Thematic Area: Crisis Prevention and Recovery
Progress Report Quarter 2 2010
Progress Report Quarter 1 2010
[Last Updated August 2010]
Background
The National Disasater Management Project (NDMP) is a joint inititiave of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GoIRA) and UNDP. The project aims to strengthen instututional and response mechanisms; capacities at national and provincial levels; and, develop comprehensive disaster management plans at national, province and district levels. The NDMP is designed to build the resilience of communities to natural hazards.
To achieve its objectives, NDMP seeks to build an enabling environment through capacity building in different aspects of disaster risk reduction, enhance response mechanisms, support disaster prone provinces to develop comprehensive Disaster Management Plans, strengthening Emergency Operations Centers at national and province levels. Likewise, the NDMP will also support Kabul University to develop a comprehensive degree programme on disaster risk reduction and its successful implementation. This support will enable Kabul University to embark into empirical research on different aspects of disaster risk reduction/ management, develop skills, knowledge and information and provide capacity building/ developing trainings for the local communities.
Key Project Results:
- National DRR Institutional capacity enhanced
- National and Province Emergency Operations Centers strengthened
- National DM Plan reviewed and several disaster prone provinces developed Disaster Management Plan
- Enhanced post disaster management activities
- Kabul University developed degree programme on disaster risk reduction
- School disaster risk reduction plans developed
- Community Based Disaster Risk Management activities implemented in selected communities
Enabling a DRR environment
National DRR Institutional Capacity Enhanced: The NDMP will focus its activities to enhance capacity of Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) and other related national institutions in areas related to post disaster needs assessment, rapid assessment, establishment of Response Teams and review and endorsement of appropriate national guidelines in this area.
National and Province Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) Strengthened: As ofnow, both the national and provincial levels EOC lacks basic equipment and technical “know how” to effectively run the EOCs. Therefore, NDMP will support ANDMA to strengthen its EOCs at national and province levels through supply of basic equipment and trainings. In line with current projections, all the EOCs, at national and province levels, will be fully functional with adequate staff for 24/7.
National DM Plan Reviewed and Provincial DM Plans Developed: The project is supporting the ANDMA to review the existing National Disaster Management (DM) Plan and based on the revised National DM Plan, assist several disaster prone provinces to develop Provincial DM Plans. These DM plans will enhance coordination at both levels with government and non-government agencies not only during disasters but before, during and after any disasters strike. Similarly, these DM plans will also assist the sectoral Ministries and government agencies to plan, implement and review their sectoral plans and achievements from a disaster risk reduction and post disaster management perspective.
Enhance Post Disaster Management Activities: Effective coordination, post disaster assessment and relief assistance represent a big challenge in Afghanistan. Therefore, NDMP in close coordination with ANDMA and other stakeholders will design and implement several trainings on post disaster needs assessment. Formats and guidelines on need assessment will be developed, Rapid Response Teams will be formed and trained, existing relief system will be reviewed, national guidelines for relief assessments will be reviewed and endorsed, and national emergency fund utilization mechanism will be reviewed and adopted. Likewise, search and rescue capacity will be enhanced through trainings at the national level as well as in select provinces. The NDMP will also work with ANDMA, UN agencies and other actors to enhance the early recovery activities such as setting up of an early recovery network, coordination among early recovery actors, and preparation of early recovery guidelines. Similarly, the project will organize trainings on post disaster need assessment.
Kabul University Developed Degree Programme on DRR: Afghanistan lacks academic institution(s) to better understand the disaster situation, trends, challenges and opportunities posed by disasters, pursue empirical researches to better understand the physical, social, economical and environmental losses due to disasters, and to design short and long term capacity building activities. Therefore, in close consultations with Kabul University and other DRR actors, the NDMP will support Kabul University to design and run a degree programme in the field of DRR, short term trainings for government and non-government officials, pursue empirical researches so it can generate knowledge, skills and information to address the country’s disasters threats and ultimately develop Kabul University as a centre of excellence in the field of DRR.
School Disaster Risk Reduction Plan Developed: The, NDMP in close cooperation with ANDMA and Ministry of Education has been working with selected school at Kabul to develop School DRR Plan and its implementation. This activity will be scaled up in other disaster prone provinces and districts of the country. Under the plan, large number of students, both boys and girls and teachers were trained on First Aid, Search and Rescue. Basic lives saving equipment were provided. In the long run, the project will also support the Ministry of Education to include DRR in the school curricula at various levels.
Communities Based Disaster Risk Management Activities Implemented in Selected Communities: In any disaster situation, whether natural or human- induced, local communities become the “first responders” by default. Naturally, in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, collective community action becomes the first response to the event – in terms of saving lives, caring for injured, etc. NDMP will implement community based disaster risk management (CBDRM) activities in selected disaster prone communities to strengthen their skills, knowledge and community institutions to build resilience against future disasters and effective and efficient response in case of any disasters. Selected communities will develop CBDRM Plan and will design, implement and monitor activities based on the plan. NDMP will provide the technical and financial support to implement these activities in selected communities.
Project Management:
The NDMP is being implemented under Direct Implementation Modality (DIM) for a period of two years (2010-2011) with the financial support from UNDP/ BCPR. A small team of NDMP staff are based at ANDMA building and work very closely with ANDMA. NDMP prepares quarterly and annual progress reports and shares such reports with the government counterpart agencies and donors regularly.
For more information: UNDP Country Office; Kabul, Afghanistan Phone: +93 (0)706 339 282 or +93 20 212 4020. Fax: (873) 763 468 836; Email: nafi.olomi@undp.org or man.b.thapa@undp.org ; Website: www.undp.org.af
