This ominous combination has encouraged the Royal Government of Bhutan and the United Nations to initiate a review of national disaster response preparedness capacities. The review was conducted by a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team in April 2008, together with representatives from the European Community Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
One of the key instruments examined was the new draft National Disaster Management Bill, which elaborates the role of the various levels of government and establishes a National Committee for Disaster Management to implement high-level policy decisions.
“We’re seeing an increasing trend, here in Asia and around the world, towards developing single legislation for disaster management” notes Nelson Castaño, Regional Disaster Management Coordinator of the International Federation’s South Asia Regional Delegation, who represented the Federation on the mission, “but, in Bhutan, the new law does not yet cover issues of international assistance.”
In fact, the UNDAC mission report notes reluctance on the part of some government officials to consider the legal implications of needing external support in the event of a largescale disaster, preferring instead to “examine the issue when it happens”. This approach, however, was seen as a potential “major obstacle” to preparedness and response. Consequently, a number of recommendations were made for improving legal preparedness, including establishing procedures for receiving international assistance with reference to the IDRL Guidelines and other international standards.
“There has already been significant progress in Bhutan to put laws and policy frameworks in place for risk reduction and disaster management and this is very encouraging” says Castaño. “However, as one of the few countries without a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society, we also hope that there will be more engagement at the community level, as well as with local and international organisations, to maximise the resources available to cope with disasters.”