2017-18

LAW AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Assignment

ROLE OF UNITED NATIONS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Submitted to Dr. Faizanur Rehman

Submitted by Anish Kumar,
Sem. Xth, Sec B,
B.A., LL.B (Hons.),
Roll No. 13BLW0014
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am deeply thankful to Dr. Faizanur Rahman Sir, for his exemplary guidance throughout my
law school years. His contribution in moulding me as a law student is immense. His deep and
thoughtful lectures enabled us to grasp some of the untouched, un-treaded and non-traditional
areas of law, where his deep insights into the intricacies and subtle nuances of the topic made
me a better learner. Throughout my journey in the law school, he has been a constant source of
encouragement and inspiration to me and many students.

I am thankful to the Almighty, my parents and friends for their constant love and affection
without which it was not possible for me to sustain the momentum of life.

Anish Kumar

Sem Xth, B.A.LL.B (H)

 Contents

I. Introduction
II. Role of UNO and other sub Agencies in Disaster Management
III. Operational Mechanism of UNO
IV. Recent Initiatives at International Forum in respect to Disaster Management
V. Role of India in Disaster Management at International Level
VI. Conclusion
I INTRODUCTION

Disaster Management: The very definition of disaster as adopted by United Nations (UN)
which also has been co-opted in National Act of Disaster Management 2005, has defined as

“disaster is a serious disruption of a community or a society functioning, causing widespread

human, material, economic and/or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the
affected community or society to cope using its own resources. Natural hazards may be
prevented through application of careful planning, preparedness and mitigation measures.”

Different stakeholders have understood “Disaster management” differently. Those who

respond, for them it is purely a response management. Those who get engaged in relief and
immediate recovery, for them it is a humanitarian crisis and relief management. Both are post
disaster activities. Pre disaster planning for risk reduction, risk mitigation and preparedness are
the new rule of business in the sector. And those who believe in it, for them it is both i.e pre
disaster risk reduction and post disaster response.

Disaster management has evolved a long way from managing events of disaster to managing
the risks of disasters. Risk management approach to disasters means that the underlying hazards
and vulnerabilities, natural or anthropogenic, are assessed scientifically and necessary
measures are taken to prevent the creation of risks ab initio. It also means that existing risks
are reduced through a combination of various structural and non-structural measures including
innovative mechanisms of risk sharing and risk insurance. For the residual risks that are neither
prevented, nor reduced nor insured, there is no other alternative but to get prepared for disasters.

Disaster preparedness means getting prepared for responding to disasters effectively as and
when it strikes so that lives can be saved and human sufferings reduced to the maximum extent
possible through measures like evacuation, search and rescue and humanitarian assistance like
shelter and relief. Preparedness further means having policies, strategies and resources in place
for ‘building back better’ livelihoods, houses and infrastructures devastated during
disasters.Disaster risk management has assumed critical importance for sustainable
development as damage and losses due to disasters are spiralling despite the plethora of
measures taken to reduce such losses.

As per an estimate of the UN office for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) during the past two
decades as many as 1.3 million people were killed, 4.4 billion people affected and 2 trillion
dollars lost due to disasters. India had its share of such damage and losses. The World Bank
had estimated that the economic losses due to disasters during the late nineties and early years
of this century were close to twp percent of the GDP, whereas similar amount was not invested
for public health in the country.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the UN General Assembly in
September 2015 embedded disaster risk management in as many as 8 out of 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG) with specific targets for building disaster resilience across different
sectors of development.

The Paris Agreement on Climate Change signed in December 2015 outlined eight specific
action areas for enhancing ‘understanding, action and support’ for disaster reduction. These
include:

(a) Early warning systems;

(b) Emergency preparedness;

(c) Slow onset events;

(d) Events that may involve irreversible and permanent loss and damage;

(e) Comprehensive risk assessment and management;

(f) Risk insurance facilities, climate risk pooling and other insurance solutions;

(g) Non-economic losses; and

(h) Resilience of communities, livelihoods and ecosystems.

II ROLE OF UNITED NATIONS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Based on a number of United Nations General Assembly resolutions which establish the
institutional and policy framework for international disaster relief, the United Nations, through
its agencies, programmes and funds, and specialized agencies fulfill a coordinating and
operational role within the mechanisms and procedures which have been established by the
humanitarian system to facilitate immediate response in the event of disaster.

1. Institutional and policy framework The underlying mandate for the humanitarian system
is derived from General Assembly resolution 46/182 (1991) on strengthening of the
coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance of the United Nations which provides, inter
alia, for: - the guiding principles for humanitarian assistance to victims of disasters and other
emergencies - the key elements of humanitarian emergency assistance (prevention,
preparedness, stand-by capacity; consolidated appeals, coordination, cooperation and
leadership, continuum from relief to rehabilitation and development) - the leadership role of
the United Nations Secretary-General - the basis for the mandate and role of the Emergency
Relief Coordinator - the establishment of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Resolution
46/182 also emphasizes that humanitarian assistance must be provided in accordance with the
principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality and underscores the primary responsibility
of the affected State in the initiation, organization, coordination, and implementation of
humanitarian assistance within its territory.

A number of other General Assembly resolutions clarify roles and responsibilities of the United
Nations and other actors in the case of disasters including but not limited to:

1. General Assembly resolution 57/150 establishing the International Search And Rescue
Advisory Group (INSARAG)

2. General Assembly resolution 56/103 and 63/141- International cooperation on humanitarian

assistance in the field of disasters, from relief to development outlining OCHA’s coordinating
role for preparedness within the UN system.

3. General Assembly resolutions 54/219, 56/195, 59/233 and 63/216 covering the International
System for Disaster Risk Reduction International response to disasters is also supported by the
IASC Operational Guidelines on Human Rights and Natural Disasters and by the Guidelines
for the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation of International Disaster Relief and Initial
Recovery Assistance (the “IDRL Guidelines”) which provide recommendations on domestic
regulation of international assistance in disasters. The IDRL Guidelines are a technical tool of
reference to enhance legal preparedness through strengthening national institutional, policy or
legal frameworks.

4. UN General Assembly Resolution 46/182;

5. The Oslo Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets in Disaster Relief,

6. The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015, the Sphere Minimum Standards in Disaster
Response,

7. Code of Conduct for the Red Cross/Red Crescent and NGOs in Disaster Relief and the Good
Humanitarian Donorship Principles.
2. Coordination The international humanitarian community organizes itself in support of the
government leadership of response by coordinating through sectoral working groups. This
concept is embodied in the ‘cluster approach’, an IASC-agreed approach which brings all
relevant actors together in order to strengthen coordination among humanitarian actors and
between the humanitarian actors and the government and address the gaps in the emergency
response. The cluster approach clarifies the division of labor among organizations, and better
defines their roles and responsibilities within the different sectors of the response.

The Cluster Approach operates at two levels. At the global level, the aim is to strengthen
system-wide preparedness and technical capacity to respond to humanitarian emergencies by
designating global Cluster Leads and ensuring that there is predictable leadership and
accountability in all the main sectors or areas of activity. At the country level, the aim is to
ensure a more coherent and effective response by mobilizing groups of agencies, organizations
and NGOs to respond in a strategic manner across all key sectors or areas of activity, each
sector having a clearly designated lead, as agreed by the Resident and/or Humanitarian
Coordinator after consultation with the Humanitarian Country Team and all relevant actors.
The designated Global Cluster Leads, as agreed by the IASC are as follows:

1. Agriculture (FAO)

2. Camp Coordination/Management (UNHCR and IOM)

3. Early Recovery (UNDP)

4. Education (UNICEF & Save the Children)

5. Emergency shelter (UNHCR and IFRC – as Convenor)

6. Emergency Telecommunications (OCHA, UNICEF & WFP)

7. Health (WHO)

8. Logistics (WFP)

9. Nutrition (UNICEF)

10. Protection (UNHCR)

11. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (UNICEF)

All sector/clusters have the responsibility to include the following cross-cutting issues in their
work: HIV/AIDS, gender, environment, age and human rights – protection and early recovery
while often separate sectors should also be mainstreamed across the work of all sector/clusters.
Sectors/clusters are established at country level as required in response to the specific needs of
each emergency response, and considering the presence and capacity of the humanitarian
actors. A key responsibility of cluster/sector leads at the country level is to ensure that
humanitarian actors build on local capacities and that they develop and maintain appropriate
links with Government and local authorities, state institutions, local civil society and other
stakeholders. The affected State has the primary role in the initiation, organization,
coordination, and implementation of humanitarian assistance.

III OPERATIONAL MECHANISM OF UNO

For planning purposes, disaster management can be divided into a series of phases on a time
continuum which normally includes disaster response, recovery, mitigation and preparedness.
However, field experience has shown that two or more of these disaster management phases
may take place concurrently. The UN system provides operational inputs and services and tools
to support Governments and the humanitarian community to respond effectively and in a
coordinated manner to disasters in order to minimize the impact of such events on the most
vulnerable.

Disaster Preparedness The United Nations System supports and engages in activities in
advance of forecast disasters by decreasing the vulnerability of populations to the effects of
disaster (reducing disaster risk) and by increasing the capacity of individuals, communities and
authorities to deal with the adverse effects of a disaster (increasing preparedness for effective
response).

The ISDR system Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 : Building the resilience of nations
& communities to disasters provides the policy and institutional basis for risk reduction and
disaster preparedness. Priority 5 of the HFA seeks to strengthen disaster preparedness for
effective response at all levels noting that “impacts and losses can be substantially reduced if
authorities, individuals and communities in hazard-prone areas are well prepared … and
equipped with the knowledge and capacities for effective disaster management.”

Within this framework, preparedness activities would typically include contingency planning,
risk analysis, capacity and vulnerability assessment, mapping of hazards & 2 IASC Guidance
Note for Using the Cluster Approach to Strengthen Humanitarian Response, November 2006:
UNHCR is the lead of the global Protection cluster. However, at the country level in disaster
situations or in complex emergencies without significant displacement, the three core
protection-mandated agencies (UNHCR, UNICEF and OHCHR) will consult closely and,
under the overall leadership of the HC/RC, agree which of the three will assume the role of
Lead for protection.

Within the Global Protection Cluster, a Core Group focuses on protection concerns in disaster
situations. threats, the development of early warning systems, contingency stockpiling and
logistics facilitations arrangements with host governments in disaster-prone countries (see also
IDRL). The development of most of these activities is supported by the work of the IASC Sub
Working Group on Preparedness and Contingency Planning. Disaster preparedness may also
include the establishment of appropriate coordination mechanisms – whereby agreement
should already, for example, be reached on sectors/clusters, leadership, partner identification
in the pre-disaster phase.

At the country level, the main implementing partner for pre-disaster capacity building activities
in terms of prevention, mitigation and preparedness within the UN system is the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) as well as other UN agencies under the leadership of the
Resident Coordinator.

The Resident and/or Humanitarian Coordinator also has the role of leading and coordinating
preparedness activities aimed at improving the capacity of the UN/ interagency country teams
to be able to respond better to emergencies. This is done with the overall support of the UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as well as the sectoral expertise
of specific agencies and partners, in particular the Red Cross Movement and NGOs.

Overall, OCHA has the role of “promoting and coordinating disaster response preparedness
among the United Nations humanitarian agencies and other humanitarian partners” (GA
resolution 56/103).

During the pre-disaster phase there is strong cooperation between countries and UN agencies
in the framework of the International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (ISDR). The United
Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) system provides the strategic
framework for all global stakeholders for disaster risk reduction and recovery and is chaired by
the ERC/USG. Effective since 2009 is a new Assistant-Secretary-General for Disaster Risk
Reduction and Special Representative for the Hyogo Framework, heading the UN wide efforts
and the UNISDR.
The ISDR was adopted by United Nations Member States and is owned by local, national,
regional and international organizations. It is being serviced by a Secretariat (UNISDR) which
is the focal point in the UN System to promote links and synergies between, and the
coordination of, disaster reduction activities in the socio-economic, humanitarian and
development fields, as well as to support policy integration.

Disaster response will take place at field, regional and headquarter levels and will be based on
the capacities and requirements of the government, local authorities and civil society in the
disaster-affected country or region. At the field level, the Resident and/or Humanitarian
Coordinator is responsible for the coordination of international relief and for communication
with the government. In the case of a need for disaster response, the Resident and/or
Humanitarian Coordinator will establish or convene the Humanitarian Country Team,
composed of UN agencies, NGOs, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, and other relevant
humanitarian actors. This team functions as the strategic body leading the international
humanitarian response. At headquarter level, the Under Secretary General for Humanitarian
Affairs, in his role as Emergency Relief Coordinator, is responsible for coordinating the overall
response of the international humanitarian community. As the principal adviser of the
Secretary-General on humanitarian affairs, he will hold consultations with the various actors,
including donor governments, established bodies such as the Executive Committee on
Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA) and the Inter-Agency Steering Committee (IASC).

The USG/ERC heads the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
which is mandated to facilitate, mobilize and coordinate humanitarian assistance delivered by
international and national partners to populations and communities in need. In disaster
situations where the host government has requested international assistance the Resident
Coordinator or Humanitarian Coordinator may propose to the host government the deployment
of a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC).

UNDAC is a stand-by team of disaster management professionals who are nominated and
funded by member governments,

OCHA, UNDP and operational humanitarian United Nations Agencies such as WFP, UNICEF
and WHO. UNDAC teams may be complemented by the International Red Cross/Red Crescent
Movement Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT).

In the case of earthquakes, Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Teams are deployed as part of
the bilateral assistance and coordination is assured by the secretariat of the International Search
and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), which is a network of disaster-prone and disaster-
responding countries and organizations dedicated to USAR (Urban Search and Rescue). The
Secretariat of INSARAG is based within OCHA and an UNDAC team is mandated to fulfill
the role of coordinating with the USAR teams on site.

The Resident and/or Humanitarian Coordinator may also decide to establish or reinforce
existing humanitarian coordination capacity in the country through OCHA surge capacity
available through an internal Emergency Response Roster or through a Stand-by Partnership
Program with partner organizations. Where disaster response requires an international appeal
for funds, the Humanitarian Country Team, based on rapid assessments of priority needs
conducted by the sectors/clusters, prepares a Flash Appeal within 7 days.

The Flash Appeal is a strategic response plan, which provides a coordinated and concise
overview of urgent life saving needs, also outlining the projected resources required to fund
immediate response actions, and may include early recovery projects that can be implemented
within the timeframe of the Appeal. Once the Flash Appeal has been delivered to the donor
community, it is usually revised after a period of one month, at which time a clearer picture
would exist with regard to the overall magnitude of the crisis and the specific needs of the
affected population. The Flash Appeal is a process to identify needs and to coordinate a
strategic response, a platform to publicise funding needs for specific projects and an inventory
of relief and early recovery projects. A Flash Appeal may be developed into a Consolidated
Appeal (CAP) if the emergency continues beyond six months. Information management is a
critical element of the coordination of humanitarian response, improving the capacity of
stakeholders for decision-making and analysis. It is also imperative to ensure that other
stakeholders are kept fully informed on a regular basis as to priority needs, response capacity,
and gaps. The humanitarian community produces regular situation reports for this purpose,
with input from sectors/clusters channeled through OCHA.

United Nations Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination (UN-CMCoord) is the

humanitarian platform for facilitating the appropriate levels of humanitarian civil-military
interaction and use of Military and Civil Defence Assets (MCDA) in humanitarian
emergencies, according to internationally established guidelines. A UN-CMCoord Officer will
facilitate information sharing, task division and planning with military components on behalf
of the humanitarian community when foreign and/or domestic military forces are operating
alongside humanitarian relief organisations. UN-CMCoord capacity can initially be deployed
alongside UNDAC teams during the initial stages of an emergency. Where a large military
component is present UN-CMCoord can be established through the deployment of a dedicated
UN-CMCoord Officer.

Recovery

During and immediately after a crisis, national actors and the international community
primarily focus on meeting the immediate life-saving needs. But there is also a need to plan for
sustainable recovery after a disaster, which includes the restoration of services, livelihoods
opportunities and governance capacity. This planning and initiation of recovery activities early
in a humanitarian setting is called early recovery. It is guided by development principles and
aims to generate self sustaining, nationally owned, resilient processes for post crisis recovery.
Humanitarian and development actors work together in early recovery to support nationally-
led recovery efforts.

Early recovery has three broad aims:

1. Augment on-going emergency assistance operations by building on humanitarian

programmes;

2. Support spontaneous recovery initiatives by affected communities;

3. Establish the foundations for long-term recovery

Usually, government structures/line ministries lead the coordination for early recovery. Within
the UN system, the Resident and/or Humanitarian Coordinator has the lead responsibility for
coordination the early recovery efforts of international organizations in cooperation with
national actors. An early recovery advisor can be deployed within seven days from the global
Cluster Working Group on Early Recovery to support the Resident and/or Humanitarian
Coordinator in early recovery strategic planning and in forging inter-cluster linkages on early
recovery-related issues.

Early recovery is a multi-dimensional process and each of the sectors/clusters should ideally
identify an early recovery focal point, who work together in a network of early recovery focal
points to coordinate early recovery issues. The Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery
(BCPR) of UNDP coordinates the network of early recovery focal points and coordinates early
recovery activities that are not covered by other clusters. BCPR and the network of early
recovery focal points reach out to key development stakeholders such as the International
Financial Institutions, Civil Society Organizations and NGOs and the private sector and include
them in the planning and implementation of early recovery interventions. Ideally within 4
weeks a joint early recovery needs assessment is conducted, which forms the basis for the
development of a strategic framework for early recovery. On the basis of this strategic
framework, the Early Recovery Network and the government develop an action plan, which
should be implemented within 18 months.

IV RECENT INITIATIVES AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

Sendai Framework

March 18, 2015 was a historical day as it witnessed adoption of a 15-year plan by 188 UN
Member Nations, including India. The plan termed as ‘Sendai Framework’ was adopted during
the 3rd UN World Conference on disaster risk reduction, held in the Japanese city of Sendai in
2015. Interestingly, it is the first major UN agreement on the post2015 development agenda
consisting of four major priority areas and seven targets to be met by 2030. The expected
outcome of the framework is to prevent creation of new disaster risks and also to substantially
reduce disaster risks. The four priority areas of Sendai Framework include:

1) Understanding Risk;

2) Strengthening Risk Governance;

3) Investing in disaster resilience; and

4) Improving capacities for disaster response as well as for building back better after disasters.

The Sendai Framework has set targets for substantial reduction in losses including reduction in
number of deaths from disasters, number of people affected by disasters, economic losses and
infrastructure losses. At the same time, it calls for increase in capacities through national and
local strategies, international cooperation and improved access to early warning. The new
Framework calls for concrete indicators of progress towards these targets to be measured
against the disaster losses in the decade after the adoption of the 2005 Hyogo Framework for
Action (HFA), its predecessor. The Sendai Framework is built on elements which ensure
continuity with the work done by states and other stakeholders under the HFA and introduces
a number of innovations. For India, the framework reaffirms our commitment to address
disaster risk reduction and building of resilience to disasters with a renewed sense of urgency.
In furtherance to its commitment to the Sendai framework, Government has taken up several
important initiatives post Sendai Declaration. Firstly, as committed during the Sendai
conference, India has successfully hosted the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster
Reduction (AMCDRR) in November, 2016 and adopted ‘New Delhi Declaration’ and
‘Regional Action Plan for implementation of the Sendai Framework’. In line with the all-of-
society approach for disaster risk reduction enshrined in the Sendai Framework, the AMCDRR
also provided an opportunity for multiple stakeholders to come together and make specific
commitments to the implementation of Sendai Framework in Asia and the Pacific. These
outcomes of the AMCDRR will guide the implementation of the Sendai Framework in Asia
and the Pacific. On one hand these outcomes will help contextualize Sendai Framework for
Asia-Pacific, and on the other hand these will infuse a sense of urgency with regards to its
implementation in the region. At the AMCDRR, Prime Minister outlined a ten-point agenda,
to pursue the implementation of disaster risk reduction efforts in the region with renewed
vigour.

This ten point agenda is included in Prime Minister’s 10-Point Agenda on Disaster Risk
Reduction Outlined at the AMCDRR

1. Ensure that all development projects - airports, roads, canals, hospitals, schools, bridges –
are built to appropriate disaster resilient standards and contribute to the resilience of
communities they seek to serve. Build a coalition to support disaster resilient infrastructure.

2. Work towards risk coverage for all – starting from poor households to small and medium
enterprises to multi-national corporations to nation states.

3. Encourage greater involvement and leadership of women in disaster risk management.

4. Invest in risk mapping globally for all hazards.

5. Leverage technology to enhance the efficiency of our disaster risk management efforts.

6. Develop a network of universities to work on disaster issues.

7. Utilize the opportunities provided by social media and mobile technologies.

8. Build on local capacity and initiative.

9. Ensure that the opportunity to learn from a disaster is not wasted. Establish a facility for
technical support to postdisaster reconstruction of houses.
10. Bring about greater cohesion in international response to disasters.

The Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction

The Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction was held recently in New Delhi
with the aim of providing a platform to member countries for sharing best practices in the field
of Disaster Risk Reduction. About 4000 participants from the Asian Region participated in the
Conference. This was the first Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction
(AMCDRR) after the advent of the Sendai Framework for DRR (SFDRR). The SFDRR (2015-
2030) was adopted at the Third World Conference on DRR at Sendai in Japan in March, 2015.
It identifies targets and priority action areas towards reducing disaster risk by ‘reducing the
damage caused by natural hazards like earthquakes, floods, droughts and cyclones, through an
ethic of prevention’ Established in 2005, the AMCDRR is a biennial conference jointly
organized by different Asian countries and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk
Reduction (UNISDR). The next AMCDRR will be held in Mongolia in 2018. Two important
documents - ‘New Delhi Declaration’ and the ‘Asian Regional Plan for Implementation of the
Sendai Framework’ were adopted at the 3-day Conference.

New Delhi Declaration

The ‘New Delhi Declaration’ is a political statement spelling out the commitment of
participating governments towards preventing and reducing disaster risk, and strengthening the
resilience of communities, nations in the Asian region. Recognising the need to accelerate the
implementation of global frameworks, it commits to a people-centred and whole-of-society
approach towards DRR. It also emphasises the need to enhance the capacity of communities
and ensure participation of all stakeholder groups towards achieving resilience. Asian Regional
Plan The ‘Asian Regional Plan for Implementation of the Sendai Framework’ focuses on the
‘How to’ reduce disaster risk at national and local levels. It has arrived at a longer term road
map of cooperation and collaboration, spanning the 15-year horizon of the Sendai Framework,
as well as a two-year action plan to further disaster risk reduction with specific, actionable
activities. Among the actions highlighted in support of the implementation of the Sendai
Framework was a focus on developing national and local strategies, policies and plans for
Disaster Resilience and implementing them, including substantially increasing investment in
disaster preparedness and to promote and strengthen education on disaster risk reduction. Risk
assessment, the quality and availability of data and effective risk information systems for
communities were referenced as a cornerstone for community participation and resilience even
for those located in exposed areas. The Conference also commemorated the first World
Tsunami Awareness Day to spread awareness on tsunami. The observance of the day stressed
on the importance of early warning systems and preparedness of communities in order to
mitigate damage from the often devastating natural hazard. Inaugurating the conference, the
Prime Minister had called for regional and international cooperation in building disaster
resilience. Reiterating the government of India's commitment to the Sendai Framework, the
Prime Minister outlined a ten point agenda for disaster management.

IV ROLE OF INDIA IN DISATER MANAGEMENT AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

Government of India has issued a set of priority actions to all the State Government based on
the goals, targets and priorities of Sendai Framework 2015-2030. Government of India, during
AMCDRR, 2016, has extended the grant of US $ 1 million to UNISDR towards effective
implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Asian region.

In line with Sendai priority 4, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is strengthened, both
in terms of state-of-the-art training and equipment so as to further empower it as a professional
disaster response force. Besides, Government of India has approved the creation of National
Disaster Response Reserve (NDRR) through a revolving fund of Rs.250 crore to be operated
by the National Disaster Response Force. This dedicated fund would enable the NDRF to
maintain a ready inventory of emergency goods and services comprising tents, medicines, food
items, etc, which are immediately required after any disaster.

The government expressed keenness to share India’s expertise and help other countries in
disaster response as it did during Japan Earthquake in 2011 and Nepal earthquake of 2015. The
government of India is making consistent efforts to promote regional cooperation by hosting
the SAARC Disaster Management Centre to reduce disaster risks in the region and promoting
knowledge sharing among the SAARC countries. SAARC Disaster Management Exercise
(SAADMEX) 2015 held in Delhi provided ideal platform for sharing the government’s ideas
and experience and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen the institutional mechanism of
regional cooperation on disaster response among the member countries. Similarly, the Indian
National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), in Hyderabad, provides early
warning not only to India but also to 28 countries in the Indian Ocean Rim.
V CONCLUSION

While re-emphasizing that State has a primary role in reducing the disaster risk, the Sendai
framework also calls upon other stakeholders including the private sector to be involved in
disaster preparedness and mitigation planning as well as relief and recovery phase. In the
mission of Disaster Risk Reduction there is need of collaboration by all entities, public and
private, to strengthen the mechanisms for disaster risk reduction by using and sharing of
reliable and affordable modern technology for capacity building. The government of India
believes that the sustainable infrastructure must take into account all factors, including
secondary hazards that resulted from rapid urbanization. The outcome documents of the
AMCDRR, New Delhi held in November 2016 is a reaffirmation of political commitments in
the region and it help in devising future strategies for identification of risks, challenges and
equal distribution of scarce resources ultimately contributing to achieve sustainable
development goals.