Cambodia : Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction

Public sector management / Public administration

Project Impact: Reduced negative impacts of floods and other disasters on the most vulnerable communities in Cambodia.

Outcome: Disaster management capacity at the district and commune level strengthened.

Outputs:

1. Improved Institutional and technical capacity of priority districts on disaster risk reduction and management;

2. Enhanced Capacity of target communes for disaster risk reduction and management;

3. Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction activities implemented; and

4. Effective Project Management

Cambodia experiences drought and flood incidents that impact a significant portion of its poor population every year. In 2009, Typhoon Ketsana affected 11 of the 24 provinces and caused a total damage of USD 39 million (NCDM 2009). In 2011, Cambodia suffered extensive and prolonged rains (from August to October) which resulted in unprecedented floods in 18 of the 24 provinces. The flood had widespread impacts on public infrastructure and many communities causing the death of 250 people, USD625 million in damages and affecting more than 1.5 million people (ADB 2012) . As global climate conditions continue to change, Cambodia will experience increasingly unpredictable flood and drought occurrences that may overwhelm the country's limited capacity and resources. As global climate conditions continue to change, Cambodia will experience increasingly unpredictable flood and drought occurrences that may overwhelm the country's limited capacity and resources.

The NCDM, established in 1995, is the country's main disaster management agency to facilitate the inter-ministerial responses to emergency and disaster events. As part of its ongoing investment in disaster response and rehabilitation, the ADB commissioned an Institutional Review and Capacity Assessment of the NCDM. The assessment involved a review of the policies, structure, performance and outputs of NCDM through individual interviews with NCDM staff, line ministries, development partners, NGOs as well as secondary data and observations of coordination meetings over a six-month period.

Findings indicate that NCDM operations are severely challenged with non-functional organizational structures which it attributes largely to the lack of financial resources. At the national level, NCDM meetings do not occur regularly as mandated and for the past several years, government ministries and stakeholders have only met as a result of emergencies and disasters. The NCDM's General Secretariat is also not operating effectively. Neither the NCDM General Secretariat nor any of its operational departments have developed annual action or operating plans, nor have any of them been provided with annual operating budgets. At the sub-national level, the Disaster Management (DM) committees have likewise been given the responsibility to lead disaster management efforts at their respective administrative levels without being provided adequate resources. Conditions at the sub-national level are actually more challenging considering they are front-line actors that have to address the direct effects and impact of emergencies and disaster events Their operations are also constrained by the lack of clear cut guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) covering their roles and responsibilities in relation to each other (i.e., PCDM-DCDM-CCDM), with the NCDM and with the different local and international organizations that usually respond to emergencies and disasters.

The current NSDP 2009-2013, recognizes disaster risk reduction and its correlation to poverty in the country. Strengthening community resilience to disasters should be a priority agenda as this contributes to poverty alleviation and to the general improvement in quality of life, the primary objectives of the government. The introduction of hazards and vulnerability assessments, early warning systems, emergency response plans, and community preparedness and recovery plans will enable local communities to directly address their specific vulnerabilities and address primary contributors to poverty in the country.

ADB's Strategy for 2020 includes commitment to support Disaster and Emergency Assistance along with core areas of infrastructure, environment and climate change. The current ADB Country Partnership Strategy (2011-2013) addresses the cross-cutting challenges of environment and climate change and decentralization and deconcentration (D&D), and was informed by the Special Evaluation Study on ADB's Response to Natural Disasters and Disaster Risks , ADB is supporting the RGC in developing two proposals that will address the existing issues and structural weaknesses of the country's disaster management capacities: (i) a technical assistance project to address disaster management issues at the national (policy) level, at the NCDM secretariat, and at the Provincial level; and (ii) a grant project (this project) that will complement the planned institutional strengthening by institutionalizing community based disaster risk reduction and coordination through localized structures at the district and commune levels.

The multi-level capacity building nature of the proposed project falls under the theme of public sector management, which forms the base for improved operations of projects in all ADB target sectors . In addition, as part of ADB's support to the government's decentralization agenda, ADB commits to working with emerging or existing decentralization structures.

The Project implementation activities completed on 31 December 2018.

Computers and printers for all relevant agencies and the sub-national levels have been equipped. The office supplies provided.

To be better mainstream the TA and grant implementation, a Coordination Workshop on the Revision of TA & Grant Integrated Workplan for 2017-2018 was conducted on 30 October 2017 in Siem Reap Province. The participants from the national and provincial levels were invited.

Offices for PCDMs and DCDMs have been established and equipped with computers and printers.

The Grant Implementation Manual (GIM) has been produced and translated into Khmer language. The dissemination workshop was organized and 200 copies of GIM were distributed to PCDMs, DCDMs, and CCDMs.

150 booklets on District Procurement Guideline had been produced, published, and distributed to all project targets (PCDMs, DCDMs, and CCDMs). The Guidelines will support the small-scale infrastructure subprojects implementation.

Institutional and technical capacity of priority districts on disaster risk reduction and management improved

Capacity of target communes for disaster risk reduction and management enhanced.

Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation activities implemented

Effective Project Management

The Project implementation activities completed on 31 December 2018.

The project established and equipped the 18 target districts with necessary information and communication technology (ICT) and office equipment. The project trained 36 DCDM members from 18 target districts on the use of ICT equipment and they can now use ICT equipment. The project assisted in revising the structure of the 18 district committees for disaster management (DCDMs) and trained DCDM members on the DRM . Total 18 Disaster Response Teams (DRT) with 377 members/ 124 women were established and received necessary trainings to perform their functions. Project had provided 4 days comprehensive training on Gender and DRR to 72 women who are members of 18 DCDMS.

The project team assisted DCDMs in developing district-DRR Plan and 15 districts have district-DRR. Two common issues were identified during the development of district-DRR Plan: (1) Limitation capacity of DCDMs in DRR concept and (2) Lack of water sources and sanitation and hygiene facilities and they were integrated into District development plan for resolving.

The guidelines for implementing the simulation/drill exercise for DCDMs and CCDMs were developed and four simulation exercises/drills with total of 848 participants including 346 women were conducted. Total 18 Disaster Response Teams (DRT) with 377 members/ 124 women were established and received necessary trainings to perform their functions. Project had provided 4 days comprehensive training on Gender and DRR to 72 women who are members of 18 DCDMS.

Establish project website, create project contents and DRR/CCA link on website.

Appointed NCDMS focal point for website maintenance.

Published on project website and compiled record at NCDMS.

The grant closing date was extended for an additional 12 months, from 31 August 2017 to 31 August 2018, through Memo dated 12 April 2017; and to 31 December 2018, through Memo dated 17 July 2018.

Priority districts and communes opened the bank account at commercial banks acceptable to ADB. All priority districts and communes received second transfer of DRR funds.

- 12 small scale infrastructure subprojects (2,2678 m in lengths) at districts level had been rehabilitated and completed.

- 24 small scale infrastructure subprojects at commune level had been rehabilitated and almost completed.

Procurement Handbook for DRR and CCA Small Scale Infrastructure subproject for district was developed by NCDDS and approved by ADB. It was translated into Khmer and 150 district procurement handbooks were published. Three training courses on project preparation, district procurement and project implementation handbook, DRR and CCA planning at district level have been organized for provincial planning and investment division (PID), provincial project management advisors, district governors, deputy district governors, district procurement committee, district technical assistant (DTA), provincial, district and commune disaster risk reduction mainstreaming and capacity building advisors and TA advisers, and project facilitator. The training courses were organized by NCDDS and NCDMS on 17 to 19 January 2017 in Kampong Cham province, 24 to 26 January 2017 in Siem Reap province and 7 to 9 February 2017 in Battambang province. There were 205 participants in which 34 (17%) were female.

A total of 108 Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) was developed and signed between NCDDs and 12 districts (from the target districts) and 24 communes (from the target communes) to set up and use the investment funds under this project, in compliance with the CDRR project document and NCDDS's policy.

NCDMS's website (http://adbproject.ncdm.gov.kh) was created and effectively connects with all stakeholders. All project procurement documents, project best practices related to DRR, and project progress report have been posted on the website to share information and to receive feedbacks as well as to collect new DRR knowledge products from all stakeholders.

A project reflection workshop was conducted from 13-15 June 2018 at Kep province with 154 participants (among whom 19 were women) comprising directors of provincial planning and investment division, district and deputy district governors, district technical assistant, provincial CDRR advisers, commune councilors, clerk of communes from 6 target provinces. The workshop discussed the achievements and lessons learnt from the grant implementation and provide direction for future operation and maintenance to ensure sustainability. Final completion workshop was organized on 25 December 2018 in Siem Reap to share project progress and to take stocks all lessons learnt and .

The project established and equipped all 54 target communes with necessary information and communication technology (ICT) and office equipment. One laptop and one printer were provided to each of the 37 communes with the support of office supplies as well. It is to note that 17 target communes have already received one set of laptop and printer from another ADB financed project, Tonle Sap Poverty Reduction and Smallholder Development Project. Twelve communes have received one set of solar panel each (for those that do not have access to electricity grid). All 54 communes received on set of office furniture which included one office chair, desk and file cabinet. A special service provider to deliver the ICT training skills for DCDMs and CCDMs was engaged and delivered the ICT training to CCDMs. The ICT training courses were started in Q2 and completed in Q4 2018. All 54 target communes can operate ICT equipment.

There were 108 commune staff who participated in Consultative Workshops to develop DRR/CCA plans which include hazard and vulnerability mapping.

45 communes have produced Commune DRR Plan. NCDMS agreed to continue assisting the remaining communes to DRR/CCA plans after the project completion with their own or other project's resources.

Six coordinating meetings with the objective to revise the CCDM management structure were conducted in 6 provinces with 552 participants (among whom 53 were women) from DCDM, CCDM and NGOs. Three awareness raising events were conducted at commune level on early warning, family pre-disaster, emergency response, and how to use small scale infrastructure in time of disaster for beneficiaries of small-scale infrastructure within two districts and 4 communes of Prey Veng Province with total of 350 community participants.

The Grant will require an estimated 198 person-months of national consultant inputs, to be engaged

through individual consultant section (ICS) process in accordance with ADB's Guidelines on the

Use of Consultants (2013, as amended from time to time)