OXFAM BRIEFING NOTE 6 NOVEMBER 2014

Sebastian Gregoriou and his wife, Ascuncion, pictured where their house stood and where their daughter was killed during the typhoon.
Photo Credit: Colin Keegan/Irish Mirror, courtesy of Oxfam Ireland

CANT AFFORD TO WAIT

Why Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation
plans in Asia are still failing millions of people
Climate-related disasters and food crises are devastating
thousands of lives and holding back development across Asia. A
year on from the devastating super-typhoon Haiyan in the
Philippines, Oxfam calls for governments across Asia, backed by
regional and global institutions and fair contributions from wealthy
countries, to ramp up efforts to address these challenges. Without
greater investment in climate and disaster-resilient development
and more effective assistance for those at risk, super-typhoon
Haiyan-scale disasters could fast become the norm, not the
exception.

www.oxfam.org
CLIMATE CRISIS
Super-typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) tore through the
Philippines exactly one year ago, devastating thousands of lives and
leaving millions of people homeless. It was the strongest typhoon to
make landfall ever recorded, causing a storm surge that ripped through
coastal neighbourhoods and agricultural lands across much of central
Philippines. The international humanitarian community responded quickly
and most generously to the humanitarian needs in the wake of Haiyan.
While the scale of the disaster was in many ways unprecedented, Asia is
already the most disaster-prone region in the world, and worryingly, the
impacts of these disasters are growing. In the most recent
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment,
scientists foresaw, with high confidence, that "extreme climate events will
have an increasing impact on human health, security, livelihoods, and
poverty, with the type and magnitude of impact varying across Asia."1

RISING DISASTERS
The frequency of weather-related disasters and the damage they cause
are both on the rise. Since 1980, available data indicates weather-related Weather, climate and
disasters have increased by 233 per cent.3 There have been more than water-related disasters
8,835 disasters globally between 1970 and 2012, causing 1.94 million are on the rise
worldwide, causing loss
deaths and US$2.4 trillion in economic losses primarily as a result of
of life and setting back
hydro-meteorological hazards such as droughts, extreme temperatures, economic and social
floods, tropical cyclones and related health epidemics.4 development by years,
5
if not decades.2
F IGURE 1: NUMBER AND TYPE OF NATIONAL DISASTERS , 1950-2012

Large destructive disaster events such as super-typhoon Haiyan paint

only part of the picture. The impacts of smaller, more localized and
gradually occurring crises, sometimes referred to as creeping disasters,
account for a large proportion of total disaster losses: 54 per cent of
houses damaged, 80 per cent of people affected, and 83 per cent of
people injured.6 In addition, climate change is already causing
unavoidable losses and damage to the basic means of food generation.
The state of food insecurity will worsen significantly unless meaningful
and urgent action is taken to improve adaptation.7

2
ASIA BEARING THE BRUNT
Asia is particularly susceptible to these risks. The region has always
faced geological and weather related hazards, but climate change,
worsening inequality and inadequate investments in reducing peoples
exposure to risk are intensifying the scale and impact of disasters and
food insecurity on vulnerable populations:
In 2012, Asia accounted for 41 per cent of recorded disasters and
64.5 per cent of people affected by disasters globally.8
Over the past 20 years, Asia has borne almost half the estimated
global economic cost of all disasters, amounting to approximately
US$53 billion annually. Direct losses from disasters in the region
significantly outpaced growth in GDP.9
Despite the impressive economic growth of many Asian countries, the
region is home to two-thirds of the worlds most undernourished and
food-insecure people.10
The number of people exposed to coastal flooding in Asia is expected
to increase by 50 per cent by 2030.11
Agricultural and coastal livelihoods, the mainstay of most Asian
peoples livelihoods and food security, are in grave peril from the
impacts of climate change. By 2050, more than half of the Indo-
Gangetic Plains of South Asia, a region which grows 15 per cent of
the worlds wheat, may become heat-stressed for wheat, with a
significantly shorter season for the crop.12
Sea-level rise, coastal flooding and saltwater intrusion related to
climate change also threaten farming in major deltas, potentially
affecting some 3.5 to 5 million people.13 The Mekong Delta in Viet
Nam accounts for around 50 percent of the countrys agricultural
production and is at severe risk of saltwater intrusion. It has been
estimated that a sea-level rise of 30cm, which could occur as early as
2040, could result in the loss of about 12 per cent of crop production.14

UNEQUAL COSTS
These trends have devastating costs in both human and economic
terms and these costs are disproportionately borne by the poorest and
most marginalized people. Most developing countries are not major
emitters of greenhouse gases, yet they have to bear huge costs related
to climate disasters. Peoples vulnerability to extreme weather and
disasters is magnified when factors such as their power, livelihoods, and
social and personal protection systems are weak. For example, available
indicators suggest disaster mortality is higher for women than men.15
This should be no surprise given womens relatively higher levels of
poverty as well as reduced mobility in disasters due to caregiving
responsibilities and social conventions.16

3
THE NEED FOR
LEADERSHIP
While there is urgent need for greater global efforts to mitigate the future
impacts of climate change, unfortunately, these alone cannot address
many of the negative effects of climate change which are already starting
to take their toll. Particularly in Asia, it is vital that much more is done
alongside mitigation efforts to help poor communities adapt to an already
changing climate and reduce their exposure to risk. This requires
leadership at all levels: national, regional and international.

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP
In the face of growing climate and disaster risk, governments in Asia
should lead on and deliver effective and inclusive climate adaptation and
disaster risk reduction. They should have the governance mechanisms
that will deliver, with full accountability, their commitments. In varying
degrees, this is starting to happen across the region. Disaster Risk
Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) are established
and growing fields of development and environmental policy and
practice, and there are well over 100 national policy instruments across
Asia committing to DRR and CCA.17 The policies of five countries, in
particular Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Viet Nam
have been assessed in research commissioned by Oxfam Viet Nam
(see research methodology in Annex).18

A number of positive developments are evident in these policies. There is

increasing recognition in DRR and CCA policies of the rights of hazard-
prone communities including their rights to be consulted, have access
to information and receive assistance without discrimination. For
example, Indonesias Disaster Management Law has a strong rights-
based approach component, and Viet Nams DRR and CCA policies
explicitly mention the right to information, health, education and food,
although these are silent on the rights specific to vulnerable groups.
Other policies have been more sensitised to the rights of groups with
specific needs and vulnerabilities, such as persons with disabilities. An
example is Pakistans National Policy Guidance on Vulnerable Groups in
disasters.

Secondly, many governments are taking a multi-stakeholder approach.

The Philippines and Indonesia stand out as developing policies enriched
by inputs from civil society. The process of drafting the Disaster
Management Law of Indonesia included a series of consultations
involving stakeholders from various development sectors. In the
Philippines, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (NDRRMC) has seats for government agencies, civil society, the
church sector, private sector, national Red Cross as well as academia.
Such multi-stakeholder composition in the national leadership is also

4
expected to be replicated at the provincial and municipal levels, though
this process has yet to be operationalised.

Remaining challenges
While national governments across Asia have made serious strides at
the policy level, the implementation of DRR and CCA policies on the
ground remains lacking. This is due to a range of policy and practice
challenges.

Underinvestment: Despite clear evidence of the human and economic

benefits of investing in risk reduction,19 data suggests that governments
continue to emphasise funding disaster response. For example, in the
Philippines, close to half (47 per cent) of internal climate change
adaptation funds go to reconstruction and rehabilitation, while the rest
are spread out to support adaptation activities in agriculture,
environment, disaster prevention and preparedness, among others.20

Connecting DRR and CCA efforts: Given the interconnectedness of

extreme weather, climate change and disaster impacts, it makes sense
for DRR and CCA approaches to be more linked in both policy and
practice. However national policy and planning processes within Asia
have only recently started to converge. Some countries in Asia have
been effective at leading this joined-up effort, while others are still
struggling to find ways to coordinate and demonstrate leadership.

Gender equality: During disaster response, womens specific needs

such as health and hygiene facilities are too often not met or prioritised.
Similarly, womens voices are reportedly weaker in planning
preparedness and DRR activities and the integration of these with overall
development processes. In spite of the mention of gender and the rights
of women in some of the policies reviewed, on the whole, there continue
to be inadequate attention given to gender equality. In Bangladesh, for
example, early warning systems are largely gender-blind and not
developed in such a way as to respond to the specific requirements of
women, thus rendering them dependent on men in receiving appropriate
and timely messages.21 Likewise in Viet Nam, womens involvement in
local flood and storm control is limited to child care and food distribution.
In Indonesia, gender issues are not clearly addressed in DRR policies.

Public discourse: There are also gaps in public discourse on climate

policy, in part due to the complexity of engaging poor rural communities
in complex science-driven agenda. This was underlined in the
Bangladesh research where discourse on CCA has been limited to the
more educated urban centres. 22 Similarly, Indonesia's CCA policies and
mechanisms appear to have a low emphasis on public discourse. In Viet
Nam, the Disaster Management Law and other DRR policies have been
well publicised nationally and regionally, but their relevance and meaning
have not filtered down to affected communities.

5
 We have never seen
this kind of floods in the
area before. Over the
last few years, rain
patterns have also
changed and are having
bad effects on our crops
and, thus, our
livelihoods. Government
must tell us how we can
save our lives and
livelihoods in the face of
these threats.

Shamshad Bibi, 36-year old

mother of six from the village of
Bakhtiari, in the district of
Bahawalpur (Punjab, Pakistan).

Photo: Komal Ayaz, Help

Foundation. Pakistan, Sep. 2014

Legislation: Legislated policies and decrees often have more political

clout, given the legal weight and mandatory enforcement inherent in
these. Disaster risk reduction and management has increasingly become
a legislated area of policy-making across Asia, while climate change
adaptation remains predominantly at the policy level without legislation.
Out of the five countries examined, only the Philippines has climate
legislation: the Climate Change Act (RA 9729) of 2009. This is a
landmark measure that puts climate change at the centre of government
policy-making, and resulted in the creation of the Climate Change
Commission (CCC) as the governments chief CCA policy-making body.
But while the Climate Change Act is a solid piece of legislation, it is
poorly implemented: The CCC is barely functional and has convened
only once since 2010.23

Data deficiencies: One of the key challenges governments continue to

face in developing and implementing effective CCA and DRR policies is
capturing, and thereafter maintaining, accurate data on risks and
vulnerabilities to guide interventions. For example, in the Philippines,
DRR policies discuss the importance of vulnerability assessment and of
maintaining a database, but while vulnerability assessments are on-
going, the national database is not yet operational.24 Likewise the
Disaster Risk Reduction Management Information System and GIS-
based national risk map are key programs in this area but have yet to be
established in practice. The Philippines' Department of Agricultures
Climate Information System was recently launched and holds much
promise.25

Political leadership: Senior political buy-in is critical for effective

implementation of DRR and CCA policies and legislation. Across the
countries examined, in general, there is greater buy-in for disaster
management than for climate change adaptation. For example, in
Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Act (NDMA 2010) has
established the National Disaster Management Commission (NDMC), the
apex body for making decisions as well as approving policies and

6
strategies to mitigate disaster risk. The Prime Minister heads the NDMC,
which has representation from all federating units, executives and even
the opposition leader in the National Assembly. In contrast, the Climate
Change Division is the only dedicated body at national level, with very
little technical capacity.

Coordination challenges: Risk reduction and adaptation efforts require

multi-sector leadership and action by a wide range of stakeholders such as
the Health, Defence, Home Affairs, Public Works, Environment and
Finance ministries. This could present coordination challenges, particularly
where entities set up to oversee DRR-CCA policy implementation lack
political clout. For example, in Bangladesh, the task of coordinating all
agencies for DRR sits with the Ministry of Disaster Management. The
Ministry produces coordination directives but is not directly involved in
implementation and lacks the capacity and political weight to enforce
compliance from the responsible agencies. As a result, few of the priority
activities identified in the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action
Plan (BCCSAP) have actually been implemented so far.26

Local governance: The trickle down of national policy to the sub-

national level is a challenge across the region, and greater investments
are required to increase the capacity and leadership of local
governments for DRR and CCA. In Pakistan, for example, the 18th
Constitutional Amendment has resulted in the devolution of responsibility
for environment, climate change, DRR, health and parts of education to
provinces to strengthen decentralisation. However, this process has also
perpetuated confusion about the implementation of national, cross-
sectoral and inter-provincial DRR and CCA policies and plans.27 By
contrast, the Philippines is an example of good practice in this area. The
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in the Philippines
has been a key agency in clarifying a specific provision in the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act (RA 10121, 2009)
involving the mandatory allocation of 5 per cent of internal revenue
allocations for DRR and emergency response.

Food security: Successful DRR and CCA must go hand in hand with
policy and strategy for food security and production. Despite the
constitutional recognition of the right to food in several Asian countries
and their ratification of relevant international instruments, the right to food
is not sufficiently operationalised across the region. Nevertheless, across
the region, there are some good examples of integrating DRR and CCA
with food security and agriculture planning. In Indonesia, for example,
food security has been identified by BAPPENAS (the national planning
agency) as one of the top five sectors to be affected by climate change.
Food security is also identified as a main focus of CCA under the
National Mid-term Development Plan (NMDP) 2010-2014, and the
Ministry of Agriculture as one of the main ministries responsible for CCA.

7
REGIONAL LEADERSHIP
The borderless impacts of climate change and disaster risks therefore
require a regional response. Regional organisations like the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) play a key role in supporting Asian
governments to address this challenge, and their role must be
strengthened.

There are some welcome developments. The ASEAN Agreement on

Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), a regional
treaty that has been ratified by all ten ASEAN Member States, has
formalised regional cooperation to reduce disaster losses and made this
commitment legally binding. It has been operationalised through the
creation of the ASEAN Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster
management (AHA Centre) while institutionalising civil society
participation through the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management-
CSO Partnership Framework and the AADMER Partnership Group
(APG). Both actions have already made headway in DRR promotion in
the region and actual response to recent disasters, super-typhoon
Haiyan being the most recent example.

The potential of AADMER, however, has yet to be fully realised. It needs

to build up resources to a level that will allow for a comprehensive
response to a major disaster in the region. While significant progress has
been made in advancing a multi-stakeholder approach to
implementation, including a role for NGOs and civil society,
improvements can still be made in tying in AADMER with existing
international humanitarian infrastructure such as UN coordination
mechanisms.28

SAARC is also taking steps, using the SAARC Disaster Management

Framework, to establish a regional system for the development and
implementation of regional programmes and projects in early warning,
and the exchange of information on prevention, preparedness and
disaster management in South Asia. There are major weaknesses in
implementation of the SAARC Framework, however. It is not legally
binding and suffers from severe resource constraints. In addition,
members have shown reluctance to share critical data and information on
trans-border hazards and vulnerabilities.

The formulation of the Expert Group on Disaster-related Statistics in Asia

and the Pacific earlier this year by governments of the Asia-Pacific region
is also a positive development. The Expert Group will establish a
common range of disaster-related statistics to enable more precise risk
assessment across the region and help governments in evidence-based
policymaking. The group has held only one meeting so far, but holds
much potential for informing more effective targeting for support and
infrastructure to better manage disaster risks.29

8
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
Developing country governments in Asia cannot rise to the challenge of
climate related disasters alone, nor should they have to. The United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
establishes the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities
and Respective Capabilities (CBDR+RC), meaning countries must act in
accordance with their relative responsibility for climate change, and their
enforcement capabilities.30

Climate financing
Rich countries are required to help finance climate action in developing
countries, including climate change adaptation. The 2009 Copenhagen
Accord included a commitment from developed countries to mobilise
US$100 billion a year by 2020 to address the needs of developing
countries in tackling climate change.31 Developed countries further
committed to providing US$30 billion over the 2010-2012, which became
known as Fast Start Finance.32

Despite the agreement that Fast Start Finance be balanced between

adaptation and mitigation, only 21per cent of funds supported adaptation
to climate impacts.33 To date, developed countries have made
inadequate progress in scaling up their contributions towards the US$100
billion commitment and only limited progress in closing the adaptation
gap.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) will provide a key channel for new
climate finance. Even though a number of questions need to be resolved,
the GCFs Board has, among other things, decided on a 50:50 balance
between mitigation and adaptation for the fund over time.34 Pledges to
the GCF are needed urgently both to help meet the escalating
adaptation needs in developing countries and to build trust and
momentum in international climate negotiations. At least US$15 billion
must be committed to the fund for the first three years. Developed
countries must continue to scale up finance to reach the current goal of
US$100 billion by 2020, with a substantial share eventually to be
channelled through the GCF.

The Kyoto Protocols Adaptation Fund also remains an important source

of adaptation financing, though it is constantly low on funds. Following
considerable pressure from civil society and developing countries, new
contributions and pledges enabled the Adaptation Fund to achieve its
fundraising goal of US$100 million by end-2013. The Adaptation Funds
Board set a new fundraising target of US$80 million per calendar year for
2014 and 2015.35

9
Global action on DRR
Global initiatives such as the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA),
adopted by 168 countries in 2005, have contributed to shifting
international consensus on disasters from a crisis management approach
to proactive risk reduction.36 Institutions like the UN International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) have played an important role in that shift,
and in furthering national governments' implementation of HFA
commitments.37 However, despite numerous global commitments to
increase development assistance for DRR, only 0.5per cent of
international aid went towards crisis prevention and preparedness
between 1991 and 2010.38

The vast majority of DRR funding stems from humanitarian financing

rather than development funds, despite the premise that DRR is for the
long term.39 Although the UNISDR recommends that at least 10 per cent
of international humanitarian assistance be allocated towards DRR, in
practice the major OECD humanitarian donors have allocated much less
than this. Over the past five years, members of the OECD Donor
Assistance Committee have contributed only between just 2.9 per cent
and 6.2 per cent of their total humanitarian spending on DRR.40

The negotiation of a follow up agreement to the HFA (HFAII) in 2015

provides an opportunity for the international community, and in particular
developed states, to improve DRR financing arrangements and increase
DRR funding available to disaster-prone developing states, many of
which are in Asia.

Mitigation
Ultimately, the only way to prevent the worst of the extreme weather and
food security impacts of climate change will be for governments to make
good on their commitment to agree to an ambitious new global climate
agreement in Paris in 2015 (to be implemented from 2020), while working
to close the gap in required pre-2020 emission reductions. Both are
crucial to attaining the global goal of limiting global warming to 2C above
pre-industrial levels. Many countries have argued that 2C is
unacceptably high and will exact a heavy toll on many regions.
Nonetheless, currents trends in emissions put us on a path to much
higher levels of warming.41 This will be a global disaster, to be borne
disproportionately by Asias growing population.

10
CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is clear that current policy, institutional arrangements and resources
are not yet delivering results for people facing the brunt of mounting risk.
To reverse the trend in disaster and climate risk in Asia, governments,
and regional and global institutions must step up to the challenge,
backed by wealthy countries contributing their fair share.

National governments must:

Deliver more comprehensive, time-bound and coordinated cross-
government DRR-CCA plans and strategies to build the resilience of
vulnerable people exposed to disaster and climate risk. Attention must
be given to ensuring the full and active participation of civil society and
hazard-exposed communities, including the equal participation of
women in policy development, implementation and review processes.
Ensure the access to, and appropriate use of, risk information by all
sectors of the population. Regionally standardised disaggregated
disaster loss databases must be established now. Accurate usable
early warning and weather forecasting should be available to the most
vulnerable and sensitive production sectors.
Increase political commitment, buy-in and budget allocations for DRR
and CCA policy implementation. Government spending must be
undertaken in a transparent and accountable manner and used to
support projects that match local and national priorities.
Build local and national capacity to track and monitor climate
adaptation funds. Governments should strengthen existing local and
national DRR and CCA platforms and delivery initiatives.
Protect the right to food, thereby enabling the most vulnerable people
to hold government to account for this entitlement from the local to
national levels.

ASEAN must:
Create a regional resource base that consolidates and facilitates the
exchange of information, knowledge, expertise, funds and other
resources to support the implementation of DRR and CCA policies
and plans in ASEAN Member States. Understanding and addressing
the specific needs and situations of women should be a primary
consideration in creating this resource base.
Increase Member States capacity to implement DRR and CCA
policies by expanding partnerships with stakeholders groups and civil
society organisations, and ensure that vulnerability reduction and
resilience are top priority.

11
SAARC must:
Ensure implementation of existing agreements and decisions on
disaster management, climate change and food security and
agriculture.
Prioritise the provision and sharing of flood early warnings and
development of community-based disaster risk reduction plans.
Strengthen the SAARC Secretariat and Disaster Management Centre
to improve collaboration with CSOs and policy research institutes.
Establish common positioning on the Hyogo Framework HFA2
process in order to enhance ownership and, ultimately,
implementation of the framework.

All governments involved in the UNFCCC process must:

Achieve their goal of finalising a new global agreement in Paris in
2015 (to be implemented from 2020), while working to close the gap in
required pre-2020 emissions reductions and ensuring greater funding
for adaptation.
Governments must achieve their goal of finalizing a new global
agreement in Paris in 2015 (to be implemented from 2020), Both are
essential to achieving the international goal of limiting global warming
to 2C (or the 1.5C that many countries rightly demand), beyond
which there is much higher risk of disasters and adaptation may
become impossible. Achieving the required level of emissions
reductions means ambitious contributions from all countries and
increased support from developed to developing countries for their
implementation along with financial support for adaptation and
disaster risk reduction.

Rich countries must:

Support developing countries to enable them to protect their citizens
against climate disasters. Specifically, the developed countries'
pledges for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) should reach US$15 billion
by COP 20 in Peru, to be divided equally between climate change
adaptation and mitigation in order to better help countries adapt to and
reduce risks related to climate disasters.
Funds to support climate action in developing countries should be new
and additional, which means that these should be over and above the
0.7% of GNI that governments agree was needed to provide in aid to
finance the Millennium Development Goals. The need for predictability
of climate finance for adaptation and the limited scope for meeting this
through the private sector means that funds primarily need to be
public. Public funds should be in the form of grants, not loans.
As part of their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions
(INDCs), which detail a countrys contribution to the new global
agreement, developed countries should include details of the climate
finance they will provide, including funding for climate adaptation.

12
The second Hyogo Framework for Action on Disaster Reduction
(HFA2) must:
Outline the sense of ambition, urgency, and prioritisation of DRR
needed in the face of rising risk.
Emphasize the centrality of bottom-up community resilience.
Emphasize the importance of whole-of-government approaches and
the responsibilities of multiple government departments.
Instil mandatory monitoring and accountability through the HFA
monitor and promote public access to decision-making platforms and
progress updates.

13
ANNEX: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Oxfams research builds on the findings of a comprehensive assessment
of the status of government policy42 relating to Disaster Risk Reduction
(DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) in Asia. The research also
assessed the role of regional and international institutions in supporting
policy implementation around risk reduction and adaptation.

In total, Oxfams assessment covered 109 DRR and CCA policies in a

scoping exercise of all 10 Member States of the ASEAN region and four
Member States from the SAARC region.43 It also considered other
policies that integrate the DRR and CCA agendas. Policies were
assessed by national independent researchers in each country for
strengths and weaknesses, and general observations on DRR-CCA
policy-making across Asia were documented.

Across five countries, 64 policies were examined in depth to provide

deeper insights: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Viet
Nam.44 In its analysis, Oxfam considered the extent to which DRR and
CCA policies met nine critical indicators of policy effectiveness devised
by Oxfam and informed by global best practice on governance (see
box).45 These indicators were selected and refined through consultation
with experts and researchers at regional level and in all countries
concerned. Researchers also conducted a desk-review of literature as
well as key informant interviews with government officials, civil society
respondents, and focus group discussions.

14
Indicators of policy effectiveness

Specificity: The policy creates rules, duties, and rights that are clear,
unconditional, time bound. It also identifies actors for implementing
policy measures, including mainstreaming of DRR and CCA into
development.
Institutional Set-up: A multi-stakeholder entity is created or identified
to implement, coordinate or enforce the policy at national, sub-national
and local levels. Dedicated finance for CCA, DRR and response is a key
aspect of the required institutional set-up.
Inclusiveness: Involvement of hazard-prone communities (including
those excluded by virtue of their age, gender, ethnicity, etc.), science,
academia, private sector and CSOs at the national, sub-national and
local level in: a) consultations before and during policy formulation; b)
grievances; c) policy review / impact monitoring.
Rights: The policy creates or recognises equity and the rights of
hazard-prone communities such as: a) equal share in recovery efforts;
b) access to risk information; c) right to be consulted; d) rights specific to
women and children; e) access to health, education and food during and
after disasters.
Legal Status: The policy is passed by the parliament or the national
government, and is formally enforceable. A budget is created or
identified for its implementation.
Political Status: The policy is prioritised by the political leadership, or
carries a broad political consensus by the parliament, or is an
administrative or executive order.
Public Discourse: The policy figures prominently in the mainstream
(traditional and online) media or in statements by opinion leaders.
Information: The policy refers to vital data (loss database and
vulnerability data) and/or provides how vital data will be acquired in
subsequent stages of policy implementation.
Gender / Food Security / Livelihoods: The policy talks about these or
some of these issues.
Decentralisation: The policy indicates sub-national and local
implementation guidance or institutions for its implementation, including
the provision of a budget, mandate, staffing and capacity at these levels.

15
NOTES
1 IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (2014). Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and
Vulnerability. Chapter 24 ( p1330 Executive summary). Due to a lack of available data, at the
global level there is a low level of confidence (except the North Atlantic since 1970) to predict
increases in intense tropical cyclone activity. In East Asia, we are likely to see enhanced summer
monsoon precipitation; increased rainfall extremes of landfall typhoons on the coast and more
extra-tropical cyclones in winter. Projected sea level rise will compound tropical cyclone surge
impacts (IPCC 2012 Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters
(SREX).
2 http://www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr_998_en.html
3 Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), Disaster Data: A Balanced
Perspective, CRED CRUNCH 27, (2012).
4 http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/drr/transfer/2014.06.12-WMO1123_Atlas_120614.pdf
5 EM-DAT International Disasters Database, Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters,
University of Louvain.
6 UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Revealing Risk, Redefining Development: Global
Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2011 (GAR 2011), Geneva, 2012, 37 and Box 2.4.
See http://www.preventionweb.net/english/hyogo/gar/2011/en/bgdocs/GAR-
2011/GAR2011_Report_Chapter2.pdf.
7 Extreme Weather Extreme Prices; the costs of feeding a warmer world (Oxfam Briefing Paper,
2012). http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/extreme-weather-extreme-prices-the-costs-
of-feeding-a-warming-world-241131
8 UN OCHA, World Humanitarian Data and Trends, 2013, p. 8, available from:
https://docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/Documents/WHDT_2013%20WEB.pdf,
9 Asian Integration Monitor (ADB), p. 41, April 2014
http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/59597/aeim-apr-2014.pdf
Investing in Resilience. Ensuring a Disaster Resistant Future (ADB), p. 11 and 21, 2013
http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/30119/investing-resilience.pdf
10 See: http://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2014/en/, p. 10.
11 Vafeidis et al (2011) cited in UN OCHA. See
https://docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/Documents/WHDT_2013%20WEB.pdf.
12 In India's breadbasket, the Ganges plain, winter wheat is planted in November and harvested as
temperatures rise in spring. David Lobell of Stanford University in California used nine years of
images from the MODIS Earth-observation satellite to track when wheat in this region turned from
green to brown, a sign that the grain is no longer growing. He found that the wheat turned brown
earlier when average temperatures were higher, with spells over 34 C having a particularly strong
effect. He then inferred yield loss, using previous field studies as a guide. This revealed a much
stronger effect of temperatures on yield than previous studies. Lobell's data predicted that yield
losses in the Ganges plain will be around 50 per cent greater from an average warming of 2 C than
existing models. "It surprised me a little how much crop models underestimate the observed
effects," says Lobell. They might have especially underestimated the impact of hot spells.
See: http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v2/n3/full/nclimate1356.html and
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21399-wheat-will-age-prematurely-in-a-warmer-
world.html#.VE5byiKsWEw.
13 Hot and hungry how to stop climate change derailing the fight against hunger (Oxfam 2014). See
http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/mb-hot-hungry-food-climate-change-250314-
en.pdf.
14 Ibid.
15 Oxfam International, Gender Issues in Conflict and Humanitarian Action, November 2013, available
from http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/hpn-gender-conflict-humanitarian-action-
291113-en.pdf, citing F. Gell (2010), Gender, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change
Adaptation: A Learning Companion, Oxfam. See http://oxf.am/wko.
E. Neumayer and T. Pluemper (2007), "The gendered nature of natural disasters: The impact of
catastrophic events on the gender gap in life expectancy, 1981 2002, Annals of the American
Association of Geographers, 97(3), pp. 551-566. See
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-8306.2007.00563.x#.Une4p3A72go.
16 Ibid.
17 Oxfam identified 109 policy instruments across 14 countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao
PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, Nepal,
and Pakistan.
18 The researchers examined 64 policies across the five countries; 30 DRR policies, 20 CCA policies,
and 14 DRR/ CCA integrated policies. These include eight policies in Bangladesh, 18 in Indonesia,
11 in Pakistan, 18 in the Philippines, and nine in Vietnam.
19 For example, an Asian Development Bank study reports that spending an amount equivalent to
0.2% of GDP for adaptation activities in agriculture will result to future benefits amounting to 1.9%
of GDP as a result of avoided impacts. Economics of Climate Change in Southeast Asia, ADB
2009.
20 Terpsta et al., The Plumbing of Adaptation Finance: Accountability, Transparency and Accessibility

16
 at the Local Level, WRI Climate Finance Paper.
21 Sarah Bradshaw and Maureen Fordham, Women, Girls and Disasters: A Review for DFID, 1 and 2
August 2013.
22 Scoping Research on Policy Environment in Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk
Reduction in Bangladesh (Oxfam, 2014); p. 20.
23 World Bank (2013), Getting A Grip on Climate Change in the Philippines (Executive Report). See
http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/document/EAP/Philippines/Final%20ExReport.p
df, accessed 26 September 2014.
24 Dr. Tonie O. Balangue (2013), Compendium of Climate Change Vulnerability and Assessment
Tools. See https://gc21.giz.de/ibt/var/app/wp342deP/1443/wp-
content/uploads/filebase/va/vulnerability-method-
briefs/philippines_CCC_Compendium_of_CC_Vulnerability_and_Impact_Assessment_Tools.pdf.
25 See http://www.da.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1233:memorandum-
urgent-implementation-of-the-da-climate-change-policy-thrusts-and-programs&catid=107:climate-
change, accessed 26 August 2014.
26 Scoping Research on Policy Environment in Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk
Reduction in Bangladesh (Oxfam, 2014); p. 18.
27 Disaster and Climate Risk Governance in Pakistan, (Oxfam Novib 2014); p. 3. On request.
28 See for example AADMER Partnership Group: Evaluation Report 2013, available at
http://www.aadmerpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/APG-Ph.2-Eval-Report_Final.pdf
and Save the Children and AADMER Partnership Group, Responding to Emergencies in Southeast
Asia: Can We Do Better? A Review of the Humanitarian Response to the 2011 Thailand and
Cambodia Floods, available at
https://www.savethechildren.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/6561/SC_report._Review_of_2011
_southeast_Asia_floods.pdf.
29 UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, UN leads Asia-Pacific closer to
universal standards for disaster statistics, 39 October 2014, available at
http://reliefweb.int/report/world/un-leads-asia-pacific-closer-universal-standards-disaster-statistics.
30 See http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/items/6036.php.
31 Copenhagen Accord, http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2009/cop15/eng/11a01.pdf
The 100bn commitment was later formalized under the Copenhagen Agreements,
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2010/cop16/eng/07a01.pdf.
32 See http://unfccc.int/cooperation_support/financial_mechanism/fast_start_finance/items/5646.php.
33 Oxfam (2012), The Climate Fiscal Cliff: An Evaluation of Fast Start Finance and Lessons for the
Future,
http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/oxfam-media-advisory-climate-fiscal-cliff-doha-
25nov2012.pdf.
34 See
http://gcfund.net/fileadmin/00_customer/documents/pdf/GCF_Press_Release_fin_20140222.pdf.
35 http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2014/sbi/eng/l17.pdf.
36 Implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action: Summary of Reports 2007-2013.
http://www.preventionweb.net/files/32916_implementationofthehyogoframeworkfo.pdf
37 See UNISDR, Hyogo Framework for Action Mid-Term Review 2010-11, March 2011, p. 33.
38 OCHA and DARA, Saving Lives Today and Tomorrow. http://daraint.org/2014/03/31/5083/new-
ocha-dara-report
39 In 2009, 68% of all DRR funding to the top humanitarian recipients came from humanitarian
financing, not development funds. Jan Kellett and Dan Sparks, Disaster Risk Reduction: Spending
where it should count (Global Humanitarian Assistance Briefing Paper, March 2012), p. 5.
40 Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2014, 7071 (Fig. 6.1)
http://www.globalhumanitarianassistance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GHA- Report-2014-
interactive.pdf
41 See the IPCC Working Group I contribution to the "Fifth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2013
The Physical Science Bases." http://www.climatechange2013.org/
42 The term policy is used here to refer broadly to official, documented political agreements and
directives that guide government action, such as laws, presidential decrees, regulations,
implementing rules, regulations and memorandum circulars.
43 ASEAN Member States: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. SAARC Member States covered: Bangladesh, India, Nepal,
and Pakistan.
44 Specifically, examined in depth were 30 DRR policies, 20 CCA policies, and 14 DRR/ CCA
integrated policies. These include eight policies in Bangladesh, 18 in Indonesia, 11 in Pakistan, 18
in the Philippines, and nine in Vietnam.
45 http://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi/index.aspx#home

17
 Oxfam International November 2014

This paper was written by Steph Cousins. Oxfam acknowledges the assistance
of Ben Murphy in its production. It is part of a series of papers written to inform
public debate on development and humanitarian policy issues.

For further information on the issues raised in this paper, please e-mail
[email protected].

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The information in this publication is correct at the time of going to press.

Published by Oxfam GB for Oxfam International under

ISBN 978-1-78077-754-2 in November 2014.
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