EN    EN EN 
 
EN    EN  COMMISSION OF THE E UROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 23.2.2009 
SEC(2009) 220 
  
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
Accompanying document to the 
EU STRATEGY FOR SUPPORTING DI SASTER RISK REDUCTION IN 
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 
  
ANNEXES
 
  
{COM(2009) 84 final} 
{SEC(2009) 217} {SEC(2009) 218}
 
EN 2   EN ANNEX I  
What is disaster risk reduction? 
According to the UN International St rategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)1, disaster risk 
reduction is: ‘Actions taken to reduce the risk of  disasters and the adverse impacts of natural 
hazards, through systematic efforts to analyse a nd manage the causes of disasters, including 
through avoidance of hazards, reduced social and economic vulnerabil ity to hazards, and 
improved preparedness for adverse events’. 
In operational terms, disaster risk reduction comprises preparedness, mitigation and 
prevention, bearing in mind that many actions  include a mix of mitigation and prevention. 
The descriptions below are meant to be illustrative, not exhaustive. 
• Preparedness aims to boost the resili ence and coping capacity of vulnerable 
people to better face hazards. It is based on sound analysis of disaster risks and 
linked to early warning systems. It in cludes contingency planning, stockpiling of 
equipment and supplies, emergency services and standby arrangements, 
communications, information manageme nt and coordination arrangements, 
personnel training, community drills and ex ercises, and public education. It must 
be supported by formal institutional,  legal and budgetary capacity.  
• Mitigation aims to limit the adverse im pact of various hazards and includes 
structural measures such as engin eering techniques a nd hazard-resistant 
construction, and non-structural measures such as improved polic ies, legislation, 
public awareness, training and educa tion, public commitment and operating 
practices. There is a window of opportunity for strengthened mitigation in the recovery and transition process, for example through ‘building back better’.
2 
• Prevention aims to avoid the adverse impact of hazards outright and to minimise 
related disasters. Depending on social a nd technical feasibility and cost/benefit 
considerations, investing in preventive measures may be justified in areas frequently affected by disasters. These ma y include structural measures such as 
engineering and physical protection (e .g. dams, flood barrier s, building of 
refuges), or non-structural, legislative measures on la nd use and building codes. 
Public awareness and educatio n can be used to promote a ‘culture of prevention’ 
and to encourage local prevention activities. 
Another concept that is central to disaster risk  reduction is that of resilience. Disaster risk 
reduction aims to increase resilience in disaster -prone countries and societies, with a focus on 
long-term capacity- and institution-building rather than just post-event crisis management.  
Finally, underpinning all the above concepts ar e the acquisition and development of insight 
into risk factors and capacity building and the use of essential inform ation and communication 
technology (ICT) and earth observa tion (EO) tools. For example,  EO can help in predicting 
                                                
 
1 The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), launched in 2000, is the key coordinator for 
the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action. 
2 Mitigation in the disaster risk reduction sense should not be confused with mitigation in the climate 
change sense, which refers to the reduction of gree nhouse gas emissions that are the source of climate 
change. 
 
EN 3   EN when and where disaster will strike, while ICTs can warn the population to seek shelter. After 
a disaster, ICTs are life-saving tools for emergency services. 
 
EN 4   EN ANNEX II  
EU Member State and Commission current and planned action on DRR3  
The majority of EU Member States (17)  and the Commission support DRR efforts in 
developing countries on a regul ar basis using development or humanitarian aid budgets or 
both. One other Member State funds DRR activi ties on an ad hoc basis when funding, which 
comes from its humanitarian aid budget, is available and can be spent without compromising 
the funding of co re activities.  
Such support includes bilateral s upport to developing countries at  country and regional levels 
and multilateral support channelled, for example, through the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) system to implem ent the Hyogo Framework for Action, the Global 
Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR) and the UNDP Bu reau for Crisis Prevention 
and Recovery (BCPR).  
Moreover, many Member States and the Commissi on are currently in the process of stepping 
up support for DRR in various ways, including through:  
– Policy/strategy development and institutional approaches:  the United Kingdom adopted a 
specific DRR policy in 2006. Tree Member St ates and the Commission are currently 
working on DRR policy/strategy development,  inter-ministerial cooperation, working 
papers and DRR guidelines.  
– Enhanced bilateral support for DRR at country, regional, and inter-regional levels:  four 
Member States and the Commission ar e stepping up support both by means of 
projects/programmes and impr oved mainstreaming. For example, with regard to the 
Commission, €180 million has been proposed for DRR in the EDF-10 Intra-ACP envelope 
compared with €12 million under EDF-9. Funding fo r the Dipecho and the Greater Horn of 
Africa programmes has also gone up, from  €19.5 million in 2007 to €60.3 million in 2008. 
DRR programmes are planned for the Pacifi c (€9 million), Bangladesh (€13 million) and 
the Maldives.  
– Enhanced multilateral support for DRR:  four Member States are stepping up support for 
the UN/ISDR system and the GFDRR.  
– Taking on quantitative commitments:  The United Kingdom (10%), Germany (10%) and 
Luxembourg (5%) have committed themselves to dedicating a certain percentage of their 
budgets for disaster response to DRR. 
Examples of recent Commission-funded DRR programmes and projects 
Africa, Caribbean and Pacific:  €12 million from the 9th EDF for the first phase of the ACP-
EU Natural Disaster Facility for regional capacity  building in disaster ri sk reduction in the six 
ACP regions. Another €180 million has been pr oposed for DRR in the EDF-10 Intra-ACP 
envelope, essentially for the ACP- EU Natural Disaster Facility.  
Africa, Caribbean and Pacific:  €25 million is being used for the Global Index Insurance 
Facility (GIIF), a multi-donor trust fund at  the World Bank Group. The GIIF became 
                                                
 
3 Commission Staff Working Paper, Progress Report on Monterrey Commitments, 9 April 2008. 
 
EN 5   EN operational in 2008 and aims to reduce the vuln erability of ACP popul ations to external 
shocks / natural disasters by expanding the use of  index insurance as a risk management tool. 
Caribbean:  €13.3 million in support of a Caribbean w eather radar network warning system. 
The project, which started in May 2005 and is to be completed by June 2011, will enable the whole Caribbean region to improve its earl y warning systems and thus its disaster 
preparedness. 
Latin America:  €20 million in support of the Centra l America Program for Vulnerability 
Reduction and Environmental Management and €10 million in support of disaster prevention 
and preparedness with the Andean Community. 
Bangladesh:  €9 million programme in support of earthqua ke and tsunami preparedness, in the 
context of the national Comprehensiv e Disaster Manage ment Programme. 
Indonesia:  €200 million in support of reconstruc tion (part of the Tsunami Indicative 
Programme 2005-2006), including DRR elements. 
Venezuela:  €55 million in support of disaster  prevention and reconstruction. 
Dipecho programme:  Created in 1998, the Dipecho programme is now running in six 
disaster-prone regions: the Cari bbean, Central America, South America, Central Asia, South 
Asia and South-East Asia. The annual budget ha s increased five-fold, to over €30 million in 
2008. The Commission is now expa nding the programme to Sout hern Africa / the Indian 
Ocean region. 
Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) : Created in 2006 and with a budget of €30 million for 2008, 
the Regional Draught decision for the Greater Horn of Africa marks the Commission’s ne 
approach to addressing chroni c and structural drought-related  emergencies with short to 
medium term prospective. The programme pr omotes community based knowledge in drought 
preparedness, local resilience and Early Warning Systems.  
Euro-Med programme : The regional “Bridge Progra mme (2004-2008) on Prevention, 
Mitigation and Management of Natural and Man- made Disasters”, which has helped pave the 
way for an effective and sustainable Euro-Med  system of civil protection and laid the 
foundations for a Long-Term Programme: “the  Euro-Med Programme for the Prevention, 
Mitigation and Management of Natural an d Man-made Disasters - PPRD (2008-2011. The 
PPRD will contribute to the development of stronger prevention, preparedness and response 
capacities in civil protection at international, na tional and local level, in both institutional and 
operational terms. It will also aim to bring the Mediterranean Partner Countries progressively 
closer to the European Civil Protection Mechanism (MIC). 
The Commission also supports DRR under the Global Climate Change Alliance for which 
€60 million has been allocated, and which has identif ied DRR as one of its strategic priorities.  
A great deal of hazard and di saster-related research is c onducted under the 7th Framework 
Programme for research, in particular the Environment programme which has a sub-activity devoted to natural hazards. The core areas are related to hazard assessm ent, vulnerability, risk 
and multi-risk management, and mitigation. 
 
EN 6   EN The Commission’s Joint Rese arch Centre supports the GM ES (Global Monitoring for 
Environment and Security), the European Droug ht Observatory and the Global Early Warning 
System for Desertification, and CriTech (C risis Monitoring and Response Technologies).