Project
Period: 1 year, commencing 1 February 2001
Funding: European Commission Humanitarian Aid
Office (ECHO)
Geographical Focus: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao
PDR, the Philippines and Vietnam PROJECT
OVERVIEW
The Partnerships for Disaster
Reduction - South East Asia (PDR-SEA) project
addresses the regional need for a coordinated
endeavor for disaster preparedness, management
and mitigation that appropriately responds to
the gaps within the regional disaster management
scheme. These gaps were identified in the 1999
evaluation of DIPECHO projects under the DIPECHO
First Action Plan for South East Asia, and were
verified during the first meeting of the ADPC
Consultative Committee on Regional Cooperation
in Disaster Management held in November 2000
in Bangkok, where representatives of the DIPECHO
target countries had an opportunity to present
and discuss their country's basic needs on disaster
management. Most of the needs and concerns raised
were summarized into the aspect of information
exchange, which incorporates the aspects of
training and education, as well as technology
transfer, capacity building and disaster mitigation
measures through public awareness campaigns.
The PDR-SEA project, under
the DIPECHO Second Action Plan for South East
Asia, provides technical support for regional
information exchange, networking and capacity
building for DIPECHO target countries namely,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines
and Vietnam. The project emphasizes the need
to address disaster-related issues within the
context of sustainable development, with communities
targeted as major beneficiaries. It uses a process-oriented
approach, and strategies that do not exclude
any interested group from the process. It draws
on successful local experiences that deserve
a wider application within the region.
PROJECT
COMPONENTS
The PDR-SEA project was designed
within an overall logical framework, so that
the project's four components are distinct yet
interrelated. The need for better sharing and
dissemination of information serves as the common
thread of these components:
Component 1:
Development of an Information Exchange Strategy
ADPC will undertake a study
to review regional information and networking
needs, and then organize a working group meeting
of partner representatives to present the findings.
The outcome will be a consensus on an information
strategy to be implemented at both regional
and national levels. Within this strategy, ADPC
will seek a mandate to design, host, maintain
and operate specific elements, such as a newsletter,
and to update the ADPC library and regional
strategy homepages for the benefit of all partners,
as well as to provide technical support to elements
to be operated directly by partners in Laos
and Vietnam. A 20-page booklet on Disaster Management
in South East Asia will also be published.
Component 2:
Strengthening Networking among National Disaster
Management Organizations/ Coordinating Bodies
(NDMOs)
ADPC will work in consultation
with NDMOs to review existing mechanisms for
regional cooperation and support them in developing
improved ways to share information, coordinate
activities and undertake joint ventures in capacity
building and institutional strengthening. This
will be done through in-country consultations,
with the findings presented in a regional meeting
of NDMOs of the seven South East Asian DIPECHO
target countries. The consultations will cover
issues such as institutional arrangements for
transnational disaster management, early warning
systems, resource mobilization, policy development,
contributions of military and civil defense
assets to regional relief operations, and stocktaking
of disaster information systems in place in
the different countries. Building on identified
priority needs of the ASEAN Regional Forum,
current national capacities in early warning
systems will be reviewed and steps taken for
improvement. In addition, specially-designed
one-week training courses in disaster management
will be conducted for middle level officials
in NDMOs and member ministries and departments.
Component 3:
Review, Updating and Development of Disaster
Management Training Database and Materials
This component builds upon
ADPC's extensive 15-year experience in conducting
27 international Disaster Management courses
(DMC), and training over 2,500 people using
materials developed over the years. ADPC will
collect and preliminarily review existing training
and education packages and public awareness
campaign materials and, in partnership with
national consultants, undertake a preliminary
analysis of disaster management training gaps.
Component 4:
Capacity Building of DIPECHO Partners in Community-based
Disaster Management (CBDM)
The CBDM training course will be designed on
the basis of a training needs assessment. The
whole process, from needs assessment and design
to evaluation, will be carried out with national
partner training institutes (NPTIs). Thus, the
process itself will build partners' capacities
and ownership before the actual course. The
ultimate aim is that the NPTIs will be able
to manage and adapt CBDM training on their own.
EXPECTED
OUTPUTS
The above project components have the following
expected results that are intended to establish
initiatives or mechanisms, given the one-year
project lifetime. These address information
exchange, networking, a disaster management
training database, and capacity building.
Information Exchange
- A regional strategy for information exchange
- ADPC technical support to pilot a selected
strategy for information exchange
- An operational listserve supporting dialogue
among DIPECHO partners and initiating the
establishment of a South East Asia Disaster
Management network
Publication
- A quarterly newsletter (print and electronic)
- An updated ADPC library information database
available to all target countries
- A website
- A 20-page booklet on Disaster Management
in South East Asia
- Documentation of the needs of National Disaster
Management Organizations (NDMOs) for regional
collaboration
- An inventory of early warning systems in
the target countries
Networking and
Coordination
Capacity-Building
- A training program for representatives from
NDMOs in target countries
- Documentation of training and education
packages, and public awareness campaign materials
- An overview of current disaster management
training needs in the target countries
- Upgrading of selected existing training
and education methodologies and packages
- Review of two disaster management simulation
exercises
- Phase I upgrading of a computer-assisted
crisis management simulation exercise (ATLANTIS)
- Nationally-adapted versions of CBDM trainer's
guides, coordinator's manuals, reference materials
and teaching aids
- Training support for the development and
implementation of local level disaster risk
reduction programs
- Training of 16 trainers in CBDM from DIPECHO
target countries
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