New Post-Disaster Needs Assessment Methodology for Serbia

Vrnjačka Banja, 28 February 2023 – To improve the policy framework for disaster resilience in the Republic of Serbia, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), supported by the European Union and in cooperation with the Ministry for Public Investment (MPI), is assisting the development of a new Methodology for Disaster Loss and Damage Assessment – the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA).

The two-day workshop, held in Vrnjacka Banja, brought together representatives from the Ministry for Public Investment (MPI), the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (SORS), the Ministry of Interior – Sector for Emergency Management (SEM), the local administrations of Kraljevo and Vrnjačka Banja, and UNDP, in order to work on finalising the Methodology with annexes. The new Methodology will replace the existing one, used since 1987, which uses historically outdated terminology and formulations, and does not distinguish between damage and loss.

The aim of the new PDNA Methodology is to enable more accurate and efficient damage assessment by providing new templates, instructions, and interpretations of guidelines for damage assessment in local self-governments to ease data collection in crises and harmonise it with the DesInventar methodology (Disaster Information Management System). Therefore, local government representatives are participating in this process and providing their hands-on experience in the application of Disaster Loss and Damage Assessments. These inputs from the local level are of utmost importance for harmonising and optimising procedures, manuals and damage and loss assessment forms, so that they can be applied in the adverse post- disaster conditions by responsible actors at the local level within a tight timeframe.

When finalised, the PDNA Methodology will take a sectoral approach to the assessment and distribution of damage and loss and will be aligned with the existing national legal framework, establishing a closer links between climate change processes and disasters, and be adapted to the needs of damage assessment commissions at the local level.

Upon its adoption, UNDP, in collaboration with MPI, will include PDNA section in the training programme for local self-governments.

New Post-Disaster Needs Assessment Methodology for Serbia is being developed within the initiative ‘EU for Serbia Resilient to Disasters’ funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP.