Project: National HDR 2016: How to improve security of vulnerable municipalities in Serbia?

23Oct2015

Resilience of Local Communities to Natural Disasters

What are the ways in which preventive measures impact resilience of local communities to respond to natural disasters? How do existing capacities of local self-governments and civil society organizations contribute to adequate risk assessment? What are the challenges and advantages of local communities to respond to natural disaster risks? These and other topics were discussed with the representatives of local self-governments’ Headquarters for emergency situations and civil society organizations in Loznica, Mali Zvornik, Sid, Smederevska Palanka, and Nova Crnja. As a part of the NHDR research focus groups were held from 15^th to 22^nd October 2015 in these local communities. Focus groups’ participants underlined the need for increasing institutional capacities in the domain of natural disaster risk prevention and the importance of human and social capital in these processes. It was particularly stressed that active civic participation during the emergency situations is one of the main pillars in the system of local response to occurring natural disasters.  

The following focus groups within NHDR research will be held in another six towns and municipalities - Kladovo, Negotin, Kragujevac, Novi Pazar, Kraljevo and Obrenovac.  

Resilience of Serbian local communities to natural disaster risks is the main focus of the 2015 National Human Development Report. The Public Policy Research Center is selected by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to produce 2015 NHDR for Serbia entitled ‘Resilience of Municipalities’. In the aftermath of May 2014 floods, UNDP and the Government of Serbia agreed that the “Resilience of Municipalities” represents a strategically important theme, which requires in-depth analysis through a human development lens.