|
|
| Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Programme |
 |
Programmes > DRR >
WMO DRR Programme Thematic & National/Regional Projects
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is a priority for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) because the protection of lives, property and livelihoods are at the core of the priorities of the WMO Members and the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS). Furthermore, the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) by national governments is leading to changes in national DRR policies, legal and institutional frameworks, with implications on the role, responsibilities and new working arrangements for the NMHS. These changes provide opportunities such as increased recognition of the NMHS by their governments and stakeholders, which could result in strengthened partnerships and increased resources. However, NMHS face new challenges and liabilities related to the provision of products and services to larger and more diverse group of DRR stakeholders (e.g. government authorities, public and private sectors, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), general public and media, etc) who have direct responsibilities for DRR decision-making. |
|
|
To meet these new challenges, as illustrated in Figure 1, the crosscutting DRR Programme two-tier Work Plan (hereafter referred to as the DRR Work Plan) aims to facilitate better alignment of the activities of WMO constituent bodies and global operational network as well as strategic partners to assist NMHS through coordinated projects to:
- Engage as relevant in national DRR, adaptation governance and institutional frameworks;
- Identify, prioritize, establish partnerships and service delivery agreements with national DRR user community (users) and develop mechanisms for engagement with the users for identification of requirements, delivery of products and services and obtaining on-going feedback;
- Establish partnership agreements with other national technical agencies (e.g. hydrological services, ocean services, etc) as well as global and regional specialized centres (e.g. WMO Global Producing Centres (GPC), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC) Regional Tsunami Watch Centers, etc);
- Develop and deliver core and specialized products and services for DRR decision support (e.g. hazard/risk analysis, Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS), sectoral risk management and disaster risk financing and risk transfer) in a cost-effective, systematic and sustainable manner;
- Ensure that core operational capacities (e.g., observing network, operational forecasting systems, telecommunication systems, data management systems, human resources, etc) are built upon the principles of Quality Management Systems (QMS) to support product and service development and delivery; and
- Engage in regional and global efforts for development of risk information for large scale and trans-boundary hazards, through strengthened regional and global cooperation, information sharing, and engagement in regional DRR platforms, and Regional Climate Outlook Forums (RCOFs), etc.
Figure 1: Schematic representation of linkages between meteorological services and DRR stakeholders
Making the DRR Work Plan a reality requires substantial building of the operational capacities of many NMHSs in developing countries which can only be achieved through successful and well focused and coordinated capacity development activities. As one strategy for achieving this, significant efforts have been taken to engage WMO Members, Regional Associations, Technical Commissions and Programmes, to develop strategic alliances with key partners at regional and international levels to implement the DRR Work Plan.
The DRR Work Plan (Figure 2) includes a two-tier approach linking, (i) development of guidelines, standards and training modules for DRR thematic topics based on documentation and synthesis of good practices; and (ii) coordinated DRR and climate adaptation national/regional capacity development projects, to support capacity development of NMHS for delivery of meteorological, hydrological and climate services as per Figure 1 items a—f. A critical aspect of the coordinated DRR national/regional projects is strengthening of cooperation among NMHS, RSMCs, RCCs, RCOFs and other DRR user interface mechanisms for development of products and services underpinned by user needs and requirements.
Figure 2: Two-Tier Schematic of the Implementation Approach of the DRR Programme
|
|
