Why are people still losing their lives and livelihoods to disaster? 100,000 perceptions of risk from Views from the Frontline 2019
This contributing paper outlines the process and outcomes of the Views from the Frontline programme, a risk assessment approach where communities’ needs and risk perceptions are brought to the forefront of resilience planning. For transformative agendas to be successful, there needs to be inclusive, cohesive and adaptive risk management and planning. Communities most at risk have been struggling to cope with existing vulnerabilities and the multiple causes of disasters. With the advent of Covid-19, the impacts have multiplied, challenging conventional risk planning and resilience-building mechanisms in this new context. Without appropriate planning and management, vulnerabilities will exacerbate and communities will fail to cope with disasters.
The study finds some recurring underlying causes of risk, including weak governance systems, low community engagement, weak adaptiveness of institutional structures and mechanisms, and lack of coherence among policies. By initiating a consultation process with representatives from national CSOs, UN, academia and local governments, the study hopes to find appropriate solutions to the challenges faced by the communities.