The DER Group was formed in January 2001. It is a key national forum bringing together Government, NGOs, donors and UN Agencies concerned with improving the effectiveness and efficiency of emergency response. It is one of the sub-groups of the Bangladesh Local Consultative Group (LCG). In September 2000, in response to the floods in the Southwest Bangladesh, the UN Resident Coordinator, in his capacity as chair of the United Nations Disaster Management Team (UNDMT), formed an emergency working group which was chaired by WFP on his behalf. In addition to UN agencies, representatives from Government, several bilateral donors, NGOs and other humanitarian community formed part of the group, with the aim to better coordination of the various relief efforts. Based on this and previous experiences with disaster situations, it was widely felt within the community of humanitarian organizations that a permanent structure was needed to facilitate an institutionalization of coordinated response planning and information sharing. It was proposed to establish a Sub-Group of the LCG mechanism to improve effectiveness and efficiency of emergency response through coordination and information sharing. The ultimate goal of DER is to complement the GoB’s coordination role in emergency response.

Since its initiation, WFP has been chairing and serves as the Secretariat. The group meets on monthly basis in non-emergency times, and much frequently during an emergency.

The four main objectives of the Group are:

• Objective 1: Rapid, coordinated, and timely response to disasters.
• Objective 2: Establish an improved information system with continuous access for main stakeholders.
• Objective 3: Enhance disaster preparedness and response capacity of the GoB and partners.
• Objective 4: Advocate for the preparedness and response needs of those vulnerable to or those affected by disasters