Institutional arrangement for disaster risk management: Evidence from Pakistan

In the last few decades, the cost of disaster has increased significantly in the world including Pakistan. Therefore, in order to reduce vulnerabilities and risks of hazards, more strategic and systematic efforts are needed at global and national levels. In 2005, the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA) 2005-2015 played a fundamental role in initiating a strategic and systematic approach to build the resilience of nations and communities. The HFA Mid-Term Review (2013-15) report indicates the country’s weakness and inability to effectively implement the HFA Priorities for Actions. In this paper, we examine Pakistan’s progress in achieving the HFA goals, particularly goal-2, to make disaster risk management a national and local priority with strong institutional basis. This includes an analysis of the existing institutional arrangements and the efforts made to address the HFA Mid-Term gray areas. The study is undertaken through literature review and 20 in-depth interviews conducted with disaster management authorities at national, provincial, and district levels. The findings indicate that disaster management authorities suffer from jurisdictional overlap, duplication of responsibilities, lack of budgetary and non-budgetary resources, and coordination at all levels. The disaster related legal and policy instruments remain limited in enforceability. The dependency syndrome exists in all three tiers of institutional mechanism and mainstreaming of DRR into development is undervalued in many development projects.