Regional Development

Environment for Sustainable Development

Target Countries

Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Turkey

Background

In 2005, the "Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)" was adopted at the UN World Conference for Disaster Reduction (WCDR), which took place in Japan. The HFA reaffirmed that "A gender perspective should be integrated into all disaster risk management policies, plans and decision-making processes, including those related to risk assessment, early warning, information management, and education and training", and that there is a need to "Ensure equal access to appropriate training and educational opportunities for women and vulnerable constituencies; promote gender and cultural sensitivity training as integral components of education and training for disaster risk reduction". The "Gender in Community Based Disaster Management" project will put additional focus on the issue of gender relations and gender based disaster management considerations within case communities. Gender itself is a neutral word, referring to both men and women. Therefore, it is important to note that the focus here is not simply on the vulnerability of women but also on the role of men and the needs arising from their actions or awareness level in regards to disaster management and saving lives. Without proper awareness raising amongst men as well as women, the needs of women and children and other socially more vulnerable groups in times of disasters will not be met. The Hyogo Trust Fund Research Project "Gender in Community Based Disaster Management" seeks to achieve the goals set forth under the HFA and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to investigate strategies for sustainable development and disaster management that incorporates viewpoints of gender equality and participation for effective long-term disaster risk reduction.

Objectives

HTF IX will be implemented in order to:

1. Evaluate the gender sensitivity of disaster management policies and statistical and social indicators in the target countries;
2. Raise the awareness of stakeholders including governments, academic institutions, NGOs and communities;
3. Disseminate effective and efficient educational materials through workshops and/or trainings, and policies of gender sensitivities in the target countries; and
4. Build the capacity of stakeholders in the target countries for the evaluation and development of gender sensitive policies.

Participatory Workshops

The HTF projects are executed in the style of an action research, actively engaging the members of case communities in which the research activities are being carried out. Care is taken to consult and involve all disaster management and development stakeholders in a given community and cooperation is sought from local governments. Some workshops have set a ground-breaking precedent for community - government dialogue for sustainable planning and such initatives are being disseminated by means of local language and English publications produced by UNCRD and its local counterparts.