HOW CAN PROMOTING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION (AND AGENCY) AND RESPONDING TO THEIR NEEDS IMPROVE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION? CASE FROM POST-DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION (OPERATIONS AND MEASURES) IN THE PHILIPPINES AND SRI LANKA ATSUKO NONOGUCHI AND YUMIKO TANAKA SEPTEMBER 2016 HOW CAN PROMOTING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION AND RESPONDING TO THEIR NEEDS IMPROVE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION? CASE FROM POST-DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN THE PHILIPPINES AND SRI LANKA Atsuko Nonoguchi and Yumiko Tanaka Abstract For gender-responsive disaster risk reduction (DRR), the most essential step to be taken might be the translation of DRR into an opportunity to transform unequal gender relations which are root causes of women’s vulnerability and exclude them from decision-making processes for DRR. Women and other marginalized groups of people are often regarded as more vulnerable to a risk of disasters because of their limited access to resources and decision-making power, necessary for coping with disasters. However, they are not helpless victims or passive beneficiaries, but active agents for DRR, if they are evaluated from non-gender-bias lens and given proper opportunities. In this light, it is essential for the government and external organizations to promote the agency of women and other marginalized groups of people, while reducing their risk, within relevant interventions. In reality, however, most of relevant projects have not necessarily addressed the transformation of gender relations, and concentrated on daily-based needs of women survivors. Based on this recognition, we conducted field research in the Philippines and Sri Lanka in 2015. Drawing on the cases of JICA’s and other organizations’ past and on-going relevant projects, we analyze how external interventions contributed to changes in gender relations, as well as the vulnerability and coping capacity of women and men. Senior Researcher, Japan Development Service (JDS) Co, Ltd., Tokyo. ([email protected].) Senior Advisor on Gender and Development, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Tokyo. ([email protected]) Findings from the research show that women’s agency was hardly addressed as a main objective of most of the projects, and women tended to be utilized as good mothers and care-takers based on stereotyped gender division of roles. Instead, some outstanding interventions to challenge for the transformation of gendered division of roles have led to women’s active involvement not only in community-based DRR, but other community activities. Keywords: gender, vulnerability, coping capacity, DRR, transformation, agency, practical gender needs, strategic gender needs, the Philippines, Sri Lanka CONTENTS 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 2. Theoretical Framework ......................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Natural Disasters Risk Theory .................................................................................... 3 2.2 Feminist Political Ecology .......................................................................................... 7 3. Literature Review ................................................................................................................ 10 3.1 Emerging Concepts of Vulnerability to Disaster from a Gender Perspective .......... 10 3.2 Categorizations of Vulnerability and Disasters ........................................................ 12 3.3 Gendered Implications of Disasters .......................................................................... 13 3.3.1 Gendered Vulnerability and Coping Capacity at the Phases of Preparedness and Response...................................................................... 13 3.3.2 Gendered Vulnerability and Coping Capacity at the Phase of Recovery ..... 14 3.3.3 Gendered Vulnerability and Coping Capacity at the Phases of Prevention and Preparedness.................................................................... 16 4. Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 18 4.1 Research Objectives and Research Site Selection .................................................... 18 4.2 Research Questions ................................................................................................... 19 4.3 Research Strategy ..................................................................................................... 20 4.4 Research Sites and Participants in the Research ....................................................... 21 4.4.1 The Philippines ............................................................................................. 21 4.4.2 Sri Lanka ...................................................................................................... 27 4.5 Research Methods ..................................................................................................... 32 4.6 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 32 4.7 Validity and Reliability ............................................................................................. 33 5. Findings............................................................................................................................... 34 5.1 The Philippines ......................................................................................................... 34 5.1.1 Institutional Arrangements ........................................................................... 34 5.1.2 Gendered Vulnerability and Coping Capacity ............................................. 39 5.2 Sri Lanka ................................................................................................................... 56 5.2.1 Institutional Arrangements ........................................................................... 56 5.2.2 Gendered Vulnerability and Coping Capacity ............................................. 60 5.3 Summary of the Findings and Recommendations for Future Interventions ............. 80 6. Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 83 List of Reference ......................................................................................................................... 88 Annex .......................................................................................................................................... 93 1. Socio1-economic and Gender Conditions of the Philippines ..................................... 93 2. Socio-economic and Gender Conditions of Sri Lanka ............................................... 95 i LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1.1 Pressure and Release (PAR) Model ........................................................................ 4 Figure 2.1.2 Access Model ......................................................................................................... 5 Figure 2.1.3 Conceptualization of Empowerment ...................................................................... 7 Figure 4.4.1 Map of the Philippines .......................................................................................... 21 Figure 4.4.2 Map of Research Sites in the Philippines ............................................................. 22 Figure 4.4.3 Map of the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)-affected Areas of the Philippines . 23 Figure 4.4.4 Map of Sri Lanka .................................................................................................. 27 Figure 4.4.5 Map of Research Sites in Sri Lanka ..................................................................... 27 Figure 4.4.6 Map of Tsunami 2004 Disaster – Number of Deaths by District in Sri Lanka .... 29 Figure 5.1.1 Structure for DRR at the Local Level in the Philippines ...................................... 36 Figure 5.2.1 Disaster Management Structure in Sri Lanka ....................................................... 57 LIST OF TABLES Table 3.2.1 Disasters by On-set ............................................................................................... 13 Table 3.2.2 Typology of Disasters ........................................................................................... 13 Table 4.4.1 General Profile of the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan ....................................................... 23 Table 4.4.2 Profile of JICA’s Project on Rehabilitation and Recovery from Typhoon Yolanda ...................................................................................... 24 Table 4.4.3 Profile of the Research Sites in the Philippines .................................................... 24 Table 4.4.4 Profile of Focus Groups Discussions conducted in the Philippines ..................... 25 Table 4.4.5 Profile of the Participants in the Focus Groups Discussions in the Philippines ... 26 Table 4.4.6 General Profile of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (Sri Lanka) .......................... 28 Table 4.4.7 Profile of JICA’s T-CUP ...................................................................................... 30 Table 4.4.8 Profile of JICA’s DiMCEP ................................................................................... 30 Table 4.4.9 Profile of Research Sites in Sri Lanka .................................................................. 31 Table 4.4.10 Profile of Focus Groups Discussions in Sri