The policies adopted by disaster management centers is a top priority for regional countries which are now experiencing changes in what can be described as “nature’s fury” in recent years through rising temperatures and seawater levels, diminishing resources, events such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and landslides. This has happened in Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, Djibouti, Yemen, Oman and Turkey. Early warning systems, operation rooms and disaster management centers have not reduced their impact, but in fact have resulted in human and material losses. This indicates there are problems in the models of disaster management centers, including absence of a central body connecting disaster management agencies, lack of funding, weak infrastructure, domination of security considerations, weakening of civil society and few viable cadres.

Red belt:

The majority of global literature reveals that most Arab countries are in the “red belt” zone which experiences extreme climate phenomena. Margareta Wahlström, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, said in September, 2014, that “the Arab region suffers flooding, droughts, hurricanes, sandstorms, earthquakes and climate change which have raised seawater levels. This is a threat to many urban areas in the Arab world.” This is not a new outlook, since the UN designated the 1990s as the “international decade for natural disaster reduction”.

The Hyogo Framework for Action (2005-2015) is the first international agreement on reduction of disasters, ratified by 168 countries and several institutions including the World Bank, UN, private sector organizations and civil society, aimed to include considerations related to disaster risks more effectively in sustainable development policies, plans and programs on different levels. The aim of the global strategy for reducing disasters is to support local capabilities to deal with the risks of disasters, including programs that lessen their repercussions and promote national action plans.

One global report shows the number of natural disasters has almost doubled around the world since 1980, but has multiplied threefold in the Arab region. The risk of dying in flooding from torrential rains is dropping around the world since 2000, but in the Arab region it is still rising. This requires consideration of mechanisms and flexible and smart plans that “preempt disaster before it happens”.

Arab interests:

The 2020 Arab Strategy for the Reduction of Disasters was adopted during the 22nd session of the Arab Ministers Council in Cairo on 19-20 December, with the aim of cutting the cost and loss in lives, social property, economy, and environment in local communities and Arab countries resulting from disasters. It was adopted by heads of states in recognition of the dangers of frequent disasters that threaten the development process in the region.

The Arab League is interested in developing this strategy in cooperation with the Regional Office of Arab Countries affiliated to the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), with contributions from regional technical institutes, UN agencies, the World Bank, and networks of civil society groups. It has held many fora to this end, most notably the first Arab conference for the reduction of disasters held in Aqaba, Jordan, on 19-21 March, 2013, and the second such conference held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on 14-16 September 2014.

Gulf frameworks:

In terms of branch regional organizations, a Disaster and Crisis Management Center for GCC countries was established in 2012 in Kuwait, to deal with natural disasters before, during and after they occur in any Gulf country – as seen in flooding in Jeddah, cyclones Gonu, Phet and Chapala in Oman, red tide pollution in Kuwait, and rising water levels in Bahrain.

In Qatar, there is growing interest in disaster management because otherwise it takes unprepared countries a long time to recover and could set affected cities and areas many years back. The Risk Management Forum in Dubai on 13-14 December, 2016, noted the need for close cooperation with the US Risk Management Organization to reduce the level of regional risks, and raise awareness about disaster management.

At its meeting in Abu Dhabi on May 12th 2016, the Arab Council of Ministers for Meteorology stressed the importance of following weather and climate information management plans in Arab countries, policies on extreme weather events, and proposing to heads of Arab meteorological services a joint early warning system in the Arab region.

On March 14th 2016, Doha hosted the fourth meeting of the GCC Risk Management Committee which discussed natural and unnatural regional hazards and how to address them in the Arabian Gulf by Gulf experts and consultants, and update a plan to address regional disasters to explore the strong and weak points in confronting these hazards. The Regional Center for Arab Countries of the UNDP at a forum on “enabling GCC countries to confront disasters” in Kuwait on 16-17 December 2015, stressed the need to draft a unified regional hazards database. 

Former Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb had previously urged for a unified Arab strategy to limit disaster risks that can be integrated and applied with the goals of sustainable development and development agenda beyond 2015. This requires serious hard work to agree on goals that are measurable and achievable, serves the developmental outlook of the Arab region, and contribute to connecting national plans to limit disaster hazards on the one hand while achieving economic growth on the other.

In December 2016, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail formed a national committee for crisis and disaster management based on a comprehensive institutional framework, and effective integration of considerations to limit hazards and disasters in sustainable development policies. Also, support and coordination among all governorates and ministries relevant to managing disaster hazards. 

There are several factors obstructing disaster management centers from performing their duties promptly, including:

Isolated islands:

1-    Lack of connectivity: The efforts of a crisis cell or role of disaster management bodies in regional countries are growing without coordination among them. In fact, sometimes there are disputes and conflicts among them that go unresolved. This requires a review of performance and creating a central body capable of prediction. At times, there is an extreme disconnect between the ideas center and drafting corresponding plans and policies for a comprehensive system. Crises are further complicated when there is a severe natural disaster because some disasters are trans-border.

Financing:

2-    Lack of funds: A key obstacle preventing disaster management centers in Middle East countries from doing their job is that most of them have small budgets that are directed to other sectors and projects. Albeit, there is a role for international financial institutions, especially the World Bank and regional developmental banks to limit disaster hazards. UN offices in Arab countries can play the role of mediator between donors from international funds and countries receiving aid to implement projects that limit the hazards of disasters.

Dilapidated infrastructure:

3-    Poor infrastructure: The challenges of regional disaster management centers are greater because of dilapidated infrastructure in terms of roads, bridges and dams. This is further complicated after a disastrous event occurs. Egypt’s Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities Mustafa Madbouli said in his address at the inauguration of the 33rd session of the Arab Housing and Urban Development Council on December 20th 2016: “The destruction in some Arab countries caused by military operations, terrorism and natural disasters compels us to prioritize procedures for development and reconstruction, and repairing basic infrastructure and housing that were destroyed by events. This requires us to explore how to cooperate and exchange expertise in this field since it will be a vital domain of action in coming years.”

4-    Domination of security considerations: Although disaster management requires utilizing a variety of expertise including in politics, economy, security, management, social and media, security concerns will sometimes dominate the perspective of state institutions or agencies in dealing with the hazards of disasters. This could lead to concealing some information that could help teach from previous experience, and relying on management through disaster instead of disaster management on issues that grab domestic public opinion.

Absent spaces:

5-    Weakening civil society: Most regional countries are moving towards restricting the role of civil society, which detracts from the power to manage disasters since there is a general belief that disaster management is the role of state agencies without the contribution of other institutions and bodies. The role of civil society is reduced to donations for victims but not preparing for disaster management or contributing to training workers in this field. This indicates the lack of a comprehensive approach to disaster management.

6-    Limited effective cadres in government, private and civil sectors to limit disaster hazards:Some literature links this to the bureaucracy’s resistance to the changes needed for managing the hazards of disasters, and some if these agencies resorting to minimizing the severity of the disaster or skirting it. This squanders the state’s energy, prevents the best use of resources and does not lead to accumulation of practical experience in disaster management. There are some exceptions, nonetheless, such as in the case of the UAE. Gamal Mohamed Al-Hosni, director of the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NECDMA), said in an interview with the UAE-based Al-Bayan newspaper on September 25th 2016: “The rate of nationals hired in NECDMA is the highest in the country at 100 percent. And we aim to recruit more highly qualified national cadres in various specialties. Emiratis have proven that they are qualified and capable of shouldering responsibility and protecting the nation’s gains.” He added that NECDMA has generated a hazards and threats profile on the national and local levels, and updates it regularly.

7-    Politicizing relief aid: This applies to disaster hazard management in armed domestic conflict hotbeds. On October 14th 2016, several civil authorities and organizations in rural Damascus were formed in the districts of Jobar and eastern Ghouta that are categorized as disaster areas, at a time when Assad’s regime claims they are home to terrorist combatants who must be eradicated.

The above factors show that disasters in regional countries, especially Arab nations, reoccur. One of the pressing challenges limiting disaster hazards is deficient management to limit them. Also, weak coordination mechanisms within and among countries to deal in a comprehensive manner, preventing new hazards and building the capabilities of institutions in confronting disasters.

Complementary roles:

This has led to launching an Arab research center for confronting disasters called the Arab Center for the Prevention of Earthquake and Natural Disaster Hazards headquartered in Algeria and funded by all Arab countries. It could contribute to creating an Arab mechanism for rapid response to assist disaster stricken countries, and coordinate among agencies and specialized centers in Arab countries under the umbrella of the Arab League. Also, stimulate the role of government and regional organizations and boost coordination between them and UN regional offices to limit the impact of disasters.

In the absence of disaster management institutions or authorities, it is necessary to create a national authority for disaster management with branches across the country, with a national fund. Each governorate would specify its financial and human resources needs and coordinate with the authority, which will be reflected in local and federal programs in each emirate within the UAE relating to prevention and preparation for emergency and disaster events.

Managing disaster hazards is a key component of national policy and planning, and requires several programs across the region dealing with disasters, by making it easy to acquire information related to disaster hazards, building capabilities and developing policies to limit disasters, supporting recovery and reconstruction plans after disasters. Natural disasters are usually very costly.

It is also important to note the importance of exchanging expertise in disaster management in the region with experts and specialists around the globe. There is also a need to take several measures to alleviate the damage of disasters when they occur, including mapping out areas where natural disaster could occur and utilizing early warning systems for earthquakes, floods and high tide, as well as a simulator system for natural disasters.

Preventive investment:

It is also important to raise social awareness in regional countries through disaster management centers training various civilian sectors to deal with disasters. Raising awareness about the hazards of any disaster is a large part of preventing its repercussions. Development that does not take into consideration the risks of disasters makes disasters more burdensome. Disaster management cannot wait for disaster to strike, preventing losses is less costly than reconstruction after the fact. Natural disasters cannot be avoided but their repercussions can be reduced through early warning and integrating risk assessment with prevention measures.