CBDRM in Iran

1
CBDRM in Iran
United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)(DPPT, 5-7 May
2008)
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Natural Disasters in Iran

• Iran is a disaster-prone country, ranking among
  the top ten disaster-prone countries of the
  world fifth in Asia following China, India,
  Bangladesh and Pakistan. Of the 42 known
  disasters worldwide, 32 have happened in Iran.
  Every year unexpected natural calamities happen
  around the country, which inflict financial
  damages and take human lives.

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Natural Disasters in Iran

• The most common natural disasters based on the
  number of occurrence are earthquake, flood,
  drought, storm, extreme cold, and fire. The last
  earthquake took place in the western province of
  Lorestan in March 2006, destroying over 360 rural
  communities and villages.

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Disaster affected communities

• Before and in Bam earthquake, affected
  populations were considered as victims, being
  passive, to only receive relief aid.
• They were not involved in any phase of DM cycle.
• Affected communities were not prepared and
  organized to respond before any external aid
  source came to assist.

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Later on .

• In Lorestan Earthquake, local government led
  EARLY WARNING involving ACTIVE LOCAL COMMUNITY
  PARTICIPATION, which resulted in considerably
  less and less physical and human
  losses/casualties only 63 dead, 1300 injured in
  a vast damaged area While the magnitude of EQ was
  the same as Bam.

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Later on .

• Also, many livelihood assets saved (incl.
  livestock, many agricultural machinery and tools,
  etc).
• Community participation made miracle!
• But yet, theses communities were not
  prepared/organized to mitigate/respond to
  disasters.
• CBDRM was not known, yet.

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And External Assessment Reports

• UN system assessment reports as well as RC/RC
  Movement reports from Bam, Zarand and Lorestan
  earthquakes made clear notes on a big need to
  have CBDRM as an essential tool for disaster
  risk reduction/management.
• Because, governments work was/is limited to
  public awareness campaigns (through booklets,
  brochures, posters), limited public training
  (e.g. FA training), government led simulation
  exercises and advocacy on preparedness on some
  limited occasions.

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CBDRM in brief

• In addition, like many other developing
  countries, in order to minimize the damages
  caused by disasters, various efforts have been
  taken by government, international communities
  including donor agencies. However, in spite of
  participation of these sectors during the project
  period, it has been observed that many of the
  disaster management programs have failed to be
  sustainable at local level after the completion
  of the project.

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CBDRM

• Without sustainability, disaster management
  efforts will not preserved. A critical element of
• sustainable disaster management is
  communities participation in these activities.
  The most common elements of community involvement
  are partnership, participation, empowerment and
  ownership by the local people.

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CBDRM

• The emphasis of disaster management efforts
  should focus on communities and the people who
  live in them. Unless the disaster management
  efforts are sustainable at individual and
  community level, it is difficult to reduce the
  losses and scale of the tragedy. There needs to
  be an opportunity where people can be involved
  from the initial programming stage of disaster
  management activities.

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CBDRM

• While disasters can strike wide region or a
  nation, that impact is felt at the community
  level although it may hit one or several
  communities at once. It is these communities that
  constitute what is referred to as disaster
  fronts. Being at the forefronts, communities
  need to have capacity to respond to threats
  themselves. It is for this reason that
  communities should be involved in managing the
  risks that may threaten their well-being.

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CBDRM

• Most of disaster response can be characterized as
  command and control structure one that is top to
  down and with logistic centre approach. Because
  of this , we observe, lack of community
  participation that results into failures in
  meeting the appropriate and vital humanitarian
  needs, unnecessary increase in requirement for
  external resources, and general dissatisfaction
  over performance despite the use of exceptional
  management measures.

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CBDRM

• Recognizing these limitations, the Community
  Based Disaster Management (CBDM) approach
  promotes a bottom-up approach working in harmony
  with the top - down approach, to address the
  challenges and difficulties. To be effective,
  local communities must be supported into
  analyzinge their hazardous conditions, their
  vulnerabilities and capacities as they see
  themselves.

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Challenges in Iran

• The challenge we face in Iran today is two fold
  a) Inadequate knowledge of CBDRM by all concerned
  parties and b) lack of a well-defined master plan
  that has outlined and defined the role of all
  stakeholders, both government and non-government,
  with regards to DRM.

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Challenges..

• Therefore, a critical step in building capacities
  requires arriving at a common language and
  understanding among all stakeholders as they work
  together to arrive at a method to maximize the
  efficiency and build synergies.

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CBDRM Mainstreaming

• OCHA Office in Tehran put capacity building in
  CBDRM as its major priority.
• So far, it has organized three specialized CBDRM
  training workshops in 2006 2007, during which
  HVCA and CBDRM were introduced worked on for
  some members of NDTF, IRCS NGOs working all over
  the country in the field of disaster management.

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CBDRM Mainstreaming

• In addition, it has taken every opportunity to
  introduce and mainstream about CBDRM (e.g. in
  Flood Management training W/S in 2007 for flood
  affected provinces with focus on community early
  warning and action plan, Regional Training
  Workshop on Legal Framework of Humanitarian
  Assistance in 2007, ToT Specialized Disaster
  Management training workshop in 2007 organized by
  IRCS, etc).

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Other Interventions

• CBDP Pilot Project in Kerman Province (4
  distrisct) by IRCS and IFRC (since early 2008),
• CBDRM Pilot Project by MPO and UNDP funding in
  Golestan and Kerman Provinces (in initial
  phases),
• NDV (Neighborhood Disaster Volunteer) Project in
  Tehran (4/5 districts) by SDC and Tehran
  Municipality (since 2007).

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Important Notes

• All involvements in pilot phase
• Competition among hosting organizations
• Much more willingness from provincial levels than
  national to run CBDRM projects at the beginning,
  later on the government became interested and is
  asking OCHA to hold more W/Ss on CBDRM.
• CBDRM versions defined implemented by different
  organizations varies much in approaches applied
  (some more focus on disaster response, some on
  disaster preparedness, some using integrated
  approaches.)

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Important Notes

• Donor community also has become interested and
  some have supported workshops financially.
• More attention needs to be paid to
  community-based organizations, CB risk mapping,
  CBHVCA, CB disaster risk reduction interventions,
  Community ownership, CB early warning systems, CB
  livelihoods, etc.
• In general Community-based approaches are new in
  Iran, and CBDRM is not an exception. Therefore,
  much work is needed to be done, especially
  mainstreaming and capacity building for CBDRM.

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Important Notes

• Communities should not be considered as
  empty/zero in disaster risk management. They have
  indigenous initial/creative ideas/ foundations on
  which CBDRM approaches can be built more solidly
  (lesson learnt).

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Last Notes

• Community-based resilience for global
  warming/climate change should be made through
  CBDRM approaches.
• SPHERE Standards is one of the tools to advocate
  for CBDRM

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Last Notes

• If we advocate for the fact that Communities need
  to be involved in all phases of disaster risk
  management cycle, then we will be among
  advocators for CBDRM.
• UNOCHA Office in Tehran will continue to work
  more on capacity building in the area of CBDRM.

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• Thanks for your attention