Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Dr Sithabiso Gandure, The Wahenga Institute Multiparty Women’s Caucus Capacity Development Workshop Gender and Climate Change Cape Town, 19 October 2011

Outline of Presentation Disasters (Incidences and trends) Global South Africa Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate change (CC) and Gender – What are the linkages? Impacts of Disasters particularly from CC Interventions and responses Adopting a Gender Approach to CC and DRR National Platforms for DRR Concluding remarks

Natural Disasters: Global incidences & trends 500 people killed Malawi drought February 2002 300,000,000 people affected India drought July 2002 15, 000, 000 people affected South Africa drought January 2004 222,570 people killed Haiti earthquake January 2010 Worst drought in Somalia since 1991/92 - 3.7 million people in crisis 28,050 people killed Japan tsunami March 2011

Trends of World Natural Disasters (1975-2009) In terms of number of disasters, the year 2009 has a slight increase from the previous year 2008. The upward shift of disaster occurrence’s trend continues from the end of the 1990s, which is clearly depicted in the collective 5-year period representation of data EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database, www.em-dat.net

Disaster occurrence, 5-year period (1975-2009) EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database, www.em-dat.net

Impacts of natural disasters by region (2009) EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database, www.em-dat.net

What is the outlook for South Africa? KZN Hard Hit by Floods (Jan 7 2011) Limpopo families count losses after storm (Dec 18 2010) South Africa can expect more natural disasters – 26 Sept 2011 (Long Term Mitigation Study (LTMS) The Government should not negotiate for South Africans but with them.......The voices of the poor, underdeveloped, women, youth must be heard (Minister Edna Molelwa, Water & Environmental Affairs)

Natural Disasters in South Africa (1992 to 2011)  Type of natural disaster Number of Events Number killed Total people affected Damage (000 US$) Drought 2 - 15,300,000 Extreme temp(cold wave) 52 Flood 15 246 131,690 390,424 Landslide 1 34 Local storm 12 113 131,909 219,041 Wildfire 25 430000 Source: "EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database www.em-dat.net - Université Catholique de Louvain - Brussels - Belgium"

What is Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)? ‘Disaster risk reduction’ describes policies and practices to minimise (with a view to longer-term prevention) disaster losses. These involve interventions in: Mitigation: reducing the frequency, scale, intensity and impact of hazards. Preparedness: strengthening capacity of communities to respond to & recover from hazards, & of government, implementing partners to provide effective response. Advocacy: favourably influencing the social, political, economic and environmental issues that contribute to the causes and magnitude of impact of hazards.

A natural hazard does not in itself cause a disaster....... A disaster results when a hazard impacts on a vulnerable exposed and ill prepared community. Weather related hazards are becoming more frequent due to climate change killing more people overtime and costing more. According to IPCC reports, one of the anticipated effects of climate change is the increase in both frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts.

What determines level of impact and vulnerability? The intensity and scale of a hazard and the vulnerability of individuals and communities determines the magnitude of impact The degree of vulnerability is defined by: social variables such as gender, age, health status, economic status, ethnicity etc. Existing socio-economic and political conditions mean that disasters can lead to different outcomes Research reveals that disasters reinforce, perpetuate and increase gender inequality.

Successful DRR must occur before a disaster strikes Need to shift focus away from response to disaster prevention and preparedness activities Disasters constrain national efforts to mitigating the impacts of CC due to Limitations in Early Warning Systems, Limitations in institutional capacities in dealing with and mitigating disasters Hence, in general DRR tends to be more reactive

Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change, Gender DRR and CC adaptation are cross-cutting development issues Share the same goals: reduce vulnerability, increase resilience and achieve sustainable development Need to address root causes of vulnerability that include human, economic, social, environmental and physical factors in a gender sensitive way

The rationale for gender concerns Gender equality is a generic principle across all developmental areas including CC and DRR. The rationale for gender equality has at least three dimensions: First, it is a rights issue and the principle is enshrined in international and regional protocols and national policies. Second, it is an economic & environmental issue in that gender inequality undermines development potential. Third, it is a social issue in that women perform a vital and unique role in household and community structures which is under-recognized and under-valued.

The rationale for gender concerns Effectively mainstreaming gender in DRR and CC like in other sectors faces significant challenges because it requires shifting cultural norms, of an absence of entitlement legislation and a reluctance to enforce it where it does exist or monitor implementation of the prevailing gender balance within national executives and legislatives. The net result, is that international, regional & national policies have not been translated into tangible public actions.

Examples of Gendered Impacts of CC related natural disasters Among women aged 20-44, the death rate was 71 per 1000, compared to 15 per 1000 for men Bangladesh cyclone & flood of 1991, Warning information transmitted between men in public spaces, but rarely to the family Women were not allowed to leave the houses without a male relative IUCN/WEDO, 2007 report Women and children are 14 times more likely to die than men during disasters

Examples of Gendered Impacts of CC related natural disasters Gender inequalities exacerbated in the aftermath of disasters. Increase in workload may force many girls to drop out of school Research by Davies et al, 2005 Women and girls are more likely to become victims of domestic and sexual violence after a disaster particularly when families have been displaced and are living in overcrowded emergency or transitional housing where they lack privacy

Why the gender differences? An analysis of 141 countries showed that gender differences in deaths from natural disasters are directly linked to women’s economic and social rights. When women’s rights are not protected, more women than men will die from disasters. The study also found the opposite to be true: in societies where women and men enjoy equal rights, disasters kill the same number of women and men (London School of Economics)

DRR as a mitigation strategy against climate change Making gender-sensitive DRR a tool for climate change adaptation in-order to enhance resilience to disasters and climate change The existing methods and tools of disaster risk reduction are useful for adaptation to climate change Risk and vulnerability assessments approaches (community involvement ) Early warning Hyogo Framework for Action Guidelines on national platforms for disaster risk reduction DRR sector has been working for decades on issues related to adaptation Community involvement in risk assessment

Tackling DRR The cornerstone of DRR: The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters, adopted by 168 Governments in January 2005: ensures that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority. SADC Disaster Risk Reduction Strategic Plan (2006-2010) South Africa Disaster Management Act 57,2002 –Set the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC)

Role of National DRR platforms A national platform for DRR is a mechanism to address disaster risk reduction issues through a coordinated, participatory and interactive process. It comprises representatives from major line ministries, UN Agencies, civil society organisations including NGOs, the private sector and academic institutions South Africa has the National Disaster Management Advisory Forum (NDMAF) that meets every quarter, chaired by the head of NDMC UNISDR - United nations international strategy for disaster reduction

Adopting a Gender Sensitive Approach to CC and DDR The Gender Approach should be integrated in the entire programming process. Disaggregate all data by gender to allow for gender sensitive strategies. Gender Analysis Preparation & prevention: both men and women should be involved in various aspects such as emergency plans, capacity training etc Response: psycho-social counseling & support to men and women should be provided per specific needs Recovery: interventions should address the needs of both men and women

Concluding remarks Gender equality in DRR & CC does not mean addressing women’s issues – it means addressing concerns of both men and women However, gender inequality is a root cause of women’s vulnerability to disasters & CC. Gender shapes vulnerability to as well as capacity to cope with disasters. Women are active and are in the fore front in terms of adaption to CC although often regarded as helpless victims.

Thank you