To date there has been little formal, empirical research that has been conducted on capacity building for disaster risk management (DRM), and as a result international actors lack robust, evidence-based guidance on how capacity for DRM can be effectively generated at national and local levels. The research project that produced this pilot study report has been designed as an initial step towards filling that knowledge and evidence gap.

A pilot case study was deliberately included in the research design to give an opportunity to ‘road test’ the methodological approach of the project. Ethiopia was chosen as the location for the pilot as it was felt that the country incorporated elements of the three types of environment required in the ToRs:

fragile and conflict affected states
low income countries with repeated and regular natural disaster
states with established DRM infrastructure