July 2008. The UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has launched, in collaboration with
the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) Secretariat, a
document for the implementation of Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) Priority Five
(disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels).

The Guidance
Package primarily aims to assist governments, local authorities and other
stakeholders concerned with natural hazards in potentially vulnerable settings.
It is designed to complement and expand upon the disaster preparedness and
response components of the 2007 UN/ISDR guidelines entitled Words Into
Action: Implementing the Hyogo Framework. The Guidance document begins by
situating disaster preparedness within a holistic risk reduction
framework. It then provides a basic overview of the institutional and legislative
frameworks required to support disaster
preparedness. It ends by outlining key steps in developing a national disaster preparedness capability and highlights
the critical role that contingency planning and capacity analysis can
play in strengthening preparedness. The Guidance]