COURSE OVERVIEW

The fundamental principle of community-based disaster risk reduction (CBDRR) involves the development of bottom-up processes arising from the communities themselves. Development is based on the community's specific needs and its aspirations for safety, and appropriate actions to address these. The CBDRR course provides an opportunity for practitioners to learn, upgrade and share essential skills and knowledge to systematically address disaster risk reduction challenges at the community level and to facilitate the processes to reduce disaster risk of vulnerable communities.

Participants will acquire tools and knowledge on how to design and implement programs for reducing disaster risks and vulnerability leading to community capacity building to promote a culture of safety and self-reliance. The course provides an opportunity to gain hands-on experience through scenario-based simulation exercises.

The participants will have a chance to learn about globally acknowledged programs and approaches to CBDRR from leaders of these initiatives, with a particular focus on examples from South and Southeast Asia. The course also discusses the integration of disaster risk reduction plans to governmental and non-governmental development plans.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The course aims to develop the capacity of community-based disaster risk reduction (CBDRR) practitioners who will be the main project implementers at the community level by providing them with knowledge and skills in CBDRR including:

- Discussing the context of CBDRR in a changing climate

- Designing and conducting climate-inclusive community risk assessments

- Identifying measures for climate-inclusive disaster risk reduction through vulnerability reduction and community capacity development

- Preparing risk reduction plans and discussing their integration into sectoral developmental programs

- Analyzing issues and challenges in the implementation of community-based risk reduction and climate change adaptation programs

- Discussing areas of professional development

- Building commitment and value systems to promote community empowerment for climate-inclusive community risk reduction