28 October 2014: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has published the ‘World Disasters Report 2014: Focus on Culture and Risk.’ The report explores how culture should be considered in disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts and analyzes the influence of disaster and risks on culture. It concludes that DRR approaches must recognize why people are living with risks and how their behavior and attitudes related to culture affect their exposure and sensitivity to hazards.
The report emphasizes reconciling local health beliefs, traditions and practices with public health interventions. The report addresses questions such as what should be done when people blame a flood on an angry goddess, as was the case when Indonesia blamed the mountain god when Mount Merapi erupted in 2010. After the 2004 tsunami, many people in Aceh, Indonesia, believed Allah had punished them for allowing tourism or drilling for oil. In the US, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, some people believed the disaster showed God’s displeasure with the lifestyles of some people in New Orleans. Pointing to the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa as an example, the report urges addressing misconceptions and cultural beliefs through behavioral change so efforts to stop such deadly diseases will not be in vain.
The report aims to bring these issues and clashes of cultures into the open, so they can be discussed and better incorporated into DRR work. More specifically, the report: describes how DRR must consider all the causes of vulnerability, including cultural ones, as the starting point for risk reduction; assesses the effects of religion and other beliefs; considers the culture of DRR organizations, showing that all are subject to beliefs and attitudes that frame outlooks on risk; and examines why DRR actors and organizations continue to prioritize severe hazards when most people do not mention them when asked what risks they face. The report further underscores that the fact that many people’s basic development needs are not being fulfilled explains why they are not so concerned with infrequent extreme events.
The report calls for channeling investments towards a more culturally-sensitive, human-based DRR approach, as part of the post-2015 development agenda discussions.
Published annually since 1993, the World Disasters Report compiles trends, facts and analysis of contemporary catastrophes and their effect on vulnerable populations worldwide. [UN Press Release] [World Disasters Report Website] [Publication: World Disasters Report 2014: Focus on Culture and Risk]