With the support of IFRC Disaster Law, in 2012 Botswana Red Cross Society commissioned a review of the legal framework, policies and practices for disaster response in Botswana. The review focused on Botswana’s legislation applicable to international disaster response and used the IDRL Guidelines as a benchmark.
The outcome of the review was IDRL in Botswana: A Study on Legal Preparedness for Facilitating and Regulating International Disaster Assistance, published in 2013. The report analyses the existing legal and policy frameworks for disaster management and response in Botswana focusing on facilitation and regulation of international disaster assistance. The report also provides an assessment of strengths and gaps and provides recommendations for strengthening legal preparedness for disasters in Botswana.
In 2020, a desktop mapping of Botswana’s legal framework applicable to international disaster response was conducted, using the Checklist on the Facilitation and Regulation of International Disaster Relief and Initial Recovery Assistance (the IDRL Checklist). This activity formed part of a larger exercise to map the IDRL frameworks of ten countries in Southern Africa, to identify and analyse the legal and policy arrangements for international disaster response across the region. These mappings have been compiled in a report entitled Legal Preparedness for International Disaster Assistance in Southern Africa: Regional Assessment and Country Profiles (the Report). The Report provides an overview of IDRL frameworks at global, regional, sub-regional level and national levels, assesses the legal preparedness of states in the sub-region to facilitate international assistance in the event that a disaster exceeds national capacities, and proposes recommendations to strengthen IDRL in the sub-region. A summary version of the Report, which contains the executive summary and regional analysis, is also available.
Since 2021, IFRC Disaster Law has been supporting the advocacy efforts of Botswana Red Cross Society (BRCS) in the review of the Red Cross Society of Botswana Act and the development of a DRM Bill and Policy in the country. In 2021, as part of these efforts, IFRC Disaster Law facilitated a three-day workshop with the Botswana Red Cross aimed at enhancing the capacity of the national society on Disaster Law as well on legislative advocacy and the development of a legislative advocacy strategy.
As a result of the engagements on the Red Cross Act, BRCS was invited to provide comments on the Draft National DRM Policy that was under review. The DRM Policy was approved by Cabinet in late 2021. The Red Cross Act revision process is expected to continue in 2022 and to be carried out alongside the development of a DRM law which the National Society will also be supporting.
During a webinar on Effective Tools for Health Advocacy co-hosted by the Health Department of the Pretoria Country Cluster Delegation (CCD), the Disaster Law team in collaboration with the Botswana Red Cross Society, shared how and why advocacy can serve as a tool for effective preparedness and response to Public Health Emergencies (PHE). The webinar also highlighted that a good knowledge of the external environment is paramount for an effective communication strategy.
