Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to theUnited Nations, shared Vietnam’s experience on disaster preparedness atthe launch of IASC/ODI Report “Dare to Prepare: Taking Risks Seriously”on February 27. Following is the full text of his presentation.
“Let me first thank the IASC and ODI for inviting me to this importantevent. I appreciate the opportunity to share some thoughts on the issueof disaster preparedness and in particular what my country, Vietnam, has been doing in this regard.
The topic ofdisaster preparedness that IASC and ODI have chosen for this report ishighly relevant. This is a matter of vital importance for thesustainable development of any nation. Therefore, I welcome the launchof the report today as an effort to increase understanding aboutpreparedness, particularly at the time when the United Nations isworking on the post-2015 development agenda and the new SustainableDevelopment Goals.
The report sends many importantmessages, highlighting the need to invest in preparedness. One dollarinvestment in preparedness can help save 3-5 dollars in response. Andmore importantly, investment in preparedness will save human lives,which we all would agree cannot be monetised.
But asit stands now, mobilising resources for response ironically is easierthan for preparedness. I therefore concur with the report’srecommendations aimed at increasing financing for preparedness, with acombination of global, regional and national financing mechanisms.
To give us some more persepective, let me share with you Vietnam ’sexperience as a disaster-prone country. Natural disasters are notsomething new to us. For thousands of years, the Vietnamese nation hasfought two enemies: foreign aggression and natural disasters. Vietnameselegends tell the story of the Mountain God conquering the Flood God tosave the livelihoods of the people.
According to theWorld Bank, Vietnam is ranked as the seventh most exposed country inthe world to multiple natural hazards including floods, tropicalcyclones (typhoon), tornados, landslides and droughts. An estimated 59percent of the total area of the country and 71 percent of thepopulation are exposed to cyclones and floods.
Overthe last 30 years, disasters have been a major cause of fatalities,injury and economic losses, according to World Bank and UNDP estimates,totalling about 1.0 – 1.5 percent GDP. But current challenges ofdisaster risks and impacts are likely to be further exacerbated byglobal climate change. In 2013 alone, Vietnam was hit by no lessthan 15 tropical cyclones. Therefore, the Government of Vietnam takesdisaster preparedness very seriously.
In 2007, theGovernment endorsed the National Strategy for Disaster Risk Management,to include more than 19 types of natural hazards in its disasterdefinitions. A new Disaster Law passed last year goes further and, forthe first time, covers the whole disaster management cycle, includingpreparedness, response and post-disaster recovery. The law strengthensthe coordination structures for all phases of the disaster cycle andallows provinces to set up disaster management funds empowering them topromptly address the humanitarian and preparedness capacity gaps. TheLaw also draws on the principle of four “on-the-spot”, namelyon-the-spot command, on-the-spot human resources, on-the-spot logisticsand on-the-spot facilities.
A key lesson learned todate is the importance of investing in legislative and policy frameworksthat promote effective disaster risk management and climate changeadaptation, not just post-disaster relief. These efforts need to bemulti-hazard and multi-sectoral and should involve all parts of theGovernment and key stakeholders, like the Vietnam Red Cross, Farmers’Union, Women’s Union, Youth Union … These efforts should also be basedon sound scientific knowledge and risk analysis. Evidence from Vietnam’s experiences with Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 suggests that, much like inthe Philippines , Vietnam was at high risk of a similarsuper-typhoon and storm surge. The Government of Vietnam has beenrigorously assessed the risk of these extremes to invest in emergencypreparedness in order to minimise losses of life and property.
In these endeavours, Vietnam has received invaluable support fromthe United Nations, members of the IASC like FAO, UNDP, and manybilateral partners, to help us bring current systems in line with theprovisions of the law. A good example is support provided for theNational Community Based Disaster Risk Management Program which is beingrolled out and will cover more than two-thirds of the country by 2020.
More work remains to be done, particularly withregards to how we manage and transfer financial risk, and how keybuilding and other standards need to be made more stringent in light ofclimate change. Policy also needs to be backed up by effectiveenforcement. There is also a need to strengthen cost-benefits analysison investment in vulnerable areas and to draw attention ofdecision-makers and businesses to consider disaster risk reduction (DRR)as part of their investment decisions. Closer links between DRR andplanning and development processes are also needed. Work is underway inmany of these areas, and Vietnam is committed to moving forward inimplementing the newly adopted law and further enhancing resilience atall levels. We look forward to the continued support of the UN systemand other development partners.
About IASC and ODI
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) is a unique inter-agencyforum for coordination, policy development and decision-making involvingthe key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners. The IASC was establishedin June 1992 in response to United Nations General Assembly Resolution46/182 on the strengthening of humanitarian assistance. General AssemblyResolution 48/57 affirmed its role as the primary mechanism forinter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance.
The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) is the UK 's leadingindependent think tank on international development and humanitarianissues. The ODI’s mission is to inspire and inform policy and practicewhich lead to the reduction of poverty, the alleviation of suffering andthe achievement of sustainable livelihoods in developing countries. Wedo this by locking together high quality applied research, practicalpolicy advice, and policy-focused dissemination and debate. We work withpartners in the public and private sectors, in both developing anddeveloped countries.”-VNA
“Let me first thank the IASC and ODI for inviting me to this importantevent. I appreciate the opportunity to share some thoughts on the issueof disaster preparedness and in particular what my country, Vietnam, has been doing in this regard.
The topic ofdisaster preparedness that IASC and ODI have chosen for this report ishighly relevant. This is a matter of vital importance for thesustainable development of any nation. Therefore, I welcome the launchof the report today as an effort to increase understanding aboutpreparedness, particularly at the time when the United Nations isworking on the post-2015 development agenda and the new SustainableDevelopment Goals.
The report sends many importantmessages, highlighting the need to invest in preparedness. One dollarinvestment in preparedness can help save 3-5 dollars in response. Andmore importantly, investment in preparedness will save human lives,which we all would agree cannot be monetised.
But asit stands now, mobilising resources for response ironically is easierthan for preparedness. I therefore concur with the report’srecommendations aimed at increasing financing for preparedness, with acombination of global, regional and national financing mechanisms.
To give us some more persepective, let me share with you Vietnam ’sexperience as a disaster-prone country. Natural disasters are notsomething new to us. For thousands of years, the Vietnamese nation hasfought two enemies: foreign aggression and natural disasters. Vietnameselegends tell the story of the Mountain God conquering the Flood God tosave the livelihoods of the people.
According to theWorld Bank, Vietnam is ranked as the seventh most exposed country inthe world to multiple natural hazards including floods, tropicalcyclones (typhoon), tornados, landslides and droughts. An estimated 59percent of the total area of the country and 71 percent of thepopulation are exposed to cyclones and floods.
Overthe last 30 years, disasters have been a major cause of fatalities,injury and economic losses, according to World Bank and UNDP estimates,totalling about 1.0 – 1.5 percent GDP. But current challenges ofdisaster risks and impacts are likely to be further exacerbated byglobal climate change. In 2013 alone, Vietnam was hit by no lessthan 15 tropical cyclones. Therefore, the Government of Vietnam takesdisaster preparedness very seriously.
In 2007, theGovernment endorsed the National Strategy for Disaster Risk Management,to include more than 19 types of natural hazards in its disasterdefinitions. A new Disaster Law passed last year goes further and, forthe first time, covers the whole disaster management cycle, includingpreparedness, response and post-disaster recovery. The law strengthensthe coordination structures for all phases of the disaster cycle andallows provinces to set up disaster management funds empowering them topromptly address the humanitarian and preparedness capacity gaps. TheLaw also draws on the principle of four “on-the-spot”, namelyon-the-spot command, on-the-spot human resources, on-the-spot logisticsand on-the-spot facilities.
A key lesson learned todate is the importance of investing in legislative and policy frameworksthat promote effective disaster risk management and climate changeadaptation, not just post-disaster relief. These efforts need to bemulti-hazard and multi-sectoral and should involve all parts of theGovernment and key stakeholders, like the Vietnam Red Cross, Farmers’Union, Women’s Union, Youth Union … These efforts should also be basedon sound scientific knowledge and risk analysis. Evidence from Vietnam’s experiences with Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 suggests that, much like inthe Philippines , Vietnam was at high risk of a similarsuper-typhoon and storm surge. The Government of Vietnam has beenrigorously assessed the risk of these extremes to invest in emergencypreparedness in order to minimise losses of life and property.
In these endeavours, Vietnam has received invaluable support fromthe United Nations, members of the IASC like FAO, UNDP, and manybilateral partners, to help us bring current systems in line with theprovisions of the law. A good example is support provided for theNational Community Based Disaster Risk Management Program which is beingrolled out and will cover more than two-thirds of the country by 2020.
More work remains to be done, particularly withregards to how we manage and transfer financial risk, and how keybuilding and other standards need to be made more stringent in light ofclimate change. Policy also needs to be backed up by effectiveenforcement. There is also a need to strengthen cost-benefits analysison investment in vulnerable areas and to draw attention ofdecision-makers and businesses to consider disaster risk reduction (DRR)as part of their investment decisions. Closer links between DRR andplanning and development processes are also needed. Work is underway inmany of these areas, and Vietnam is committed to moving forward inimplementing the newly adopted law and further enhancing resilience atall levels. We look forward to the continued support of the UN systemand other development partners.
About IASC and ODI
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) is a unique inter-agencyforum for coordination, policy development and decision-making involvingthe key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners. The IASC was establishedin June 1992 in response to United Nations General Assembly Resolution46/182 on the strengthening of humanitarian assistance. General AssemblyResolution 48/57 affirmed its role as the primary mechanism forinter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance.
The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) is the UK 's leadingindependent think tank on international development and humanitarianissues. The ODI’s mission is to inspire and inform policy and practicewhich lead to the reduction of poverty, the alleviation of suffering andthe achievement of sustainable livelihoods in developing countries. Wedo this by locking together high quality applied research, practicalpolicy advice, and policy-focused dissemination and debate. We work withpartners in the public and private sectors, in both developing anddeveloped countries.”-VNA
