with regional, African and international institutions
Togo maintains relations of cooperation and soli-darity with bilateral and multilateral partners not only in the sphere of development but also in re-spect of emergency preparedness and response.
Within the framework of traditional relations of solidarity and mutual assistance in difficult situa-tions, Togo has given notable assistance in multi-ple areas to African countries affected by natural disasters, food crises and civil wars. It has bene-fited from reciprocity in times of trial, particularly during the 2010 floods.
Regional institutions that have shown sup-port for Togo in emergency management include the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the ECOWAS Bank of Investment and Development (EBID), the
Table 15: Main institutions involved and their area of action
Institution Area of action
PNRCC/ST • Formulate national disaster risk reduction policy and ensure its integration into development policies, plans, programmes and projects.
Ministry of Security and Civil Protection
• Contribute to the development of an early warning system and raise public awareness;
• Ensure intersectoral coordination of relief, individual protection and property, rescue and evacuation operations;
• Organize simulation operations and assess needs
Ministry of National Defence • Provide transport and logistic support for other rescue and relief services;
• Provide support for public works and for the management of reception and shelter services.
Ministry of Health • Ensure life support and care for victims, patient selection and relief, medical transport to hospitals in collaboration with other rescue services, evacuation of bodies and certification of deaths in collaboration with police or gendarmerie services, transport of medical equipment and medical services to temporary shelters and evacuation camps;
• Prevent and treat epidemics, poisoning and other health consequences of the disaster;
• Provide a health care service at victim muster points; establish a reception service.
West African Development Bank (BOAD), the African Development Bank (ADB), the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the Permanent Inter-State Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), the African Union (AU), etc.
In emergency situations, the United Nations Resident Coordinator maintains liaison between the Government and its partners and ensures the coordination of their actions and assistance pro-jects through frequent reports. The United Nations inter-agency contingency plan is the emergency planning and management tool used by the United Nations system in collaboration with NGOs for the provision of support to the Government.
5.5 Role of NGOs and civil society organizations in disaster risk reduction
Organizations such as the Red Cross, the Charity Organization for Integral Development, Secours Catholique and the Catholic Relief Services engage in humanitarian work
along-side national bodies. Others, whether develop-ment bodies (Togo Plan, the Regional Centre for Low-cost Water Supply and Sanitation (CREPA), CARE International) or charity/religious or-ganizations (Mission Adventiste or ADRA-Togo, Église des Assemblées de Dieu), initiate projects or undertake action to assist the populations concerned.
For example, the German Red Cross, with the help of funding from the German Government, has through its Togolese counterpart undertaken various types of charity work including two disas-ter preparedness projects incorporating an early warning system in 2009 and 2010 (establishment in certain regions of 100 flood level markers) and the implementation from October 2010 to September 2012 of an integrated flood victim re-habilitation project for 256 households (163 flood victim households and 93 households in the host village) in Yoto prefecture.
Several institutions contributed in various ways to the implementation of measures identified at the national and local levels for disaster risk reduction (table 15).
Institution Area of action
Ministry of Social Action • Operate a victim reception and registration service, distribute food and non-food items (blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, etc.), direct the sick to health care centres, organize on-site courses with the support of the Ministry of Education, return victims to their communities, mobilize resources, provide school kits for child disaster victims and material and psychological assistance for all those affected, shelter the homeless, organize local communities to take care of disaster survivors and rehabilitate victims.
Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Village Water Supplies
• Provide drinking water in evacuation camps;
• Bore waterholes in reception areas without easily accessible running water;
• Ensure rainwater evacuation.
Ministry of Mines and Energy • Provide electric lighting in evacuation camps.
Ministry of Public Works • Restore communication lines;
• Provide and coordinate transport and civil engineering facilities;
• Carry out clearance, demolition and consolidation work.
Ministry of Postal and Telecommunication Services
• Ensure liaison and transmission.
Ministry of Finance • Provide necessary financial resources and transport facilities (central garage).
Ministry of the Environment • Implement the disaster risk reduction strategy;
• Evaluate environmental damage.
Ministry of Town Planning and Housing
• Monitor the rainwater evacuation system;
• Protect flood areas;
• Apply land-use rules and regulations;
• Monitor and place floodwater pumping equipment.
Ministry of Communication • Ensure public information through State and private media.
Ministry of Agriculture, Stock Raising and Fisheries
• Identify appropriate support measures for farmers affected by floods so that they do not become dependent on welfare;
• Restore the productive capacity of farmers and stock breeders.
Ministry of Education • Support role for the organization of courses for child disaster victims in reception areas.
Ministry of Justice • Protect the rights of vulnerable persons (children, women, older persons, persons with disabilities).
National and international NGOs
• Provides technical and material support (donations of equipment, drugs and consumables, food and non-food items for disaster victims
United Nations agencies and other development partners (embassies, African Union, European Union, ECOWAS, WAEMU)
• Support for the development of tools to implement disaster risk reduction measures (strategy paper, studies, vulnerability mapping);
• Provide technical, financial and material support.
Source: ORSEC Plan, 2013.
For the implementation of disaster risk reduction measures, Togo has developed tools and adopted specific approaches.