Partnership approach to disaster management in Bangladesh : a critical policy assessment

Mizan R. Khan, M. Ashiqur Rahman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

76 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The geographic location of Bangladesh at the confluence of the three mighty river systems of the world renders her one of the most vulnerable places to natural disasters. Human-induced climate change exacerbates the problem. This study shows that the Government of Bangladesh has already established a multi-layered institutional mechanism for disaster management, with formal recognition of the role of various stakeholders. Historically, NGOs and other informal support mechanisms in the country also have made significant contributions during and after disaster recovery. Despite the presence of some strengths, such as long experience in disaster response and recovery, the people’s resilience, and donor support, the current management strategies suffer from a host of policy and institutional weaknesses. Most prominent is the absence of a functioning partnership among the stakeholders within these formal set-ups. What is lacking is the development and embodiment of a culture of collective decision-making in planning, in resource sharing, and in implementing disaster management policies and programs in an integrated and transparent way. The paper suggests a partnership framework to implement prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery phases of disaster management.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)359-378
Number of pages20
JournalNatural Hazards
Volume41
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2007

Keywords

  • Bangladesh
  • emergency management
  • non-governmental organizations
  • partnership

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