The economies, cities and societies of many countries in Asia are growing and expanding at very high rates. While such growth is helping lift millions out of poverty and allowing better access to services such as health care and education, unsafe development practices are leading to new risks.

For example, the expansion of vast megacities in coastal and floodplain areas exposes people and assets to a range of natural hazards: cyclones, storm surges, and river floods. Similarly, increasing populations place service provision under strain, from reliable electricity, to water and sanitation, to environmental protection. Such conditions increase vulnerability to natural hazards, and lead to higher risk of major disasters.

However, much can be done to reduce existing risks and avoid new risks. Key to this is to positively influence countries’ development policies, to integrate disaster risk management and climate change adaptation measures. By including these considerations across all development sectors, from agriculture to water supply, education to commerce, the risk of disaster can be greatly reduced. This process of ‘mainstreaming’ can be applied throughout development processes, embedding science-based risk management into planning, programming, budgeting, and project management. In this way, development can be safer and more resilient.

The 11th meeting of the Regional Consultative Committee (RCC) on Disaster Management, a unique platform held in Myanmar in April 2014, will focus on how to transform development processes in Asia. Participants from the 26 member countries will discuss the opportunities and challenges of reducing disaster risk through development processes. In addition to designing a new regional framework and program for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development, the meeting will provide input to the Asian Ministerial Conference of Disaster Risk Reduction, held later this year, as well as other regional policy fora.

Mr. Gregory Pearn
Project Officer
Disaster Risk Management Systems

Mr. Rowan Fraser
Disaster Risk Reduction Mainstreaming Specialist
Safer Development Planning and Implementation

Meeting documents:
Background note
Agenda

For more information about the 11th meeting of the Regional Consultative Committee on Disaster Management, visit here.