Disaster Risk Management: Working Concept

 Disaster risk management is a comparatively new area of social concern and practice.
However, it is a very relevant concern for development cooperation given that
natural disasters have devastated an increasing number of regions, destroyed investments
and set back progress in development. Often, countries victim to the
large-scale impacts of earthquakes, tornadoes, typhoons, floods or droughts are
barely able to respond, and recovering can take years or decades. Following the
United Nations initiative for an International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction
(1990-99), this theme has climbed much higher on the international agenda. An increasing
number of development cooperation actors are trying to cater for more prevention
in their activities. And, the more vulnerable countries of the South are also
beginning to make efforts to protect their populations and national economies from
future disasters.
The link between disasters and development is now apparent to everyone, and disaster
risk management is gaining increasing currency as an effective form of investment.
But, most developing countries are limited in their ability to effectively integrate
a strategic approach to the theme into national policy. It is the poor populations in
the disaster areas that are hardest hit by losses and setbacks.
Development cooperation supports political, economic, ecological and social development
worldwide. It helps improve living conditions and promotes sustainable development.
Natural disasters do not just pose a challenge to southern hemisphere
countries. They are also a challenge for development cooperation and therefore for
the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ): Strategies must
be developed and implemented to reduce the vulnerability of populations in partner
countries, as well as measures to decrease disaster risk.
GTZ aims to bridge the gap between the perceived challenges and the necessary
practical steps for addressing them. The present working concept provides a review
of current approaches and GTZ services in disaster risk management. Our intended
audience includes relevant professionals, national and international institutions and
organizations, and GTZ staff.