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Located in one of the most active seismic zones in the world,  Armenia has experienced some of the most devastating earthquakes in recorded history.  It’s no wonder that Armenian Red Cross Society is looking at new and innovative ways to reduce risk and build resilience in its most populated city.

In 2008, the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARC) launched a project to support communities in developing grassroots disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities and to advocate with local authorities to better address community priorities in practice and through local legislation.

The Afghanistan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) has completed a new report analysing the country’s legal preparedness for international disaster response, entitled “International Disaster Response Law (IDRL) in Afghanistan”.

In early January, the Afghan Red Crescent Society convened a meeting with the Afghan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) and the IFRC to kick-start a new IDRL project in Kabul. The project will entail four months of research into Afghanistan’s existing laws and regulations relevant to international disaster assistance, and an analysis of the legal framework against the IDRL Guidelines with recommendations for improvement.

Through the adoption of its new Law on Prevention and Response to Natural Disasters, Vietnam has become a new leader in IDRL in the Asia Pacific region.

Members of Vietnam’s National Assembly came together in Hanoi in early August to review the current state of its draft disaster management law, in order to bring the draft in line with international standards. Following presentations by the Secretary General of the Vietnam Red Cross Society and IFRC Asia Pacific Disaster Law Coordinator, participants noted the need to better address international assistance in the new law. This was identified as being one of the most important topics of the day’s discussion.

As news of the A H1N1 influenza virus was making headlines around the world, key government and humanitarian personnel in Vietnam were learning more about the importance of good legal frameworks to manage disease outbreaks and large-scale disasters.

Each year Vietnam’s coastal provinces are battered by up to 12 major tropical storms and the impact of climate change is believed to have increased the risk of both flooding and droughts in many parts of the country.

Finau Limuloa, the IFRC Pacific Disaster Law Delegate currently working in Vanuatu, provides some perspectives in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Pam.

The first Pacific study of national policies and legal frameworks for managing foreign disaster response has been completed.