Zambia National Disaster Risk Management Framework (2017 – 2030) Operationalising the Sendai Framework.

The National Disaster Risk Management Framework seeks to operationalize the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. The overall goal of the document is to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risk in the country through the implementation of integrated and inclusive economic, structural, legal, social, health, cultural, educational, environmental, technological, political, and institutional measures that prevent and reduce hazard exposure and vulnerability to disaster, increase preparedness for response and recovery, and thus strengthen resilience. The purpose is to build on the Sendai Framework to facilitate the identification of priority areas which must be integrated into national development planning processes, namely: (i) Understanding Disaster Risk in all its dimensions of exposure, vulnerability, and hazard characteristics; (ii) Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance to Manage Disaster Risk, including National Platforms; (iii) Investing in Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience; (iv) Enhancing Disaster Preparedness for Effective Response and to "Build Back Better" in Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction. Key targets for 2030 include substantially reducing damage to critical infrastructure and disruptions to basic services, increasing periodic testing of risk-informed plans, and promoting climate risk insurance uptake.
The targets and interventions in the 4 priority areas, in more detail, are: (i) increasing access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information for the populace, building resilience among vulnerable populations by reducing their exposure to climate-related and other shocks, and integrating Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) into all levels of education and training systems; (ii) strengthening disaster risk governance at all levels by 2030, emphasizing clear vision, plans, competence, and coordination across sectors and with stakeholders, which involves increasing the number of districts with implemented disaster risk management strategies, and significantly enhancing international cooperation to bolster national DRR efforts and foster knowledge exchange and capacity development through networks and specialized centers; (iii) building resilience against increasing disaster risks by investing in disaster risk reduction with several ambitious targets for 2030, including substantially reducing national disaster mortality and the number of affected people (aiming for lower average figures compared to past decades), significantly reducing direct disaster economic losses relative to GDP, expanding domestic financing for DRR, ensuring access to safe housing and basic services for all, strengthening community and environmental resilience to hazards, and mainstreaming DRR into all development planning to mitigate loss and damage; (iv) enhancing disaster preparedness and recovery to "Build Back Better" by addressing underlying vulnerabilities like informal settlements and promoting resilient infrastructure.