National Strategy for Disaster Risk Management.

This National Strategy for Disaster Risk Management is structured around six chapters as follows: Chapter 1 takes into account aspects related to the country profile, the historical profile of disasters, and the factors of vulnerability. Moreover, this chapter focuses on the synoptic picture of humanitarian crises, analyzing the immediate, underlying and deep causes of crises. Chapter 2 presents an analysis the capacities, weaknesses, needs and priorities of disaster risk management. It addresses the institutional and macroeconomic framework for disaster risk management, the information system, capacity building and transfer, as well as financial mechanisms. Chapter 3 emphasizes the basis of the disaster risk management, the conceptual evolution of disaster management, institutional mechanisms (good practices and lessons learned from international experiences), the principles and policies of disaster risk management. Chapter 4 presents the key elements of the institutional arrangements and proposes the institutional framework for effective disaster risk management. This structure, once approved, will be the institutional basis through which the national, regional and local disaster risk management plan will be operational. Fundamental principles for effective and efficient institutional mechanisms for risk prevention and disaster management are also addressed.
Chapter 5 develops the fundamental principles for effective financial mechanisms for disaster risk management. Proposals are made for the establishment of administrative structures for the management of funds for disasters, as well as for financial mechanisms. Chapter 6 addresses the key strategic priorities and key areas of action: short, medium and long term capacity building at national, regional and local level, development of a comprehensive information system, development of financial mechanisms, global risk reduction and regional and international cooperation.
The objectives of the strategy are: (1) increased political commitment to disaster risk reduction; (2) better identification and assessment of disaster risks; (3) better knowledge management in DRR; (4) increased awareness of disasters within the population; (5) better governance of institutions involved in DRR, and (6) integration of disaster risk reduction into the management of response to Emergencies and environmental programs.
Strategic key area 5 recognizes that in a country such as Guinea-Bissau, poverty, the environment and catastrophes are closely linked and cannot be the subject of differentiated programming. In fact, the overall reduction of risks and vulnerability is often hidden, forgotten, to the detriment of relief actions. The inclusion of disaster risk analysis in strategic and programmatic planning and pilot demonstration projects that reconnect the risks of cataclysms to environmental risks and poverty reduction provides the potential for reducing the vulnerabilities of the poorest populations.