Disaster Risk Reduction, Preparedness, Response and Recovery in Bangladesh:

1. Disaster Risk Reduction, Preparedness, Response and Recovery in Bangladesh: A complex, multifaceted challenge, in any country of the world! In Bangladesh, there is still a massive amount of work to do! Nevertheless, real progress in 2012: what’s been done; and how does it relate to the IASC Transformative Agenda?

2. Today’s Presentation Bangladesh, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries! The evolution of a comprehensive Bangladeshi National Strategy Achievements: 1. Revamped and revitalised coordination 2. Disaster Management Act 3. Streamlined Joint Needs Assessment 4. ITA in Action The Major Challenges Forward in 2013

3. Increasingly unpredictable river flow from Himalayas Floods! Droughts! India India High population density and poverty compounds RISK. Bangladesh: An earthquake fault line India The rising Bay of Bengal • Waterlogging • Increasingly severe cyclones • Storm surge Myanmar

5. Yet, an amazing achievement: saving lives through disaster preparedness and responses How has this been achieved ?

6. Evolution of Disaster Risk Management in Bangladesh Volunteers network Flood Action Plan Warning Centers Refocused Ministry Bhola cyclone 1970 (500,000 killed) Floods 1987, 88 (100 yr flood) Mobilization ………. Professionalization ………. Paradigm Shift Climate Plan Humanitarian Reform DM Act 2012 Dedicated DRR Unit Cyclone Shelter Plan Standing Orders for Disaster Flood in 1998 (longest duration) Cyclone Sidr, Aila Cyclone Gorki 1991 (138000 killed)

7. Bringing us to today…. • Revamping Coordination, taking into account the Government’s Perspective, UN Capacities… • The National Structure for Aid Coordination and DER • Disaster Management Act 2012 • Improving Joint Needs Assessments

8. 1. Coordination:The Bangladesh Local Consultative Group and the 18 LCG Working Groups GOB/DP Plenary Bangladesh Development Forum LCG Secretariat DP Plenary ExComm* * The DP ExComm consists of seven members. Three permanent ones (ADB, WB and UN RC) and four non-permanent ones (currently: Canada, USA/USAID, Switzerland, and EU/Germany), that represent four groups of bilateral donors and rotate on an annual basis.

9. Coordination (continued): Strengthened Architecture • Definition of “how-to” and “who” done inclusively, • Flexible/light structure built on existing coordination mechanisms, • Joint GoB / International Community leadership of Humanitarian Cluster Coordination Task Team (HCTT) • Clusters lead sector response/recovery preparedness, aligned with the relevant LCG WGs • Linked to DMIC on information management and baseline data for preparedness.

10. The DER Coordination Structure: approved in 01/2012 Local Consultative Group Working Groups: DER LCG WG Ag. & Food LCG WG Health LCG WG WATSAN LCG WG Education LCG WG Poverty LCG WG Humanitarian Work, Early Recovery and Resilience Humanitarian Coordination Task Team Food Security cluster Education cluster Health cluster Early Recovery cluster Nutrition cluster WASH cluster UNICEF UNICEF/SCF FAO/WFP WHO UNDP UNICEF Stand alone clusters Logistics cluster Sheltercluster WFP UNDP/IFRC* *IFRC – as convener during emergency phase February 2013

11. 2. Disaster Management Act, 2012 • A significantly improved legal structure approved on 24 September 2012: • Defines key terms • Reforms Organizational Structures • Defines key roles, responsibilities and functions • Enables fast-track mobilization • Gov’t asked for and got, substantive UN input

12. 3. Joint Needs Assessment: Background • The Problem: • 13 separate needs assessments carried out in mid-2011 on Satkhira water-logging • Principles, Tools for a better Response: • Government has the ultimate responsibility for needs assessment • Commitment to a common approach among all DPs with GoB to assessments • Utilise a phased approach to assessments It looks like this:

13. Joint Needs Assessment Analyzed and proposed by a DER Task Force; agreed by DER in May 2012; Put into practice in Chittagong, June 2012, monsoon rains, floods, landslides

14. 4. Bangladesh: The IASC Transformative Agenda in Action • Accountability: • Recognizing as principle, Government’s primary accountability to its citizens; • In UN system, we’re accountable to both those living in disaster prone areas and to the government; • A coordination structure premised on accountability combining local knowledge and global guidance has been developed.

15. 4. ITA in Action (continued) • Leadership: • Highlighting historic National achievements (advocacy); • Promoting highest level government engagement implementing a comprehensive approach to DRR, Preparedness, Response and Recovery; • Within UN, explicit engagement of RC; • Personal commitment of relevant UN heads of agency and INGOs • Empowered Cluster Leads with technical expertise and an “outreach and partnership” attitude.

16. 4. ITA in Action (continued) • Coordination and Partnership: • Real National Ownership, based on Government’s prioritization of a comprehensive disaster risk cycle approach and a tailor made framework; • Progress, planning and actions based on multi-stakeholder, consensus driven process; • Resulting in: • Explicitly improved legislation, systems and tools! • Involvement and positive reactions from Government, bilateral donors, I/NGOs.

17. Challenges Forward • Saving lives and saving livelihoods: making resilience happen! • Address climate change, linked to slow-onset, prolonged disasters; • From joint assessments to joint actions (meaning both operational modalities, funding & response); • Strengthening even further, national capacities; • Making coordination and response consistently more effective; across sectors ensuring greater integration with LCG WGs (development); • The role and the guidance from LCG WGs is very vital in two ways: •  Proactive measures for incorporating DRR in normal development •  Guiding a rapid return to development; building back better!

18. Thank You very much! Discussion…