Abstract:

Vulnerable segments of society are more likely to suffer from calamities because disasters worsen weaknesses and social differences. Marginalized groups should be involved in disaster risk reduction as energetic representatives of change for resilience to be operative and equitable. The paper provides a glimpse of international framework and initiatives being taken by developing countries to move the discussion beyond the only idea that vulnerable groups need to be included within DRR policy. Through stimulating the cultural and socio-economic inclusion, as well as the political acknowledgment of ostracized individuals, this paper delivers models of where their involvement as active agents of change have demonstrated benefits for attaining equitable and effective resilience. These examples have been taken from developing countries like India, Nepal, Myanmar, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia and Sudan. These countries practically integrated needs of vulnerable groups in DRR and took initiatives to empower them. This evidence supported our recommendations for the inclusion and empowerment of vulnerable groups within DRR policies with special focus on developing world.

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