POST-FLOOD EARLY RECOVERY NEED ASSESSMENT REPORT

Cambodia is considered one of the most hazard-prone countries in South-East Asia. The major disasters faced by the country are, in order of prevalence, floods, droughts, typhoons, forest fires, landslides and storms. With approximately 70 percent of the population being rural and dependent on subsistence agriculture, natural disasters can have devastating consequences on the livelihoods of the majority of Cambodians. In recognition of the vulnerability of communities to the effects of natural disasters, and the expected likelihood of their continued occurrence in Cambodia, the UN has worked to assist in the improvement and streamlining of disaster response and mitigation efforts. The 2013 rainy season (May - October 2013) saw large-scale flooding return to South-East Asia. A combination of successive typhoons, rising water levels in the Mekong River, trans-boundary flash floods in the western provinces and heavier-than average monsoon rains caused extensive flooding across Cambodia. The initial humanitarian response to the floods was led by the Royal Government of Cambodia through the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), which is institutionally and operationally present at the provincial level through its Provincial Committees for Disaster Management. The NCDM was given vital support from the most relevant humanitarian actors in Cambodia such as the Humanitarian Response Forum (HRF), which brings together local and international development partners, and the Cambodian Red Cross. In the framework of its early recovery mandate, UNDP provided technical support to NCDM to lead and coordinate a multi-sectorial Post Flood Early Recovery Needs Assessment (PFERNA). The assessment provides an evaluation of the damage and losses and a recovery framework that consolidates the relief work done so far, and paves the way for long-term reconstruction. In assessing the damage and planning early recovery, UNDP ensured that government capacity development and policy needs were substantially addressed, and that the Government was fully capable of mobilizing the resources to carry out the necessary measures. The PFERNA has evaluated the need for short-, medium- and long-term recovery activities adapted to local needs and conditions, as well as the resources and capacities necessary to implement them. It is hoped that these activities would complement existing support of national stakeholders, other UN partners and civil society organizations, or indeed help focus such support, thereby aiming to facilitate programme integration at the local level. The main purpose of the present assessment report is to facilitate and guide the recovery phase. It does not aim to be exhaustive in its findings; it is rather an overarching tool that can bring together different perspectives on an organized set of sectors to inform stakeholders’ present and future recovery activities and give a clear snapshot of where donor support is needed the most.