Slow-onset and Persistent Disasters The case of the Southwest

1. Slow-onset and Persistent Disasters The case of the Southwest Updates for LCG DER 24 May 2012

2. A focus on the southwest Process • A special meeting on waterlogging in September 2011 • Formed a dedicated Task Force • Discussions among Task Force members • Discussions among UNDAF Pillar 5 members • A stakeholder consultation held on April 19 2012 initiating a comprehensive process

3. Outcome: alignment and momentum • The work of the Task Force has revealed an alignment among stakeholders on: • Key underlying issues • The need for a consolidated approach • Momentum to act NOW

4. Why the southwest? • There is a need; persisting poverty and vulnerability to shocks • There is no collective situational awareness we all ascribe to • There are: • Multiple causes • Multiple impacts • Conflicting interests • Suggest a model that can be used in other vulnerable regions

5. Consultation Objectives • To share experiences and knowledge relating to root causes of slow-onset and persistent disasters in the South West region of Bangladesh; • To create awareness and deeper understanding of the root causes and impact of such slow onset persistent disasters • To identify some feasible solutions to mitigate the situation • To agree on a process and follow up actions

6. To understand What are the… • likely root causes of the persistent humanitarian situation? • most important impacts on the communities? • good practices of Government and stakeholders in responding? • key gaps to be addressed? • sustainable hydro-morphological solutions? • lessons and their replication?

7. Fragmented solutions • Long term macro & infrastructure investment • Medium term community development • Short term: humanitarian response • Different actors involved in each phase • Different communities • Different national government actors • Different local government actors • Different NGOs • Different development partners With limited connectivity between them

8. Gaps and Challenges • No shared situational over-view • Deeper understanding of key issues needed • Key baseline information should be managed/available • Improve inclusion of affected communities in solutions • Lack of coordination between stakeholders working on different aspects of the situation • Triggers that indicate the need for concern and possibly response are not defined • Humanitarian needs become long term, un-noticed

9. The Challenge of Leadership • A genuine challenge is identifying leadership for a situation that crosses multiple government ministries departments and entities, and a range of different non-government partners at the national and local levels.

10. Key recommendations: Short to medium term • Establish DER-other LCG cross linkages • Identify a coordination forum for the region (emphasize and advocate for broad participation) • Develop Triggers (entry & exit) • Link Infrastructure development with community participation • Ensure humanitarian response is linked to ongoing programs • Identify the role of local government • Commission a detailed socio-economic assessment study • Advocate

11. Key recommendations: long term • A master plan for comprehensive solution • Dedicated development authority • SW issues reflected in GoB’s5 year plan • Link with Climate Change funds • River linking programmes • Policy on land sealing • Disaster resilient structures/habitat • Aquaculture development and marine based industry • Diversification of livelihoods/potential eco-tourism (private sector engagement)

12. Thank you