Since January 2016 Fumiyo Kagawa has been engaged in a consultancy commissioned by UNICEF’s HQ Social Inclusion (SI) Section in conjunction with its Humanitarian, Action and Transition (HATIS) Section on Child-Sensitive Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) within a Decentralization and Local Governance (DeLoG) Context. The consultancy aims to support evidence-based UNICEF programming on DRR within a DeLoG context.
Fumiyo has conducted a desk review to identify best practice and lessons learned in disaster risk reduction programming in a DeLoG context, followed by desk- and field-based research assessing the de jure and de facto situation of local governance and DRR in three countries: Kenya, Nepal and the Philippines. Fumiyo visited the Philippines from 6-12 March, Kenya from 16-22 April and Nepal from 30 April-6 May. In each country she conducted interviews with national and sub-national level key players and stakeholders to explore institutional frameworks, legislative, policy and planning frameworks for decentralized DRR, budgetary and financial aspects and accountability and participatory mechanisms. The field-based research also included documentation of UNICEF programming experience in DRR in a DeLoG context.
Since the field research, a research paper has been drafted including three country case studies as well as ideas and recommendations to UNICEF for more effective decentralized DRR programming.
In early September 2016 , Fumiyo will facilitate a workshop for UNICEF officers in Bangkok where she will share key research findings and further gather UNICEF Country Office DRR programming experiences in DeLoG contexts. A Technical Guidance Note is to be written for UNICEF officers on how to best support and optimize decentralized DRR initiatives.