United Nations (UN) Disaster Risk Reduction Framework: Case Study of the Portuguese Army on UN Challenges in the Context of Sustainable Risk Mitigation

Abstract

The United Nations (UN) in the context of disaster risk reduction has been sensitizing governments and all citizens to the need to develop mechanisms that contribute to preventing risks and reducing vulnerabilities regarding serious accidents or disasters. The search for an adequate response to the different types of accidents is a social demand; leading civil protection authorities, together with other national entities, namely the Armed Forces, to create diverse response mechanisms. This research intends to call the reader’s attention and awareness to disaster risk reduction, characterizing the UN policy, and evaluating the Portuguese Army’s capacity for organizational change. This article follows a case study research strategy, considering a deductive reasoning structure and a qualitative methodological orientation. The evolution of the UN’s growing concern with disaster risk reduction over time will be studied, and the way in which the Portuguese military has adapted to the new challenges promoted by the UN will be discussed.