Disaster Management Stakeholder Participation PDF

MODULE – 4 (DM) the government, line ministry and project staff, implementing agencies, local governments, civil society Stakeholder Participation based organisati...

MODULE – 4 (DM) the government, line ministry and project staff, implementing agencies, local governments, civil society Stakeholder Participation based organisations, private sector firms, and other Stakeholder ‘participation’, stakeholder ‘engagement’ development agencies. and stakeholder ‘involvement’ are often used Police Service, National Fire Service, National Disaster interchangeably in relation to the interactions between Management Organisation, Ghana Education Service two or more stakeholders in policy making, development (GES), Ministry of Local Government and Rural projects, organizational management and decision Development (MLGRD), Non-Governmental making in disaster risk reduction (DRR) education. Organisations (NGOs), etc. are all part of this group Key stakeholders: In brief, ‘stakeholder participation’ is the involvement of This group can significantly influence, or are important to interest groups (i.e. representatives of locally affected the success of the project through financial resources or communities, national or local government authorities, power. In the context of DRR in the local, regional or politicians, civil society based organizations and national scale, key stakeholders could include National businesses) in a planning or decision-making process Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Ministry Meaning of Stakeholder Participation of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), In the operational context, ‘stakeholder participation’ is Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies the process through which people with common interest (MMDAs), etc. and they could be financiers of DRR (stakeholders) influence and share control over efforts. development initiatives, decisions and resources that A key element in stakeholder participation is the ability affect them. to identify stakeholders, their needs, interests, relative Participatory development is defined as a process in power and potential impact on the intended endeavour which people are proactively and significantly involved in in a people-centred fashion all decision-making processes that affect their lives Effective Ways of Promoting Stakeholder Meaning and Forms of Stakeholder Participation in DRR Participation In stakeholder participation initiatives some groups - Stakeholders are people/communities who may be such as the very poor, women, nomadic groups or ethnic directly or indirectly, positively or negatively affected by minorities – may lack the organisational, social or the outcome of projects, programmes or new initiatives financial means to make their voices heard and such as DRR education. The three basic forms of participate effectively. stakeholders are: These are often the exact stakeholders whose needs and Primary stakeholders: interests are critical to the success and sustainability of They are the beneficiaries of a development intervention development interventions. or those directly affected (positively or negatively) by it. Special efforts are needed to address the disequilibrium They include local populations (individuals and of power, knowledge and influence among stakeholder community-based organisations) in the groups and to allow weaker, less organised groups to project/programme area, in particular, as well as poor interact effectively with stronger, more established and marginalised groups who have traditionally been stakeholders. excluded from participating in development efforts. These include: In disaster risk reduction, these stakeholders include: Capacity building – Providing training, coaching, funds homeowners, renters, homeless persons and or other resources to marginalised groups to assist them community-based small-scale businesses. in organising, mobilising support, identifying and Secondary stakeholders: articulating their interests These refer to those who influence a development Mandated representation – Where there is a danger intervention or are indirectly affected by it. They include of exclusion, it may be useful to establish targets of representation, for example, agreeing that all village Opportunity to generate social learning and innovations committees will include an established number of based on field experience; women or that all ethnic groups in a given community Capacity-building of stakeholders and local institutions will be represented on a decision-making body (including their capacity to analyse problems and initiate Separate events – In some cases, it may be valuable to other development activities) meet with specific population groups separately, for Improved means of ensuring that project benefits are example, to hold a separate women’s meeting to discuss distributed equitably; and their particular concerns; Strengthened working relations between stakeholders, Levelling techniques – Power differentials between government and civil society organizations and stakeholders can be reduced through the use of development partners. participatory methods. A skilled facilitator can use a Costs and Risks to DRR number of techniques to ensure that all participants have The principal cost is the absence of stakeholder equal opportunity to make their voices heard. participation in programmes and projects. Lack of Negotiating systems may need to be developed for stakeholder participation can lead to: handling conflicting interests between different groups A sense of indifference, resentment, or deliberate of local stakeholders obstruction on the part of intended beneficiaries; Use of intermediaries Higher up-front costs in terms of time and resources In circumstances where the direct participation of Danger of undertaking poorly planned or merely token marginalised individuals themselves is not feasible, participatory activities due to limited time, capacity, intermediaries or surrogates may be identified to commitment or resources represent their views and defend their interests. Lack of political will on the part of governments to allow For example, if it is not possible for women farmers from wide stakeholder participation because they fear loss of isolated areas to participate directly in a national forum power or influence; on agricultural development, female extension workers Difficulty in reaching out to marginalised groups and might be selected to represent their interests (Adopted ensuring that the true priorities and needs of poor and from World Bank, 2000) vulnerable groups are represented; Difficulty in identifying genuine representative non- Benefits and Cost of Stakeholder governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society Participation in DRR organisations (CSOs); Benefits TO DRR Co-optation of the stakeholder participation process by Improved programme/project design by drawing on local more powerful or articulate stakeholders, and the knowledge and expertise to ensure that designs exclusion of the poor and disadvantaged; accurately reflect stakeholder priorities and needs Creation of unrealistic expectations; Improved means of verifying the relevance and Aggravating conflicts between stakeholder groups with appropriateness of proposed interventions different priorities/interests; Strengthened stakeholder commitment to, and Weak capacity of beneficiary and intermediary ownership of, policies and projects, leading to increased organizations uptake of project services and greater willingness to Challenge of coordinating efforts with other on-going share costs consultation/participation processes in order to avoid Enhanced sustainability as a result of increased ‘consultation fatigue’ stakeholder ownership Basic Steps in Participatory Stakeholder Opportunity to foresee and/or resolve potential Engagement obstacles, constraints and conflicts; Emphasized means to identify and address potential Participatory stakeholder engagement: negative social and environmental impacts; Stakeholder engagement is the identification of a project's key stakeholders, an assessment of their interests, and the ways in which these interests affect particular activity. project riskiness and viability (Clayton, 1997). According to Oakley (1995), stakeholder analysis is a methodology for identifying and analysing the key stakeholders in a project and planning for their participation. It is, therefore, the starting point of most participatory processes and provides the foundation for the design of subsequent stakeholder activities throughout the project cycle. A thorough stakeholder analysis should be carried out in The decision-makers are at the centre of the orbit of the early planning stages of all endeavours such as DRR, influence on the decision-making process. and reviewed and refined from time to time as the Orbit 1 contains the stakeholders who are partners in details of programme or project design become more decision-making. Final decisions must be made with their detailed and definite fundamental steps in concurrence. Orbit 2 features the creators, who are deeply involved in stakeholder analysis can be enumerated as follows: the decision being made and in developing alternatives Step 1: Identify key stakeholders; and are therefore constantly involved. Step 2: Assess stakeholder interest and the potential Orbit 3 consists of the advisors, who are active but not impact of the new initiative or subject of interests; constantly involved and are called upon periodically for Step 3: Assess stakeholder influences and importance; advice. and Orbit 4 features the reviewers, those who wish to be Step 4: Outline a stakeholder participation strategy. kept informed before a decision becomes a policy, rule, Methods and Tools for Participatory law or fait accompli. However, they do not feel the need Stakeholder Engagement to be active throughout the process. Participatory Meetings and Workshops Orbit 5 contains the observers. These are people who do Panel Discussions not want to be surprised. They watch and react only if an Pyramid Schemes issue concerns them. However, they could be party to Debates the process, but not entirely involved. Round Table The outer orbit holds those who are not seen in the Participatory Research/Data Collection process, but who will react if they are suddenly surprised Semi-Structured Interviewing and feel threatened. Ranking Trend and Time Analysis Levels of Stakeholder Participation In designing the participatory process, the level of involvement of each stakeholder, depending on the given institutional framework, differs and should be defined. Different levels would require the involvement of different stakeholders. Experience shows that involving all stakeholders to participate fully in all decision-making stages is neither Basic Steps in Communication realistic nor useful in a given situation. Forming of communicative intent Each stakeholder category has a specific role to play and Message composition can be said to have an orbit of influence with respect to a Message encoding Transmission of signals component of response and recovery. Reception of signals Effective communication connects affected people, Message decoding families, and communities with first responders, support Interpretation systems, and other family members. Effective Communication Reliable and accessible communication and information Effective communication includes non-verbal systems also are key to a community’s resilience communication, engaged listening, managing stress in Disaster risk communication helps to provide the public the moment, the ability to communicate assertively, and with information about the effects of disaster, and how the capacity to recognise and understand your own actions may affect the outcome of the disaster emotions and those of the person you are In other words it helps to inform the public about a communicating with. potential disaster situation to enable people make It enhances the provision of difficult messaging without informed choices. creating conflict Disaster risk communication may take place through many different channels including face-to face Steps to Effective Communication conversations Use standard terminologies when communicating-risks, telephone calls disaster, coping, resilience, vulnerable, etc. group meetings Request and provide clarifications when needed- mass media such as television, radio, Internet and allow/encourage the beneficiaries to respond to issues interactive social media such as Twitter and Facebook. they are not sure of. Before disasters strike, telecommunications can be used The communicator should also be well informed about as a conduit for disseminating information about the the situation of things within the community where the impending danger thus, making it possible for people to information is to be disseminated. take the necessary precautions to mitigate the impact of Ensure statements are direct and unambiguous. these hazards. Inform appropriate individuals when the mission or the Other telecommunication applications, including remote plan changes. sensing and global positioning system (GPS), have critical Communicate all information needed by those individual roles to play in tracking approaching hazards, alerting or teams external to the team. authorities, warning Use non-verbal communication appropriately. Before disasters strike, telecommunications can be used Barriers to Effective Communication as a conduit for disseminating information about the Non-Focus on the issue at hand, not being attentive impending danger thus, making it possible for people to Avoid interruption, show interest in what is being said take the necessary precautions to mitigate the impact of Avoid being judgmental but make provision for these hazards. feedbacks Other telecommunication applications, including remote Pay attention to non-verbal communication sensing and global positioning system (GPS), have critical Be conscious of individual differences roles to play in tracking approaching hazards, alerting Keep stress in check but be assertive authorities, warning Importance of Communication in Disaster Effective Disaster Communication Risk Reducing Some specific principles related to effective risk Communication promote preparedness for disasters communication include: Communications provide early warnings signals of An understanding of the characteristics of an audience disasters is essential to developing effective risk communication Communication facilitates proper response to disasters efforts Communication during and immediately after a disaster The how, when, and by whom a message is delivered situation is an important impacts its effectiveness  Communicators must continually adapt to changing give more assistance after immediate help is received. situations safety: ensures the individual is safe, any risk has been Using the preparedness approach like games, interactive reduced and resources, if available, have been provided. discussion groups or teaching make a proposal of how stability: ensures the individual is stable and has a short- you can effectively increase knowledge or preparedness term plan which includes mastery of self and the behaviour of the target group on disaster management emergency or disaster situation. Promotion of discussion group approach to general connection: helps connect the individual to formal and disaster preparedness is more effective than the simple informal resources and support. If resources are supports provision of written information are not readily available, crisis counselling helps the Crisis Counselling individual pursue potential natural supports/resources. Crisis is how an individual reacts to a stressful life Characteristics of an Effective Crisis experience that affects his/her stability and ability to Counsellor cope or function. Self - Awareness : knows him/her self and empathise Counselling is a personal, face to face, relationship with clients without becoming personally involved or between two people in which the counsellor, by means emotional when people who have gone personal of the relationship and his special competencies, experiences come to them. provides a learning situation in which the counselee, a normal sort of person, is helped to know himself and his Non - judgemental : willing to listen all through to the present and possible future situations so that he can client without casting judgement on those in crisis. make use of characteristics and potentialities in a way Non - Reactive : does not react to client’s outbursts or that is both satisfying to himself and beneficial to society, threats but be completely supportive when client shows and further, can learn how to solve future problems and strong emotions. meet future needs High Tolerance : remain calm when placed in tense What is Crisis Counselling? and stressful situations Crisis counselling occurs when a client who is destabilised Specific Training : receive specific skills and engages the services of a counsellor. The person is techniques in crisis counselling that are quite different unable to cope with events in his/her life and, from normal counseling consequently, may be wracked by destructive feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, or guilt and may be engaging in hurtful behaviours. This crisis needs immediate attention otherwise there is the risk of further personality or behavioural deterioration. Goals of Crisis Counselling The primary goal of crisis counselling is to attain the quickest possible relief of the internal and external symptoms of the crisis and a return to that particular person’s usual level of functioning Summary of Goals of Counselling The goals of crisis counselling can be summarised as, to: help the person return to his usual level of functioning; decrease anxiety; help people who are in crisis recognise and correct behaviours and cognitive distortions. teach crisis-solving techniques; and,