Disaster risk reduction mainstreaming in SADC

countries through legal frameworks

Of the sampled countries, Mauritius was in the process of developing a disaster risk reduction Bill, while in Zimbabwe the legislation was in draft form. Table 24 shows that the extent to which the gested subregional and national level training on

disaster risk reduction mainstreaming as one way of increasing awareness, not only in the planning and finance sectors, but across sectors.

To sum up, while it appears that disaster risk re-duction knowledge and awareness have been established in the Organ of Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation Directorate, there are still challenges to disaster risk reduction mainstream-ing across the policies, strategies and programmes of the other three directorates. In addition, re-source challenges for disaster risk reduction, particularly prevention and mitigation, limit dis-aster risk reduction to response. Success in

main-Table 24: Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction through legal frameworks

Question

Mau Mal Nam Moz SA Zam Zim

No disaster risk reduction legislation] Disaster Risk Management Bill Disaster Risk Management Act 2012 Draft disaster risk management law 2013 Disaster Risk Management Act 2002 Disaster Management Act 2010 disaster risk management Bill 2011 The legislation contains the major elements of the Hyogo

Framework [disaster and development to address underlying risk factors, prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response, recovery]

- 5 5 5 5 5 5

The legislation gives adequate powers to the national disaster management organization by placing it in the Office of the

President or the Prime Minister - 5 5 4 3 5 3

The national level institutions are adequate for effective implementation of disaster risk reduction. [This includes high-level decision-making, and a national coordination mechanism, which may be, or take the form of, a multi-sectoral national platform]

- 5 5 5 4 5 4

The national level institutions are decentralized to subnational levels for effective implementation of disaster risk reduction. [This includes clear responsibilities of decentralized units, including subnational coordination mechanisms, which may be, or take the form of, a multi-sectoral subnational platform]

- 5 4 5 5 4 5

The legislation compels sectors at national and subnational levels to

mainstream disaster risk reduction - 5 5 5 4 5 3

The legislation provides mechanisms for funding disaster risk

reduction - 3 4 4 3 3 5

The legislation provides for local community participation, including

vulnerable groups - 5 5 5 5 5 5

Total out of 35 - 33 33 33 29 32 30

content of disaster risk management legislation incorporates the main elements of the Hyogo Framework for Action was rated 5 across the par-ticipating countries.

• This suggests that disaster risk manage-ment legislation that had been passed or was still in draft form when this study was conducted in sampled countries in-corporates the elements of the Hyogo Framework. The legislation, including the South African Disaster Management Act of 2002, which was passed before the Hyogo Framework was adopted, explicitly incorporates disaster and development connections in order to address underly-ing risk factors, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

• There are some variations in the power and authority accorded to the national disaster management body to effectively mainstream and implement disaster risk reduction. Namibia and Zam bia were rated 5 as the national body was located either in the Office of the President or the Prime Minister, suggesting they had ade-quate power and authority to mainstream and implement disaster risk reduction effectively. In contrast, South Africa and Zimbabwe received lower ratings as the national disaster management body was a directorate in a ministry, suggesting lim-ited authority and power to mainstream disaster risk management across sector ministries effectively.

• The disaster risk management legislation provides national coordination mecha-nisms and decentralizes power and au-thority to subnational units. Scores were between 4 and 5 for disaster risk reduc-tion coordinareduc-tion and decentralizareduc-tion.

The disaster risk management legislation provides national coordination

mecha-nisms in the form of multi-sectoral dis-aster risk management platforms at na-tional level, which are also decentralized to subnational levels. The legislation also emphasizes wider participation, including by vulnerable groups.

• In terms of vertical integration of disaster risk management, legislation is gener-ally explicit on the role of sectors in main-streaming disaster risk management into sectors. All the legislative frameworks, with the exception of Zimbabwe’s, which scored 3, scored4 or more as they are ex-plicit on the role of sectors in mainstream-ing disaster risk reduction into sectors. In Zambia, section 40 (1-2) of the Disaster Management Act 2011 requires ministries, sectors, etc. to prepare disaster manage-ment plans, and preparedness, prevention and mitigation plans for slow and rapid onset disasters. In Malawi, Namibia and South Africa, each national organ of State indicated in the national disaster manage-ment framework must prepare a disas-ter management plan. This is replicated at the provincial and municipal levels. In Zimbabwe, the draft disaster risk manage-ment law assumes that the institutional framework of committees and subcom-mittees will take care of sectoral respon-sibility. In Mozambique, sector ministries have disaster risk reduction focal persons.

• Less explicit on funding: The extent to which disaster risk management legisla-tion was explicit on funding mechanisms ranged from 3-5. Generally, there was lack of clarity in disaster risk reduction funding. Although Zimbabwe’s Disaster Risk Management Bill proposes allocat-ing 1 per cent of budget to disaster risk management, it is not known whether Parliament will approve the proposal.

Apart from making provision for a disaster

management fund (although using dif-ferent terms), legislation in the difdif-ferent countries does not provide a budget for-mula for disaster risk reduction. Moreover, the disaster management fund tends to be skewed towards response rather than prevention and mitigation. In Namibia, the National Disaster Management Fund is a contingency fund mainly used in dis-aster situations and, to some extent, dur-ing the recovery phase. However, under Namibia’s Disaster Risk Management Act 2010 (as well as the policy), sectors and decentralized bodies can mobilize their own financial resources for disaster risk

management activities. This means that disaster risk reduction, prevention and mitigation funding is a sectoral respon-sibility, leaving disaster risk reduction re-source mobilization at the discretion of sectors. There are, however, opportunities to clarify and operationalize disaster risk reduction funding issues through statu-tory instruments and directives.

Table 25: Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction through policy frameworks

Question

Mau Mal Moz Nam S A Zam Zim

Policy being drafted Draft disaster risk management policy 2011 Disaster risk management master Plan 2006 Disaster risk management policy 2009 National Disaster Framework 2005 National Disaster Management policy 2013 Disaster Risk Management Policy 2011 The policy reflects the disaster risk reduction statements made in the

legislation, Hyogo Framework, Africa Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy and the SADC Strategy [Consistency with global and regional policies]

- 5 5 5 5 5 5

Disaster risk reduction is taken into account in public investment decisions at national and subnational levels [e.g. environmental impact

assessment, social impact assessment, etc.] - 5 4 5 5 5 5

The policy is clear about the ratio of the budget allocated to risk reduction

versus relief and reconstruction at national and subnational levels. - 3 3 4 3 4 5

The policy mainstreams disaster risk reduction roles and responsibilities into key sectors [e.g. health, education, agriculture, food and nutrition,

security, social welfare, infrastructure, development planning] - 5 5 5 5 5 5

The policy incorporates climate change - 5 5 5 1 5 5

Multi-hazard, vulnerability and capacity assessment to inform planning

and development decisions at national and subnational levels. - 5 5 5 5 5 5

Multi-hazard early warning systems, including information-sharing at

all levels - 5 5 5 5 5 5

Outlines participation at regional and subregional levels in disaster risk

reduction, including transboundary risks - 3 4 5 5 5 5

The policy ensures participation of civil society organizations in national

and subnational platforms - 5 4 5 4 5 5

Emphasis on preparedness, contingency planning and response with

clear budgetary commitments - 4 5 4 5 4 5

Risk transfers and insurance measures incorporated - 3 3 5 1 4 4

Clear roles and responsibilities for actors, performance indicators,

timetable, targets and monitoring and evaluation - 4 4 4 4 5 4

6.3 Progress in disaster risk