Citizen Participation and Disaster Reduction:
Communities working towards the new challenges of local development

Existing national policies and legal frameworks establish the importance of citizen participation in public management and control processes. Similarly, disaster risk reduction has now become a task that involves all sectors (public and private), while at the same time presenting a challenge for local development.

In the last several decades Nicaragua, as well as the rest of Central America, has felt the impact of disasters and has witnessed social processes that have brought about changes in the attitudes of citizens and in the administration of public policy. Every process is the product of a specific need, and in this case the creation of structures for citizen engagement has provided a space for public participation centred upon a vision of development and the formulation of agendas of social interest.

Citizen participation is defined as a relationship established between individuals as citizens and their local or municipal government with the aim of defending their rights, carrying out their duties, and positively influencing policy and its implementation.

When we talk about disaster risk reduction, we are referring to actions that involve citizens and their organizations, as well as national and local governments. Thus, we are talking about participation and relationships that seek appropriate responses to cope with disasters and reduce poverty.

Photo: IFRC

Existing national policies and legal frameworks establish the importance of citizen participation in public management and control processes. Similarly, disaster risk reduction has now become a task that involves all sectors (public and private), while at the same time presenting a challenge for local development.

In the last several decades Nicaragua, as well as the rest of Central America, has felt the impact of disasters and has witnessed social processes that have brought about changes in the attitudes of citizens and in the administration of public policy. Every process is the product of a specific need, and in this case the creation of structures for citizen engagement has provided a space for public participation centred upon a vision of development and the formulation of agendas of social interest.

Citizen participation is defined as a relationship established between individuals as citizens and their local or municipal government with the aim of defending their rights, carrying out their duties, and positively influencing policy and its implementation.

When we talk about disaster risk reduction, we are referring to actions that involve citizens and their organizations, as well as national and local governments. Thus, we are talking about participation and relationships that seek appropriate responses to cope with disasters and reduce poverty.

When establishing participatory planning processes, we must also take into account the geographical area where such actions will take place. A municipality is the spatial unit regarded as the basis for analyzing needs or proposing specific

solutions. Based on this fundamental unit, we can then talk about other forms of inter-municipal associations4 such as municipal agglomerations or based on the natural distribution of watersheds in which they all share a common goal: meet the population’s needs, use and manage natural resources in an adequate manner, achieve social and economic development, plan urban and rural land use appropriately, and maximize the benefits of the human resources available to them.

By taking into consideration the citizens´ reactions and responses to the various processes undertaken, the opportunities given to them, and the tools and instruments made available through laws and regulations, we assess the extent to which they acquire knowledge and make adequate use of participatory spaces.

Each citizen has the duty as well as the right to participate in each available space, both to contribute to public policy and to reach consensus on the actions that would allow for the greatest participation, in favor of local development.

Citizen participation is recognized by the Nicaraguan Constitution (article 50), as well as by various international human rights instruments that have been ratified by the government. The Constitution and the laws referring to citizen participation, municipalities, the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Response (SINAPRED); the Law on Land-Use Planning, and the National Risk Management Plan all clearly establish the legal basis for real citizen participation. The national and local governments must now create the conditions for effective participation, while citizens must take ownership of the spaces and tools available to them.

The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 recognizes the following priority for action: “Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation.” It also considers the following activity as a necessary element: “Promote community participation in disaster risk reduction through the adoption of specific policies, the promotion of networking, the strategic management of volunteer resources, the attribution of roles and responsibilities, and the delegation and provision of the necessary authority and resources.”

A number of mechanisms and structures for disaster risk reduction have been created and established in response to the recurring impact of disasters. Communities, however, must continuously strengthen their capacity to face their problems and address their needs. This is important because these structures are regarded as a way to contribute to poverty reduction and, especially, to safeguard human life. Thus, disaster risk reduction efforts must be incorporated, in a systematic manner, into policies, plans and programs for sustainable development and poverty reduction.

Guiding Principles for Citizen Participation5

Willfulness: Voluntary citizen participation is recognized as a human right.
Universality: All citizens must be given the right to participate on an equal basis.
Effective institutionalism: citizen participation must be institutionalized and become a right that citizens may exercise, and a responsibility for the State and its representatives.
Equity: All sectors of society, including the most vulnerable, are given the legal and political instruments to be regarded as equal.
Plurality: This implies the recognition of a diversity of values, opinions and practices among the population.
Solidarity: This allows citizens to act in favor of the common good, beyond their individual interests.

Citizen Participation in Municipal Governments6
The strengthening of decentralization and municipal autonomy processes allows us to develop instruments and build capacity for disaster prevention and response, as well as to establish mechanisms and create opportunities for citizen participation.
• Municipal Development Committees: A Municipal Development Committee7 plays a consulting role within the local government, and its purpose is to help formulate strategies for local development through participatory planning. This includes making municipal budgets public and assessing the outcome and the impact of local development policies.
• Strategic and Municipal Planning: Strategic planning is a tool for municipal planning processes that allows for the equal participation of different sectors of society. It establishes agendas of social interest and promotes consensus as the basis for approving actions and making commitments.
• Structures for Citizen Participation and Risk Management: Laws No. 337 and No. 40 establish the right of citizens to participate in Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Response Committees8 as well as in all actions developed by the National System for Disaster Prevention (SINAPRED).

Despite having these legal instruments, the participation of all citizens is not sufficient to cope with disasters. This also requires more effective participation of all the sectors that make municipal development possible. In accordance with the Law of Municipalities, local governments shall promote and encourage citizen participation.

Important Elements for Effective Citizen Participation

• Establish mechanisms sponsored by the national and local governments to promote the voluntary participation of all citizens on equal terms.
• Promote gender equality in spaces created for citizen participation.
• Promote dissemination and awareness-raising campaigns, surrounding the rights and duties of the population and about the existing legal framework in Nicaragua.
• Foster effective citizen participation in structures of organization and control, in those established both by law as well as those resulting from citizens’ initiatives.
• Promote and acknowledge processes of decentralization and municipal autonomy.
• Foster citizen participation in risk reduction processes as a cross-cutting issue in the context of local development

Ansia Álvarez Estrada
gaviotaleonesa@gmail.com
Managua, Nicaragua

5Article 7, Law 475 (2003). Citizen Participation Law.
6Article 36, Law of Municipalities (Law No. 40). Municipalities will stimulate and promote citizen participation.
7Article 28, Clause 7, Law of Municipalities (Law No.40). Creation of Development Committees.
8Article 7, Clause11, Law of Municipalities (Law No.40), and Article 20, Law for the Creation of the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Response (Law 337). Creation of structures for risk reduction.