Building urban resilience: A guide for Red Cross and Red Crescent engagement and contribution
Cities and urban areas provide important opportunities for the development of communities and nations. But risks caused by rapid and often improper urbanization, compounded by natural hazards, create some of the major challenges in the 21st Century.
This guide offers advice on how Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and our partners can best build urban resilience in light of increasing and changing urban risks.
International Disaster Response Law in the Pacific: Summary and country profiles
Pacific Island countries are extremely vulnerable to climate change and natural hazards, which are major challenges for the development aspirations of the people of the Pacific and their environment. As such, it is critical that domestic laws and polices provide clear rules of the road to guide national and international humanitarian efforts.
This research report examines the legal preparedness for international disaster assistance across the 16 English-speaking member states of the Pacific Islands Forum. Individual country profiles for each of these states are also available in the report below.
The power of youth: In Vanuatu, young volunteers keep the water flowing
Jean Philipe Clement, 58, stands ankle deep in the river that causes him and his community many sleepless nights.As he slowly sifts through the debris left behind by the recent floods, he feels a sense of bitterness thinking about the next rainfall, knowing it will come sooner or later — likely bringing further flooding in his community.He grips the handle of his trusty cane knife with one hand, and holds the stem of a tree branch with the other. As he swings the sharp metal blade at the base of the branch, a cracking sound can be heard as the branch is detached from the tree. It’s the only time the sounds of the mosquitoes are drowned out.“We are trimming some of the treetops so that the sunlight can pass through and dry up whatever water is left after the floods,” he explains.“The main cause of the flooding is the improper disposal of rubbish. People do not throw their rubbish in the right place and it’s their carelessness that is blocking the drainage and causing the flooding.”“The stagnant water has also resulted in breeding of mosquitoes.”‘No other option’While the water has receded over time, it is nothing compared to the terrifying experience water pouring into doorways in nearby Solwe, a community of 900 people located in Luganville on Santo island – a 45-minute flight from Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila.“When it rains, the water comes from the hills and the plantations. Then it meets in the middle where Solwe is located. Because of the debris clogging up the river, this has disrupted the flow of water.”“There is no outlet for the water and, as a result, the water has nowhere to go and levels start to rise and make its way inland, right to the houses.”Once the flooding has reached homes, children are not able to travel to school as the roads are underwater.“Most times the water levels reach as high as the windows of the houses. People have to enter and exit their homes using wooden planks,” says Philipe.“They have no other option.”Youth taking actionJust as his hopes for finding a solution for the frequent flooding was ebbing, Vanuatu Red Cross youth volunteers decided to take action.Vanuatu Red Cross youth volunteers in Solwe completed training in ‘Y-Adapt’, a curriculum for young people consisting of games and activities designed to help them understand climate change and to take practical action to adapt to the changing climate in their community.From this, they took the initiative to help people like Philipe prepare for the next rainfall – by clearing debris from the river and trimming treetops to let sunlight dry up stagnant water.Through the support of the IFRC and Japanese Red Cross, the volunteers completed the Y-Adapt programme and were able to purchase a brush cutter, chain saw, rakes, wheelbarrow and gloves to help with their clean-up campaign.“If we continue to clean the debris that is disrupting the flow of water and make new drainages, the water will flow out to the river and not straight into people's homes,” says Tiffanie Boihilan, 27, one of the Red Cross volunteers living in Solwe.Y-Adapt encourages youth to focus on low cost interventions that don’t require large-scale investment or technology to implement but that can nonetheless reduce the impacts of extreme-weather events.‘If we are lucky’In nearby Mango Station, a similar story is unfolding, though under very different conditions. Here, the sky is blue and the ground is dry. Heads turn to the skies to see the slightest hint of a dark cloud that might bring rain.On days like this, vegetable gardens are battered under the heat of the midday sun.Animals seek out shade wherever they can. Empty buckets in each hand as community members set foot on the dry, dusty terrain bound for the nearest creek – an hour away.Eric Tangarasi, 51, is the chief of Mango station. Married with six children, he says he hopes it will rain soon. Rain will replenish the sole water tank serving more than 900 people.Mango station relies on the public water supply, but that has been inconsistent. On some days, there is no water at all. With the nearest river about an hour walk through rough terrain, the best and safest option for this community is rain water.“In the community, there is a big challenge for water,” says Eric. “Sometimes there is no water for 2 or 3 days. Sometimes it can be as long as one month.”“If we are lucky, the water supply comes on at around midnight until 2am, that’s when each household stores enough water for cooking and drinking.”"Currently we have only one water tank for the community, and with over 900 people living here, we must use the tank sparingly making sure we leave enough for the others to use.”Once again, the Vanuatu Red Cross youth volunteers swung into action.As part of their Y-Adapt activities (and again with support from the IFRC and Japanese Red Cross), the Red Cross youth volunteers in Mango began to address the issues of water scarcity at the community level.“There are 17 people living with disabilities and it is difficult for them when the water runs out,” says Pascalina Moltau, 26, is a Vanuatu Red Cross volunteer who lives in Mango community and has been part of this project from the start. “They cannot travel to the nearby creek as accessibility is a huge challenge, it is not safe for them.”“We also must think of the elderly people. They are not strong enough to withstand the difficult terrain to get to the nearby creek and then carry water all the way back.”After discussions within the community to find out best course of action, they purchased an additional 10,000-litre water tank to supplement the existing 6,000-litre water tank. The volunteers, together with the community, began their Y-Adapt implementation plan by building the foundation for the water tank.“This 10,000 litre water tank will help the community with the growing demand for water,” Eric says. “We do not have to wait until midnight to store water now and we can be more able to manage water.”
We need to do better: Climate-related disasters and child protection in Southeast Asia
This joint report by the IFRC and the Global Child Protection Area of Responsibilityoffers a series of practical actions to improve the protection of children in Southeast Asia during climate-related disasters.
It is based on analysis from an online survey conducted with more than 33,000 children and young respondents aged 10-25 in the region, as well as stakeholder interviews with Red Cross Societies, NGOs and others, and existing research.
Learn more about the IFRC's work on climate-related disasters and protection.
Cornerstone Privacy Policy for IFRC Learning Platform
Privacy policy for Cornerstone Client Portal which hosts the IFRC Learning Platform.
The Future of Forecasts: Impact-based Forecasting for Early Action
Impact-based forecasting provides the information needed to act before disasters to minimise the socio-economic costs of weather and climate hazards.
Organizations and individuals can make critical decisions to ensure that resources and supplies are in place to take early action and to respond as soon as it is safe to do so.
Learn more about early warning, early action.
Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance
Floods affect more people globally than any other type of natural hazard. In the last ten years alone, floods have affected over 734 million people. Moreover, as a result of climate change, both the number of floods and their impact on affected communities are expected to increase dramatically. In 2018, IFRC, Zurich Insurance and a combination of non-governmental and research organizations formed a fiver year partnership called the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance. Its long-term vision is that floods will have no negative impact on the ability of people and businesses to thrive.
Global Health Security
In a safe and secure world, people anticipate, respond to, and quickly recover from crisis, lead safe, healthy and dignified lives, and have ample opportunities to thrive.The IFRC promotes community action to strengthen resilience, reduce risks and better prepare for disasters and crises such as natural hazards, epidemics, technological accidents, or population movement. The multi-hazard approach is pivotal for managing risks that are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, urbanisation, and emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.Our National Red Cross Red Crescent Societies are present before, during and after a crisis. As part of the communities they serve, they are able to engage their communities fully. They are the trusted partner of choice for local humanitarian action within a global network. Through their branches, the National Societies support communities in preventing and controlling diseases, reducing disaster risk, establishing early warning and early action mechanisms, maintaining readiness for various emergencies, and helping communities respond to them.
Southern Madagascar: Enhancing local food production through sustainable community-based solutions
Southern Madagascar depends on rain-fed agriculture, but recurrent and prolonged drought for the past 20 years is having a devastating impact on access to food for communities.
The Commune of Ambatoabo, Anosy region is no longer the rice provider for the main town due to unfavourable climate conditions. This is a consequence of El Niño which has caused a rainfall deficit and led to a reduction in agricultural productivity, loss of seeds and the deterioration of crops. The Malagasy Red Cross has been implementing a Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) operation in this locality from December 2020 and is now leading recovery activities.
Through the interventions of the Malagasy Red Cross in the Commune of Ambatoabo with the support of the IFRC and partners, the focus has been put on resilient and community-based agriculture, where fruits, local trees and anti-erosive trees have been prioritized. While seeds, tools and technical support are provided, local-based Red Cross volunteers are in charge of mobilizing the community around the nursery trees and vegetable garden activities, and follow-up on the sites.
Now, 33 vegetable garden managers and 22 nurserymen are active in the management of these sites. They were trained on nursery installation, reforestation (planting and digging), and land management, as well as technical training on sowing, planting, and pricking. The local-based Red Cross volunteers acquired the necessary skills to look after the sites and to guide the communities. Also underway is training in crop protection against diseases and insects, using biological techniques.
Daniel Aristide, a 40-year-old farmer, is part of this pool of local-based Red Cross volunteers. Taking part in this operation is a way of learning efficient and adapted techniques of cultivation but especially to “Contribute at his level to the development of his commune”. He also added, “Up to now, three tree nursery sites have been set up with 11,000 plants each. But the goal is to make communities from each locality of Ambatoabo set up and look after their own sites; that is why they come here to learn the techniques first."
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Click here to learn more about the IFRC's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF).
City heat wave guide for Red Cross Red Crescent branches
Heat waves are deadly disasters that are increasingly common and can seriously affect human health and well-being.
This guide is based on our comprehensive heat wave guide for cities and is tailored towards practical actions that Red Cross and Red Crescent branches can take to prepare for, and respond to, heat waves in towns and cities.
World Disasters Report 2010: Focus on urban risk
While more than 10 years old, the World Disasters Report 2010 still offers valuable insights into urban risk and has helped the IFRC to develop our work in urban resilienceover the past decade.
The signs of our vulnerability to urban risk are everywhere. An earthquake can bring hospitals, schools and homes tumbling down with unspeakably tragic consequences. A volcano can throw city airports into chaos. Flood waters can turn well-kept streets into detritus-strewn canals. The drug trade can turn an inner city into a war zone. An epidemic can spread rapidly through a crowded slum.
As the pendulum of human development swings increasingly away from the countryside to the city, we see that rapid urbanization and population growth are combining to create enormous new challenges for the humanitarian community and pushing us out of our comfort zone to deal with a strange new urban world.
Iran 2023 Plan
IFRC network country plan for Iran in 2023.
World Disasters Report 2013: Focus on technology and the future of humanitarian action
In 2012, fewer people were reported to have died or been affected as a result of disasters than any other year during the previous decade, according to figures presented in this report.
While these numbers are positive news, they also reflect the absence of major events like the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in 2008 or the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
We have learned from these major disasters. At the same time we must continue to improve and innovate to make disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery more effective and accountable. With these objectives in mind, this year’s World Disasters Report focuses on the rapid spread of technologies, especially information and communication technologies, which is changing humanitarian action and humanitarians, too.
PASSA Youth Manual and Toolkit
PASSA stands for participatory approach for safe shelter and settlements awareness. It is the IFRC's participatory method of disaster risk reduction related to shelter and settlements safety.
PASSA youth is a variation of this method. It aims to develop the capacity of young people to make positive changes in their communities in relation to safe shelter and habitat related risks.
Download the PASSA Youth manual and related, complementary tools below.
Disaster risk management policy
Disasters can have devastating impacts on individuals and communities. The frequency, complexity and severity of impacts are likely to increase in the future due to factors such as climate change, displacement, conflict, rapid and unplanned urbanization, technological hazards and public health emergencies.
This policy covers our approach to all kinds of disasters, in all contexts, including fragile, protracted and conflict situations, in both urban and rural areas. It promotes integrated approaches so that all stages of the disaster risk management continuum are considered together in a coherent way, replacing the previous IFRC policies on Disaster Preparedness (1999), Emergency Response (1997), Post-emergency Rehabilitation (1999) and Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (2001).