ReliefWeb

Introduction

Disaster Management in Bangladesh is guided by number of national drivers including plans, policies, and orders. The National DM plans (NPDMs) look at the risks and consequences of disasters and community involvement and integration of structural and non-structural measures. The Disaster Management (DM) Policy (2015) places importance on financial resources for DM activities at all levels. The DM Act 2012 endorses the Standing Orders on Disaster (SoD) which was updated in 2019 and provides a legal basis. The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) has the responsibility for coordinating national disaster management efforts and the National Disaster Management Council (NDMC) is the supreme body for providing overall direction, which is translated in the National Plan for Disaster Management (NPDM 2021-2025). To fulfill the legal basis, National and Local Level Disaster Management Committees (DMC) have been formed at all administrative levels.

The explicit priority for the humanitarian sector since the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) and the establishment of the Grand Bargain to increase support to local actors and communities, including a specific commitment to strengthen leadership and decision-making by local actors. The local actors must support and complement national coordination mechanisms where they exist and in keeping with humanitarian principles. In 2019, the Government of Bangladesh, through the approved revised SOD, recognized the present national cluster coordination mechanism in line with the global Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) cluster system. The Humanitarian Coordination Task Team (HCTT) is a forum for effective coordination with the international community by the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator jointly with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) as the national disaster management focal organization. The HCTT also acts as the coordination platform for the sectoral cluster co-leads with GoB and the humanitarian community. The HCTT coordinates disaster preparedness, response, recovery and risk reduction interventions based on the SPEED approach.

The area-based DMC coordination model identifies practical steps to enhance the participation, representation, and leadership role of L/NAs within disaster management coordination structures. It is envisaged that relevant local coordination forums should use the model to spur discussion, identify priority actions and agree on indicators for monitoring progress.