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CHAPTER 4: DETERMINE INITIAL ACTIVITIES

Private sector networks worldwide conduct a wide variety of activities and programs for disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. These activities are of varying importance in different contexts. However, there are a set of core activities we recommend all networks consider at the beginning of creating a network to ensure early success. Networks should continue to update and refine these activities on an ongoing basis to maintain their success.

 

Constructing the network's work plans and National Action Plans, gaining inclusion in key coordination bodies, and prioritizing needs correctly are all critical to cement your future activities.

 

The resources in this chapter will help you answer the following questions

  1. How do I prioritize the needs I identified in Step 2 into a set of initial programmatic priorities?

  2. How do I construct a first-year work plan for the network and how do I measure success?

Considering the key needs in your context and your capacity, answer the following:​

  1. How do I assess my members' resilience and disaster preparedness?

  2. How do I gain inclusion in the national disaster management structure?

  3. Why do I need a National Action Plan and how do I develop one?

  4. How do I map private sector capacities and resources?

  5. How do I track private sector contributions to emergencies?

  6. What trainings should I develop for my members?

  7. How do I develop my communication strategy?

5. Why do I need a National Action Plan and how do I develop one?
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<<IMPORTANCE OF A NATIONAL ACTION PLAN>>

 

Depending on your context, a National Action Plan may be an important part of a network's plan. It lays out the proposed actions the private sector will take in collaboration with other key actors (including the government, civil society, and the UN) to strengthen coordinated activities in disaster risk management. Unlike a work plan, which focuses only on the activities the network itself will undertake, the goal of a National Action Play is to lay out how all key stakeholders in a country will work together to prepare for and respond to future disasters.

 

Note that a National Action Plan is not necessary in all countries or contexts.  They can be most relevant in two cases:

  1. When there are already a number of organizations operating in the space and a broad agreement on how they will coordinate together would be helpful

  2. When there is recognition by the local government of the potential or the need to develop standard operating procedures for how actors with cooperate with formal disaster coordination mechanisms

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It is also important to understand what a National Action Plan is not.  It is not a replacement for developing clear long-term agreements with key partners, or defining standard operating procedures (SOPs) with activity partners, both of which should be developed and led by the private sector network (see Chapter 3, Question 8 on developing key partnerships for more details). 

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Instead, a National Action Plan should be a document or agreement developed primarily by the local government or key humanitarian coordinating body, with input from the private sector network, that does the following:

  • Provides an overall framework and set of agreements to guide how key stakeholders will coordinate and act before, during, and after a disaster

  • Aligns expectations of various types of stakeholders, ensuring that everyone is on the same page about what is needed from whom

  • Creates a regular schedule of interactions for actors to ensure that they communicate regularly and keep each other informed

  • Sets out clear guidelines for what participation and contributions are expected of the private sector in times of emergency, and set out a clear set of criteria for activating them

  • Highlights key areas of needed programming throughout the country and develop a plan to provide them

  • Lays out expectations not only of the private sector network and its members, but also of key government bodies, UN actors and NGOs in supporting the development of the network

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<<KEY COMPONENTS OF A NATIONAL ACTION PLAN>>

 

There are three key parts to a National Action Plan:

  1. Methodology: This section lays out the approach the network took to map its landscape and understand the key needs in their particular context. This should include both the number and types of organizations contacted as well as the timeframe for those consultations, and any recent or relevant emergencies within that timeframe.  Note: This section will draw on the landscaping process conducted in Chapter 2.

  2. Results: This section lays out the key learnings generated from the landscape assessment, including the existing activities and programming available to private sector actors, the key gaps and needs to further strengthen resilience, current engagement processes and preparedness activities, how information is disseminated among actors, and how progress is tracked and measured.  Note: This section will draw on the gap assessment process covered in Chapter 2.

  3. Action Plan: This section lays out a clear plan of action to address the gaps identified above, provide additional activities and programming to further strengthen private sector engagement and specific short-, medium-, and long-term goals that the network and its partners will plan around. This section should also detail the specific role of the network and its key partners in achieving these goals. 

 

The process for developing a National Action Plan should draw on the work done in Chapter 2 to assess your landscape. With those inputs, the initial working group or governance body should determine the network's key priorities and goals as well as the roles of other key actors in the country (Government, UN, etc).  Finally, this plan must be discussed and reviewed with the other key stakeholders in the country to ensure that they understand their roles and agree to the overall goals of the plan.

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<<SUPPORTING MATERIAL>>

 

Template for National Action Plan

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