1. Disasters and Capacity Development Mirage

Disaster impacts are increasing globally. At the same time, disaster risk management capacity remains low in many developing countries despite conscious capacity development efforts. Apart from human agony and pain, this capability trap situation affects a country’s economic and social development potential, pushing it into a lagged developmental trajectory. This chapter introduces the central theme of this book, illustrating with examples how some developing countries are facing capability trap situation in spite of conscious capacity development efforts by governments and international development agencies. The chapter starts with an overview of rising disaster impacts worldwide followed by the kind of capacity development programs usually undertaken to prevent and prepare for disasters and how these programs are mostly unable to develop effective capacity. With examples from various countries facing recurrent disasters and rising disaster impacts, this chapter raises many critical questions to discuss challenges associated with capacity development in disaster risk management, primarily in a developing country context. The chapter provides an overview of how the book is organized and how solutions to various questions, which are raised in this chapter, are explored in the remaining book.