Involve communities for faster, better recovery

Christchurch East MP Lianne Dalziel has become a member of the United Nations parliamentarians' group on disaster risk reduction. She explains her introduction to its work.

A few weeks ago, Margareta Wahlstrom, appointed in 2008 by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to be his Special Representative on Disaster Risk Reduction, visited the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority to learn first-hand of our experience in Christchurch. By sheer co-incidence I learnt of her visit and organised to meet her.

We had a long talk about the challenges faced when disaster strikes, and I was impressed with the depth of her experience and knowledge.

She offered to connect me to a network of parliamentarians who were also interested in this field - known internationally as disaster risk reduction (DRR).

Her letter, inviting me to join the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Advisory Group of Parliamentarians on DRR, arrived a couple of weeks later. I have just attended the first meeting of the advisory group, which is made up of 15 parliamentarians from around the world.

So what is Disaster Risk Reduction and what is the UNISDR?

DRR is the concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts to analyse and reduce the causal factors of disasters. It includes reducing exposure to hazards, lessening vulnerability of people and property, wise management of land and the environment, and improving preparedness for adverse events.

DRR includes disciplines like disaster management, disaster mitigation and disaster preparedness, but is also part of sustainable development.

That's why it involves every part of society, every part of government and every part of the professional and private sector. That's also why it requires a long-term view (well beyond electoral cycles), especially when you think about the connections with food and water security, together with climate change adaptation.

It's not the disaster that's "natural" - our recent volcanic activity isn't a disaster. It's certainly a natural hazard, as is an earthquake. The disaster occurs when there is an impact on people. And the less-prepared or resilient the people and their environment for such an event, the greater the disaster risk: Hazard multiplied by vulnerability multiplied by exposure, divided by resilience or coping capacities, equals disaster risk.

The UNISDR is the name given to the United Nations' secretariat that has been given responsibility for ensuring the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction which was adopted in 1999.

In 2008 the UNISDR launched a Parliamentarian Initiative on DRR in conjunction with the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) to improve knowledge of DRR among parliamentarians. The Advisory Group of Parliamentarians is an extension of this initiative. Our task includes providing guidance on creating social demand and political leadership for disaster resilient sustainable development - championing DRR.

Central to this work is the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 - Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters.

New Zealand is a signatory to this 10-year planning tool designed to substantially reduce disaster losses by building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters.

It is worth considering the word resilience in this context, because it is often misunderstood.

Resilience to me is an elastic concept, because it is just as much about the ability to bounce back into shape as an aspect of the natural or built environment, as it is about the capacity to absorb the initial shock.

The more resilient each of the affected environments are - natural, social, built and economic - before a disaster occurs, the more quickly each of those environments will recover.

No matter how resilient we are, there is always much to learn after a disaster has occurred - to better prepare for a future event by embedding resilience in the recovery and also to share that knowledge with others.

When the time is right, Christchurch will need to go through this review process.

I personally believe that the transparency a public process would bring would help heal the divisions that have emerged from an event that has had an uneven impact across our city.

How we are today can depend on where we live, or lived at the time of the earthquakes, whether we lost someone close to us; whether we were injured (and the severity of that); what our pre- existing vulnerabilities might have been; how we are coping personally or as families; the damage that was done to our homes and streets; whether we were insured or not; the decision the Government made about our land; whether we were a "winner or loser" with the red zone offer; where we are at with EQC/our insurer; whether we understand the processes that are going on; whether we have land to rebuild on . . . the list goes on.

International best practice says it is vital to involve affected communities during and after the crisis. It may seem slower, but recovery will be faster and better in the long run.

Taking advantage of existing strengths and local knowledge can mobilise the power of the community in a way that promotes self- confidence and self- sufficiency.

Participation builds community capacity and resilience. Transparency and accountability build trust between communities and governments.

Communities become more aware of the nature of the risks they face; it gives opportunities for mitigation measures to be part of the design process; and it helps improve the community's capacity to respond to disasters in the future. This is Disaster Risk Reduction in action.

This is why any government, central or local, must resist the instinct to take charge and make all the decisions. Sharing the leadership of the recovery with the community can empower communities while strengthening their relationship with governments. Community initiatives can inspire the recovery in a particularly meaningful way. Look at how the community-inspired Avon-Otakaro River Park concept has become the heart and soul of the Government's central city blueprint.

This is what Christchurch can model as we offer the benefit of the lessons we have learned to the rest of the country and, through the UNISDR, to the rest of the world.