On 2nd May 2014, two landslides struck Badakshan province, a mountainous region of northern Afghanistan. Triggered by heavy rains, they buried around 300 houses and killed as many as 2,700 people. Over 125,000 Afghans were affected (UN News, 2014). On a visit to the area Mark Bowden, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, stated: “…when you fly over the area itself, and see how the earth moved and the fragility of the environment here, it highlights the long-term risk to the population in this very vulnerable province and the need for long-term preventive measures” (UN News, 2014). This report documents how Concern Worldwide uses disaster risk reduction1 (DRR) to reduce risk and build resilience of the poorest and most vulnerable people living in mountainous areas. Concern Worldwide is non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries. It operates in over 25 countries around the world and takes a multidimensional approach to addressing extreme poverty, and responds to humanitarian emergencies when a community’s capacities to cope and recover from crisis are overwhelmed. The organisation uses its knowledge and experience to influence decisions made at a local, national and international level that can significantly reduce extreme poverty. The lack of, or low returns from assets defines poverty and is caused and maintained by inequality and risk and vulnerability. Concern’s understanding of DRR, first articulated in 2005, identifies four components common to risk reduction; risk analysis2, preparedness, mitigation, and advocacy, which together build community resilience. This report is based on the past decade of Concern’s DRR programming experience in mountainous contexts. 2002 was the International Year of Mountains, where it was recognised that mountain regions were a unique and critical geography neglected in policy and practice. Indeed, while mountainspecific approaches may be key to mountain development, knowledge on mountain risk reduction remains scarce and fragmented
DRR is recognised as a necessary component of sustainable development, yet there are few guidelines concerning how to reduce disaster risk in different contexts such as in mountainous contexts (UNISDR, 2011). This report is based on the past decade of Concern’s DRR programming experience in mountainous contexts.
Comment list ( 0 )
