The World Bank Institute’s (WBI) Global Distance Learning Program on Natural Disaster Risk Management is a series of online courses designed to develop a broader understanding of natural disaster risk management among local government decision makers, policy makers, city managers, administrators, and planners, disaster management practitioners and responders as well as enhance the effectiveness of disaster risk management practices at the local and community levels. WBI has partnered with EMI for its delivery in the Philippines.

Available Courses

1. Comprehensive Natural Disaster Risk Management Framework (Pre-requisite for all other courses) 
   August 2 - September 10, 2010
   This course addresses basic questions such as "why are disasters a development issue?" and "what are the components of comprehensive disaster risk management?" The course reviews the institutional arrangements and financing mechanisms of disaster management systems, and identifies the role of national and local actors in the processes related to risk assessment, mitigation and financing. This course targets general development practitioners to raise their awareness and sensitivity in prevention of natural disasters.
   
   
2. Community-Based Disaster Risk Management
   The course topics are community-based prevention and mitigation, and the need to involve local actors in natural disaster prevention. The course presents examples of partnership programs, micro-finance schemes, and formal and informal educational approaches that aim at developing a culture of prevention. The course targets NGOs, municipal officials, city managers and community leaders.
   
   
   
3. Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management
   September 20 - October 20, 2010
   This course provides an introduction to the science of climate change, reviews the climate change impacts on natural hazards, the trends in magnitude and frequency of climatic extremes, and changes in average climatic conditions. It explores the inter-linkages between disaster risk management and climate change adaptation and outlines strategies, methods and tools for integrated climate risk management.
   
   
   
4. Risk Sensitive Land Use Planning for Urban Risk Reduction
   July 26 - August 25, 2010
   The Land-Use Planning course is a specialization course developed for professionals involved in design and maintenance of public infrastructure, critical facilities, and lifelines. The main target audience for the course are land use planners, zoning officers, building and housing officials, and housing officers. 
   
   
   
5. Safe Cities 
   August 30 - September 29, 2010
   November 8 - December 8, 2010
   This specialization course addresses particular concerns of urban managers and planners. It reviews processes, regulations (land use, infrastructure, construction, building codes), enforcement issues and methods essential to reducing exposure to hazards and limiting the physical vulnerability of high-density settlements.
   
   
   
6. Damage and Reconstruction Needs Assessment
   October 4 - November 3, 2010
   This course enhances the participants understanding of the social, economic and environmental effects of natural disasters, and enables them to assess these effects. The course is based on the UN ECLAC methodology and presents instruments for quantifying direct damages, indirect losses, and the overall macroeconomic effects of catastrophic events. The target audience includes the staff of government agencies, both central and local, and representatives of international aid agencies.
   
   
   
7. Earthquake Risk Reduction
   November 15 - December 15, 2010
   This course links the science and engineering of earthquakes to structural and non-structural risk reduction practices. The course introduces the basic approaches to earthquake risk reduction, discussing the effectiveness of each in various regions of the world. The course targets government officials, particularly from public works agencies and planning organizations, as well as design professionals and utility operators, in order to improve the planning and development of build environment and infrastructure.
   
   
8. Financial Strategies for Managing the Economic Impacts of Natural Disasters
   January 10, 2011 - February 10, 2011
   The course offers financing strategies for risk management. The course focuses on financial, economic and development impacts of disasters, and trade-offs (costs and benefits) involved in disaster risk financing. The course provides policy makers and disaster managers with tools and institutional designs for improved planning and budgeting processes, and national macroeconomic projections. This specialization course targets officials from finance ministries, planning organizations, and public works agencies.
   
   Target Participants

1. Local chief executives, city, municipal and provincial government officers, members of local and regional legislative and development councils, administrators, disaster managers, emergency planners, and staff members of the planning, engineering, and disaster management offices.
2. National government officers involved in housing, site planning, infrastructure, utilities, public works, hazards mitigation, disaster management, land management, urban planning and development, land use planning and staff members of such development, planning, and disaster management agencies.
3. Elected officials of cities, municipalities, and provinces.
4. Civil Defense deputized coordinators.
5. Community leaders, NGO staff members, and development workers.
6. Professionals from the construction and real estate industries such as subdivision planners and developers, site planners, construction managers, builders, private contractors, architects, civil and structural engineers.

Course Fees

Philippine Participants: P6,950 per course
International Participants: $170 per course (++ bank transfer charges, mailing expense of CDs and Course Certificates)

Related Documents

• NDRMP Brochure
• FAQs
• Payment Details
  
• List of All Graduates
  

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