FINAL PROJECT REPORT "Emergency Preparedness and Response Disaster Risk Management" 1. General Project Information Country, project title, project number, and period Budget originally requested and actually executed Implementing partner(s) and type of budget execution 2. Description of project achievement Original project purpose and degree of its achievement level Results at the output level Impact of the project Gender consideration 3. Visibility of Japan and Partnership 4. Lessons learned and recommendation Sustainability issue Need for simulation Content
1. General project information Country: Djibouti Project title: Emergency Preparedness and Response Disaster Risk Management Project ATLAS Award ID: 00065828 Period: March 2012- February 2013 Budget: Originally requested from Japan $ 500,000 Executed at February 2013: $ 500,000 Implementing partner: Ministry of Interior/Executive Secretariat for Disaster Risk Management Execution modality: National Execution (NIM) 2. Description of project achievement 2.1 Original project purpose and degree of its achievement level The initial aim of the project was to improve management of disasters and promote prevention and mitigation of climatic hazards including droughts and floods in Djibouti. In order to contribute to this impact level result, the project was designed to strengthen the technical and institutional capacities of the Executive Secretariat for Disaster Risk Management which is the central coordination institution for disaster related issues in Djibouti. The project initial aim was also to strengthen the drought early warning system in Djibouti, drought being the most frequent disaster and most impacting in the rural areas of Djibouti. 2.2 Results Output 1: Enhanced Disaster Preparedness and Response through improved Coordination and Effective National Focal Institution Indicators: Number of technical experts attached to the Executive Secretariat and Regional Councils for DRM Number of equipment and furniture provided to Executive Secretariat Results: The project has achieved quite interesting results against this output including: Staffing of the Executive Secretariat for Disaster Risk Management (SEGRC), the national focal coordination institution (5 technical staff in the regions, one expert in early warning system and also an administrative person); Field mission of an international DRM expert in the Executive Secretariat for Disaster Risk Management to support the SEGRC in improving its functional capacities as well as designing a 3 Year Action Plan; Procurement of furniture and equipment to the SEGRC (IT equipment, office furniture, one vehicle for field missions)
Photo: IT equipment delivered to the Executive Secretariat Output 2: Strengthened technical capacities of government ministries, UNCT and local NGOs through improvement in knowledge and skills Indicators: 1. Number of courses for which syllabus is prepared; 2. Number of officials trained from ministries, UN and NGOs; Results An important number of trainings have been organized by the project targeting different audiences including: Staff of the Executive Secretariat for DRM for training and also training of trainers (ToT) Intersectoral technical committee on disaster risk management; Police and Army; Regional councils; Professionals of the building sector. All results planned under this output were achieved successfully. It is believed that the trainings have contributed to increase the knowledge and awareness of the different targeted groups. Numbers of UN agencies have contributed to provide trainers. The first training was provided to the staff of the Executive Secretariat for Disaster Risk Management in June 2012. The training was focused on the preparedness for response to emergencies. UNDP has invited experts from OCHA Nairobi to come provide their expertise to the SEGRC team as well as to representatives of the Prefecture of Djibouti and representatives of the Mayor office. Photo: training of the staff of the SEGRC
The second training of the project was organized in October 2012 for the members of the national platform for disaster risk management which is in Djibouti the intersectoral technical committee on disaster risk management. All line ministries have representatives in the Committee as well civil society. The training was provided by UNDP, UNISDR and OCHA. Photo : training of the Intersectoral Technical Committee A third training was organized in October and it was targeting the police and army representatives and focused on disaster risk reduction but also on the role of police and army in the response to disasters and also the collaboration between the humanitarian teams and armies in the situation of conflict. A very interesting exchange has followed the training sessions. Some of the issues emerged under the discussions were for instance the different contingency plans and how to coordinate in the situation of disaster. Photos: training on disaster risk reduction for the Police and Army In the same month of October 2012, training on disaster risk reduction was organized for a group of women selected among the different women NGOs of the capital city. The aim of the training was to increase the awareness of women on the issue of DRR and the impacts of disasters on women. The training was organized two days before the international day on disaster risk reduction. The theme in 2012 for this international day was Women and Girls: the invisible Force of Resilience. The project has also organized the celebration of this event in Djibouti with the participation of Japan Embassy in Djibouti as well as different ministers of the government of Djibouti.
Photos: training organized for a group of women with the support of expert from CADRI The celebration ceremony of the international day of disaster risk reduction was organized in the premises of the National Women Organization and was attended by the Minister of Interior, the Minister of the Promotion of Women, the Minister of Trade, the UNDP Resident Representative and a Representative of the Embassy of Japan in Djibouti. Photo: celebration of the international day of Disaster risk reduction 8 staff of the SEGRC have received a ToT course and have delivered after that trainings in the country. A team of the SEGRC has delivered training to regional councils of Ali-Sabieh and Dikhil using the same training syllabus of CADRI. Trainings are planned in 2013 for regional councils of Tadjourah, Arta and Obock. Photo: training session for the regional council of Ali-Sabieh
Output 3: Effective Early Warning Systems for drought and flood hazards established, enabling departments and communities to take timely action for saving lives and property Indicators: Number of weather stations installed in Djibouti; Approval of the National Disaster Warning Committee from Government; Number of staff of the Meteorological Division and CERD trained in weather monitoring, data interpretation and early warning technologies; Number of national and local staff trained from member ministries of the National Early Warning Committee; Number of data sets sent by the district staff to the HQs of their ministries; Number of early warning messages issued by the National Early Warning Committee; Targets for 2012 Installation of weather stations will be completed during year 1. National Early Warning Committee will be established in year 1. 1 Technical expert attached to the Meteorology Division. Spare parts provided to the Ambouli river EWS Results In accordance with the project document, the project has provided a drought monitoring system to the national meteorological agency. The project has provided a system composed of 54 rain gauges as well as 5 complete meteorological stations to be dispatched in the whole country. The purpose of the system as explained in the initial project document is to monitor the rainfall and collect data and use these data for the prevention and early warning. Over the 54 rain gauges provided by the project, 30 have been installed in the country. In the first time in the country, since 25 years, the National Meteorology Agency has a global picture on the rainfall distribution in Djibouti and could potentially use it as an early warning system. UNDP with the support of BCPR will help in 2013 the government to go beyond the installed physical system and develop an efficient drought EWS based on the provided instruments. Photo: rain gauge and complete weather monitoring system installed in Tadjourah by a technician of the National Meteorological Agency Photo: rainfall contour map produced with data collected by the drought EWS
The next step of this component is the preparation of standardized drought warning messages to be dispatched to all relevant stakeholders and to be used for the decision making process. 2.3 Impact of the project The project has generated positive impacts on the Executive Secretariat for DRM and has produced also positive results beyond its initial targets: More effective Executive Secretariat for DRM One of the most important positive impacts achieved by the project is the increase of the effectiveness of the SEGRC, the focal DRM institution in Djibouti. With the increase of its staff, the SEGRC is more able now to work on its core mandate which is the coordination. In 2012, at least 5 meetings of the Intersectoral Technical Committee were organized by the SEGRC. The staffing provided by the project has increased the total number of staff of the SEGRC by nearly 3 times (from 4 staff to 11 staff). With more staff, the SEGRC is able now to convene meetings, prepare agendas, conduct the discussions and prepare the minutes. In addition to that, the team of the SEGRC has now the capacity to conduct trainings on disaster risk reduction in the country. They were trained under the training of trainers modality and they have received also a CADRI and IGAD syllabus packages on DRM. The project has also supported the participation of the staff of the SEGRC to different training workshops and events in the region like in Egypt, Kenya or Mozambique. The SEGRC has more confidence in realizing its mandate. Thus in 2012, the SEGRC has developed in collaboration with the Intersectoral Technical Committee, a Three Year Disaster Risk Reduction Plan. The project has supported the field mission of an international expert to assist the SEGRC in developing this 3 Year Action Plan. The action plan has different dimensions including education, agriculture and health. Society more aware on disasters With the important number of trainings organized, which have targeted more than 200 people in the country, the project has fostered a culture of prevention and reducing risk in the country. 2.4 Gender consideration It is well known that disasters impact women more than men. Women have been fully included in the project as beneficiaries. First of all, over the 6 people recruited for the SEGRC as technical experts, 2 are women while the recruited assistant administrative is also a woman. The project has also fully integrated women as the beneficiaries of the training (please see section on results under output 2). Over the total number of people that have been trained in the country, at least 40% were women. 3. Visibility of Japan and partnership In order to ensure the recognition of the Japanese funding for the project, numbers of actions have been undertaken from the starting of the project. Japan flag has been printed in almost all board and documents produced by the project. Also the Japan Embassy has been invited to participate in the ceremony of the international day of disaster risk reduction which was organized in collaboration with the National Woman Organization. The Representative of the Japan Embassy has delivered a speech during this event.
Photo: representative of the Embassy of Japan Delivering speech during the International Day for Disaster risk reduction The project has also partnered with JICA for the field mission to Djibouti of a JICA international expert on seismic code. The workshop organized by the project has invited also experts from UN-HABITAT on the theme Management or Urban Risk. Photo: workshop on urban risk management with the participation of JICA expert 4. Lessons learned 4.1 Sustainability: DRM capacity building will need more time The first lesson learned is that the strengthening of DRM capacity of the government will need more time and is appealing a more short to medium term technical support to the government. The project has developed a 3 Year DRM action Plan for the country and if this plan is resourced and implemented then the results obtained by the project will be sustained. While UNDP country office with the help of BCPR will sustain the staffing of the SEGRC until 2014 (hoping that the staff will be absorbed in the national budget by that time), a more specific support to the Action Plan is needed. 4.2 Need for simulations
In order to put on practical situation the different training and particularly assess the coordination capacity of the different government departments, it is crucial to organize in 2013 one or two simulations of a disaster in the country. 4.3 Need to carefully design the courses Some of the courses delivered in the trainings may have not been tailored to the different type of audiences. Coordination between the preparatory teams is critical and more specifically between the government, UNDP CO and trainers. UNDP CO will ensure this coordination in the future in a more closely way. 4.4 Recommendations A short to medium term support (1 to 2 years) to the government in its pathway to strengthen the national capacities on DRM; Conducting one or 2 simulations in 2013 in order to assess the coordination capacity of the different stakeholders of the response to disaster; Focus on three thematic of the Plan: safe schools, safe hospitals and safe buildings