Guidance for Capacity and Resource Base

How to identify and close gaps between existing resources and anticipated environment related emergency response needs

Take stock of existing personnel, equipment and financial resources to respond to, and recover from, environmental emergencies and the environmental impacts of disasters. Such a capacity assessment may be done as part of overall disaster preparedness or may have been carried out as part of disaster risk reduction efforts (see, for example CADRI). Ask the following questions:

Which environmental competencies are available in country (Ministries, research institutions, NGOs, local community knowledge)?
Do national systems / thresholds for requesting and accepting international environmental assistance exist?
- Environmental experts in certain technical fields can be deployed (see the Environmental Emergencies Guidelines), as well as an Environmental Field Advisor to support the integration of environment in humanitarian action.
Which national and international funding mechanisms exist for dealing with environmental contamination of disasters (such as national oil spill funds or international support mechanisms)?

Make use of existing capacity development programs to support the integration of environment into disaster response and recovery (see also Trainings & Exercises).

Humanitarian actors: Include environmental actors into disaster preparedness trainings and exercises.
Environmental actors: Strengthen knowledge of existing national response systems.

Environmental Situation Analysis

Understanding the current and potential future environmental conditions of a region is essential for an efficient and sustainable response

Assessments

Risk analysis provides a common understanding and prioritization of risks, and should include existing environmental conditions and threats

Environmental Preparedness Planning

Addressing environment as part of preparedness planning lays the foundation for its integration into humanitarian action.

Risk Awareness

Communicating risks effectively to populations and communities is essential for people to be able to be better prepared and to reduce the damaging impacts of hazards.

Institutional and Legal System

Policies supported by institutional frameworks and legal arrangements make up the disaster risk management framework. In order to systematically integrate environmental concerns in humanitarian action, one must consider the institutional arrangements governing disaster preparedness, response, recovery and emergency funding.

EHA Connect

Capacity and Resource Base