The Project

The Capacity Needs Assessment (CNA) for Disaster Preparedness and Response is a preliminary activity for the technical assistance project to be undertaken by UNWFP in support of the Philippine government’s disaster risk management (DRM) initiatives. It is intended to systematically identify existing capacity development activities, pinpoint key gaps, and serve as the basis for recommending specific capacity building interventions that will build the capabilities of target national government agencies and local government units (LGU) at the provincial and municipal levels. The assessment seeks to accomplish the following: (1) Develop an assessment methodology and framework; (2) Review of the current policy and institutional environment for disaster risk reduction (DRR) at the national and local levels; (3) Inventory and review of existing capacity development initiatives and practices in DRR at the national and local levels; and (4) Develop a comprehensive report on current DRR-related capacity building efforts and gaps that provides recommendations on areas of possible intervention. The key findings of the report will be used to recommend specific capability building activities that will enhance the institutional capacities of the target agencies and LGUs.   These recommendations are aligned with the objectives of a memorandum of understanding signed between UNWFP-DILG-DSWD-OCD to ensure that future activities adequately cover UNWFP’s commitments to the Philippine government.

Methodology

At the national level, the assessment focused on UNWFP’s main partners in the Philippine government, namely the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). At the local level, the DRR capacity of four provinces, namely Benguet, Cagayan, Laguna and Sorsogon, were assessed. These areas were pre-selected by UNWFP based on their inclusion in the list of 27 highly disaster-prone provinces in the Philippines and their exposure to different hazards[1]. Within each province, two municipalities were chosen to serve as sample sites, with the criteria for selection based on income classification, exposure to multi-hazards, and willingness of the local government to take part in the assessment. Eight towns categorized as being in the third to fifth class range were chosen through discussions between UNWFP, EMI and provincial officials, as well as consultations with members of the respective Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (PDRRMC).

The assessment methodology was based on the Disaster Risk Resiliency Indicators (DRRI) developed by EMI. The DRRI is a set of 10 indicators aimed at establishing the stakeholders’ initial benchmark of DRR mainstreaming in a local government’s functional, operational and development systems and processes. The indicators can also capture the potential for achieving disaster resilience in particular sectors, based on pre-defined benchmarks and performance targets. The DRRI is divided among 5 key areas: (1) Legal and Institutional Processes and Policies; (2) Public Awareness and Capacity Building; (3) Critical Services and Infrastructure Resiliency; (4) Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Planning; and (5) Development Planning, Regulation, and Risk Mitigation. Five performance target levels, ranging from Little or No Awareness to Full Integration, are used to measure attainment in terms of DRR mainstreaming for each of the 10 indicators (Mumbai DRMMP, Topical Report No. 7, EMI, 2011).

To establish the DRRI rankings of the identified provinces and selected municipalities and gauge the level of capacity for DRR of these LGUs, EMI conducted local field investigations where LGU participants were introduced to the indicators concept and guided through a ranking process that evaluated the performance of the provinces/municipalities in terms of DRR based on the attributes of the 10 indicators that comprise the DRRI. The existing legal and institutional arrangements for DRR at the LGU level were also assessed during the field investigations through key informant interviews.

Desk review of relevant documents and focus group discussions were conducted with key personnel of the DSWD, OCD, DILG, Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, and League of Cities of the Philippines who are involved in disaster risk management in order to characterize the policy and institutional environment at the national level, as well as identify past and existing capacity development programs for DRR.

The data collected from the review of legal and institutional arrangements and inventory of DRR capacity development initiatives and practices were used to describe the current state of DRR knowledge, capacity and practice at the national, provincial and local levels. Needed improvements to build the capabilities of institutions at these levels were determined by comparing existing conditions with corresponding descriptors and performance target levels in the DRRI. Appropriate capacity development recommendations were formulated to address the identified gaps.  These recommendations were then aligned with the objectives of the UNWFP-DILG-DSWD-OCD Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure that they will effectively support the execution of the MoU.  The resulting output constitutes a proposed strategic plan that provides the road map for future implementation of the program.  An implementation process is also proposed for moving the overall UNWFP DRR capacity building program forward, all of which are contained in this report