1

Slow-onset and

Persistent Disasters

The case of the Southwest

Updates for LCG DER

24 May 2012

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A focus on the southwest

• A special meeting on waterlogging in September 2011

• Formed a dedicated Task Force • Discussions among Task Force members• Discussions among UNDAF Pillar 5 members• A stakeholder consultation held on April 19 2012

initiating a comprehensive process

Process

3

Outcome: alignment and momentum

• The work of the Task Force has revealed an alignment among stakeholders on:– Key underlying issues– The need for a consolidated approach– Momentum to act NOW

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Why the southwest? • There is a need; persisting poverty and

vulnerability to shocks• There is no collective situational

awareness we all ascribe to• There are:

• Multiple causes• Multiple impacts • Conflicting interests

• Suggest a model that can be used in other vulnerable regions

5

Consultation Objectives

• To share experiences and knowledge relating to root causes of slow-onset and persistent disasters in the South West region of Bangladesh;

• To create awareness and deeper understanding of the root causes and impact of such slow onset persistent disasters

• To identify some feasible solutions to mitigate the situation

• To agree on a process and follow up actions

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To understand What are the… • likely root causes of the

persistent humanitarian situation?

• most important impacts on the communities?  

• good practices of Government and stakeholders in responding?

• key gaps to be addressed?

• sustainable hydro-morphological solutions?

• lessons and their replication?

7

Fragmented solutions

• Long term macro & infrastructure investment

• Medium term community development• Short term: humanitarian response

• Different actors involved in each phase – Different communities– Different national government actors– Different local government actors– Different NGOs– Different development partners

With limited

connectivity

between them

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Gaps and Challenges • No shared situational over-view• Deeper understanding of key issues needed• Key baseline information should be

managed/available• Improve inclusion of affected communities in

solutions• Lack of coordination between stakeholders

working on different aspects of the situation• Triggers that indicate the need for concern

and possibly response are not defined• Humanitarian needs become long term, un-

noticed

9

The Challenge of Leadership

• A genuine challenge is identifying leadership for a situation that crosses multiple government ministries departments and entities, and a range of different non-government partners at the national and local levels.

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Key recommendations: Short to medium term

• Establish DER-other LCG cross linkages• Identify a coordination forum for the region

(emphasize and advocate for broad participation)

• Develop Triggers (entry & exit)• Link Infrastructure development with

community participation• Ensure humanitarian response is linked to

ongoing programs• Identify the role of local government• Commission a detailed socio-economic

assessment study• Advocate

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Key recommendations: long term

• A master plan for comprehensive solution• Dedicated development authority • SW issues reflected in GoB’s 5 year plan• Link with Climate Change funds • River linking programmes• Policy on land sealing • Disaster resilient structures/habitat • Aquaculture development and marine

based industry• Diversification of livelihoods/potential eco-

tourism (private sector engagement)

12

Thank you