Resources on Disaster Risk Reduction

Resources on Disaster Risk Reduction

1. 1.       Relief Web
   
2. 2.       Millennium Development Goals
   
3. 3.       National Disaster Management India
   
4. 4.       Disaster Management Information System
   
5. 5.       Community Based Disaster Management Resources
   
6. 6.       UN International Strategy For Disaster Reduction
   
7. 7.       Monitoring and Evaluation
   

a.       http://www.mande.co.uk/  Portal with news and information about monitoring and evaluation in development organisations. Includes online forum and links to evaluation societies.

b.      http://www.internationalevaluation.com/  a loose coalition of regional and national evaluation organizations from around the world that is dedicated to building leadership and capacity in developing countries, fostering the cross-fertilization of evaluation theory and practice around the world, and assisting the evaluation profession to take a more global approach to contributing to the identification and solution of world problems.

c.     Humanitarian Distance Learning Centre - HDLC Discussion Forum
http://www.contingencyonline.com/forum.html
The HDLC discussion forum is a resource for relief and development professionals to communicate ideas, request advice and advocate for various issues within multi-sectoral relief and development environment.
It is a creative mechanism for participants to directly influence the scope and dynamic of vocational training within their particular field or sector of specialty.
Periodically, the HDLC Discussion forum host polls and surveys on behalf of the community for research purposes and conducts "virtual" round table discussions monthly.
It is free to register, so sign up.

d.    XCeval
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xceval/
Discussion list for persons interested in issues associated with international and cross-cultural evaluation.

e.     ALNAP: Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance
http://www.alnap.org
Network of NGOs, UN agencies, Donors, academics and consultants interested to promote better practices in monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian projects. Members meet twice per year.

f.     UN Evaluation Forum
http://www.uneval.org/
A knowledge network with moderated discussions, digests and news postings to disseminate good practices and lessons learned on measuring, monitoring and evaluation.

g.    International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS)
http://www.ideas-int.org
A membership organisation to advance and extend the practice of development evaluation by refining methods, strengthening capacity and expanding ownership. Listserv and discussion forum open to members only.

INTERVIEW-Food crisis, silent famine to continue: World Bank

By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA, Sept 3 (Reuters) - There is no end in sight to global food shortages and multiple crises from climate change and energy and water scarcity will soon intensify what is already a silent famine, the World Bank said on Wednesday.

"There may be a slight dip, but we're going to see sustained high food prices for the foreseeable future," Katherine Sierra, the Bank's Vice President for Sustainable Development told Reuters in an interview.

"What we're seeing right now is a kind of quiet famine, people that have really had to reduce their food consumption quite considerably, a 100 million people moving back into poverty in Africa," Sierra said on the sidelines of an agriculture and climate change conference in Australia.

Many nations are braced for further instability after food riots in 37 countries and international rice prices soaring from around $400 to $1,000 a tonne. On Wednesday benchmark Thai rice was at $720. Growers such as Cambodia, Vietnam, India and China are cutting exports to keep rice at home.

Global food prices, based on United Nations records, rose 35 percent in the year to the end of January, accelerating an upturn that began in 2002. Since then, prices have risen 65 percent. Wheat prices peaked in March at $454 a tonne, more than doubling between mid-2007 and March this year.

Sierra, in a conference speech, said governments around the world had failed to properly invest in agricultural research, and step-up production of new types of food in time to meet demand.

DEMAND RISES

With the world's population climbing towards 9 billion by 2050, demand for food is forecast to rise 110 per cent over the same period. At the same time, global warming is cutting into the supply of fresh water available to grow crops.

While many Europeans were opposed to genetically-modified (GM) crop types, Sierra said many showed promise in alleviating food shortages when "climate-ready" crops were critical.

Australia, experiencing its worst drought in 117 years, had expertise in improving crop yields in the face of climate change and water shortages, Sierra said.

Australia's Agriculture Minister Tony Burke told the conference GM food crops would be needed on a massive scale to help address global food shortages, saying biofuels cutting into food crop availability were not to blame.

"I don't believe we should be turning our back on any part of science. It would be a mistake for anyone to think that a reversal of those biofuels policies will get us out of the challenge that we face with global food shortages," Burke said.

Sierra said research must focus on hardier crops tolerant to drought, heat and salinity, as well as the range of cereals to include roots, tubers and grain legumes like peas, lentils and soyabeans, many of which do not need industrial fertilisers.

More effective plant breeding would also help, while the food potential of tropical fruits and even medicinal herbs had not been properly explored, she said.

(Editing by David Fox)

Safe water, disease control priorities during India-Nepal flooding

The World Health Organization is providing supplies and technical assistance in response to the deadly flooding in India and Nepal that has also displaced millions of people.

Heavy monsoonal rains on 18 August swelled the Kosi River to breaking point, resulting in flood waters breaching an embankment and causing severe flooding in Nepal's Sunsari district as well as in 16 districts of adjacent India's Bihar state. The river seems to have changed its course, flooding areas of Bihar that are not usually inundated.

More than 3 million people in over 1700 villages have been affected in India and 70 000 in Nepal. While search and rescue operations are ongoing, both countries will face immediate and medium term challenges in providing safe water, sanitation and access to health care to prevent and control communicable disease outbreaks.

"No outbreaks have been reported in India nor Nepal, but the flooding, risk for water- and vector-borne diseases due to the massive population displacements, hot climate, stretched hygiene and sanitation levels and eventual pools of stagnant water pools left behind by receding flood waters," said Dr Poonam Singh, Deputy Regional Director for WHO's South-East Asian Regional Office.

At least 56 people have died in the floods in India, according to the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, while more than 220 000 houses have been damaged. Measles immunizations will begin for all children aged up to 5 years in affected areas.

Indian authorities are leading relief efforts in the country's northern Bihar state and have established accommodation and health centres for thousands of displaced people. Authorities are providing 20 million chlorine tablets for water purification. WHO is in close contact with the Ministry of Health and is supplying 100 chloroscopes for measuring water quality, as well as health promotion and communications material related to measles immunization and public health awareness.

In Nepal, WHO has sent emergency medicines and equipment capable of treating more than 120 000 people for one month to flood-affected areas in the Sunsari district, where 27 shelters have been established. Additional anti-malaria and anti-diarrhoea supplies have also been deployed, while larger quantities of medicines have been pre-positioned in three hubs. Staff from WHO's Country Office have also joined field missions to respond to and assess health needs, as well as deliver medicines.

Nepal's Haripur, Shripur, Laukihi and Paschhim Kushaha districts are among the worst-affected by the flooding, which has also made the country's east-west highway impassable.

"With so many people forced from their homes into extremely challenging conditions, all effort must be made to ensure the supply of safe drinking water, food, sanitation and accommodation facilities, as well as essential medicines," Eric Laroche, Assistant Director-General for WHO's Health Action in Crises Cluster. (reliefweb)

GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

August 5, 2008—The rapid rise in food prices has been a burden on the poor in developing countries, who spend roughly half of their household incomes on food. Soaring prices for staples such as rice, maize, and wheat have been compounded by rising prices at the gas pumps—leading to requests for emergency food aid in many countries around the world.
“How we respond to this double jeopardy of soaring food and fuel prices is a test of the global system’s commitment to help the most vulnerable,” said World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick, speaking on the sidelines of the recent G8 Summit in Japan. “It is a test we cannot afford to fail.”
In May 2008, the World Bank approved a new $1.2 billion rapid financing facility to address immediate needs arising from the food crisis. The Global Food Response Program (GFRP)aims to strike a balance between short-term food stabilization and measures to ensure countries are able to cope better in the medium term.
Under the program, countries can select from a menu of actions and investments most relevant to their individual situations, including programs to address price policies, social protection and nutrition, and the supply of seeds and fertilizers.
To date, the Bank has approved and begun disbursing $54 million in six countries. Programs totaling $69 million in eight additional countries are pending approval. An additional $440 million in grants is being earmarked for programs in another 16 countries.See the GFRP Project Statustable for details.

UNDERSTANDING THE CRISIS:

Soaring prices have been blamed on lower agricultural production, weather shocks, more meat consumption, and shifts to biofuel crops.
Wheat prices are up 120%.
Rice prices are up 75%.
Poor families spend up to 80% of their budget on food.

IMPACT:

Most countries in South Asia are net food importers and have suffered severe trade shocks.
A 2 kg bag of rice now costs half the daily income of a poor family in Bangladesh
In Indonesia, a 10% rise in rice prices means 2 million more people will be plunged into poverty, according to a recent assessment.

OVERCOMING THE CRISIS: 10 POINT PLAN

The Food Crisis: a Man-Made ProblemHigh fuel costs have resulted in higher agriculture costs, falling food stocks, and land shifted out of food production to produce biofuels. The international community should help those in danger today and ensure the poor don’t suffer this tragedy again.The task is clear, but not simple.

1. World Food Programme
Fully fund the World Food Programme's emergency needs
Support its drive to buy food aid locally
Ensure the unhampered movement of humanitarian assistance

2. Safety Nets Support safety nets, such as distributing food in schools or offering food for work, to quickly help those in severe distress.

3. Seeds and FertilizerGet seeds and fertilizer for the coming planting season to farmers in poor countries. The key is not just financing, but fast delivery systems.

4. Agricultural ResearchDouble spending on agricultural research and development to $800 million over the next 5 years through the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.

5. AgribusinessInvest more in agribusiness to tap into the private sector's ability to work across the value chain.

6. Risk ManagementDevelop innovative risk management tools and crop insurance to protect poor farmers and help build food security

7. BiofuelsEase subsidies, mandates and tariffs on biofuels derived from corn and oilseeds. Policymakers should consider "safety valves" that ease these policies when prices are high. The choice does not have to be food or fuel.

8. Export BansRemove export bans that have led to even higher world prices.28 countries have imposed such controls. Removing these bans could have a dramatic effect.

9. TradeConclude the Doha WTO trade deal to remove agricultural subsidies and tariffs and create a more efficient and fair global food trade. The need for multilateral rules has never been stronger.

10. Collective Action Work together to counter global risks. The challenges of energy, food and water will be drivers of the world economy and security. The time to act is now.

Community Based Performance Monitoring (CBPM)

Community Based Performance Monitoring (CBPM) was developed in The Gambia with support from the World Bank as one element in its promotion of social accountability in poverty reduction programs. Building on earlier work by CARE International in Malawi, CBPM combines elements of familiar participatory tools such as social audits and participatory rural appraisal. It has been scaled up nationally to monitor implementation of The Gambia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, and has been introduced to a number of other African countries. CBPM enables local communities to negotiate reforms in the delivery of services such as primary education or village dispensaries. Information on the quality of service provision is generated through the use of structured focus group interactions with user groups as well as with service providers. Feedback from user groups to service providers is almost immediate, and changes are arrived at through mutual dialogue during an interface meeting. The community also tracks inputs by comparing actual facility assets and supplies against entitlements. The primary aim of the approach is community empowerment. Secondarily, CBPM can be used as an advocacy tool by aggregating community-generated data across multiple CBPM “community gatherings”. The paper (accompanied by an illustrated slide presentation) first outlines the origins and attributes of the CBPM approach. The CBPM process and outputs, and the experiences to date with variants of the CBPM approach in several African countries, are described. Finally, the paper reviews a number of ongoing strategic and operational challenges, and the potential for adaptation and scaling-up of the CBPM approach.
http://www.engagingcommunities2005.org/abstracts/S96-forster-r.html