The project is prepared in
response to ECHO HIP call of 2018 by DG ECHO. As per the requirement set by DG
ECHO, proposed action should focus on a) preparedness for an emergency response
and b) promotion of early actions by governments. In particular, proposed
actions under this project are built upon:
1. Consolidation of the DIPECO
achievements;
2. Extension of earthquake and
tsunami preparedness initiatives, i.e. support for the development of a
National Earthquake and Tsunami Plan;
3. Capacity building of
government officials, allowing the institutions to be coordinated, responsive,
accountable and inclusive;
4. Strengthening of the
evidence-base through operational research on DRR and dissemination of best
practices;
5. Piloting of new urban DRR and
resilience actions. Informing and influencing the resilience related policy
strategies and agenda.
The proposed activities will
be conducted in vulnerable and disaster prone urban areas of Yangon and
Mandalay, and in conflict affected and hazard prone areas in Rakhine State,
directly benefiting 784,945 individuals and 65 organisations. Within these areas,
the action seeks to strengthen local capacities to prepare for, cope and
recover quickly from shocks cause by natural hazards and wider conflict risks
within communities (R1) and to support institutions and the Government of
Myanmar to manage disaster risk in line with local, regional and national
policies and frameworks (R2). This disaster preparedness approach will be
reinforced and inter-linked through information sharing and awareness raising
at both community, township, state and national levels (R3).
This
multi-faceted approach to the complex challenges, risks and concerns within
these communities will be addressed through locally driven responses that are
by their nature and design participatory and inclusive. The strength of this
approach also lies in active participation within a long-standing consortium,
drawing on the experience of 4 International NGOs, 1 UN Agency and 1
International Organization with complementary areas of technical expertise and
in-depth knowledge of the areas of intervention, enabling a comprehensive
project.
The
main lessons learnt from MCCR’s past experience and the recent Impact
Assessment integrated into the design of this action are the:
- Critical
importance of allocating sufficient human, technical and financial resources
and time to strongly embed DRR-related activities;
- Need
to have better coordination between different levels of DRR activities to
create buy-in and ownership;
- Need
to coordinate with other DRR actors so that national, regional and local
stakeholders are not overburdened with activities and trainings;
- Need
to reduce the length and complexity of trainings and activities, especially at
village level and to provide compensation for time provided by stakeholders;
- Need
to strengthen the capacities (attitudes, knowledge and skills) of field staff
- Need
to better take into consideration the consortium members’ and partners’,
especially Yangon General Hospital’s, capacities and available resources before
implementation to establish a realistic timeline with clearly defined roles and
responsibilities;
-Importance
of implementing conflict-sensitive DRR, particularly in areas where tensions
between communities exist. This also reflects the Conflict and Disasters Study
(2017) which recommends that the MCCR include livelihoods and vocational
training components.
- Need
to place more emphasis on women’s participation and leadership.
In
addition, MCCR has applied the following operational recommendations into the
design:
1.
The
need for more hardware components and livelihood support as opposed to soft
components.
2.
The
need for MCCR to shift from a traditional CBDRR approach to one that focuses
more on vulnerability reduction and capacity strengthening.
3.
The
need for longer-term plans for the future of MCCR to align with development
actors and strategically use ECHO funds.
Project demonstrate the
strong linkages to global, regional and national policies and framework. This
project specially target priority 4 of the Sendai Framework Priority i.e. enhancing
disaster preparedness for effective response. Intervention related to
strengthening immediate emergency response, hospital safety for disaster,
school level preparedness and awareness program are aligned with priority 4 of
the Sendai Framework. Proposed interventions are also meeting with ASEAN
Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER 2016-2020).
Myanmar has developed new Myanmar Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction
(MAPDRR) in 2017 which is prepared considering the Sendai Framework, Paris
Agreement, AADMER and New Urban Agenda. Actions within this proposal are either
priority projects or directly supporting to the implementation of identified
under MAPDRR.
Proposed action are the build on the previous experience
from DIPECHO projects of MCCR members. Humanity for Inclusion (HI) and IOM are
the new partners in MCCR who will strengthen the work related to hospital
preparedness and DRR approach in conflict sensitive areas of Rakhine state. Building on the experience from
previous Myanmar Consortium for Community Resilience (MCCR) projects funded by
ECHO, the proposed action aims to strengthen capacities and systems at both the
institutional and community levels in Myanmar. The action has resilience
building at its core since all activities are ultimately oriented towards
building the awareness, knowledge, skills and capacity of institutions and
communities vulnerable to disaster and conflict risks.
