Concept

From Risk to Resilience:
Assessing the costs and benefits of pro-active disaster risk management to meet the needs of vulnerable communities in South Asia

The objective of this programme is to identify and evaluate (in terms of their costs and benefits) pro-active disaster risk management strategies, including risk reduction and risk transfer, in Pakistan, India, and Nepal.

The programme will take a comparative multi-hazard case-study approach that builds on prior work by ISET and our network of established partners in the region. Disaster prone areas will be selected in all three countries where the programme can draw on prior and ongoing field studies. Geological and meteorological hazards will be investigated, including earthquakes, tropical cyclones, floods, droughts and the likely impacts of climatic change. Micro- and macro-modeling methodologies will be used to quantify the costs and benefits of risk reduction for selected risk management interventions in at least one of the sites. Methodologies used in all sites will include literature reviews, stakeholder interviews and detailed field surveys using qualitative and quantitative methods. Analytical frameworks will be utilized that enable exploration of the role governance and institutional factors play at local and national levels in the functioning of, and anticipated benefits from, investments in risk reduction or risk transfer. Research will also be undertaken to identify specific opportunities for risk reduction or transfer within the national policy and governance context. 

Results anticipated include identification of cost effective of disaster risk management strategies along with the governance and institutional considerations affecting their functionality. Widely applicable methodologies for quantifying the benefits and costs of risk management interventions will also be demonstrated. The programme will emphasize strategies that have strong internal business models developed in collaboration with market actors and are, thus, likely to be sustainable. Opportunities for implementation exist through separately financed projects with major pilot components. These opportunities reflect strong interest from other donors and governments. The programme will also support the activities of field partners and build on the established strength of ISET and our partners within the sector. 

Dissemination of results to key audiences will be enhanced through the participation of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) which has strong links with international donors and the insurance industry. We are also in partnership with the ProVention Consortium (which is housed under the International Federation for the Red Cross), the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) and the Cooperative Programme on Water and Climate where collaboration can strengthen common methodological approaches and where joint dissemination can inform global as well as regional risk management strategies. Ultimate beneficiaries of the programme are poor vulnerable groups in developing countries. Operational beneficiaries will include governments and organizations working on development and responsible for disaster risk reduction.

For further information contact:

Dr. Marcus Moench, Director, ISET: moenchm at i-s-e-t.org