2nd Meeting of the Asian Advisory Group of Parliamentarians for DRR5-6th Feburary 2014, Vientiane, Lao PDR

Recap of Day 1

AAGP Expectations

Gain wisdom, share experiences (i.e. Korea checklist on mainstreaming DRR and CCA)

Discuss new strategies: How to integrate DRR into development plans, how to make the case for DRR as investment for people welfare, approach DRR from right-based angle, parliamentarians play a role to ensure the voice and participation of vulnerable groups such as people with disability, capacity building, systematic account for disaster losses

Discuss new opportunities: i.e. a DRR resolution at IAPA meeting hosted by Laos National Assembly in September 2014

Provide concrete proposals for HFA2, 6AMCDRR and WCDRR

Pursue the Plan of Action of AAGP

Setting the Sense

Both development and disaster risk reduction have not been sustainable and effective: mortality risk is decreasing but economic losses are increasing. Development failure constructs new risks

What is missing or unclear , which need to be addressed to enable more effective risk management?

New approach in disaster risk management that transforms development to manage risks, strengthen resilience.

Policy and action must go beyond reduction of existing risk and prioritize prevention of new risk accumulation.

Risk management to be part of sustainable development policies and practices

Strong commitment for necessary changes to current development practices, processes and patterns to be risk-sensitive

Opportunities exist to synchronize with the post 2015 sustainable development agenda and ‐

goals and climate change framework (HFA2, SDG, CC)

Setting the Sense (2)

HFA2 to build on the HFA and principles enshrined in previous frameworks

HFA2 to be practical, action oriented, strengthen accountability, capable of addressing future natural and technological risk scenarios, far reaching

HFA2 to be a guiding tool for supporting the successful implementation of the SDGs and climate change agreement.

HFA2 cannot be considered as a stand alone, technical and ‐sector specific agreement.

• HFA2 Monitor through the same process and UN governance bodies for SDGs and climate change monitoring arrangement

Proposed Elements of HFA2 5 principles Outcome: Secure, healthy, wealthy and resilient nations and

communities 3 strategic goals:

1) Risk prevention and the pursuit of development pathways that minimise disaster risk generation;

2) Risk reduction;

3) Strengthened resilience.

Priority areas: Critical public policies to address disaster risk:

1) Prospective and anticipatory risk management (risk prevention),

2) Corrective risk management (risk reduction)

3) Actions to strengthen resilience. Refocus HFA Priorities on public policy to sharpen the instrument, define

responsibilities, strengthen accountability and facilitate monitoring

Ensure appropriate governance frameworks

5 Families of indicators

1. Measure disaster loss and damage metrics, expressed in both absolute and relative (to population, GDP etc) terms.

Data derived from national disaster loss databases

2. Countries’ risk profile, including both intensive and extensive risk

Data from the results of global risk assessments

3. Measure the resilience of a country’s economy to probable losses.

4. Measure how a country is managing its underlying risk drivers, also providing links from disaster risk management to the SDGs and to the climate change convention.

Data from internationally available and comparable statistics and databases.

5. Measure how a country is adopting effective public policies in favour of prospective and anticipatory risk management, corrective risk management and the strengthening of resilience by both the public and private sectors

Data generated by governments, using a modified and enhanced HFA Monitor

Enhanced Monitoring System

Review process

• Through the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) of UNGA- SDG and CC review process

• HLFP as a critical instrument which could serve the review of HFA2

• To ensure a synchronised and harmonised review process and deliberations, cross fertilisation with learning from the ‐implementation of the 3 post-2015 frameworks

Parliamentarians’ inputs for HFA2

To push institutions and legislation and institutions to ensure DRM is integral part of development:

Legislation: look at core elements, develop set of indicators at global/regional levels

Institutions: re-consider, toward more effective institutions

Strengthen oversight for accountability and transparency: setting national targets, create/strengthen mechanisms for parliamentarians oversight

Key elements of Legislation

• Entitling: separate two laws which reinforce each other• Disaster Management Law: emergency management, humanitarian• DRR (or disaster resilient law): resilient development through risk

management• Clear objective and scope: to achieve resilient development, thus

encompass major areas of development for risk management as a precondition

• Clear and consistent definition of terms and concepts• Define principles guiding the law• Articulate what Integration of DRR into development means: policy

guidance, benchmarks, actions, responsibilities of different institutions• Articulate on necessary improvements in governance for

implementation: institutional frameworks, roles and responsibilities• Compliance and enforcement

Legislation – what can be done by AAGP? Review of existing legislation, in line with the discussion on key

elements, with technical support from UNISDR

AAGP members commit to develop new legislation or amend existing ones, for example:

• Laos National Assembly considers organizing awareness raising and discussion for a good understanding of the issues before starting the process of drafting the law. It is important to include consultation with people during the process

• Philippines House of Representative considers amending the DRRM Act, reflecting also lessons learned from implementation to date

• MPs to hold the executives responsible to be clear on policies and articulate the policy first before formulating law

Develop guidelines or standards for parliamentarians to use or adapt in developing legislation

Institutional frameworks Need of highest coordination mechanism to reinforce integration from

policy/planning stage

The current common arrangement for disaster response agency to coordinate DRR or disaster resilient development is not right. Need of a strong secretariat for coordination, not to do the job

• Philippines House of Representative: proposed new bill to create a separate Emergency Management Authority, letting NDRRMC focus on DRR

Need for a clear definition/understanding of mandate and role i.e. coordination by the secretariat vs. implementation responsibilities by development ministries/agencies

Oversight

Call on all parliaments to have a committee on DRR to review Gov plans, budget and have authorities to monitor the implementation of law and DRR in the country

National targets and indicators to be set by Government and people.

Create/improve mechanisms for parliamentarians to get involved and hold the executives to account.

Good example is the UK legislation that requires Gov to report annually to Parliament on specific steps undertaken to reduce emission.

HFA2 monitoring should include monitoring by NGO and other stakeholders

Develop tools (such as a check-list) to assist parliamentarians in monitoring the implementation of law or a programme.

Review existing regulations and protocols i.e. EIA to include DRR consideration. Bangladesh is working on integrating DRR into EIA

Other issues• DRR from human right perspective is one of the 5 proposed principles.

This needs to be translated into strategic priorities, key areas and monitoring more explicitly. Relevant HR indicators could be used.

• Increasing impacts of high intensity events (extensive risk) and learning from daily emergency management need to be well understood and used in long-term planning

• Focus on training of local governments as the most important strategy

• Science and technology is vital for informed decision making. What parliamentarians can do to help bridge science and decision making

• Strengthen partnerships of parliamentarians: with IPU for the Handbook; linkage with other UN conventions for more effective DRR