Joint offering with National Disaster Coordinating Council in partnership with Earthquake Megacities Initiative.
The human causes of natural disasters find greater recognition today in the theory and practice of disaster management, and there is a discernible shift in the nature of disaster preparedness and mitigation activities. While governments, supported by other actors—international agencies, academia, and non-governmental organizations—play a key role in organizing and funding disaster management programs, the content and implementation of these initiatives now include communities as prime actors. This approach has evolved in the last two decades. It is based on the recognition that the socio-economic vulnerability of communities, rather than physical hazard, explains the impact of disasters and that interventions must therefore aim at reducing vulnerability at the community level.
Successive disasters in different parts of the world have demonstrated time and again that the impact of a disaster in terms of life, assets, and potential for recovery is borne disproportionately by developing countries and within them by the poorest segments. A community-based approach aims to reduce their socially constructed vulnerability by involving communities as active participants in a disaster program. There is also a broadening consensus that it is cost-effective to train and educate communities about risks they face, provide them access to resources and knowledge, and to develop community-based preparedness and mitigation programs. This approach has emerged as a complement to structural mitigation (dams, dykes, levees, etc.) and even certain types of non-structural mitigation programs (land use, building codes, development regulations, etc.).
A community-based disaster risk management program does not follow a standard course of action or a master plan. Instead, it is a series of action plans that allow methods to be less normative, procedures less standardized and intervention mechanisms more innovative and improvised. The key issues are creating access to resources for protecting shelter and livelihoods, greater knowledge and choices for hazard mitigation, and reducing socio-economic vulnerability.
Language The language of the course is English. Course Format The course consists self-paced modules, discussion forums, exercises, readings, case studies, tests and learning via interaction with program faculty and peers. The course includes 3 audio sessions of expert lectures for 40–45 minutes each. Course Expectations Participants are expected to commit 8–10 hours per week in order to gain the most out of this course in addition to: Complete the required reading assignments Participate in all online activities. Participation involves posting a minimum of two messages per week that are substantive in nature. The message can be either a new topic or a reply to someone else's message. Participants are encouraged to post more often than twice a week in order to be involved more deeply into topics. Participate in videoconferencing and asynchronous chat sessions (if applicable) Complete assignments and end of course project Complete course evaluation at the end of the course 
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The course consists of presentations, case studies, readings and an end of course exercise. During the course, instructors and facilitators from National Disaster Coordinating Council, Earthquake Megacities Initiative and the World Bank Institute will guide the participants and evaluate the project work.
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This course is offered to a group of local government officials, policymakers, consultants, researchers and professors of training institutions from Philippines, who are interested in development challenges and issues related to natural disaster risk management. Once the course has ended, participants from training institutions are welcome to replicate this training for their staff, for central and local government officials. Donors working in hazard and disaster related projects could also apply to attend the course. Only applicants who attended the Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Framework course will be accepted .
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