INSIDE STORY: Bangladesh’s comprehensive disaster management programme

This case study describes Bangladesh's transition from a reactive disaster relief model to a proactive, comprehensive disaster management programme focused on risk reduction and climate change adaptation across two phases.

• Bangladesh faces numerous natural hazards, including tropical cyclones, tsunamis, and earthquakes, which affect approximately 10 million citizens annually. These impacts are worsened by the fact that nearly one third of the population lives below the poverty line, limiting their adaptive capacity.
• The comprehensive disaster management programme shifts the national focus from relief and rehabilitation toward risk reduction through a holistic, multi-hazard approach. Phase I (2004–2009) served as a pilot in seven districts with a budget of US$27.12 million, establishing policy systems and increasing the capacity of entities such as the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management and the Meteorological Service.
• Phase II (2010–14) aims to institutionalize risk reduction and climate change adaptation across all government levels, supported by over US$70 million in donor commitments. Program outputs include a Disaster Management Information Centre (DMIC), Community Risk Assessment (CRA), and various capacity building initiatives.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2011). INSIDE STORY: Bangladesh’s comprehensive disaster management programme. https://cdkn.org/resource/cdkn-inside-story-bangladesh%25e2%2580%2599s-comprehensive-disaster-management-programme

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. INSIDE STORY: Bangladesh’s comprehensive disaster management programme. 2011. https://cdkn.org/resource/cdkn-inside-story-bangladesh%25e2%2580%2599s-comprehensive-disaster-management-programme.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=INSIDE STORY: Bangladesh’s comprehensive disaster management programme |date=8 December 2011 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/cdkn-inside-story-bangladesh%25e2%2580%2599s-comprehensive-disaster-management-programme |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2011inside, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{INSIDE STORY: Bangladesh’s comprehensive disaster management programme}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2011}, month = dec, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/cdkn-inside-story-bangladesh%25e2%2580%2599s-comprehensive-disaster-management-programme}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }