Disaster risk control system: Improved but it is not enough
That is the opinion of researchers at the National Economics University after conducting an assessment of the current status and limitations of the disaster risk management (DRM) system in Vietnam.
Vietnam is one of the countries heavily affected by climate change. Artwork: Groundswell Report 2021
With a coastline of 3,240 km, combined with diverse topography, Vietnam is one of the countries most affected by climate change and facing high disaster risks, ranked 91/191 country according to the INFORM Risk Index 2019.
In 2022, our country has suffered more than 1,000 natural disasters with 21 out of 22 types of natural disasters. Ensuring early warning information and timely and thorough rescue and rescue is one of the most important factors to minimize damage, especially in remote areas.
To assess the current status and limitations of the disaster risk management system in Vietnam, a research team at the National Economics University used the PSR (Pressure-State-Reaction) model. combined with the DRM management framework of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to evaluate the risk management system in Vietnam on five aspects: legal framework, organizations in the system, financial resources, coherence with national and local planning, education and disaster warning.
The results show that the bright spot is that disaster risk management capacity in Vietnam has improved in recent years. In particular, the Law on Disaster Prevention and Control and the National Strategy for Disaster Prevention, Response and Mitigation to 2020 are typical examples showing the government's efforts to strengthen risk management capacity.
In addition, Vietnam has also established a well-organized disaster risk management system from central to local levels consisting of four levels (national, provincial, district and commune levels). In particular, at the central level, the Central Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control - led by the General Department of Disaster Prevention and Control of Vietnam - is the main decision-making and policy-making body. In addition, the National Committee for Incidents, Disasters and Search and Rescue (VINASARCOM) is the Government's focal agency for search and rescue, responsible for helping the Prime Minister coordinate ministries, sectors and localities in search and rescue of natural disasters. The financial resources for this management have been arranged from the internal and external budgets of the state budget.
The research team suggested that, in the coming time, Vietnam needs to strengthen the capacity of agencies as well as have a cooperation mechanism, develop an information sharing network among the parties - including the disaster management agency, localities, sectors and civil society to support the process of planning and formulating risk management policies. In addition, financial planning and establishment of risk-sharing mechanisms, such as disaster insurance are also important to protect poor people and their livelihoods and infrastructure from the impact of disasters.
Kết quả nghiên cứu được công bố trong bài báo “Disaster risk management system in Vietnam: progress and challenges” (2022) trên tạp chí Heliyon.
The research results were published in the article "Disaster risk management system in Vietnam: progress and challenges" (2022) in the journal Heliyon.