Learning from China's Disaster Risk Management: Resilience Strategies and Lessons for Global Practice

Insights from China's Progress in Disaster Risk Management: Learning from Experience

In a land where natural disasters are as much a part of the landscape as towering mountns and bustling cities, China has long confronted an array of seismic activity, typhoons, floods, droughts, and more. Last year alone saw economic losses exceeding CNY 300 billion $47.5 billion due to these events. Currently grappling with catastrophic flooding that necessitated the evacuation of four million people across 27 provinces, China has been making significant strides in enhancing resilience agnst disasters. Our latest knowledge note, co-authored with experts from China's Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management ADREM, Beijing Normal University, elucidates recent advancements in national resilience-building efforts and distills lessons on how to strengthen resilience at scale.

Key Lessons from China's Progress:

1. Strategic Planning and Guidance: The first multi-year, all-encompassing National Disaster Reduction Plan was drafted for the years 1998-2010, followed by Comprehensive Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plans every five years since 2007, in line with China's government planning cycle. These strategic plans have been instrumental in guiding risk-reduction interventions.

2. Leading By Example: The implementation of a national initiative following the 2008 disaster prevention plan saw over 12,000 communities designated as model communities for Disaster Risk Reduction DRR. Analysis reveals that these model communities not only excel in DRR themselves but also inspire capacity-building efforts among surrounding communities.

3. Accelerating Recovery Through Collaborative Partnerships: The Wenchuan Earthquake response included a counterpart support program linking various provinces with the most affected areas around Wenchuan to provide financial and technical assistance. This approach enabled affected localities to benefit from tlored support while mitigating reconstruction costs.

4. Systematic Use of Disaster Data for Effective Planning: Efforts toward standardizing disaster loss statistics have strengthened practitioners' ability to analyze China's data for informed risk management strategies, thereby expediting post-disaster assessments. After the Lushan Earthquake in 2013, comprehensive loss estimations were conducted in just 27 days; this year, this process takes approximately ten days.

5. Adaptive Insurance Mechanisms: Recognizing the crucial role of catastrophe insurance in promoting swift recovery after natural disasters, China is pioneering regionalized protection mechanisms that cater to local risk profiles. Pilot programs began in Shenzhen, Ningbo, Yunnan, and Sichuan in 2014.

Facing Increasing Risk: Advancing Resilience Strategies

With the specter of escalating disaster risks, China has accelerated its resilience-building efforts encompassing everything from emergency response and protective infrastructure to developing localized agricultural insurance products. We invite you to delve into this knowledge note, generously supported by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery GFDRR.

Learning from Experience: Insights from China’s Progress in Disaster Risk Management

Results in Resilience: Supporting Resilient Post-Earthquake Recovery in China

Wenchuan Earthquake, Ten Years On: Building Back Stronger

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Citation: Francis Ghesquiere, Yuan Xiao, Lorenzo Piccio 2024. Insights from China's Progress in Disaster Risk Management: Learning from Experience. East Asia Pacific on the Rise Blog.

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