Foundation For
Disaster Forum

A National Network on Disaster Preparedness and Risk Reduction

Disaster Forum (DF) is a Dhaka based National Disaster Preparedness Network of seventy humanitarian and development agencies, research institutions, government departments and independent activists who are working on various disaster and environmental issues with special focus on preparedness. Since 1994, Forum is working for ensuring the accountability of the humanitarian and development agencies and to promote the rights of all vulnerable people. Promoting alternative perspective on Disaster Mitigation against the prevalent dominant perspective is the prime objective of Disaster Forum.

Annual Disaster Year Report 2011 (Published)

Dominant Perspective	Alternative Prevalent Perspective
Disasters/conflicts viewed as an isolated event.	Disasters/conflicts are part of the normal process of development.
Linkage with conditions in society during normal times are less analyzed.	Analyzing linkages with society during normal times is fundamental for understanding disaster and conflicts.
Technical/Law and Order solutions dominant.	Emphasis on solutions that change relationship/ structures in society. The objective is to reduce people's vulnerability and strength their capacity.
Centralized institutions dominate in the intervention strategies. Less participation of people, who are treated as "victims"	Decentralized institutions dominate in the intervention strategies. Participation of people paramount in intervention strategies; people treated as "partners" in development.
Implementing agencies less accountable and their process less transparent to people	Ensuring accountability and transparency emphasized in implementation.
Interventions are made after the event occurs.	Mitigation of disasters/conflict the fundamental aims.
The objective of intervention is to return to the situation before the event occurred.	Disaster /conflicts viewed as opportunities for social transformation.