International Recovery Platform

The policy has been developed to guide disaster risk management mainstreaming in Malawi by devising policy strategies aimed at achieving the long term goal of reducing disaster losses in lives and in the social, economic and environmental assets of

The policy brief draws on lessons learned from the Fukushima earthquake and elaborates on solutions for displaced populations trapped in uncertainty. It provides recommendations regarding: (i) durable solutions which systematically need to be established through ongoing re-examinations of policies, laws and institutions; (ii) social and psychological consequences as a key topic just as (re-)construction of physical infrastructure and environmental remediation; and (iii) displaced people, for them to exercise agency and take ownership of the process.

This briefing paper elaborates upon four key points in mitigating hazards in the recovery phase. It explains that wise land-use planning prior to any natural event becoming a disaster is the best and most cost-effective means of reducing risk from hazards