Download - Urban Lessons from Natural Disasters
www.ifrc.orgSaving lives, changing minds.
FederationHealth
WatSan/EH
FederationHealth
WatSan/EH
Urban Lessons from Natural Disasters BAM Earthquake, Iran 2003
www.ifrc.orgSaving lives, changing minds.
FederationHealth
WatSan/EH
IFRC Role (both rural and urban):
• Key Driver – Humanitarian Mandate, saving lives, reducing post-disaster risk, restoring basic human needs & human dignity.
• Key Process – Supporting/expanding first responder role (RC/RC National Society) – enabling International RC/RC Response.
• Recovery/Development – enabling recovery and where appropriate & practical ‘building back better’, capacity building of RC/RC National Society.
• IFRC Response usually multi-sectoral not restricted to WASH.
www.ifrc.orgSaving lives, changing minds.
FederationHealth
WatSan/EH
The operational urban context:
• In developed countries – RC/RC capacity & established role in response often works well – closely aligned with and auxiliary to Government efforts (e.g. Japan Earthquake/Tsunami)
• In many less developed countries/fragile states – National RC/RC limited capacity, especially for Urban disaster response.
• Often exacerbated by weak or disrupted Government/service provider capacity.
• Level 3 Urban Disasters – RC/RC continues to have a key role, however, struggles to adapt established tools/methodologies to urban context (though some limited improvement since BAM).
• Though IFRC can leverage significant funding, scale of response, and long term engagement - struggles to use resources coherently & to best advantage of affected population.
www.ifrc.orgSaving lives, changing minds.
FederationHealth
WatSan/EH
Coordination:
• Emergency response coordination platforms/clusters crucial but still driven by short-term goals.
• Level 3 disaster coordination (urban & rural) challenging when there are many actors, many of whom may be short term humanitarian actors.
• WASH coordination/response HR skill-sets still predominately humanitarian as opposed to recovery/developmental.
• ‘Pooling’ of resources and approaches (partnerships and consortia) not fully understood/challenging and potential added value is often missed.
• Coordination must be expanded to provide more strategic direction to all stakeholders – both short and long-term.
www.ifrc.orgSaving lives, changing minds.
FederationHealth
WatSan/EH
lessons learned:
• Humanitarian WASH actors must ‘open the door’ to recovery/development actors ASAP post-disaster.
• Established rural population engagement/participatory methodologies often not appropriate in urban contexts.
• Humanitarian WASH actors not usually the best choice as delivery agents for major urban infrastructure programming but may indeed have a role.
• Recovery/developmental programming benefits when coordination platforms/clusters evolve into a more developmental focused body (don’t close down clusters – let them evolve & grow!!!!)
www.ifrc.orgSaving lives, changing minds.
FederationHealth
WatSan/EH
key issues to be addressed by WASH actors:
• Organisational commitment towards harmonised approach to Shelter and WASH and with other sectors (e.g. security, livelihoods, gender, environment)
• Need for larger ‘pool’ of expertise for Urban disasters (HR roster, private sector, academic and research bodies, recognised urban contractors)
• WASH Donors/stakeholders need to see potential to leverage funding to recovery/developmental programming as an outcome of disaster response – more flexible and innovative use of funding streams.
• Tools/methodologies/equipment for urban disasters need to be further developed, streamlined and ‘rolled-out’.
• Broad collaboration and inter-agency commitment to a common goal and strategy on Humanitarian Urban WASH response & transition to recovery & development.
www.ifrc.orgSaving lives, changing minds.
FederationHealth
WatSan/EH
Thank You
Vinay SadavarteRegional Water and Sanitation DelegateInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Regional Representation office for East Africa|Woodlands Road | PO BOX 41275 - 00100 | Nairobi | KenyaTel: +254 20 2835 000 | Dir: +254 20 283 5258 | Mob: +254 736309755 | Fax: +254 20 271 2777 Email: [email protected] : vsadavarte
