United Nations Development Programme - ccwa.org

1 United Nations Development Programme Background Guide Written by: Rachel Brunot, The Ohio State University The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was founded in 1965 and now works in 170 countries and territories to improve issues of Development including eradicating poverty, reducing inequality, and limiting exclusion of subaltern groups from society. Currently the UNDP is pursuing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , which consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals regarding poverty, hunger, education, gender inequality, climate action, and other issues that are of high priority to developing countries. I. Preparing for Natural Disasters and Preventing Sustained Fallout Statement of the Issue Natural disasters can be catastrophic in any part of the world, however due to poverty and lack of access to infrastructure, developing Nations have a higher risk of enduring lasting damage from natural disasters due to a lack of funds for rescuing citizens and rebuilding damaged infrastructure.

2 Additionally, lower income families in developing countries are more likely to live in poorly built homes in unsafe areas, making them even more prone to losing their homes or lives to natural Though we have had to deal with earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and droughts since the beginning of time, this issue is now urgent to the more extreme and unpredictable weather events being brought on by climate Natural disasters are not cheap: according to the World Bank, every year, natural disasters trap some 26 million people in extreme poverty. 3 Additionally, global losses from cyclones, tsunamis and flooding cost an average of US$6 billion per year for disaster risk 1 Giugale, Marcelo. Time to insure developing countries against natural disasters. The World Bank. 2017. 2 5 natural disasters that beg for climate action. Oxfam International. 2017. 3 Giugale. Time to insure developing countries against natural disasters.

3 The negative effects caused by natural disasters can have market or non-market losses. Market losses are problems that can be fixed with sufficient funds: these include damage to buildings, infrastructure and manufactured goods. Non-market losses are a lot less quantifiable. These include damages that cannot be repaired or rectified, such as loss of life, health issues, injury, and environmental Many developing countries do not have the funds to remedy market losses, let alone non-market losses. Places that already have limited access to health services are put under increased stress in times of crisis. Countries, cities, and communities that rely on the environment for economic activity can be devastated if a natural disaster destroys their livelihood. Thus, natural disasters can have lasting negative impacts on developing countries and their people that push them further into the poverty trap. The effects of natural disasters fall most heavily on landlocked countries and island Nations , many of which are already experiencing Development issues.

4 Since landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) do not have direct access to coastal areas, many of their economies rely heavily on agriculture. 70% of people in LLDCs rely on income from agriculture in some way, despite the fact that only of all the land in LLDCs is arable. This means that LLDCs are extremely vulnerable to droughts and other natural disasters that can affect crop output. Additionally, LLDCs often rely heavily on international trade from coastal areas, meaning that a natural disaster in a coastal country, such as a hurricane or flood, can have a considerable indirect impact on Island Nations , such as the many Pacific Islands, also face high vulnerability when it comes to natural disasters. In the South Pacific region alone, the annual costs incurred by natural disasters add up to US$284 Floods, tsunamis and tropical cyclones are just a few of the natural disasters that island Nations are most at risk for, and have the potential to devastate an island economy.

5 In fact, some Pacific Islands are facing losses from a single event that would exceed their annual gross domestic product. 8 Overall, there is an international responsibility to help developing countries suffering from natural disasters. Developed countries contribute to climate change far more than developing countries do, and therefore need to take on some of the costs. Any action taken to 4 Goal 13: Climate action. United Nations Development Programme . Available from 5 Nikwigize, Andre, Gladys Mutangadura, Kennedy Chesoli, and Haerim Heo. 2014. The vulnerability of landlocked developing countries to external shocks. Vienna: United Nations Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries. 6 Ibid. 7 Pacific islands: Disaster risk reduction and financing in the pacific. The World Bank. 2012. Available from 8 Ibid. alleviate and help prevent damage from natural disasters needs to consider the unique challenges faced by both landlocked developing countries and island Nations , as well as the repercussions of both market and non-market losses.

6 History Some of the deadliest natural disasters in history have occurred in developing countries in recent years. For instance, the Bhola cyclone, which hit Bangladesh and East Pakistan in 1970, killed between 300,000 and 500,000 people due to a storm surge that caused extreme flooding. Another cyclone in India in 1839 caused a 40 foot storm surge that killed approximately 300,000 people and destroyed 20,000 ships. In Vietnam in 1881, a cyclone killed 300,000 people around Haiphong. More recently, a magnitude earthquake in Haiti in 2010 killed an estimated 160,000-230,000 The Haiti earthquake made a considerable amount of international news due to the extent of the damage caused to this already impoverished island. Aid efforts, coming to a total of $13 billion, came flooding into Haiti following the earthquake, yet the country still deals with difficult repercussions and rebuilding to this day, as 85,000 people continually reside in displacement There have been some efforts by the United Nations to help combat these disasters.

7 Beginning in 2007, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank began carrying out risk assessments and assessing damage caused by natural disasters across the Pacific Islands. This initiative led to the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Information System (PacRIS), which is made up of three databases: a hazard database, which tracks historical hazards in the Pacific region, a consequence database, which tracks the total accumulated losses, and an exposure database, which inventories buildings and their susceptibility to damage by natural In 2016, 18 small-island and landlocked countries came together at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN to discuss the connections between natural hazards and food security. FAO has since began working to provide support to the countries that expressed concern, including giving emergency provisions to Nepal after a recent earthquake there and providing training on food preservation in crisis in Vanuatu.

8 Additionally, international accords on climate change, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement and 9 Pappas, Stephanie. Top 11 deadliest natural disasters in history. Live Science. 2018. Available from 10 Connor, Tracy, Hannah Rappleye, and Erika Angulo. 2015. What does Haiti have to show for $13 billion in earthquake aid? NBC News. January 11. 11 Pacific islands: Disaster risk reduction and financing in the pacific. The World Bank. the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, are expected to help the plight of countries plagued by natural The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), which was established in 1999 by the UN General Assembly, strives to achieve four priorities regarding natural disaster risk/relief. These priorities include: understanding disaster risk, strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk, investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience, and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response.

9 13 Specifically, UNISDR coordinates campaigns for and monitors various disaster relief frameworks, including the Hyogo Framework for Action and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. UNISDR also works to inform the public on countries risks for natural disasters and how best to prepare for these risks. Analysis When considering this issue, it is important to consider both poverty and access to resources. In developed countries, natural disasters are much less likely to cause as many casualties and as much extended damage, because developed countries have the resources to better foresee and track natural disasters, allowing people to evacuate. They also have more money to fix damage, and better infrastructure for the delivery of emergency supplies. In developing countries, poor, rural families are not as likely to have access to emergency supplies and they are not as likely to have governmental help in repairing damage caused by natural disasters.

10 Thus, a person s (or a country s) socioeconomic status is a crucial detail in the discussion of disaster relief and damage prevention. In order to properly combat damage caused by a natural disaster, action must be taken before, immediately after, and long-term. Before a disaster occurs, people with lower incomes and less education are also less likely to be prepared for a natural disaster. One possible reason for this is because preparing for a natural disaster is costly - buying flood or earthquake insurance, reinforcing a house against natural disasters and creating an evacuation plan are luxuries that people in poverty often cannot afford, or, in the case of developing countries, even have access to. Additionally, when a disaster does strike, the upper classes have much more 12 Recent global agreements give small-island and land-locked developing countries the backing they need to better prepare for disasters.