Disaster risk reduction

The Australian Government recognises that disasters are most likely to affect the poorest people and that climate change is worsening their impacts and can set back progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

Ensuring vulnerable populations in developing countries are able to withstand the deadly impacts of disasters like earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, droughts and cyclones is a priority of the Australian aid program.

Australia's disaster risk reduction policy

Integration in Practice: Integrating disaster risk reduction, climate change and environmental considerations in AusAID programs

A Global Commitment: Hyogo Framework for Action [external site]

Australia-Indonesia Facility for Disaster Reduction

2009–2010 Progress Report on the Disaster Risk Reduction Policy

Other publications

What is disaster risk reduction?

Much can be done to minimise the impact of natural hazards. A disaster occurs when a hazard—a natural event like an earthquake or flood—severely disrupts a community’s survival, ability to carry out their daily lives and to cope unaided. A hazard becomes a disaster when people are vulnerable—determined by traits like poverty, age, gender, disease—and lack resilience to cope with the hazard.

Disaster risk reduction refers to activities that aim to limit the negative impacts of disasters. Disaster risk reduction activities either reduce the likelihood of a disaster occurring (through things like flood protection mechanisms, livelihood diversification, safe building practices), or strengthen a community’s ability to respond and cope with a disaster (disaster preparedness activities- like cyclone shelters or evacuation routes).

Disaster risk reduction facts

Working in disaster prone countries

Many of the countries where AusAID works are prone to natural disasters. The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) estimates that 65 per cent of disasters (1991–2005) occur in developing countries. Further, over 95 per cent of people killed by natural disasters are from developing countries.

Climate-related disasters, like floods or droughts, are set to increase. In a report published by Oxfam, the number of people affected by climate related disasters is predicted to increase by 54 per cent to 375 million people by 2015.

Poverty is a key driver of vulnerability. The poor are more likely to live in areas exposed to disasters and lack the capacity—financial, health facilities and preparedness planning—to cope with disasters.

While climate change already poses significant challenges for developing countries, factors such as increasing pressure on rural productive land and an increasingly urbanised population in developing countries, may also make the poor more vulnerable to disasters. Urban risk is in fact the focus of the 2010–2011 World Disaster Reduction Campaign – ‘Making Cities Resilient’.

The Australian Government recognises that disasters can entrench poverty and wipe out development gains. That is why AusAID is already supporting disaster risk reduction programs in over 30 countries. Investing in disaster risk reduction not only saves lives and livelihoods, it protects development gains, is cost effective and supports achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Related websites (external)

United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)

Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)

PreventionWeb

Related reports (external)

Natural Hazards, UnNatural Disasters: The Economics of Effective Prevention

Protecting Development Gains: Reducing Disaster Vulnerability and Building resilience in Asia and the Pacific

World Disasters Report 2010

Last reviewed: 25 May, 2011

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