Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Mainstreaming DRR in development cooperation is considered to be an important dimension of sustainable development. Intercooperation works in ecologically fragile areas where climate change manifestations are rather clear and disaster risks (particularly hydro-meteorological) are high. We have reviewed, discussed and clarified DRR practices in specific programme contexts and seek to make them more visible for wider integration in its work. We have also tested various options to reduce disaster risks and have recorded encouraging impacts of those measures in 2010 floods

Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in Intercooperation’s projects and programme

Pakistan is located in climatically fragile zone. With its current primary focus in Northern Pakistan, most of the geographical locations of the projects and programmes implemented by Intercooperation face multiple hazard risks including flash floods, droughts, landslides, erosion, heavy snowfall and at times earthquake.

What is IC’s DRR approach?

Disasters result when an extreme natural or technological even coincides with a vulnerable human activity. Even if natural hazards cannot be fully avoided, disasters, to a large extent, can be reduced.

Intercooperation makes a clear distinction between Disaster Management (DM) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). The former focuses on emergency response, response preparedness, relief and recovery. DRR focuses on strategies and coping capacities to reduce the vulnerabilities to hazards, the likelihood of hazards and thereby the likely size and impact of hazards. IC is partner of Swiss Humanitarian Aid / SDC in the former when needed in IC’s programme areas, while the latter is addressed through mainstreaming DRR in its projects and programmes.

We believe that Climate Change, Climate Change variability and DRR are closely linked. Scientific evidence indicates that the current change of the climate will not only increase the number of extreme events, but these become more frequent and intense.

Intercooperation and humanitarian support in case of disasters:

Humanitarian aid as such is a not a specific focus of Intercooperation. However, when disasters occur, Intercooperation contributes to response and recovery measures within its project framework. Intercooperation has played a strong coordination role in the response phase after some disasters, by bringing humanitarian support to the affected communities. Access to local institutions and external networks enable Intercooperation’s programmes to effectively play this role after various kinds of disasters. Intercooperation has also been involved in recovery activities after several disasters. Building synergies between development and humanitarian aid is important for improved outcomes and their sustainability. In the emergency relief phase, humanitarian aid activities consult with the development actors and their network who are locally present and have a long-lasting experience of the region.

Mainstreaming DRR

Intercooperation programmes have a strong history of collaboration with multiple actors on development aspects. These collaborations can be leveraged for DRR. Funding partners can build on our experience on facilitating communities in developing a comprehensive disaster risk reduction plan based on climate scenarios.

The Livelihoods Programme in Pakistan has a mandate, among others, to reduce disaster risks at local level, which provides a window of opportunity for broad-based discussions with multiple players. This involves taking stock of early warning systems prevailing within the community, strengthen climate forecast systems and combining the two for ensuring a sound early warning system for specific locations prone to natural disasters. Mainstreaming DRR goes a step further – it ensures assessment of hazards risks in all project interventions at field level. It is to ensure that the project is not causing any harm to the local environment – and hence is not exaggerating disaster risks. Mainstreaming DRR also demands enhancing communities’ preparedness to cope with disasters when they come, in order to minimize collateral damage. Over the next few years, important lessons can be learned from its implementation.