Disaster risk reduction policies in a fast-changing scenario : how to improve ownership and inclusion.
Date: 2023-06-08
Institutions: European University Institute
Subjects: cooperation policy, developing countries, environmental risk prevention, humanitarian aid, natural disaster, natural hazard

POLICY BRIEFDISASTER RISK REDUCTION POLICIES IN A FAST-CHANGING SCENARIO: HOW TO IMPROVE OWNERSHIP AND INCLUSION.STG Policy PapersISSUE 2023/10MAY 2023Author:Carla VitantonioSchool of Transnational GovernanceSCHOOL OFTRANSNATIONALGOVERNANCEEXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This  policy  brief  intends  to  provide  information  and  support 
for  advocacy  in  Disaster  Risk  Reduction  (DRR)  policy  making. 
It  develops  around  the  idea,  shared  among  others  by  the 
United  Nations  (UN)  the  Directorate-General  for  European 
Civil  Protection  and  Humanitarian  Aid  Operations  (DG  ECHO), 
as  well  as  the  Red  Cross  and  Red  Crescent  Movement,  that 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  natural  disaster,  and  the  risk  of 
what  disasters  there  are  can  therefore  be  reduced  by  people. 
The  brief  addresses  the  need  to  build  ownership  and  to  foster 
inclusion in Disaster Risk Reduction framework and its associated 
policies.  It  first  presents  the  main  concepts  and  frameworks  of 
reference  for  DRR  actors.  Then  it  gives  an  overview  of  the  main 
global  trends,  both  positive  and  challenging,  drawing  from 
experiences matured during recent disasters. Finally, it proposes 
recommendations to policy actors.

Author:Carla Vitantonio | Policy Leader Fellow (2022-2023), EUI School of Transnational GovernanceViews expressed in this publication reflect the opinion of individual authors and not those of the European University Institute.SCHOOL OFTRANSNATIONALGOVERNANCE1. GENERAL CONCEPTS

Natural disasters do not exist. Natural hazards, 
however,  do  occur,  and  when  meeting 
certain  factors,  have  disastrous  effects  on  the 
environment,  including  its  human  inhabitants. 
Those factors are produced or exacerbated by 
humans and can be categorised into physical, 
social,  economic,  political  and  environmental. 
By  considering  our  responsibility  in  disasters, 
we  humans  also  tap  into  the  power  that  we 
have in reducing their impact.

When  working  on  Disaster  Risk  Reduction   
policies  and  practices,  it  is  important  to 
understand  the  nature  of  the  risk  in  order  to 
address it. Usually, the Risk equation is expressed 
as  follows:  Risk  =  Hazard  and  Exposure 
xVulnerability ÷ Capacity. People can reduce 
risk by acting on each of the components of the 
equation. This policy brief will mainly address 
vulnerability  which,  according  to  the  United 
Nations  Office  for  Disaster  Risk  Reduction 
(UNDRR),  is  “The  condition  determined  by 
physical,  social,  economic  and  environmental 

factors  or  processes  which 
the 
susceptibility  of  an  individual,  a  community, 
assets or systems to the impacts of hazards.”

increase 

This  brief  refers  to  inclusiveness  as  to  the 
capacity  of  a  strategy  plan  or  policy,  to  take 
into consideration, understand and appreciate 
needs,  skills  and  abilities  of  each  individual, 
considering  meaningful  intersectional  factors, 
such  as  disability,  gender,  religion,  age.  Local 
ownership  of  DRR  is  defined  as  the  extent  to 
which  local  communities  understand  and  get 
engaged in DRR.

2. CURRENT FRAMEWORKS

The  Sendai  Framework  was  adopted  at  the 
Third  UN  World  Conference  on  Disaster  Risk 
Reduction  in  Sendai,  Japan,  on  March  18, 
2015. It was signed by 187 member countries 
and is the global Disaster Risk Reduction policy. 
It outlines seven global targets (see Figure 1).

Targets  E  and  F  are  directly  linked  to  the 
policy  process  at  national  and  transnational 
level,  and  they  are  a  key  factor  regarding 

Figure 1

Source: Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2022, https://www.undrr.org/gar2022-our-world-risk-
gar

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STG | Policy Papers Issue | 2023/10 | May 2023the  achievement  of  all  other  priorities.  The 
Sendai  framework  is  also  explicit  in  the  need 
for  governments  to  engage  with  “relevant 
stakeholders,  including  women,  children  and 
youth,  persons  with  disabilities,  poor  people, 
migrants, indigenous peoples, volunteers, the 
community of practitioners and older persons 
in the design and implementation of policies, 
plans  and  standards”1,  and  in  the  need  to 
determine  roles  and  responsibilities  for  each 
stakeholder2.

The  Sendai  Framework  recognizes  poverty 
as  both  a  cause  and  an  effect  of  disasters. 
For  this  reason,  the  Agenda  for  Sustainable 
Development  with 
its  17  Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs), is often considered 
a  complementary  framework,  as  it  underlines 
the  need  to  put  an  end  to  poverty,  hunger, 
inequalities and reduce the negative impact of 
climate change.

As  disasters  are  directly  linked  to  this  latter 
factor, the third framework for reference is the 
Paris Agreement with its pledge to limit global 
warming  to  1.5°  Celsius  and  the  willingness 
to  strengthen  countries’  capacities  to  deal 
with the impacts of climate change. The Paris 
agreement underlines the need to pursue both 
mitigation  and  adaptation  actions,  therefore 
creating a bridge to DRR.

3. WHAT IS GOING WRONG?

The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk 
Reduction 2022 (GAR) shows an annual growth 
in  the  number  of  national  and  regional  DRR 
policies.  However,  it  also  provides  evidence 
of  an  increased  occurrence  of  disasters  and 
resulting damage. In addition to these already 
alarming  data,  it  underlines  how  2  years 
of  the  COVID  19  pandemic  exacerbated 
vulnerabilities  and  in  doing  so  weakened 
community resilience.

A  growing  number  of  countries  acknowledge 
the need for a policy process which is inclusive 
towards  all  actors,  including  those  who  could 
be directly affected by disasters. However, very 
few  have  created  mechanisms  that  allow  the 

framework,  once  finalized,  to  take  contextual 
changes into account: DRR policy cycles rarely 
offers enough opportunity for reception of new 
contextual  elements  and  adequate  updates. 
In  a  fast-changing  world,  where  disasters  are 
becoming more frequent, a national DRR policy 
which  is  not  able  to  take  cues  from  updated 
contextual analysis is soon obsolete.

migration 

Certain  factors  have  recently  proven  to  be 
especially complex when interacting with DRR 
plans.  Examples  show  (Myanmar-Bangladesh 
Rohingya 
2017-2018;Türkiye 
earthquake  2023)  that  governments  can  be 
reluctant  to  acknowledge  their  responsibility 
to  protect  and  include  people  in  certain 
vulnerable  situations,  especially  when  these 
are  linked  to  the    forced  displacement  of  a 
population.  Often,  policy  actors  in  countries 
hosting refugees consider them as something 
separate  from  their  territory  and  citizenship, 
and  neglect  the  interactions  and  impact  of 
migration fluxes on communities. Protection is 
left  to  those  organizations  (mainly  NGOs  and 
the  UN)  providing  humanitarian  support.  In 
this way, territory and to all effects the people 
living there, are not included in DRR strategies.

Lack  of  inclusion  in  each  phase  of  the  cycle 
brings lack of ownership. Risk increases when 
disaster  occurs,  as  people  do  not  consider 
themselves  actors  who  could  limit  damage 
and  save  their  own  lives  and  those  of  others. 
Lack  of  adequate  context  analysis,  including 
factors  related  to  conflict  sensitivity,  leads  to 
DRR policies and plans that are not suitable for 
the context and that therefore cannot be used 
as sustainable roadmaps.

4. WHAT IS WORKING?

An  increasing  number  of  governments  are 
modifying DRR frameworks making them more 
inclusive and taking into account not only the 
Sendai Framework, but also the SDG agenda 
and the Paris Agreement. The GAR 2022 reports 
that  in  Mozambique,  the  ruling  authorities 
developed the National Policy and Strategy for 
Internal  Displacement  Management  through 
an innovative process. This process connected 

The Sendai Framework,United Nations – Headquarters, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, page 10, chapter 7. Retrieved from: https://

1 
www.undrr.org/publication/sendai-framework-disaster-risk-reduction-2015-2030
2 

Ibid, page 23, chapter 36

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STG | Policy Papers Issue | 2023/10 | May 2023CCaassee  SSttuuddyy::  

Türkiye hosts 3.5 million Syrian refugees. UNHCR reports how by 2021 resentment and 
negativity around Syrian Refugees in Turkey had sharply increased. The percentage of 
Turkish citizens demanding that the refugees be returned grew from less than 49% in 
2017 to 82% in 2021. This data mirrors a divided community, where trust and fear are 
dominant and social cohesion is scarce, with migrants and refugees being increasingly 
vulnerable and isolated. Nevertheless, this information was not concretely embedded in 
DRR policies, planning and actions. After the earthquake that shook the country on the 
night of February 6th 2023, this fragility of the social fabric worsened, and several reports 
from the first weeks of response show the challenges that Syrian refugees met in the 
immediate aftermath of the disaster. These challenged ranged from being harassed in 
the communities they were living in, to even becoming the targets of political campaigns 
asking them to return to Syria. 

all  relevant  stakeholders,  and  considered  all 
triggers for displacement, including disasters, 
climate  change  and  conflict.  All  relevant 
ministries are bound to respect the framework 
and  to  budget  adequately.  The  creation  of  a 
nation-level multisectoral and transdisciplinary 
at 
team 
governmental  level;  implementation  is  now 
underway, but such conditions look promising.

helped  promote 

ownership 

International 

Other  countries  are  increasingly  promoting 
community  ownership  and  agency.  Cuba, 
affected  by  several  crises  and  by  60  years  of 
US unilateral sanctions, is not in the position to 
invest in  sustainable reconstruction. Therefore, 
the National Civil Defense is working, together 
with 
Non-Governmental 
Organizations,  United  Nations  Agencies  and 
the  DG  ECHO,  to  improve  Early  Warning 
Systems  through  the  active  engagement  of 
communities, which are trained in preparedness, 
monitoring,  adequate  communication  and 
response.  Appropriate  procedures  are  put  in 
place by and for persons with disability, elderly 
citizens,  and  women.  Indigenous  knowledge 
is  progressively  being  incorporated  for  asset 
protection.  Indeed,  Hurricane  Ian  (see  Figure 
2,  page  6),  which  affected  the  western  part 
of  the  island  in  September  2022,  resulted 
in  5  casualties  in  Cuba.  The  same  hurricane, 
registered  with  the  same  strength,  recorded 
149 casualties in Florida a few days later.

5. HOW CAN WE DO BETTER?

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

Every  DRR  policy  framework  needs  to  be 
context  specific.  Nevertheless,  DRR  policy 
actors  can  take  into  account  certain  general 
considerations  that,  with  due  adaptation,  can 
be useful for an improved and more down-to-
earth policy cycle:
•  Build DRR policies on solid conflict analysis. 
Policy  actors  should  look  at  conflict  not 
exclusively as armed conflict but as “a clash 
or  struggle  between  groups  who  perceive 
their  needs,  goals  or  strategies 
that 
incompatible,  mutually  exclusive 
are 
or  antagonistic.  Conflict  can 
involve 
contestation  around  demands,  interests, 
collective memory, emotions, perceptions, 
values, beliefs, history, culture, behaviours, 
actions,  symbols  and  power.  Conflict  can 
manifest  from  micro  interactions  to  macro 
systems” (UNICEF). Every context presents 
pre-existing  conflicts  that  might  escalate 
after a disaster occurs.

•  Accompany conflict analysis with a conflict-
sensitive  approach,  which,  according  to 
Interpeace, is the capacity of an organisation 
or an institution to “understand the context 
in  which 
it  operates;  understand  the 
interaction between its operations and the  
context, and act upon the understanding of 
this  interaction  in  order  to  avoid  negative 
impacts and maximise positive impacts on 
the  context”. A conflict-sensitive approach 
will prevent from doing harm and reinforcing 
existing gaps and inequalities.

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STG | Policy Papers Issue | 2023/10 | May 2023 
Figure 2

Source: https://reliefweb.int/map/cuba/cuba-united-states-hurricane-ian-dg-echo-daily-map-27092022

(cid:3)

creation of communities that can prevent and 
face disaster with solidarity and effectiveness. 
However,  it  is  important  to  acknowledge  the 
current  global  landscape  is  presenting  new 
challenges,  especially  when  linked  to  the 
simultaneous  occurrence  of  more  than  one 
disastrous  event  (for  example,  the  Covid  19 
pandemic,  armed  gangs  and  the  earthquake 
in Haiti). A successful DRR framework therefore 
needs to engage in a multi-risk approach.

in  Disaster  Risk  Reduction 

A  final  word  stemming  from  my  professional 
in 
experience 
complex  contexts:  when  disasters  are  not 
appropriately  managed,  social  gaps,  poverty, 
vulnerability, abuse and tensions escalate, and 
the  displacement  of  population  increases.  In 
a  world  where  climate  change  is  a  growing 
concern  for  the  safety  and  the  survival  of  the 
human kind, we need to consistently consider 
DRR  as  one  of  the  most  effective  tools  for 
reducing climate change related displacement.

•  Actively  practise  inclusion  at  every  stage 
of the policy process, building on existing 
guidelines  and  tools. 
  A  channel  of 
communication needs to be open between 
authorities  and  other  actors  with  a  stake 
in  policy,  including  those  who  could  be 
directly impacted by disasters. This process 
is essential to creating a sense of ownership 
at  all  levels.  It  also  helps  to  identify 
crosscutting factors that have the potential 
to  be  transformed  into  vulnerability,  and 
to  include  them  in  action  plans  stemming 
from  the  DRR  policy,  thus  mitigating  their 
potentially negative impact.

•  From  a  broader  perspective,  one  could 
say that it is essential for policy makers to 
adopt  a  peace-responsive  approach  when 
undertaking  the  DRR  policy  process.  Only 
this approach can both  avoid doing harm 
to  community  and  contribute  to  social 
cohesion.  Social  cohesion  is  essential  to 
improving the resilience in the community, 
to  increasing  solidarity  in  the  immediate 
aftermath  of  a  disaster,  and  to  triggering 
positive dynamics for reconstruction.

6. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

The scope of this brief was to address inclusion 
and  ownership  in  a  DRR  policy  framework, 
as  I  consider  their  attainment  to  be  among 
the  main  challenges  in  achieving  the  goals 
of  the  Sendai  Framework  and,  therefore,  the 

6

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