Implementation challenges of disaster risk management policies: The organizational capacities of municipal civil defense units

Abstract

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction has provided recommendations for disaster risk management policies. Several studies have contributed to them, generating knowledge about hazards and vulnerabilities. However, only some studies have delved into the capacities of municipalities to implement these national policies. This article analyzes the needs and organizational capacities of municipal civil defense units in Brazil and discusses cocreated proposals to catalyze national policy implementation at the municipal scale. The problem-oriented research conducted between October 2020 and December 2021 adopted mixed methods, composed of an online survey with 1993 municipalities, interviews with 31 municipalities' representatives across five regions of Brazil, and ten virtual focus groups with 260 participants. The qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed and summarized in five main topics that oriented the coproduction of proposals to catalyze policy implementation at the municipal level. These five main topics were centered on i) the professionalization of civil defense services; ii) funding sources to catalyze the implementation of municipal civil defense actions; iii) improving permanent communication among the national, state, and municipal civil defense units; iv) creating capacity development activities that are tailored to regional and biomes’ specificities; and v) fostering social and cross-sectoral participation in the civil defense policy.