Course Overview

Changes in demographics, patterns in human settlement, decisions in land use and political and social policy dynamics have augmented vulnerability to natural as well as man-made disasters and emergencies.

Planning and policy processes and interventions can help mitigate disaster vulnerabilities and increase resilience at every stage on the disaster management cycle – disaster mitigation, preparation, response and recovery. ‘Prevention is better than cure’ is the motto in disaster mitigation.

Course Objectives

At the end of the course, learners are expected to;

• Have grasped concepts on the roles of the various phases of disaster prevention and management and issues concerning planning and policies in those phases
• Have an understanding of the comprehensive emergency management from planning and policy perspective as well as the role of governments in disaster planning and policies
• Indulge in mitigation planning and policy strategies
• Acquaint self with the factors that give rise to disaster vulnerabilities for example natural, physical, social, economic, policies and governance
• Have skills on how to assess and manage these vulnerabilities through disaster planning and policy-making.
• It is also important that learners gain skills and knowledge on data collection and data analysis, methods, tools and in techniques that enhance vulnerability assessments and knowledge building among others.

Course Content

• Dimensions of disaster; defining disaster, measurement of disaster, explaining disaster, and managing disaster.
• Framing disaster theories and stories seeking to understand hazards, vulnerability and risk.
• Human rights and disasters
• Vulnerabilities and capacities; disability and disaster; gender sexuality and disaster; children youth and disaster; elderly people and disaster
• Preparedness and response
• Reducing the impacts of disaster; protection through resistance, mitigation through disaster aid and insurance, preparedness, predictions, forecasts and planning
• Historical concepts of disasters and risk
• Politics power and disasters
• Complexity, sustainability and vulnerability; vulnerability and resilience, drivers of vulnerability and disaster.
• Risk assessment and management; the nature of risk, risk assessment, risk perception and communication, risk management and the role of information technology in risk assessment and management.

Exercises:

After they have read the material for each unit, students are expected to test their own Learning by completing some relevant exercises and tasks.

Assignments:

In order to demonstrate their understanding of the course content, students will be required to submit three assignments.

Course duration: 3 months

Course fee: €500

Regions targeted: Global

Training format:

All materials are made available through our online learning platform

Language: English and French