Commission staff working document - Accompanying document to the EU strategy for supporting disaster risk reduction in developing countries – Annexes {COM(2009) 84 final} {SEC(2009) 217} {SEC(2009) 218}
Date: 2009-02-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: cooperation policy, developing countries, economic development, environmental risk prevention, humanitarian aid, natural disaster

EN 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 23.2.2009 
SEC(2009) 220 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

Accompanying document to the 
EU STRATEGY FOR SUPPORTING DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IN 
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 

ANNEXES 

{COM(2009) 84 final} 
{SEC(2009) 217} 
{SEC(2009) 218}

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
What is disaster risk reduction? 

ANNEX I 

According  to  the  UN  International  Strategy  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 and manage the causes of disasters, including 
through  avoidance  of  hazards,  reduced  social  and  economic  vulnerability  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  resilience  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 includes contingency planning, stockpiling of 
equipment  and  supplies,  emergency  services  and  standby  arrangements, 
communications, 
information  management  and  coordination  arrangements, 
personnel training, community drills and exercises, and public education. It must 
be supported by formal institutional, legal and budgetary capacity.  

•  Mitigation  aims  to  limit  the  adverse  impact  of  various  hazards  and  includes 
techniques  and  hazard-resistant 
structural  measures  such  as  engineering 
construction,  and  non-structural  measures  such  as  improved  policies,  legislation, 
public  awareness,  training  and  education,  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  and  technical  feasibility  and  cost/benefit 
considerations,  investing  in  preventive  measures  may  be  justified  in  areas 
frequently  affected  by  disasters.  These  may  include  structural  measures  such  as 
engineering  and  physical  protection  (e.g.  dams,  flood  barriers,  building  of 
refuges),  or  non-structural,  legislative  measures  on  land  use  and  building  codes. 
Public awareness and education 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  are  the  acquisition  and  development  of  insight 
into risk factors and capacity building and the use of essential information and communication 
technology (ICT) and earth observation (EO) tools. For example, EO can help in predicting 

1 

2 

The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), launched in 2000, is the key coordinator for 
the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action. 
Mitigation  in  the  disaster  risk  reduction  sense  should  not  be  confused  with  mitigation  in  the  climate 
change sense, which refers to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that are the source of climate 
change. 

EN 

2 

   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 

3 

   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  regular  basis  using  development  or  humanitarian  aid  budgets  or 
both. One other Member State funds DRR activities 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 core activities.  

Such support includes bilateral support 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 implement the Hyogo Framework for Action, the Global 
Facility  for  Disaster  Risk  Reduction  (GFDRR)  and  the  UNDP  Bureau  for  Crisis  Prevention 
and Recovery (BCPR).  

Moreover, many Member States and the Commission 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  States  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  are  stepping  up  support  both  by  means  of 
projects/programmes  and  improved  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 Pacific (€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 risk 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 

4 

   EN 

 
                                                 
operational  in  2008  and  aims  to  reduce  the  vulnerability  of  ACP  populations  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  early  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 Comprehensive Disaster Management 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 Caribbean, Central America, South America, Central Asia, South 
Asia and South-East Asia. The annual budget has increased five-fold, to over €30 million in 
2008.  The  Commission  is  now  expanding  the  programme  to  Southern  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  chronic  and  structural  drought-related  emergencies  with  short  to 
medium term prospective. The programme promotes community based knowledge in drought 
preparedness, local resilience and Early Warning Systems.  

Euro-Med  programme:  The  regional  “Bridge  Programme  (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  and  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, national 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  disaster-related  research  is  conducted  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 assessment, vulnerability, risk 
and multi-risk management, and mitigation. 

EN 

5 

   EN 

 
The  Commission’s  Joint  Research  Centre  supports  the  GMES  (Global  Monitoring  for 
Environment and Security), the European Drought Observatory and the Global Early Warning 
System for Desertification, and CriTech (Crisis Monitoring and Response Technologies). 

EN 

6 

   EN