Mainstreaming

Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development

Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development remains a priority concern for ProVention and the global disaster reduction agenda. The ultimate objective of mainstreaming risk reduction is to help ensure that risks emanating from natural hazards are factored into development policy and planning and considered as a matter of course in the design of all development projects and programmes in hazard-prone areas. Moreover, mainstreaming risk reduction should result in appropriate measures being taken to reduce disaster risk and ensure that development plans and programmes do not create new forms of vulnerability.

In addition to ProVention’s ongoing mainstreaming activities a number of other initiatives are underway involving ProVention partners and the wider international disaster reduction system. These mainstreaming efforts all share a similar concern to integrate disaster risk reduction into development decision-making, for example including risk reduction in donor policies and development financing, national development planning, poverty reduction strategies and also linking disaster risk reduction to the Millenium Development Goals. This section is intended to provide links to key mainstreaming initiatives and useful resources.

Resources available on this website:

Mainstreaming risk reduction among International Financial Institutions

IFIs are paying increasing attention to incorporating disaster risk management into development financing. Critical entry points for IFIs to mainstream risk reduction include:

  • Incorporation of natural hazard risk in the country strategic planning process and poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs)
  • Accounting for hazard risk in project loans
  • Revamping post-disaster borrowing to ensure that risk and vulnerability are not recreated during reconstruction
  • Provision of technical assistance to member states to develop risk reduction strategies and measures
  • Development of risk financing and risk transfer instruments

Current IFI mainstreaming initiatives and resources can be found at:

Information on the relationship between economic impact of disasters and mainstreaming initiatives can be found below:

Mainstreaming risk reduction into donor policy

Donor governments are also increasingly promoting disaster risk reduction on both the humanitarian and development agendas. This has lead to a process of policy reform within a number of bilateral donor institutions resulting in the emergence of new policies and strategies.

Recent donor policy developments include:

An analysis of donor assistance towards disaster risk reduction [pdf, 0.3MB] has been carried out by UK NGO Tearfund.

Mainstreaming risk reduction into development planning and poverty reduction

Tools and frameworks for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction

Urban risk management

Assessing the impacts of disaster risk reduction measures