Disaster Governance

Disaster governance is the way society as a whole manages its full array of disaster risks, which may be triggered by geological hazards (such as earthquakes); climate change and hydro-meteorological hazards (such as floods and cyclones); and conflict and war, in order to sustain development, human welfare, and dignity. It promotes the notion that there are many overlapping arenas (or centers) of authority for decision making and responsibility for disaster risk reduction. These arenas exist at all scales and levels, from individuals and local community groups to national governments (executive and legislative) and international institutions and organizations.

Given the fact that not all disaster risks can be totally eliminated, organizations and institutions often adopt a disaster risk reduction approach, mainly through disaster risk management options such as mitigation, disaster preparedness, early warning systems, and early response and disaster recovery.

Combining disaster and governance as a concept is actually a rather new academic exercise, created to supersede the disaster risk management (DRM) framework. The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) defines disaster risk management as a “systematic process of using administrative decisions, organization, operational skills, and capacities to implement policies, strategies, and coping capacities of the society and communities to lessen the impacts of natural hazards and related environmental and technological disasters.” Forms of activities can be structural (engineering) and nonstructural (such as public policy and land use planning) to avoid or limit adverse effects of hazards.

Virginia Congressman Glenn Nye talks with FEMA about disaster relief for his district after flooding in November 2009

As a concept, disaster risk governance, or disaster governance, emerges from social science, policy studies, and research on the human dimension of global environmental change. DRM is not completely dismissed; in fact, it is still embedded in the disaster governance concept. What is new is a greater emphasis on the decision making process in regards to disaster reduction policy and regulations, with a greater acknowledgement of the complexity, multi-dimensionality, and interplay of multi-level institutions and the polycentric nature of decision making regarding disaster risk reduction.

The embedded meaning of governance, as related to disaster risk, is that it acknowledges new forms of policies and regulations that are distinct from traditional hierarchical government activity, and implies some form of self-regulation by societal actors and public-private partnership in disaster risk reduction.

The disaster governance concept is highly relevant to the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for [Page 114]Actions (HFA) of UNISDR, which was endorsed at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction by 168 member states and has served as a new, non-legally binding regulation that drives its member states to mainstream disaster risk reduction within national development. It is expected to be the worldwide sustainable development agenda. HFA's five agendas are to ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation; to identify, assess, and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning; to use knowledge, innovation, and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels; reduce the underlying risk factors; and strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels.

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