National Plan For Disaster Management 2010 - 2015.

The National Plan for Disaster Management is a cross-sectoral plan aiming at poverty reduction and agricultural development by increasing the resilience of livelihoods to disasters. The coverage of the Plan is national. The duration is 5 years from 2010 - 2015. The main objectives of the Plan are to reduce the risk of people, especially the poor and the disadvantaged, from the effects of natural, environmental and human induced hazards and to have in place an efficient emergency response system capable of handling large scale disasters. Priority has been accorded to focus on community level preparedness, response, recovery and rehabilitation. Whereas the strategic goals of the Plan are professionalising the disaster management system, mainstreaming risk reduction, strengthening institutional mechanisms, empowering communities at risk, strengthening emergency response systems, developing and strengthening networks.
Regarding the elimination of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, the Plan underlines the need of multi hazard focusing approach and that a disaster management linked with climate change strategy will address food security.
Further the Plan underlines the future effect of climate change and the global warming on agriculture and states that climatic changes in Bangladesh would likely aggravate present environmental conditions that give rise to land degradation, shortfalls in food production, rural poverty and urban unrest.
When focusing on the linkages between disaster management, development and poverty reduction the Plan states that disasters have had an adverse long-term impact on economic and social activities of the poor. Additionally, the poor are more vulnerable to any kind of disaster. Considering the direct poverty disaster linkages the Bangladesh PRSP included one separate policy matrix Number 07 on comprehensive disaster management towards poverty reduction and growth.
The Plan adopts a twin track approach by focusing on the underlying factors, emphasizing on the impact of natural disasters and setting forth immediate action plans, long term policies for each disaster by creating coordination among various institutions, creating preparedness. The Plan also focuses on hazard specific multi-sectoral disaster management plans such as Earthquake Contingency Plan, Cyclone Shelter Plan, Disaster Resilient Cluster Housing, Tsunami Response Plan. According to the Plan, climate change adoption in DRR is a win–win opportunity because strategies for adaptation to current climate variability and climate extremes. In this respect, disaster risk reduction can promote early adaptation to climate risks and impacts. Disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change strategies both are aimed at enhancing sustainability, resilient societies and human security (p.35).
The key focus of the National Plan for Disaster Management is to establish institutional accountability in preparing and implementing disaster management plans at different levels of the country.