The conference was a part of the NGO Disaster Preparedness Program (NGODPP) Phase II: Deepening Disaster Resilience” that includes preparedness, capacity building, and partnership development, all with the goals of:
• Creating a network for community-based organizations in South and Southeast Asia to learn from and share information with peer organizations in the region; and
• Building a donor group that is engaged in understanding where private philanthropy can partner to establish and expand community-based disaster preparedness efforts.
Specifically, the conference was able to achieve the following:
1. Orient the participants and build a shared understanding of community-managed disaster risk reduction and preparedness that highlights the roles and potential programs that CBOs can implement;
2. Map the country level landscape in terms of existing polices and mechanisms for collaboration in disaster risk reduction, preparedness, relief and recovery;
3. Identify on a per country basis, the priority areas for capacity development that the program will address both during face to face training sessions and in the online learning platforms;
4. Draft a terms of reference for setting up a country and regional CBO network to facilitate learning exchanges and collaboration in DRR, preparedness, relief and recovery.