The Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Systems Analysis Guide provides a set of tools and methods to assess existing structures and capacities of national, district and local institutions with responsibilities for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in order to improve their effectiveness and the integration of DRM concerns into development planning, with particular reference to disaster-prone areas, vulnerable sectors and population groups. The strategic use of the Guide is expected to enhance understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing existing DRM institutional structures and their implications for on-going institutional change processes. It will also highlight the complex institutional linkages among various actors and sectors at different levels. Finally, it will help identify gaps within the existing DRM institutions and/or systems including sectoral line agencies that are often responsible for implementing the technical aspects of DRM (e.g. agriculture, water and health sectors).
The assessment and analysis process outlined in the Guide is thus a first step towards strengthening existing DRM systems. The major areas of application are:
- Strengthening institutional and technical capacities for DRM at national and/or decentralized levels;
- Integrating key aspects of DRM in emergency rehabilitation programmes;
- Designing and promoting Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM);
- Operationalizing the paradigm shift from reactive emergency relief to pro-active DRM; and
- Mainstreaming DRM into development and sectoral planning (e.g. agriculture).
The Guide primarily focuses on risks associated with natural hazards of hydrometeorological (floods, tropical storms, droughts etc.,) origin. Users interested in the management of other types of hazard risk are encouraged to adapt the general concepts, tools and methods to their own situations.