Good legislation is critical to reducing disaster and climate risks. Law can set the stage for early warning, financing, community empowerment and accountability – or it can obscure and obstruct the necessary steps.
Laws and regulations serve as a foundation for building community resilience. They are essential to reducing existing risks posed by natural hazards, preventing new risks from arising and making people safer. In 2005, the Hyogo Framework for Action highlighted the importance of good legislation to support disaster risk reduction (DRR). The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, adopted in March 2015, calls for a renewed focus on reviewing and strengthening legal frameworks.
In light of this international guidance, many countries have sought to strengthen their laws and regulations for DRR and have been asking: what should good legislation say about DRR?
Since 2012, The IFRC and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have been working on a joint project to research, compare and consult on the efforts of various countries to strengthen how their laws support the reduction of disaster risks, particularly at the community level. In June 2014, they launched a major new study examining 31 countries and in December 2015, they launched a new tool, The Checklist on Law and Disaster Risk Reduction and its accompanying guide, The Handbook on Law and Disaster Risk Reduction, to provide practical guidance on this area of law.
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If you knew 20 minutes before that a severe flood or tsunami would occur, what would you do?
October 13 marks International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. This day celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters…
The IFRC Disaster Law Programme, in primary partnership with ASEAN and Thammasat University, will be holding the 2018 Southeast Asia Disaster Risk Governance Academic Seminar on 24 -26 September 2018 at Thammasat University, Tha Pra Chan Campus, Bangko …
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Archive of disaster law news stories from our old website.
Related documents
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Snapshot: Legal frameworks for the protection of sexual and gender-based violence in disasters
A selection of innovative tools developed to contribute to strengthening local response systems and promoting organized institutional development.
Workshop Report for the Legislating for Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management in the Pacific, 6 – 8 July. This three day workshop was held in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat and IFRC, with financial …
This Commentary is intended to provide background information on the various provisions of the Model Emergency Decree for the Facilitation and Regulation of International Disaster Relief and Initial Recovery Assistance. It is an explanatory document an …
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Archive of disaster law publications from our old website. Please bear with us as we bring the documents onto our new platform.
