Participatory Emergency Planning: a practical framework from the MedEWSa project

People-centred approaches have emerged as a critical component of effective disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies, as they can improve the translation of scientific risk information and operational recommendations into practical action (UNDRR, 2015; UNDRR & WMO, 2022). Participatory processes have also been shown to strengthen community ownership regarding emergency planning, by enhancing trust between the local authorities and their communities. However, evidence suggests that such approaches are not yet systematically embedded in practice, due to various constraints, including uneven conceptualisation and a lack of practical frameworks to support application (UNDRR, 2015; IPCC, 2023).

 

Building on this evidence, we developed a practical framework for Participatory Emergency Planning within the MedEWSa Horizon Europe project, targeting citizens and key stakeholders involved in emergency planning. The framework is based on a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed and grey literature on participatory governance in DRR and climate change adaptation and is structured around a set of guiding principles for the design and implementation of participatory processes. These principles emphasise: the importance of preliminary in-depth understanding of local, social, cultural and institutional contexts; careful consideration of timing,  endorsement by public administrations; active and meaningful community engagement; a focus  on realistic and achievable outcomes; the allocation of adequate financial resources, and skills; the integration of scientific and local  knowledge; and the selection of accessible and culturally appropriate  locations for participation. The resulting toolkit consists of 15 factsheets organised into three interrelated phases: (i) before a participatory approach, focusing on assessing the contextual feasibility, including institutional frameworks, stakeholder dynamics, resource availability, and community capacities; (ii) during a participatory approach, adressing rthe co-assessment of  hazards, exposure, and vulnerability , the review of existing emergency plans, and the development of locally grounded recommendations; and (iii) after a participatory approach, covering communication, monitoring, evaluation, and learning to support accountability and adaptive improvement. Although presented in phases, the framework is explicitly non-linear and adaptable to diverse social, cultural, and institutional contexts.