1. HFA Review 2009-2011 Lao PDR Meeting of the ISDR Asia Partnership 29 – 31 March 2011, Jakata, Indonesia Presented by: Mr. Vilayphong SISOMVANG Deputy Director, National Disaster Management Office Social Welfare Department, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare

2. Draft Interim Report submitted to UNISDR on 15 Oct 2010

3. Timeline – steps in Lao PDR Phase IMarch-October 2010 Step 1:Identification of relevant stakeholders Step 2:Grouping of stakeholders Step 3:Carry out first national multi stakeholder workshops Step 4:Assemble all inputs from the working groups Step 5:Input all validated information in the web based HFA monitor system Step 6:Circulate the interim report to the working groups Step 7:Share the information as an ‘Interim’ report Phase IIJan-March/April? 2011 Step 8:Continue improving the information on the report Step 9: Questionnaires and meet with key agencies concerned to obtain information from difference sources. Step 10: Organize second national multi stakeholder workshop Step 11Finalize the report with the stakeholder and NDMC (ongoing) Step 12Share the 2009- 2011 ‘Final Report’ through (ongoing) the HFA monitor Done

4. We are here

5. Consultations 2 National Multi-stakeholders Consultation workshops were conducted by NDMO and UN Resident Coordinator Office in the Lao PDR The consultation workshops were facilitated by expertise from UNISDR and ASEAN Secretariat through ASEAN-UNISDR cooperation –The consultation objectives are: To take stock of the DRR initiatives, projects and activities that have been implemented by various stakeholders in Lao PDR from 2009 to date, including the review of the national progress report submitted to UNISDR in 2009. To discuss and evaluate the impacts of various DRR projects and activities implemented by various stakeholders using the HFA as a basic framework. To assess the current status of disaster risk management in the country through the use of the HFA monitor. To strengthen multi-stakeholder participation and partnerships in the process of disaster risk reduction and forge new linkages with stakeholders. To seek for inputs for HFA report –Discussions also referred to AADMER and the AADMER Work Programme.

6. Consultations Key stakeholders involved in the discussion Government AgenciesDevelopment partners/Donors - Ministry of Defense - Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare - Ministry of Planning and Investment - Ministry of Education - Ministry of Health - Ministry of Mining and Energy - Ministry of Culture and Information - Ministry of Public Security - Water Resource and Environment Administration - Science and Technology Administration - Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry - Ministry of Public Work and Transportation - Ministry of Commerce and Industry - Ministry of Finance - Ministry of Education - Lao Red Cross - Provincial Disaster Management Committee (PDMC) - NDMO - UNRCO - UNDP - WFP - UNICEF - WHO - FAO - UNHABITAT - UNDAF - World Bank - ADB - ADPC - FRC - UNFPA - MRC - Save the Children Australia - Oxfam Australia - Oxfam Belgium - World Vision Lao - Care International in Lao PDR - UNISDR - ASEAN Secretariat

7. Major outcome of the consultations Key outcomes / achievements from the multi-stakeholder consultations against the 05 HFA Priority areas (as reported in the National HFA Reports) Priority 1: Governance : Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and local priority with strong institutional basis for implementation  DRR is included in some of the development plan, but not fully addressed by all the sectors.  Strategy plans on DRM developed in some provinces and districts. Flood preparedness plans developed in only district of one province.  DM institutions established at all levels and their capacity on DRM have been developed.  NDMC has increased its membership by including relevant government ministries and departments work in close collaboration with Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), which includes UN agencies and INGOs and is currently being lead by UN agencies.

8. Major outcome of the consultations Key outcomes / achievements from the multi-stakeholder consultations against the 05 HFA Priority areas (as reported in the National HFA Reports) Priority 2: Risk identification: identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning  Hazard and disaster risk have been assessed and identified at the communities in the cooperation project on DRR and CBDRM in some provinces.  A project “National Risk Profile” has been implemented to produce a set of hazard information for Lao PDR that can be used for DRR planning. Key hazards in Lao PDR are included, e.g. flood, drought, storm, landslide, earthquake.  The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH), WREA, is responsible for data collection of hydro meteorological, weather and earthquake data. It is also in charge of flood and weather forecasting and dissemination. There are cooperation projects to strengthen the EWS in the country through WREA and DMH.

9. Major outcome of the consultations Key outcomes / achievements from the multi-stakeholder consultations against the 05 HFA Priority areas (as reported in the National HFA Reports) Priority 3: Knowledge: use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels  The Tools for District Risk Assessment (TDRA) has improved information management to increase the effectiveness of both district and provincial administrations in disaster risk reduction planning as well as facilitating community responsive planningTDRA  Initially DRR mainstreaming into school curricula has been done in 5 provinces namely: Xaybouly, Khammoune, Attapue, Saravan, Vientiane Capital and Bolikhamxay, to provide valuable national mainstreaming examples to build support for further mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction into development policy and planning  NDMO and other organizations in the country organize regular campaigns on DRR / DRM at various levels (National, Provincial, District and community levels), through different medium like radio, TV, exhibitions, sports events and newspapers

10. Major outcome of the consultations Key outcomes / achievements from the multi-stakeholder consultations against the 05 HFA Priority areas (as reported in the National HFA Reports) Priority 4: Reducing the underlying risk factors in various sectors (environment, health, construction, etc.)  Currently environment law is now being updated and DRR is also part of DM management law and National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) is also in process under the UNDP supported project  National and Adaptation Programme of Action to Climate Change (NAPA) programmes focuses on 4 main sectors, which are directly and severely affected by climate change – agriculture, forestry, water and water resources and public health. Various projects have been initiated under the NAPA Framework to prepare and enhance the capacity of rural farmers to adapt to climate changes and associated natural disasters  A project on “Strengthening in-country capacity for post-disaster reconstruction and recovery planning in Lao PDR” is being implemented under the World Bank funding and technical support from ADPC. The project aims to develop a national methodology and strengthen the capacity of the Lao Government to conduct damage, loss / needs assessments, and formulate recovery / reconstruction plans within the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) along with NDMO and other line Ministries  DRM and CBDRM projects accomplished some, and some are ongoing now at the disaster prone areas (district and communities)

11. Major outcome of the consultations Key outcomes / achievements from the multi-stakeholder consultations against the 05 HFA Priority areas (as reported in the National HFA Reports) Priority 5: Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response  Institutional Capacity: improved provincial, district and village level capacity in disaster risk reduction planning, improving sectoral coordination on disaster risk reduction across all line agencies and increasing technical capacity in selected line agencies (e.g. agriculture, education, health) to support local communities in sustainable livelihood initiatives  Community Resilience: vulnerabilities are reduced and coping mechanisms strengthened through enhanced capacity for sustainable livelihood security, resilience to the impact of chronic hazards and greater protection for particularly vulnerable members of the community. Strengthened community resilience is intended to contribute to a reduction in both vulnerability and poverty levels.  Lao government has allocated some resources at national, provincial and at some district levels for emergency, preparedness and recovery, as well as line development sectors

12. Major outcome of the consultations Key Constraints / Challenges in achieving progress against HFA Indicators  Despite the government of Lao PDR has a strong commitment to ensuring the disaster risk reduction a national and local priority, the National Legal Framework has been moving in slow paces due to limited resources.  Different information systems are available in different organizations but there is no coordination on sharing information amongst the stakeholders in the country.  Dissemination of early warning system is big challenge for the Disaster Management Authorities in LAO-PDR, due to poor ICT / transportation infrastructure, sporadic settlement of population and rugged terrain in the country.  Although many public awareness raising programs are underway through NDMO and other organizations in the country, but due to limited financial and human resources at NDMO, these programs lack coordinated efforts for effective awareness raising on DRR / DRM in the country.  Different organizations are using different methodology for the conduction of loss and damage and for the formulation of disaster recovery plan.

13. Challenges and Lesson learnt from the consultation process Challenges: Time constraint to accommodate the contents of the workshop Despite active participation, some participants failed to fully contribute their time for the workshop due to their workload Workshop contents were new to most participants; it therefore consumed more time than expected to familiarize participants to full contents of expectation, particularly the group discussion session Lessons Learnt: Awareness raising on HFA and also AADMER among stakeholders is needed in order to make the monitoring of HFA implementation more effective in the country. Higher awareness will also widen the participation among stakeholders and enhance their contributions in HFA consultations. Monitoring of HFA implementation and review in the country should be a continuous and participatory process to make HFA more useful and relevant to the country.

14. Utilization of HFA Reports in the Country Challenges and Constraints will be the key issues for Government, particularly DM organizations and development partners to strengthen To develop DM strategy and policies appropriately at all levels in the country Use the HFA report and the monitoring process as basis and part of the DRR and DM planning process in the country, e.g. inputs to the strategic plan for DRR. Share this report to wider stakeholders and together implemented

15. Recommendations for future consultation process Awareness and information campaigns on HFA and AADMER should be conducted. In country training on HFA monitoring and reporting process needed Multi-stakeholders discussion approach is very importance and should be done at least once a year. Wider and deeper local involvement and participation Establishment of a national platform will be valuable to run and sustain the process. UNISDR and UNDP will be the key supporting agencies to help Government of Lao PDR, particularly NDMO to run the process on time

16. THANK YOU