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DRAFT Discussion Paper

The Role of the ISDR Asia Partnership within the Asia Regional Platform on DRR

- For the Discussion of IAP Members on 1 December 2008 and 23 March 2009 -

1. Introduction:

This paper was prepared to inform a discussion amongst the members of the ISDR Asia

Partnership (IAP) on its current and future roles. This discussion will take place on 1

December

2008 in Kuala Lumpur in the form of a pre-conference event to the 3

Asian Ministerial

Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

The paper explores in particular the role of the IAP in support of the Asia Regional

Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (Asia RP/DRR) and the Asia Ministerial Conferences on
Disaster Reduction (AMC-DRR). Further to this, it investigates how the IAP could evolve into a
more action-oriented and predictable provider of coordinated disaster risk reduction support in
the Asia region. It also summarizes the main activities pursued under the auspices of the IAP in
the past year.

The preparatory process for the 3

AMC-DRR, and the associated need to review

progress achieved since the 2

AMC-DDR, generated over the past months repeated discussions

amongst  IAP  members on  how  the  partnership could  be  strengthened  to  support  the  Asia  RP
more  effectively,  and  predictably.  From  these  discussions,  it  became  apparent  that  limiting  its
support to only two of the five functions of the Asia RP/DRR - as the IAP had initially set out to
do  -  would  not  allow  the  necessary  regional  follow-up  to  the  recommendations  of  the  AMC-
DRR and national level HFA implementation. It was therefore suggested at the last meeting of
the  IAP  in  Kuala  Lumpur,  in  September  2007  that  UNISDR  prepares  a  discussion  paper
describing in greater detail the potential role of the IAP vis-à-vis the Asia RP/DRR. The paper is
also expected to help clarify the organizational form of the RP, which currently heavily leans on
the AMC-DRR that does not have a formal implementation mechanism attached to it ensuring
implementation of its recommendations.

2. Overview:

By taking into consideration recent external and internal developments that are of

relevance to the IAP and the Asia RP/DRR, it is proposed that the IAP takes responsibility for a
number of additional roles. These new IAP roles are directly related to the core functions of the
Asia RP and considered to be the minimum requirements for ensuring the Asia RP/DRR
mechanism successfully achieves its overall objectives and the functions which it had been
assigned with by the 2

AMC-DRR, namely: to set harmonized sub-regional and regional DRM

strategies including analysis of priorities in support of national DRM efforts; to identify gaps in
the delivery of DRR services within the broader context of a regional disaster risk profile and

channel  financial  resources  to  these  gap  areas;  and  last  but  not  least  to  advocate  for  DRR  and
build regional ownership for the HFA and the global ISDR system.

The proposed roles of the IAP in support of the Asia RP/DRR – in brief:
(a) Supporting the political leadership of the Asia RP/DRR through the identification of policy
priorities  for  the  region  and  ensuring  the  visibility  of  regional  issues  at  the  global  level.  The
concrete IAP engagement will include:

The preparatory process for the AMC-DRR;

The preparatory process for the Global Platform on DRR; and

The setting of regional DRR strategy.

(b) Supporting the biennial HFA progress reporting process of the ISDR system. The concrete
IAP engagement will include:

Regional progress monitoring and assisting with the reviews of the action taken by
the national governments and other stakeholders for the implementation of the
Hyogo Framework for Action;

Monitoring the Implementation of AMC-DRR Recommendations.

(c) Improving coordination & coherence, and strengthening synergies through information
sharing and mapping of initiatives. The concrete IAP engagement will include:

Regional mapping and stocktaking of DRR initiatives in Asia and Pacific

(d) Enhancing regional cooperation for disaster risk reduction by aligning regional initiatives to
meet gaps at country level. The concrete IAP engagement will include:

Joint Regional Action Planning for DRR

Alignment of Regional DRR Meetings

A more detailed description of these roles can be found in the subsequent sections of this

paper. At this stage they are mere suggestions and may be revised, based on further inputs and
feed-back from IAP members. Taking on these additional roles may require changes to the
organizational status of the IAP, another issue which needs to be considered by IAP members.

3. Brief History: Towards the Asia Regional Platform on DRR

For readers who are not familiar with the background of the Asia Regional Platform on

DRR, the AMC-DRR, and the IAP, this section provides a brief summary of the key milestones.

Strengthening of the ISDR system: Following the World Conference on Disaster

Reduction in 2005, several initiatives were undertaken to strengthen the ISDR system to be able
to better respond to current disaster trends and the increased expectations and demands by
nations and communities for supporting implementation the Hyogo Framework for Action
2005-2015 (HFA)

. This has resulted in increased political commitment and financing of disaster

Please refer to SG reports 2005 and 2006.

reduction,  including  development  sectors.  At  the  global  level  more  coherence  and  better
coordination amongst ISDR system partners has been achieved through joint work planning and
prioritized  deliverables.  A  common  approach  to  work  programming  in  the  ISDR  system  was
developed during the 2006-2007 biennium in the context of the former Inter-Agency Task Force
on  Disaster  Reduction  and  presented  to  the  first  session  of  the  Global  Platform

. Those

consultations gave rise to an ISDR system joint planning framework for country, regional and
global levels based on the priorities for action of the Hyogo Framework. The first biennial ISDR
system Global Level Joint Work Programme covers the period 2008 – 2009.

Regional Consultative Process:

In Asia a series of regional consultative meetings have been organized since 2001 to promote
regional partnership for DRR. This section provides a brief of the meetings:

•

First Regional Consultative Meeting was organized from 4-6 July, 2001, Kathmandu, Nepal
by UNOCHA and ADRC. Recommendations of the meeting  included: National agencies &
the donor community should adopt a Total Risk Management (TRM) approach to disasters
in  order  to  minimize  human & economic  losses.  ADPC, ADRC  &  UN-OCHA/ADRU,  with
support from other actors, will promote & facilitate the adoption of TRM on a pilot basis in
selected high risk countries

•

In  each  pilot  country  the  full  range  of  activities  required  to  effectively  mitigate  &  manage
specific  disasters  must  be  identified.  ADPC,  ADRC  &  UN-OCHA/ADRU,  in  collaboration
with  national  authorities,  will  produce  a    summary  of  the  status  of  each  activity  &  will
establish & maintain a database on current & future interventions

•

The opportunities for collaboration & human resource development must be more widely
disseminated. ADRC, with support from other participants, will establish & maintain a web-
based calendar of events (symposia, training courses, workshops etc.) to assure the broadest
possible awareness of relevant HRD & sharing opportunities

•

Efforts to coordinate holistic disaster management interventions among donor agencies must
be continued & enhanced. A second consultative meeting, co-hosted by ADRC & ADPC, will
be held in Bangkok in May 2002. Additional participation will be invited from IBRD, ADB,
JICA, DFID, ECHO, IFRC and other UN agencies

Second  Regional  Consultative  Meeting  was  organized  from  12-14  June,  2002,  Bangkok  by
ADPC,  ADRC  and  UNOCHA.  In  Kobe,  December  2003,  the  objectives  of  series  of  RCM’s  as
Agreed by ADRC, UNOCHA, ADPC, WHO & UNDP were:

•

To serve as a forum for sharing information among regional institutions and regional offices
of international organizations

•

To identify opportunities for enhanced collaboration in ongoing work

Third Regional Consultative Meeting was organized from 24-25 Febreuary, 2004, Manila by
ADPC and WHO, Western Pacific Regional Office, supported by ADRC & UNOCHA –ADRU.
The recommendation of the meeting included:

•

Need to establish common disaster profiles (Action: ADRC, WHO, ASEAN Secretariat)

•

Build data & evidence base for a persuasive case for costs/benefits of disaster reduction
(Action: ADRC & ADPC)

•

Advocacy on mainstreaming in donor & UN agencies -selling investments in disaster
reduction (Action: Donors & UN agencies)

•

Need to develop common DRM framework for use by government -policy, legislation,
institutional arrangements; DRM plans at all levels (Action: ADPC, ADRC & UNDP)

•

Expand program coverage to deal with technological hazards; conflicts & disease outbreaks
(Action: WHO & OCHA)

•

Mainstream DR into UNCCA & UNDAF in Asian countries (Action: UNDP)

•

Stock taking in WHO is doing what -database of DRR initiatives at country & regional level
(Action: ADPC, ADRC & UNDP)

The USG for Humanitarian Affairs launched in 2005 a consultative process to consider practical
ways  of  further  strengthening  the  ISDR  system,  building  on  existing  mandates,  institutions,
partnerships  and  mechanisms.  Subsequently,  the  ISDR  Secretariat  organized  a  number  of
consultations with international and regional organizations. For the Asia and Pacific region, the
following consultative events were held: (1) A preliminary regional discussion (19-20 June 2006
in  Bangkok)  which  sought  inputs  from  partners  on  the  process  for  strengthening  the  ISDR
system  and  agreement  on  a  regional  preparatory  process  for  the  first  Session  of  the  Global
Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (GP/DRR).  (2) The HFA Consultations for Asia and Pacific

(5  June  2007  in  Geneva)  which  provided  opportunities  for  reviewing  regional  progress  and
challenges in implementing the HFA at the national level; as well as for exchanging views on the
development of a regional platform for disaster risk reduction and the means to monitor DRR
progress.  (3)  The  Meetings  of  the  ISDR  Asia  Partnership  (especially  the  September  and
November  2007  meetings  in  Bangkok)  which  were  instrumental  for  carving  out  the  principle
functions  of  the  Asia  RP/DRR  and  led  to  the  agreement  that  the  IAP  will  support  the  Asia
RP/DRR subject to it’s official endorsement at the 2

Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster

Risk Reduction (AMC-DRR)

2007 Delhi Declaration on Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia: The proposed Asia RP/DRR

was  eventually  endorsed  in  2007  by  the  Ministers  and  other  high  level  representatives  of  the
countries of Asia and the Pacific attending the 2nd AMC-DRR. The concrete recommendations
included  the  expansion  of  the  biennial  AMC-DRR  to  the  Regional  Platform  for  Disaster  Risk
Reduction  which  shall  convene  every  two  years;  a  commitment  by  the  Ministers  in  charge  of

See HFA Consultations for Asia and Pacific: Summary of Discussions, June 2007.

See IAP Statement to the 2

AMC-DRR, November 2007.

The consultations were also concerned with the question how the Pacific region would relate to the Asia RP/DRR.

The subsequent recommendation was to establish a separate Regional Platform for the Pacific. This proposal was
presented and discussed at the Pacific Regional Disaster Risk Management Meetings in July 2008, and endorsed by
the SOPAC Governing Council in November 2008.

disaster reduction to provide the political leadership for the Asia RP/DRR; and a set of core
functions for the RP, i.e.:

i. Review the action taken by the national governments and other stakeholders for the

implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action;

ii. To take stock of initiatives taken in various sub-regions of Asia for promoting and

enhancing cooperation among the nations within and outside the governments for disaster risk
reduction;

iii. To share and exchange best practices and lessons learned from disaster risk reduction

in various fields including application of science and technology, community based disaster
preparedness, public-private partnership etc; and

iv. To further enhance regional cooperation for disaster risk reduction.

The ISDR Asia Partnership (IAP): The IAP was set up in 2003 and composed of four UN

bodies (UNDP Regional Centre Bangkok, UNESCAP, UNOCHA Regional Office for Asia and
Pacific, ISDR secretariat for Asia and Pacific) and two regional organizations (ADRC and ADPC)
as an open partnership for disaster reduction in Asia. The IAP was launched with release of joint
Communique at Asian Conference of Disaster Reduction organized by ADRC & Royal
Government of Cambodia in February 2004. The communiqué detailed out the following:

•

Disaster reduction has become a strategic priority for Asia, the region with the highest
percentage of natural disasters in the world causing unacceptable loss of human lives and
erasing hard-won development assets every year.

•

Aware of the importance of risk and vulnerability reduction and sharing common views on
the  importance  of  timely  action,  the  UN  Inter-Agency  Secretariat  for  ISDR,  the  Asian
Disaster  Preparedness  Centre  (ADPC)  and  the  Asian  Disaster  Reduction  Centre  (ADRC)
took the imitative of launching an open-ended regional partnership for disaster reduction in
Asia  in  consultation  with  UNDP’s  Bureau  for  Crisis  Prevention  and  Recovery  and  the
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Why the partnership:

•

To proceed to building capacities across Asia while preparing for the 2005 Conference and
work at developing a sound basis for future regional undertakings, the best option is to start
from an open ended partnership.

•

A number of strategic programmes exist already in a variety of fields relevant to risk and
vulnerability. A partnership has the potential, through its active players’ action, to create
innovative synergy and concrete results.

•

A partnership can build on existing capacities and ongoing initiatives that can be enhanced
through coordinated collaboration and can aim at sparking inter-regional exchange of
experiences, bringing to fruition the ISDR global framework

The partnership should work for:

•

Promote disaster reduction in the region by conducting strategic initiatives in countries or
sub-regions in partnership with other entities as required by each specific case.

•

Support the process towards the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, including with a
survey at regional level to provide input for both the review of the Yokohama Strategy and
elaboration of an action programme for 2005-2015.

•

Nurture a Forum for discussion, experience sharing and information exchange to allow all
sectors of civil society to have a say and to become active players.

•

Ensure that recommendations adopted at the 2005 Second World Conference on Disaster
Reduction are followed up in the region.

•

Pave the way for further developments in the region, including fund raising for major
projects in areas such as education, information management, regional networking.

Role of ISDR Asian Partnership:

The  Asia  and  Pacific  Regions  are  too  diverse  and  too  vast  for  one  all-encompassing  strategic
regional programme. Many disaster risk reduction initiatives and mechanisms already exist at
the national and regional levels and should be used for an optimised action and effectiveness in
the  field  of  disaster  risk  reduction.  The  role  of  the  IAP  is  precisely  to  build  on  the  existing
regional  expertise  and  mechanisms  in  DRR  to  promote  joint  actions,  programming  and
implementation of DRR at the regional level, to better assist the countries in mainstreaming DRR
as part of national development planning, identifying their national priorities and develop their
national DRR strategy.

Priority actions for the IAP are to:

•

Promote disaster risk reduction throughout the region by organizing or provide support
where feasible, strategic initiatives in target countries and sub-regions in partnership with
other stakeholders as required for each specific case.

•

2.  Create a forum for discussion, to share experiences and exchange information so that the
resulting  dialogue  can  strengthen  the  individual  characteristics  of  the  partners  and  their
work as a group.

•

3. Ensure that the recommendations in the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) adopted at
the World Conference on Disaster Reduction are adapted to meet the priority requirements
of each country in the region.

•

4. Work with key governments sectors and other stakeholders in-country to identify priority
disaster reduction activities for national and community level implementation

In 2007, the IAP was expanded to include other UN agencies and regional bodies, as well

as donors, inter-governmental organizations and civil society. Presently, the partnership
encompasses over 30 partners. It is chaired by UNISDR Asia and Pacific and characterizes itself
as an informal multi-stakeholder forum with the role to facilitate the coordinated and coherent
implementation of disaster risk reduction and the HFA in the Asia region. The IAP also

declared to support the Asia PR/DRR (see also above)

. However, until such time that the IAP

had developed its full potential as a regional partnership mechanism, it set out to concentrate its
support on two of the above listed Regional Platform functions. First, the regional HFA
reporting which shall be undertaken in parallel with national HFA progress review processes.
Second, the mapping of regional initiatives to improve the sharing of information and
coordination amongst regional partners.

4. Proposed IAP Roles in Support of Asia RP/DRR

This section provides a detailed description of the proposed roles of the IAP in support of

the Asian RP/DRR and the AMC-DRR. It also offers a report on the key activities the IAP has
been engaged in over the past year.

(a) Supporting the political leadership of the Asia RP/DRR through the identification of policy
priorities for the region and ensuring the visibility of regional issues at the global level. The
concrete IAP engagement will include:

Preparatory Process for the AMC-DRR: In February 2007, the IAP formed a working

group led by UNISDR in support of the preparatory process of the 3

AMC-DRR. The group

facilitated  useful  discussions  on  the  conference  themes,  format,  and  agenda  which  provided
valuable  guidance  and  inputs  to  the  Government  of  Malaysia  and  UNISDR  during  the
conceptualization  and  planning  phase  of  the  conference.  Subsequently,  this  working  group
evolved  into  the  formal  group  of  ‘Conference  Partners’  (plus  other  interested  partners  which
had not participated in the IAP previously). The Conference Partners not only pooled financial
resources  in  support  of  the  conference,  but  also  helped  prepare  the  technical  content  of
numerous sessions and events.   Proposal for the Consideration of IAP Members: The IAP will
offer  to  provide  its  support  to  Asian  Governments  which  host  the  AMC-DRR  during  the
conference preparatory process on a regular basis.

Preparatory Process for the Global Platform on DRR: One of the core functions of the

Asia  RP/DRR  refers  to  the  exchange  of  best  practices  and  lessons  learned  from  disaster  risk
reduction.  This  function  of  the  RP is not  limited  to  intra regional exchanges,  but  also  includes
the  exchange  with  other  regions  and  most  importantly  the  Global  ISDR  system.  As  such,  the
AMC-DRR  is  expected  to  feed  Asia’s  policy  priorities,  gaps  and  challenges  into  the  biennial
Sessions of the Global Platform for DRR (GP/DRR) and, vice-versa, help convey and disseminate
relevant  global  level  developments,  tools  and  decisions  among  regional  and  in-country  DRR
stakeholders in Asia. The 2009 Session of the GP/DRR will be the first opportunity for the AMC-
DRR, since it has been designated as the Asia RP/DRR, to leave its mark at the global level and
advocate for the importance of disaster risk reduction in Asia which remains the most disaster
prone region world wide. Proposal for the Consideration of IAP Members: Since the AMC-DRR
does  not  have  at  its  disposal  a  formal  follow-up  mechanism  that  operates  between  each
conference, the IAP will have the role to ensure that the wealth of DRR policy recommendations

See IAP Terms of Reference, February 2008.

and lessons learned from the Asia region are effectively channeled to the global level and vice-
versa.

Regional DRR Strategy: Following on from the RP/DRR’s role of setting regional DRR

policy,  there  is  also  a  need  to  support  regional  and  sub-regional  DRR  strategy  development.
Emerging issues and new policy considerations that are of importance in Asia and Pacific, such
as  for  example  the  integration  of  climate  change  adaption  and  disaster  risk  reduction,  or
addressing  the  impacts  of  the  food  price  crisis,  will  have  to  find  their  way  into  existing  and
newly developed DRR and development strategies. The existing thematic working groups and
tasks forces which already operate under the IAP

, are expected to provide valuable analytical

inputs  to  regional  DRR  priority  and  strategy  setting.  Proposal  for  the  Consideration  of  IAP
Members: Together with relevant and existing regional agencies, in particular IAP partners who
work directly with Governments, the IAP will strive to be a regional think tank contributing to
cross  regional  DRR  strategy  development  and  assist  sub-regional  intergovernmental
organizations  with  the  preparation  and  review  of  their  DRR  strategies,  as  required.  For  this
purposes, regional working groups and task forces will provide regular reports and updates to
the IAP.

(b)  Supporting  the  biennial  HFA  progress  reporting  process  of  the  ISDR  system.  The  concrete
IAP engagement will include:

HFA Progress Reviews: HFA progress reporting was the second function of the Asia

RP/DRR which the IAP initially vowed to assist back in November 2007. In line with the global
HFA progress review requirements, the UNISDR coordinated under the auspices of the IAP the
roll-out  of  the  HFA  progress  review  in  the  Asia  and  Pacific  region.  A  Regional  HFA  Progress
Review  Framework  was  developed,  which  provided  national  and  regional  DRR  stakeholders
with  a  common  guidance  on  the  overall  objectives,  process,  tools  and  the  outputs  expected.
Briefing  sessions  on  HFA  reporting  were  organized  during  several  IAP  meetings  and  a
dedicated IAP working group on HFA Reporting was established. A number of workshops and
events  were  organized  jointly  with  IAP  partners,  such  as  UNDP,  ADPC,  ADRC,  and  SOPAC
with the aim to further brief regional and national level partners. Consequently, some National
HFA  Focal  Points  had  requested  technical  assistance  for  preparing  their  countries’  progress
reports  and  UNISDR  successfully  engaged  UNDP  and  ADPC  in  selected  countries.  Despite
these concerted efforts, it was not possible to significantly increase the total number of countries
that submitted National HFA Progress Reports on time to feed into the 3

AMC-DRR compared

with  the  number  of  reports  submitted  to  the  last  GP/DRR.  It  is,  however,  expected  that  more
reports  will  become  available  in  the  run  up  to  the  2009  Session  of  the  GP/DRR.  A  positive
development  and  improvement  to  the  previous  reporting  cycle  is  certainly  the  reporting
commitment at the sub-regional level, spearheaded by ASEAN, SAARC and SOPAC, to prepare

The Asia Regional Education Task Force (ETF), the Regional Task Force on Urban Risk Reduction (RTF-URR),

the Disaster Environment Working Group fir Asia (DESGA), the Working Group on HFA Reporting, the Working
Group on the Preparations for the 3

AMC-DRR, the Project Steering Committee on Regional Mapping of DRR

Initiatives.

HFA  progress reports  in  line with  the HFA. Also  thematic  progress reports  on a  range  of  key
regional  issues  were  prepared  by  IAP  partners,  e.g.  on  urban  disaster  risk,  space  technology
applications  for  DRR,  and  other.  Proposal  for  the  Consideration  of  IAP  Members:  Although
UNISDR  was  able  to  solicit  the  support  from  some  IAP  members  to  help  sub-regional  and
national  partners  meet  their  reporting  requirements,  a  more  systematic  support  base  will  be
needed  to  sustainably  strengthen  sparse  reporting  capacities  in  the  region  and  to  meet  key
deadlines for the AMC-DRR and the GP/DRR. The IAP will therefore elaborate in greater detail
on  its  roles  and  responsibilities  in  support  of  HFA  reporting  and  increase  the  number  of  IAP
members who will actively assist the process.

Monitoring the Implementation of AMC-DRR Recommendations: At this stage, no formal

mechanism  is  in  place  for  the  monitoring  of  progress  achieved  in  implementing  the
recommendations  of  AMC-DRR  declarations.  Further  to  this,  the  structure  of  previous
Ministerial  Conference  Declarations  has  not  been  conducive  to  allow  easy  monitoring  and
follow-up.  Proposal  for  the  Consideration  of  IAP  Members:  The  IAP  will  ensure  that  the
recommendations of AMC-DRR are in future grouped according to the HFA goals and priorities
of actions. This will facilitate the monitoring of progress towards Ministerial recommendations
simultaneously  with  the  HFA  monitoring  at  the  national,  sub-regional  and  regional,  and  thus
avoid the unnecessary duplication of reporting efforts.

(c)  Improving  coordination  &  coherence,  and  strengthening  synergies  through  information
sharing and mapping of initiatives.  The concrete IAP engagement will include:

Regional Mapping of DRR Initiatives: The decision of the IAP to help improve

information sharing and mapping of ongoing and planned DRR initiatives in Asia, had already
been taken in November 2007, when the IAP met prior to the 2

AMC-DRR to discuss what

contribution it could make to the Asia RP/DRR. In order to explore how to proceed with the
regional mapping initiative, the IAP created a dedicated working group

for this purpose. In

February 2008, the working group was transformed into a project steering committee to prepare
a project proposal outlining the key features of a regional stocktaking and mapping initiative.
The proposal is currently under consideration by the ADB

. The project executing agency has

been identified, i.e. ADPC. The DRR stocktaking and mapping project will present an overview
of ongoing and planned DRR interventions

within the broader context of a regional disaster

risk profile. The information will contribute to improved regional planning and programming,
and will highlight areas for cooperation among regional and sub-regional organizations. It will
also  add  to  periodic  progress  reviews  and  reporting  processes  at  regional  and  sub-regional
levels  (such  as  Biennial  HFA  Progress  Reviews  and  the  preparation  of  the  2009  UN  Global
Assessment  Report).  In  addition,  it  will  assist  donor  agencies  and  decision-makers  to  channel

The participating IAP members were ADPC, ADRC, the Asian Disaster Reduction Response Network (ADRRN),

IFRC, UN/OCHA, the South Pacific Geosciences Commission (SOPAC), UNDP, and the World Bank.

The TA first appeared in ADB Business Opportunities on 16 January 2008.

For the purpose of this project, regional DRR interventions or initiatives shall be defined as regional activities

undertaken by regional offices of International, UN, Non-Governmental Organizations as well as regional
organizations, including sub-regional inter-governmental bodies.

resources and efforts that can meet their own policy and programmatic imperatives while
implementing DRR. Proposal for the Consideration of IAP Members: IAP members will actively
contribute to the mapping and stocktaking once it is launched, and provide regular updates on
ongoing and planned DRR initiatives to ensure the long-term sustainability of this initiative. The
IAP will thus have the role of a regional information custodian on who is doing what and where
on DRR in Asia and Pacific.

(d) Enhancing regional cooperation for disaster risk reduction by aligning regional initiatives to
meet gaps at country level. The concrete IAP engagement will include:

Joint Regional Action Plan: At the September 2007 Meeting of Conference Partners, held

in preparation of the 3

AMC-DRR, several partners requested that the Kuala Lumpur

Ministerial Declaration be accompanied by a regional action plan with the aim to strengthen the
accountability for its follow-up and to support Governments with implementing the HFA. This
proposal is in line with and would directly contribute to the ISDR system planning framework,
which builds on and is owned by existing institutional mechanisms within the ISDR system at
the  national,  regional  and  global  levels.  The  core  principles  of  the  ISDR  system  planning
framework  include:  (a)  develop  the  planning  framework  progressively,  following  a  flexible
approach  with  regular  monitoring  and  reporting  to  improve  it  as  it  unfolds;  (b)  contribute  to
systematic  reporting  on  progress  in  HFA  implementation;  (c)  facilitate  additional  resource
mobilization to support HFA implementation; (d) develop the planning framework according to
the priorities for action defined in the HFA, and (e) focus on prioritized and achievable jointly
agreed-upon  results  in  a  given  period  of  time,  with  identified  partners,  roles  and  resources

These principles could easily be applied also to the Joint Regional Action Plan on implementing
the recommendations of the Ministerial Conference Declaration. Proposal for the Consideration
of IAP Members: The IAP will offer to take the lead in preparing a regional action plan that will
focus on implementing the recommendations of the AMC-DRR in line with and in support of
existing regional DRR strategies. The regional action plan will ideally be finalized within a three
month period following each AMC-DRR and cover the two-year time span between one
Ministerial Conference and the next. The meetings of the IAP can provide a regular monitoring
and follow-up mechanism for the regional action plan.

Alignment of Regional DRR Meetings: The 2007 Delhi Declaration on DRR in Asia

recommended that various geographical sub-regions of Asia and the Pacific may hold periodic
conferences of the national governments and other stakeholders. The declaration also mentions
that these should be well coordinated and complement each other in taking stock of the progress
made in the implementation of the HFA in the respective sub-regions. There is currently a wide
spectrum of a regional meetings organized in Asia and Pacific with a focus on DRR, such as the
Regional Consultative Committee on Mainstreaming DRR into Development; the Asian
Conference on Disaster Reduction; the meetings organized under the umbrellas of ASEAN and
SAARC; the meetings of the IAP; the newly established Regional Disaster Management

For further details please see: 2008-2009 ISDR System Joint Work Programme, February 2008 [Draft], United

Nations, Geneva.

Committee  under  UNESCAP,  and  many  more.  Although  some  steps  were  taken  in  2008  to
coordinate these meetings and ensure that they feed and inform each other, there is still room
for improvement. Proposal for the Consideration of IAP Members:  In support of the call made
by the Kuala Lumpur Declaration, the IAP through discussions in its meetings among partners,
encourage  partners  to  consider  contributing  through  their  existing  forums  to  the  follow-up  of
the AMC ministerial declarations and preparation of future AMCs. Thus, the regional meetings
held in-between AMC-DRRs will directly support the Regional Platform process.

5. Proposed Changes to the Organizational Status of the IAP

The new roles suggested for the IAP, are considered to be the minimum requirements for

ensuring the Asia RP/DRR mechanism successfully achieves the functions it has been assigned
with by the 2

AMC-DRR. At the same time, for the IAP to be able to give justice to these

additional  roles,  it  will  be  necessary  to  considerably  increase  the  time,  inputs  and  follow-up
from  its  members  as  well  as  the  UNISDR,  which  convenes  the  partnership.  It  is  therefore
questionable, whether the IAP can maintain its informal character and at the same time provide
reliability,  accountability,  and  sufficient  resourcing  for  a  quite  demanding  work  programme,
which  includes  the  development  and  implementation  of  a  joint  regional  action  plan.  Proposal
for  the  Consideration  of  IAP  Members:    The  IAP  will  discuss  whether  changes  to  its
organizational status are required and what these should entail to allow it to become an action-
oriented  and  predictable  provider  of  coordinated  disaster  risk  reduction  support  in  the  Asia
region.