Standing Orders on Disaster 2019.

The Standing Orders on Disaster (SOD) lays down the roles and responsibilities of all concerned at every stage of disaster risk management. It consists of seven chapters: 1. Background; 2. Disaster Risk Management - Policy Structure and Terminologies; 3. Disaster Risk Management Coordination at the National Level; 4. Disaster Risk Management Coordination at the Local Level; 5. Responsibilities and Functions of the Ministries, Divisions, Departments and Agencies for Disaster Risk Management; 6. Responsibilities of Field Level Officials, Representatives of Local Government and Humanitarian Agencies; and 7. National Disaster Emergency Coordination.
Chapter 1 contains the objective of the SOD and the disaster risks in Bangladesh. Chapter 2 discusses the legal framework and policy structure of disaster risk management, the synergies between national policies and international frameworks, the terminologies and guidelines to be prepared/updated. Chapter 3 describes the disaster risk management committees at the national level, their composition and functions. Chapter 4 lists out the composition and functions of disaster management committees and the disaster response coordination groups at the local level. The functions of the committees include risk reduction and emergency response at the warning stage, disaster stage and rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery stage.
Chapter 5 contains the general and specific responsibilities and functions of various Ministries, Divisions, Departments and Agencies for disaster risk management. These also include functions relating to risk reduction and emergency response. Chapter 6 lays down the risk reduction and emergency response functions of field level officials, representatives of local government and humanitarian agencies. Chapter 7 provides for the objectives and functions of National Emergency Operation Centre established to deal with large scale disasters. It also creates a platform for civil-military coordination and defines the roles for humanitarian response activities in the cluster system.