Disaster risk within a country has its roots in development decisions that do not adequately address disaster concerns, and the resulting disasters are coming at the cost of development and poverty reduction. The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2011 outlines that the economic, social and environmental costs of disasters are self-evident, and with a changing climate, increased rate of urbanization, and increasing mismanagement of land, disaster risk and the resulting impacts from disaster events will continue to have costly effects on the progress towards socio-economic development of countries across Asia and the rest of the world. By not considering disaster risk in development planning, governments often unknowingly play a leading role in shaping risk, through investments in infrastructure and public services, and through improper planning and regulation. Thus it is essential that the process of development planning identifies and analyzes the underlying causes of risk, and factors in measures for risk reduction.

Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development has therefore been prioritized by the 26 member countries of the Regional Consultative Committee (RCC) on Disaster Management, to which ADPC acts as the secretariat. Since 2004 the RCC has been implementing the RCC Program on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development (MDRD) which aims at mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into national development planning processes, as well as in priority sectors such as agriculture, education, health, housing and roads. Being implemented by the governments under the regional mechanism of RCC, building capacity for the implementation of resilient development activities has been recognized as an important component of the program. This course has therefore been developed by the Regional Consultative Committee under the Mainstreaming Programme and funding from AusAID to enhance the capacity of government officials involved in development planning and Disaster Risk Reduction to mainstream DRR into development activities.

The process of development of this course included consultations with the RCC members, engagement of technical experts from various sectors in RCC member countries, and review of the course by experts from RCC member countries and the region. The RCC members nominated officials from their countries to act as focal points in the process of course development and guide the process to ensure the appropriateness of the course. The course has been developed two times till date (2010 and 2011) and based on the inputs received has been revised for the upcoming delivery.

The goal of the course is to enhance understanding among participants from the RCC member countries on mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the development planning process, in order to build the capacities of government officials to implement disaster resilient development. The specific objectives of the course include:

• To increase awareness among participants on the need to mainstream DRR into the development planning processes,
• To enhance the capacity of participants on ‘how to’ mainstream DRR concerns into the national, sub-national, sectoral development planning processes,
• To improve capacity on financing DRR activities, and undertaking advocacy, and monitoring and evaluation on mainstreaming DRR into development.
• To provide a platform for experience sharing, discussion and interactive professional exchange amongst government officials of MDRD practice and experiences between RCC countries.

The course will be delivered through three modules: Module 1 Introduction to Disaster Risk Reduction: The purpose of the first module is to provide participants with the basic knowledge on DRR that is required to support a detailed understanding of mainstreaming. The module will cover terminologies related to DRR, discuss the comprehensive link between disasters and development, and provide a basic outline on risk assessment and how to use risk information to guide development decisions. Module 2 Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into the development planning process: Module 2 will form the core of the training and will start by providing a detailed explanation of what is mainstreaming and provide a broad framework for mainstreaming DRR. The subsequent sessions will then aim to break down the development planning processes into its key component parts and suggests the approaches for mainstreaming DRR into the respective component. Module 3 Enabling environment for mainstreaming: The final module will introduce actions required to initiate and sustain the process of mainstreaming DRR into development. Topics covered would include monitoring and evaluation for mainstreaming, and financing options for DRR.

• Representatives from the National Planning Agency and National Disaster Management Offices of RCC member countries (by invitation under the RCC program on mainstreaming DRR into development)
• Government official from other national agencies in RCC member countries; responsible for national development planning, physical/land-use planning, local development, finance, representatives from national forums on Millennium Development Goals and related agencies (Open for registration with limited seats available)
• Representatives from development agencies (such as UN agencies, bilateral and multilateral agencies and non-governmental organizations), working closely with government agencies on issues related to development policy, planning and programs (Open for registration with limited seats available)

Participants will receive certificates of attendance upon completion of the course.

Developed under the RCC Mainstreaming Program and supported by AusAID, there is no tuition fee applicable for the invited participants as well as the participants selected based on registration. However, the participants selected based on registration would need to pay a sum of US$ 1,500 towards direct meeting expenses related to meeting package (daily lunches and refreshments), printed course materials and hotel accommodation from 26th until 31st August (accommodation for 6 nights) in Bangkok. All paying participants would be responsible for arranging their travel and visa expenses including transportation from and to airport.

Participants are required to stay at Swissotel Nailert Park Hotel in Bangkok where the training will be held.

Interested participants are requested to fill in the application form available on ADPC website and submit latest by 22nd June 2012, through email (tsu@adpc.net) or fax at +66 2 298 0012 to 13

Based on the specific objective of the course and availability of limited number of seats, interested candidates would be selected based on their experience of working in/with the above mentioned government agencies. Candidates accepted for the course would be informed on payment details and pre-course information.

The MDRD course is delivered using adult learning techniques with an emphasis on interactive lecture discussions, group exercises, plenary sessions, and group brain-storming. The course will be enriched by guest speakers whom will host debates and discussions using their wealth of practical experience in the field to provide cutting edge insights into how we can progress the mainstreaming agenda. Participants will also be encouraged to share their experiences of mainstreaming DRR from their respective countries.

Safer Development Planning and Implementation (SDPI)
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center
979/66-70, 24th Floor SM Tower
Paholyothin Road, Samsen Nai
Phayathai, Bangkok, 10400 Thailand
Tel: +66 (02) 298 0681-92
Fax: +66 (02) 298 0012
URL: www.adpc.net

Ms. Teresa Abo
Program Coordinator, SDPI
teresa@adpc.net