective implementation of these instruments is the key Having all these these legal
framework in place in not enough,currently governmentis to work Disaster Risk Reduction into the

9 thNational Social-Economic Develop plan and formulating the national Strategy
action plan but provice and District not expand to connection Social-Economic
Provice and Distrist Because Staff is have to Lack of limities capacity buding andBedgetimplementation , it is clear that it is still at high risk in terms of the

management of potential disasters due to a lack of technical knowledge. There is
still lack of tools and a low level of awareness of disaster risk. In particular,
communities in high-risk areas have limited access to information for people inremote areas, infrastructure is not adequate, community leader and people do notunderstand the risks, and there is no plan to cope with disasters that may occur.
District and village disaster management committees are not yet strong andhave no understanding of disaster risk reduction , so there is no plan to deal withdisasters.
1.2 Specific Aims
The aim of the proposed research is to study theCommunity/Disztrict

municipality Disaster Risk Reduction plan of Japan which is the key to community
based disaster risk mangement for resilience.

41.3 Expected results
2. To infrom the district and village committees of their rights and reponsibilities
to plan and prepare in advance to deal with potential disaster.
3. To build community’s disaster preparadness and response capacity,particulaqrly through the development of a disaster risk reduction plan.
1.4 Scope of StudyThe

research

is Focus

Strenthening Community based Disaster Risk

management in Lao through the Development of District and Community level
Disaster Risk Reduction Plan Lessons Learned from Japan.
2. Disaster management System in Lao
2.1 Geneal Overview of the County
Laos is a Landlocked Country location in
Sourheast Asia borderred by Burma, com
Plateau in China through Myanmar, Lao
PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam.
Most of the country

is Mountainous andthickly forested, has a Land area of 236.000
sq.km and The Mekong River form a largepart of the western bondary with Thailand ,The

Mekong

river

has

a

lengthof approximately 4,900 km, flowing from its
source on the Tibetan Plateau in China
through Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam via a large delta
into the sea, Mekong River length in laos 1683 km, Laos is have Main Rever 7
River is Nam tha River a length 325 km, Namsong River 36 km ,Nam Ngum River354 km5

,Namkaan River , Nam ou River 448 km, Nam xeBangfai River and Nam BanghiangRiver, have 17 provinec 148 District, Divided into three area is Northern,central andSourhern.
2.2 Geographical Data
Laos's total population was 7.58 million in January 2023. Data shows that
Laos's population increased by 105 thousand (+1.4 percent) between 2022 and2023. 49.6 percent of Laos's population is female, while 50.4 percent of the
population is male and is a multiethnic country with a long history of rural, smallvillage life. A semblance of national identity has only been promoted since 1975.
Historically

2.3 Climate Chang information
The climate of Lao PDR is defined by the tropical monsoon. The rainyseason runs roughly May through November, and the dry season runs from
December to April. The dry season can be divided into the cooler months ofNovemberFebruary and the hot months of March and April. While the monsoon
6

tends to occur across the entire country all at once, rainfall varies regionally. The
higher elevations of southern Laos can see 3,700 mm/year of rainfall, while thecentral areas of Savannakhet and Vientiane receive 1,400-1,700 mm/year, andnorthern areas may see 1,200 mm/year. Rainfall varies widely from year to year,
and drought is common. Temperatures also vary from north to south and withelevation; the hot, dry season can see 40°C days along the Mekong, and the cool,dry season can see 5°C days in the uplands.142 Figure 5 shows the mean
temperature and rainfall nationally during the course of the year

Harzard/month

Jan

Feb

mar

Apr

may

Jun Jul

Aug

Sep

oct

Nov Dec

Flood
Drought
Earthquake
Storm
Fire
(Disaster Seasoning Calendar in Lao)

Lao PDR has suffered natural disasters such as floods, droughts, landslides
and earthquakes due to climate change, which has severely affected socio7

economic development and the livelihoods of the people. Therefore, it is important
to increase prevention, responsiveness and post-disaster recovery (from naturaland man-made disasters), as well as disaster risk insurance, to mitigate the impacts
and provide timely monitoring and warning.
3. Disaster Risk Situation in Lao PDR
Lao PDR is a landlocked country, with a number of unique geographicalregions. About two-thirds of the land area is mountainous. The country has atropical climate with two seasons. The dry season is between mid-October and midMay and is influenced by the northeast monsoon, mainly during October to
February. The coolest period of this season is November to January. The hottest
period is from March to May. The rainy season is from mid-May to mid-October,when the southwest monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean and the Gulf ofThailand bring high humidity into Lao PDR. Between July and September there areheavy rainfalls, especially very frequent rainfalls in August. The average annual
rainfall across the country is between 1,900 to 3,500 mm. The wet season is
generally hot to extremely hot.
Due to its geographical conditions and the location of the country, Lao PDR has
a high risk from natural disasters and climate change, such as floods, droughts,
storms, and landslides, as well as epidemics, etc. The country still relies on natural
resources and agricultural production and has limited and insufficient disasterprevention, preparedness and response capabilities, and this is partly why itremains a least developed country. Climate change is also a risk factor for Lao
PDR, as more people will be affected by natural disasters. Increasing rainfall andtemperatures are expected to alter the Mekong hydrological system, and flood anddrought risks are expected to increase.
The National Disaster Risk Report 2010 indicated the situations of risk andvulnerable areas affected by major disasters such as floods, landslides, storms anddroughts as follows:8

+ Flood risk areas: 8 rivers are risky for flooding, include: Nam Ou, Nam Ngum,
Nam Ngiep, Nam Xan, Xe Bang Fai, Xe Bang Hieng, Xedon and Xe Kong
Storm risk areas: This includes typhoons or cyclones, and tropical storms, whichcause strong winds and heavy rain as well as hailstorms that may cause death or
injury and affect or damage property of people, residential houses, public buildings,
schools, hospitals, agricultural production areas etc
Drought risk areas: Droughts mostly have direct impacts on agriculture andfood security, people's livelihoods, clean water sources, and sanitation. The data
analysis indicated the common drought risk areas in different provinces withmoderate and severe level as follows:-

The dry season, between October and March, may occur in
Oudomxay, Vientiane, Khammouane, Bolikhamxay and Savannakhet
provinces;-

The rainy season, between April and September, is likely to occur in
Xiengkhouang province, mainly in Xaysomboun province, the areaadjacent to Bolikhamxay province, Dongheng area in Savannakhet
province;-

The rainy season, between June and September, is likely to occur in
Xiengkhouang, most of Houaphanh and Xaysomboun provinces, andthe northern part of Bolikhamxay province, the eastern part ofSavannakhet province, and the northern part of Salavane province;-

In one-year period, between April and March, drought may occur in
Xiengkhouang and surrounding areas.
Lao PDR is exposed to a range of climactic, hydro, and geologicalphenomena that include storms, floods, landslides, droughts, strong winds, andsmall earthquakes. In recent years, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather
events has increased with damaging floods occurring in the central and southernpart of the country along the Mekong River The main natural disaster in the Lao
PDR - both in terms of fre-quency.
9Affected Population by Hazard (1990-2018)
HF 1%

EP 8%

HOUSE FIRE

DR 9%

FLOOD/FLASH FLOOD (FL)ACCIDENTSTORM/LIGHTNING (ST)
COLD WAVE

ST 10%DROUGHTELEPHANT ATTACKEPIDEMIC/PLAGUE (EP)EXTREAME RAIN
FL 72%FOREST FIRELANDSLIDE
LIGHTNINGS

No

DisasterYear 2023 /Total Damage /kip

1

Flood

30

1.106.519.329.284

2Drought

11.85188.500

3Earthquake

16

0

4

Storm

6

1.371.397.000

5

Fire

21

4.786.951.000( Data Harzard Damdge in laos 2023)
3.1 History of Natural Disaster on July 2018 – Floods
Tropical Storm Son-Tinh caused heavy rains in 13 provinces and flash floods
in Sanamxay District in Attapeu Province. Heavy rainfall over several days in
Attapeu resulted in dangerouslyhigh river and dam levels. An incident at the Xe
Pian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam, still under construction in Attapeu, resulted in
flash flooding on 23 July. As illustrated in Figure 10168, eight villages were affectedin Lao PDR: Ban Mai, Ban Hin Lath, Ban Tha Sengchan, Ban Thahintai, Ban
Sanong, Ban Thae, Ban Phonsaath, and Ban Nongkhae. Downstream villages in
Cambodia were also devastated. The collapse of the dam affected nearly 7,000

10people and displaced more than 1,000. More than
100 houses were damaged, forcing people to seek
shelter in local government buildings and schools.
Tropical Storm Son-Tinh brought fresh, heavy rains
and hit Attapeu Province’s Sanamxay District thehardest. As of 28 July, some 16,250 people had
been affected by the combined floods; 19 people are
known to have died and more than 7,300 displaced
people wereliving in temporary shelters. Roads, bridges, schools, and agriculturalland were damaged or destroyed. The response in some areas was cut off to all
approaches except by boat or helicopter

2..3 Disaster Risk Management System in Lao11

3.2 Disaster Risk Management Principles
Disaster Risk Management Cycle is a theory of disaster risk management for
dealing with disaster that is difficult to predict the results. It is a unique and nonlinear therefore must be carried out in a circular manner continuously and cannot
separate particular parts in each process. As a result, Disaster Risk Management is
a Holistic Approach for sustainable safety from prevention and mitigation,
preparedness, respond, relief, and recovery. The operation in each period of time,the disaster may have overlapping during the operation depend on the level ofdisaster
4. Disaster Risk management Mechanisms
In 1999, a national government structure was built to guide the disaster risk
reduction and emergency response management in Laos. The government also
created the National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC) which includes
Directors from various ministries; the NDMC is tasked with coordinating early
warning, preparedness, emergency response, and recovery activities.180 The
National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) was assigned as the Secretariat to
the NDMC, and a focal point structure was later established to include NDMC
members and units. Functioning under the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare,
the NDMO is the Secretariat to the NDMC, with further focal point structures atprovincial and district levels
The Disaster Management Committees are non-standing organizations,whose role is to assist and advise, deliberate, supervise and coordinate with thesectors and local authorities concerned, to elaborate and implement disastermanagement activities.
The Disaster Management Committees consist of:
1. Central Disaster Management Committee;
2. Provincial Disaster Management Committees;
3. District Disaster Management Committees;124. Village Disaster Management Committees.
4.1 Role Central Disaster Management Committee
The Central Disaster Management Committee abbreviated as “CDMC” shallbe appointed by the Prime Minister based on a proposal made by the Minister ofLabor and Social Welfare. Its role is to support the implementation of policies,
strategies, measures, laws, regulations, plans, programs, and projects related todisaster management, for which the Department of Social Welfare, under the
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, is the Secretariat. The Central Disaster
Management Committee
4.2 Role Provincial Disaster Management Committee
The Provincial Disaster Management Committee abbreviated as “PDMC” shallbe appointed by the relevant Provincial Governor or the Mayor of Vientiane Capital,
based on a proposal made by the Director of Labor and Social Welfare Department.
Its role is to support the implementation of policies, strategies, measures, laws,
regulations, plans, programs, and projects related to disaster management, forwhich the Social Welfare Division, Provincial Labor and Social Welfare Department,is the Secretariat.
4.3 Role District Disaster Management Committee
The District Disaster Management Committee abbreviated as “DDMC” isappointed by the District Governor, or Head of Prefecture or City Mayor, based on a
proposal made by the Head of the District Labor and Social Welfare Offi ce. Its role
is to lead the implementation of policies, strategies, measures, laws, regulations,plans, programs, and projects related to disaster management activities, for which
the Social Welfare Unit, District Labor and Social Welfare Offi ce, is the Secretariat.
4.4 Role Village Disaster Management Committee
The Village Disaster Management Committee abbreviated as “VDMC” is assignedby the Village Head, whose role is to lead disaster management activities at village
level, to be a focal point for coordinating with relevant stakeholders and to provide
13assistance to the District Disaster Management Committee, for which the Social andCultural Unit is the Secretariat.

Deputy Prime Minister
National Disaster Prevention
and Control Committee(NDPCC

Social welfare
MOLSW

Provincial DisasterPrevention and Control

Committee (PDPCC)

District Disaster Prevention
and Control Committee

Village Disaster Prevention
and Control Committee(Disaster Risk Management Mechanisms
5. Infrastructure System Disaster Risk Reduction
Education Sector
Through the development of specific disaster risk reduction curriculum, theGovernment of Lao PDR has been building the resilience of the education sector inpart from the National Disaster Management Office, the National Research Institutefor Education Sciences, and the Ministry of Education and Sports. This initiative
includes the development of disaster risk reduction manuals and disaster risk
reduction training for teachers and education officials. Save the Children, in
cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Sports, developed Disaster Risk
14

Reduction Handbooks for grades 3 to 6. In coordination Provincial with Education
Department, the handbooks primarily addressed school disaster risk reduction andemergency management. The ASEAN Safe Schools Initiative (ASSI) is anotherinitiative in the country which builds on existing school safety initiatives and uses
information and communication technology for comprehensive school safety. The
project, led by Save the Children in Lao PDR, developed a Comprehensive School
Safety Assessment Suite that comprises a self-assessment tool and the Visual
Inspection for Safety Upgrading Strategy (VISUS) tool. This tool was piloted in 50
schools
Communications Early Warning Systems
The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH), under the Lao Ministryof Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), is responsible for monitoring,
forecasting, and early warning of hydrological and meteorological hazards. Early
warning and disaster information is disseminated to the public in two ways. The
warning is passed from the National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC)‘down the line’ to their representatives at the provincial, district, and village level.
Early warning information is then broadcast on village speaker systems to alert the
public, and through speakers on the back of a truck driven throughout thevulnerable area. The second method to deliver information is through the media by
television and radio; however, content delivery is often unplanned and inconsistent
due to limited funding.
According to the new 2019 Disaster Management Law, early warnings are
made by various district, provincial, and central levels. The warning shall refer toinformation on forecasting, monitoring and prediction for the concerned sectors. In
cases where there has been notification and declaration of a possible disaster
affecting more than one village, the relevant District Governor, Head of Municipality,
or City Mayor shall issue a warning and declaration of the surveillance area based15

on a proposal made by the District Disaster Management Committee. When there
has been notification and declaration of a possible disaster affecting more than one
district, the Provincial Governor or Mayor of Vientiane Capital, shall issue a warningand declaration of the surveillance areas based on a proposal made by theProvincial Disaster Management Committee. In addition, when there has been
notification and declaration of a possible disaster affecting more than one province,
the Government shall issue a warning and declaration of the surveillance areas
based on a proposal made by the Central Disaster Management Committee
Airports
Laos has 14 airports and 39 smaller airstrips; however, not all are currently
operational. Wattay International Airport located in Vientiane is the main airport.
Other important but minor airports include Luang Prabang, Pakse, Savannakhet,
Oudomxai and Luang Namtha as shown in Table 3. 224 There are limited
operations in Attapeu, Saravan, Samnue, and Xayaboury. Wattay International
Airport is the main international gateway, while Luang Prabang and Pakse accepts
regional traffic and provide customs, immigration, and quarantine services.
Savannakhet is a significant provincial airport. Wattay International Airport and thetwo regional airports (Luang Prabang International and Pakse International) coverinternational traffic and associated services. International airlines include Air Asia,
Bangkok Airways, China Eastern Airlines, Lao Airlines, Thai Airways, and Vietnam
Airlines and they provide international services. Direct connections are alsoavailable to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Hanoi from Luang Prabang, and to Bangkok
and Siem Reap from Pakse. Lao Airlines operates domestic flights with regular daily
services and to three remote provinces— Houaphan, Phongsali, and Xayaboury.
Domestic and international services are provided primarily for tourist traffic.
Additional flights are made in the rainy season to selected locations,
Roads Traveling16

Laos is generally safe with the exception of some areas in the North. Vehicles
may not be equipped with lights, and animals stray on to the roads; both can cause
accidents. The number of road accidents in Laos has risen in recent years alongwith increased numbers of motor vehicles including motorbikes. 227 Significant
improvements have been made to the main National Road 13, which runs thelength of the country, linking China with Vientiane, Savannakhet, the Cambodian
capital of Phnom Penh, and Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City.228 Road transport
accounts for more than 80% of total freight transport. The road network in Lao PDR
is approximately 46,000 km. Of these roads, only 28% are paved and more than
60% of the total national roads are classified to be in poor condition. This can beexacerbated during the rainy season leaving most of the provincial and districtroads inaccessible.229 The costs of extending, upgrading, and maintaining theroads are very high, and the Lao government continues to depend upon the supportof its development partners including World Bank, Asia Development Bank, SIDA,
Japan/JICA, OPEC, IFAD, KFW, UNCDF, and the EU to implement rehabilitation
projects in the transport sector.
Railways
Construction has begun on a rail link from China to Vientiane, Laos. The
railway is part of China’s $1.3 trillion Belt and Road Initiative that looks to establish
a vast network of investment and infrastructure spanning Asia, Europe, and Africa.
China sees Laos as a vital link as a direct neighbor with access to the critical
Mekong River. The China-Laos railway is part of a line that will eventually extend
from Kunming, in China’s Yunnan province, south to Singapore. The Chinese
government will pay 70% of the approximate $6 billion cost for the China-Laosrailway, with Laos financing 30% with loans from Chinese financial institutions
Water ways

17

The Mekong River is the most important inland navigable mode of transport in
Laos. Transport through the mountainous areas of the country is not feasible nor
economic and so the Mekong River has been an important conduit for people andgoods between the many towns located along its banks. Small boats are used forfishing and trade. The River is also becoming an important link in international traderoutes, connecting the six Mekong countries (Laos, China, Myanmar, Thailand,
Cambodia, and Vietnam) to each other, and to the rest of the world. The seasonalvariations in water level directly affect trade in River sections and can often
decrease by more than 50%. The Department of Waterways is responsible forpolicy, planning, and managing all inland waterways in the country. Including port
and Starting education early is very important to educational outcomes, yetenrolment in Early Childhood Education (ECE) remains low in the country. Recent
efforts have been made to combat this such as making ECE free of charge underthe 2015 Education Law and the establishment of an ECE department under MoES
Communications
The Ministry of Public Work and Transport (formerly the Ministry ofCommunications, Transport, Post and Construction) is responsible for the
managementof

postalservicesandtelecommunications,

among

other

responsibilities.244 In 1989, Laos joined the AsiaPacific Telecommunity, anintergovernmentalorganization

that

aims

to

fosterthedevelopmentof

telecommunication services and information infrastructure throughout the region,
particularly in less developed areas
Telephones
In Laos, the rate of fixed-telephone subscriptions was 20.99 per 100
inhabitants at the end of 2018, compared to the world average of 12.49 per 100
inhabitants. Laos surpassed the global average in fixed-telephone subscription rates18

in 2015. Lao PDR’s mobile-cellular subscription rate was 51.86 per 100 inhabitantsin 2018, which compared to the global rate of 103.95 per 100 that year.247
Internet Acces
The rate of fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions in Laos was 0.64 per 100
inhabitants in 2018, compared to the global rate of 14.12 per 100 that year. A
reported 24.46% of households in Laos have internet access, still low compared theworld rate of 55.18% of households with internet in 2018.248 Many of thesestatistics are provided to the International Telecommunication Union by state
governments, and they differ from numbers compiled by other organizations.
Reporters sans Frontières (RSF, Reporters Without Borders) states that Laos has
only about 500,000 Internet users, or approximately 10% of the population. The useof online news and information platforms is impacted by a 2014 decree that states
Internet users must identify themselves by their names registered with theauthorities, and that Internet users can be jailed for criticizing the government. A
blogger who tried to inform others about post-flooding conditions in southern Laos
was sentenced to five years in prison in December 2019. Despite these constraints,
Laotians are increasingly using the Internet and social media, and there is even aslowly emerging blogosphere.249 Data was not available for Laos showing core
indicators of telecommunications access or disaggregation by gender. In the AsiaPacific region as a whole, 41.3% of females used the internet while 54.6% of males
did. The gender gap among internet users has actually increased in developing
countries, which is reflected in the Asia-Pacific region where the internet-user
gender gap grew from 17.4% in 2013 to 24.4% in 2019Social Welfare Department, Secretariat DMCC Relief and Emergency Response
At the time of a disaster occurring, the Disaster Management Committee andlocal authorities at the relevant level respond accordingly by providing emergency
relief as well as collaborate with local authorities, and the whole of society, to19search for, rescue, and evacuate affected people to the safe places or resettlement
areas. In case of a severe disaster occurring, the Central Disaster Management
Committee shall coordinate with local authorities to establish an Emergency
Command Center at central and local levels where the disaster is occurring, toarrange temporary shelter, warehousing, medical assistance, and timely delivery
and thorough distribution of emergency relief materials. The Emergency CommandCenter would then take the lead in supervising and overseeing all support according
to the 2019 Disaster Law
In addition, the implementation of emergency assistance, the Social welfare
Department, Secretariat of the National Disaster Management Committee, hasalso encouraged provinces and cities to create disaster risk reduction strategies atthe provincial level. Currently, 6 provinces have completed the promotion, and 11
provinces have not yet implemented it due to lack of budget and many restrictions.
For the district level, there are 148 districts in the country, and there is an action
plan to reduce disaster risk in 11 districts And each year organized to celebrate theInternational Disaster Risk Reduction Day so that the society is aware andunderstand about the disaster risk that caused a lot of damage and Developed a
training manual to integrate disaster risk reduction in each sector, a disaster
preparedness preparation manual
5.3.1 Laws and Regulations
The National Disaster Risk Strategic Plan (2003-2020)

has served as theprincipal legal mechanism for disaster risk management practices in Laos. Prime
Minister Decree on the Establishment of NDPCC, No. 75/PM, 28 Feb 2018 andhave the Vision 2030 and Ten-Year Development Strategy (2016-2020) andCurrently to developing national Action plan Disaster Risk Reduction which is on
the basic of global and national framework such as Sustainable Development
Goals, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 – 2030, Paris

20

Agreement, and The National Economic and Social Development Plan 9th. In
addition, there are other relevant law/regulation/notification/directive from otherministries to combine for Disaster Risk Management .
Year

PolicyImplementation scope

purposeAgency /office
1999

the

Prime National

national

To create a comprehensive

Minister’s

Disasterdisaster management

DecreeNo Management

institution with authority

158 (1999)

Committee

reaching from the national(NDMC

level to villages, with set
goals up to 2020

2011

Prime

Prime

national

Re-establishing the National Disaster Prevention

Minister’s

Minister’sand Control Committee (NDPCC) and NDRMP to

Decree No.

Decree No.

serve as a foundation for multi-sectoral DRM in

373 (2011)

373 (2011)

the country.

2003-

Periodical

National

National,

Articulates a DRM strategy, direction and priority

2020

Strategic

Disaster

Provinces, actions based on lessons learned in the past.

Plan onManagement

Districts

DisasterOfficeRisk
Management(2003-2005/
2005-2010/2010-2020
2010

Strategy on The
ClimateChangeNational,

Outlinestheobjectives

anddirectionfor

Government of Provinces, addressing climate change in Lao PDR acrossof Lao

PDR, Districts

sectors, in consideration of SDGs and CCA

the Lao PDR relevant2013(2010)

Sectors

Prime

Department of national

Establishes

theDepartment

of
21

Disaster

Minister’s

DisasterManagement and Climate Change under the

Decree 220 Management(2013)

andministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Climatechange(DDMCC)
2013

2019

Inter-Agency

National

National

Contingency

Disasterthegovernment

inguaranteeing

Plan (IACP)

Management(2013/2014)

OfficeThe Law on

The law was

Disasterpassed by the

National,

Management

parliament in

Provinces, including regional and international linkages, and(2019)

the National

Districts

effective and timely emergency response bydefining

roles

and

providing

guidelines

forcoordination.
This law outlines the principles, regulations andAssembly
2021

Supporting

measuresnational

relatedsocialtodisasterandeconomicmanagement
development

towards sustainable development.

National

The NSDRR

National,

Strategty

was passed by Provinces, with policies, the constitution, laws, strategies,

DRR 2021-

the parliament2030

in the National

Districts

This NSDRR will be implemented in compliance
NSEDPs to cover all types of disasters , toensure the participation of all social sectors andAssembly

coordination

betweenministries,

agencies,organizations and local authorities DRR .
0

Action plan

NDMO

National

Going onNDMO

National,

To use the disaster management fund to raise

NSDRR
2021

DegreeDisastermanagement
Fund

Provinces, funds and accumulate funds from home andDistricts

abroadtoprovidefundingforemergency

assistance, repair the necessary infrastructure,
search, and rescue to make the lives of people
who have suffered a disaster return to normal or
better.
( Disaster Risk Management Policies Framework in Lao)22

Sine 2021 government endosement

National Strategty for DRR 2021-2030

the Vision DRR by 2030 will be strong in disaster management, able to reduce thedamage and loss from disasters to the society, economy and environment, and able
to integrate DRR in National Socio-Economic Development Plans and sectoralplans in each period and have to 7 Strategy, 42 Objective as following:
1. Strategy 1: Develop and strengthen the disaster prevention system, disasterrisk reduction, disaster preparedness and response
2. Strategy 2: Strengthen disaster response and emergency assistance.
3. Strategy 3: Develop and strengthen post-disaster recovery.
4. Strategy 4: Strengthen sectoral coordination on disaster risk reduction,
emergency response and recovery
5. Strategy 5: Enhance national and local DRR education and training
6. Strategy 6: Promote participation and stakeholder engagement and inclusion
7. Strategy 7. Budget and disaster risk financing
6.Diaster Risk management plan in Japan and laos
6.1 Disaster management planl in Japan
6.1.1 Disaster countermeasures Laws and Acts
Japan’s legislation for disaster management system, including the Disaster
Countermeasures Basic Act, addresses all of the disaster phases of prevention,
mitigation and preparedness, emergency response as well as recovery andreconstruction with roles and responsibilities among the national and local
governments clearly defined, it is stipulated that the relevant entities of the public
andprivatesectorsaretocooperatein

implementing

variousdisastercountermeasures countermeasures
The Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act has constantly been reviewed andamended since its first enactment, and with lessons learned from the Great East
Japan Earthquake, provisions were added including enhancement of the measures23

concerning support activities mutually done by local governments in 2012 and themeasures for ensuring smooth and safe evacuation of residents and improving
protection of affected people in 2013. In 2014, provisions were added forstrengthening measures against unattended cars in order to promptly clear themfrom the roads for emergency vehicles

6.2 Disaster management Planing
1. Basic Disaster management plan: This plan is the highest-level andconstitutes rhe basis for disaster managemet cativities prepared by tha

24national

Disasater

mbnagement

council

based

on

the

DisasterCountermeasures Basic Act
2. Disaster mamagement Operation plan: This a plan made by each designatedgovernment orgaziation and designated public coroporation based on thebasic Disaster management plan
3. Local Disaster management plan: This is plan made by each Prefectural andmunicipal Disaster Management council, Subject to local circumstance andBased on the basic Disaster management plan
4. Community Disaster management plan: This is disaster management
activities plan at the Community level which is established by residents andbusinesses jointly on a voluntary basis
6.3 Mission of the Cabinet Office Japan
Along with a series of reforms of the central government system in
2001, the post of Minister of State for Disaster Management was newly
established to integrate and coordinate disaster risk reduction policies andmeasures of ministries and agencies. In the Cabinet Office, which is
responsible for securing cooperation and collaboration among related
government organizations in wide-ranging issues, the Director-General for
Disaster Management is mandated to undertake the planning of basic
disaster management policies and response to large-scale disasters, as wellas conduct overall coordination. To prepare for disasters, the Central
Disaster Management Council with the Prime Minister as the Chief and all
Cabinet members decides the national government’s disaster management
measures. Such decisions are carried out by respective ministries andagencies, accordingly. In the event of a large-scale disaster, the Cabinet
Office is engaged in collection and dissemination of accurate information,
reporting to the Prime Minister, establishment of the emergency activities

25system including the Government’s Disaster Management Headquarters,
overall wide area coordination concerning disaster response measures

3.1.5 National Conference on Promoting Disaster Risk Reduction
National Council for Promoting Disaster Risk Reduction and National
Conference on Promoting Disaster Risk Reduction The “National Council for
Promoting Disaster Risk Reduction consists of experts from various fields such as
six local administrative associations, the business community, the educational
community, and the medical and welfare sectors. It was established in 2015 and26

has been promoting public relations in cooperation with the National Disaster
Management Council so that varioussectors are able to exchange information andopinions each other and collaborate according to circumstance for the purpose ofraising public awareness of disaster risk reduction.
lessons of the Great East Japan Earthquake and disaster risk reduction." Forinstance, they discussed several different efforts of the "Tsunami Memorial Hall"(disaster risk reduction learning center for children who will lead the next
generation), (networking of facilities to pass on lessons) and Disaster Memorial
Museum and It was confirmed that increasing the disaster resilience of the country
as a whole was important through not only "public support" by the government(s),but also "self-help;" each citizen gains preparedness against disaster with theawareness that they must protect their own lives, and "mutual support;"
communities, schools, businesses and volunteers help each other.
6.5 Regional Cooperation Through Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
The Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) was founded by agreement
among Asian countries in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture in July 1998, based on a
proposal from Japan to promote multilateral cooperation on disaster reduction in
Asia. The Center currently consists of 31 member countries and5 advisorcountries,
The Sendai framework for DRR in cludes as goals increasing the number ofCounties with nationanl and local DRR Strategies and enhencing international
coopreation to developing counties thorough adequate and sustainable suport tocomplement their national action for implementation of the present Framework and
The ADRC takes the leading role in promoting SFDRR in Asia with its pillars of
Activities to Share Disaster related information

to train personal of the member

nation to bolster Disaster in local coummunites

27

Specific programs include the provision of outstanding case studies throughthe ADRC to diliver and sharing of diaster information using Sttellite data ,invitationof

Reseachsfrommembercounties,hostingofcomprehensive

disastermanagement Seminars to encourage participant of local communities
6.7Community Disaster management plan
The aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake ,the limitation of thegovernment ‘s activities

and the importance of mutual-help in collaboration

municipalities apparent . Consquently ,the cabinet Office a amended the DisasterCoountermeasures Basis Law in Jun 2013 and Community Disaster management
plan and a plan for Disaster management activities by businesses and resident ofloca communities .from the perspective of Social capital ,disaster management
activities besed on the CDMP will lead to local community paticipation in town
planing, even during rhe preliniminary reconsction phase

7.Summary Learnings DRR in Lao
Lao PDR is a land-locked high-risk flood country; being hit by large-scaledisasters that took place every year over the past 3 years since 2018. The most
severe floods and drought impacts are always experienced by Lao PDR’s mostvulnerable populations, who depend on subsistence agriculture and natural28

resources for their livelihoods and food security. The Government expressedserious concern over continued impacts and frequency of large-scale flood andstorms as well as the economic devastation that came with the COVID-19
pandemic, which severely undermine ongoing efforts to graduate from Least
Developed Country (LDC) status in 2026.
Budget shortfalls due to economic crisis hinder investment in disaster risk
reduction for resilience and national preparedness efforts. Lao PDR still lacks multihazard early warning systems that can predict several types of disasters.

With

limited capabilities and inadequate tools to provide emergency relief and recovery
services, the country lacks preparedness to protect the lives and livelihoods ofpeople, particularly those are on the frontlines of climate change.
Despite the immense challenges, the Government of Lao PDR delivered vitalassistance to save lives of the people and implemented the reform actions. National
Disaster Management Committee with the Department of Social Welfare as the
Secretariate significantly contributes to the transformation of the disaster sector
under the Disaster Management Law, both for the design and implementation of the
National Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (2021 – 2030), Disaster Management
Fund (2021) and the organization of committees at all levels.
Lao PDR has made important progress towards achieving results underPriority 2 ‘Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk’ andunder Priority 4 ‘Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to
Build Back Better to recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction’. However, it is not
fully meeting the targets. The results under Priority 1 ‘Understanding disaster risk’
are mixed and data were insufficient. Since 2020, resilience-building activities(Priority 3 ‘Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience’) were often interrupted
to respond to acute needs due to lack of funding and Since disaster management
and climate change were increasingly mainstreamed into the 7 th, 8th and 9th National
SocialEconomic

Development

Plans(NSEDPs)

andconcerned

sectoraldevelopment plans under the framework of Sustainable Development and Poverty
Alleviation, many DRR functions were specified and are being integrated within and29

across broader national entities collaborating with the disaster risk reduction agenda
to make them more relevant and effective.
The implementation of five strategies of the National Strategy allowed
National Disaster Management Committee to work more with other ministries andInternational Development Partners (IDPs) to build disaster resilience amongcommunities and to promotes resource mobilization and advances preparedness
and response plans to reflect risks of disasters , with a focus on vulnerable groups,
particularly children, pregnant women and elderly-headed families. Subsequently,
common non-structural measures were found include assessment, and some
information resources as well as public awareness raising programmes that now
outreach to diverse communities to build the foundations for graduating from LDC
status. Local governments gradually engage in need assessment as a means toimprove DRR efficiencies.
National Disaster Management Committee is working to improve coordination
mechanisms and policy tools; for example, seeking out the use of the militaryfacilities and capacities and working in partnership with different internationalorganizations, other countries, particularly ASEAN countries, and the private sector
to develop capacities in community-based disaster risk reduction.
The National Strategy clearly defined the conduction of Mid Term Global
Review of Sendai Framework (2015 – 2030) as one of key actions. The midterm
review set priorities, based on the identified needs of different sectors andstakeholders for the coming 7 years (2023 – 2030), to expand disaster risk
reduction efforts through the continued support of development partners. Findings
from the midterm review will contribute to the development of strategy of the
NSEDP No. 10 and To build a pathway to become a more resilient upper middle –income country, with a less vulnerable country to disaster and strong human assets,
the Government is willing to work more with a constructive engagement ofInternational Development Partners to deliver specific and targeted assistance andbring efficiencies to response operations and the implementation of Sendai

30

Framework for disaster risk reduction to protect lives and property and, more
importantly, to lift thousands of families out of extreme poverty.
8. Conclusions Lessons learned from Japan- Japan is a country that is highly prone to natural disasterssuch as earthquakes,
tsunamis, typhoons, floods, and landslides. The country's high-risk profile makes
it necessary to have a well-defined disaster management system in place. It hasdeveloped a comprehensive disaster management system that includes disasterprevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.
- Basic Disaster Management Plan, Community Disaster Management Plans, andBusiness Continuity Plans form the core of Japan's disaster management
planning aimed at the functioning of the systems in the aftermath of a disaster- The emergency response mechanism in Japan involves wide area support andcoordination between the national and local governments. Response agencies
like the Fire Service Organizations, National Police Agency, Japan Self Defense
Forces, Japan Coast Guards, Disaster Medical Assistance Teams, and
BOKOMIs (the community volunteers) play a crucial role in emergency response- Japan invested in readinessfor response (e.g., mitigation, forecasting, EWS, anddrills), largescale disasters like the Great East Japan Earthquake proved thatthose efforts were not enough, as shown in the magnitude of damage and loss of
lives and properties brought about by large-scale disasters.
- Human resource development activities like DRR drills and exercises help inbuilding resilience and preparedness among the citizens. The system caters forsupport during evacuation and emergency shelters and other provisions toensure the safety and well-being of the affected population.
- The government has issued detailed Laws regulation and legislation ,emphasizing that all communities must comply with the legislation that has been
issued and developed in detail31

- Disaster management in Japan will focus on systematic joint planing in which all
Activities , government ,companies ,communuties and individuals must to
Understand disaster risk.
- The lesson of Japan is to focus on prepardness and mitigation to prevent isimportant to more damage even though the government has to invest a large
amount of budget spand to much for disaster prevention- The coordination mechanism system between the center, province, district andcommunity has been aware of their roles and responsibilities in detail to prepare
to deal with disasters. Each park has a detailed plan to manage each type ofdisaster- The system of prepaing supplies and cosumables will also be prepraed in eventof a disaster emergency that can be used promptly- Emphasis on awareness compaigns the participation of the community, Schools
and individuals as the key to building strength to be prepared to deal with all
kinds of disaster- Various companies to have developed modern tools for disaster prevention- The construction of the building musl be built according to the standards tosupport the Earthquake that may occur because Japan is a county with a highrisk Earthquake- The govement To give important to learning from experience to improve planing
to prepare for Disaster that may ,such as the government has created a center tolearn about the dangers of disaster and have caused enormous damage toinfrestrure ,econimy and culture- Govement of Japan to attendion to cooparation with internation organization in
the implementation of the SFDRR framework and with ADRC as theimplementter to bring the member counties to learn and understand more about
DRR

32

- Japan has an ever evolving, comprehensive and well-organized disastermanagement system reflecting the country's experience in dealing with natural
disasters and showing a high level of preparedness for response in the event of
a disasterIn addition, learning from experience of Japan is also a very good way that
local assist in develop local DRR plan, for example, Okozu watershed and diversion
channel which reduce risk from Flood damage. The process and lesson learn will
strengthen local DRR plan is more practical, efficieneffective with knowledge andexperience( Whole View of O

hkouzuDiversion Channel)

33

9. References- Climate chang coutry report in laos PDR 2023 (form UN-HABITAT) LAO PDR
COUNTRY OFFICE Avi Sarkar Regional Advisor – South-East Asia, UBS, Head of
Office Lao PDR, UN-Habitat EMAIL avi.sarkar@un.org- refened www.worddometers.info for Dimograhpic Data
- refened PDNA Lao PDR report 2018
- refened National Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2021-2030 Laos PDR- Diasaster management in japan

34