The Handbook is a guide to the normative framework for humanitarian action and the operational a
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pproaches, coordination structures, and available tools and services that facilitate the mobilization of humanitarian assistance.
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The transformation of the humanitarian landscape has already made a significant impact on the op
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erational security of INGOs and other humanitarian actors. This report serves to inform strategic policy priorities and approaches to security planning and coordination, and addresses three main questions: 1. What are the emerging trends, developments and drivers of change that are likely to affect or change security issues and considerations in the humanitarian environment of the future? 2. How will the humanitarian sector need to adapt in order to continue to deliver programmes within this changing operational context? 3. How prepared are organisations for this future, and what might they need to do differently in order to be prepared?
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Reducing the humanitarian impact of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas is a key priority for
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the United
Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), civil society and an increasing number of Member States.
The United Nations Secretary-General has expressly called on parties to conflict to avoid the use in populated areas of
explosive weapons with wide-area effects.
While the use of explosive weapons in populated areas may in some circumstances be lawful under international
humanitarian law (IHL), empirical evidence reveals a foreseeable and often widespread pattern of harm to civilians,
particularly from explosive weapons with wide-area effects.
Many types of explosive weapons exist and are currently in use. These include air-delivered bombs, artillery projectiles,
missiles and rockets, mortar bombs, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Some are launched from the air and
others are surface launched. Whilst different technical features dictate their accuracy of delivery and explosive effect,
these weapons generally create a zone of blast and fragmentation with the potential to kill, injure or damage anyone
or anything within that zone. This makes their use in populated areas – such as towns, cities, markets and camps for
refugees and displaced persons or other concentrations of civilians – particularly problematic. The problems increase
further if the effects of the weapon extend across a wide-area either because of the scale of blast that they produce; their
inaccuracy; the use of multiple munitions across an area; or a combination thereof.
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The Toolkit for Child Friendly Spaces in Humanitarian Settings was developed by
the International Federation of
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the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Reference
Centre for Psychosocial Support and World Vision International. The toolkit provides
a set of materials to assist managers and facilitators/animators in setting up and
implementing quality Child Friendly Spaces (CFS). These resources have at their core
the protection of children from harm; the promotion of psychosocial well-being; and
the engagement of community and caregiver capacities. The CFS Toolkit includes:
• Activity Catalogue for Child Friendly Spaces in Humanitarian Settings
• Operational Guidance for Child Friendly Spaces in Humanitarian Settings
• Training for Implementers of Child Friendly Spaces in Humanitarian Settings.
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The 2012 NDRMP lays out the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) architecture of the country and provides guidance for DRM intervention at all levels. Ho
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wever, implementation has been slow and resource challenges exist throughout the government.
The PNG government’s policy and institutional framework for DRM still faces numerous obstacles. The main challenges in moving towards a more proactive and systematic approach to manage risks and build resilience include 1.) the limited coordination between DRM and Climate Change Adaptation agencies; 2.) the slow migration from emphasis on response to risk reduction and management; 3.) the limited institutional capacity for planning and design of risk informed investments; and 4.) the lack of available historic natural hazard data, which hinders the assessment of risks.
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Indiscriminate attacks on health care have contributed to an epic humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. A new report tracks these attacks in the hope
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of holding perpetrators on all sides accountable.
It details how both Houthi forces—with their use of wide-area impact weapons—and the Saudi-Emirati coalition—with their aerial attacks—have flagrantly disregarded the special status of health facilities and personnel in conflict zones.
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Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response.
The 2018 Sphere Handbook builds on
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the latest developments and learning in the humanitarian sector. Among the improvements of the new edition, readers will find a stronger focus on the role of local authorities and communities as actors of their own recovery. Guidance on context analysis to apply the standards has also been strengthened. New standards have also been developed, informed by recent practice and learning, such as WASH and healthcare settings in disease outbreaks, security of tenure in shelter and settlement, and palliative care in health. Different ways to deliver or enable assistance, including cash-based assistance, are also integrated into the Handbook.
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With its expert practical advice on security in situations of armed conflict, this updated set of guidelines will prove invaluable to humanitarian personnel working at the operational level. Followi
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ng on from the success of the first edition, published in 1999, it addresses new and developing threats such as chemical, biological and nuclear hazards and includes new chapters on, among others, first aid, staying healthy on mission and how international humanitarian law protects humanitarian workers.
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At the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016, leaders made over 3,700 commitments to advance the Agenda for Humanity. In their first se
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lf-reports against these commitments, 142 stakeholders described the efforts they made from June to December 2016 to realize this ambitious vision.
The 2017 annual synthesis report on progress provides a summary of their collective achievements around the 5 Core Responsibilities and 24 Transformations of the Agenda for Humanity.
Executive summary in
English: https://www.agendaforhumanity.org/sites/default/files/asr/2017/Nov/No%20time%20to%20retreat%20Executive%20Summary_NEW_web_nov27.pdf;
French: https://www.agendaforhumanity.org/sites/default/files/asr/2018/Jan/No%20time%20to%20retreat_Executive%20summary_FRENCH_Final_web.pdf
Spanish: https://www.agendaforhumanity.org/sites/default/files/asr/2018/Jan/No%20time%20to%20retreat_Executive%20summary_Spanish_final_web.pdf
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7 Febr. 2021
As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc in countries – decimating people’s livelihoods, and leaving health systems struggling to provide healthcare and vaccines for the entire population - governments and donors should look to
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the Church as a partner. The essential Church networks, trusted and rooted in local communities, can reach the most vulnerable people and remote places where governments often struggle to reach. DR Congo is among several countries where the Catholic Church is the main provider of community health services, particularly in more remote areas.
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Wild elephants and snakes, violent men lurking in the forest and human traffickers on the prowl during the night. These are among
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the most pressing fears identified by Rohingya children who fled fighting in Myanmar to Bangladesh, according to a new report launched today by Save the Children, World Vision and Plan International to coincide with the six month mark of the crisis.
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Little is known about foreign aid provided by private donors. This paper contributes to closing this research gap by comparing the allocation of private humanitarian aid to that of official
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humanitarian aid awarded to 140 recipient countries over the 2000-2016 period. We construct a new database that offers information on the country in which the headquarters of private donors are located to test whether private donors follow the aid allocation pattern of their home country. Our empirical results confirm that private aid “follows the flag.” This finding is robust against the inclusion of various fixed effects, estimating instrumental variables models, and disaggregating private aid into corporate aid and NGO aid. Donor country-specific estimations reveal that private aid from China, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States “follow the flag.”
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Since the beginning of December a significant increase in the incidence of new cases has been observed particularly along
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the corridor towards the large urban center of Butembo (health zones of Butembo and Katwa) and beyond in the zone of Kayna health center located about 150 km from Goma. In addition, active outbreaks have emerged to the north, particularly in the health zones of Komanda and Oicha.
The third strategic response plan (SRP-3), which covers February through end July 2019, considers the salient points and recommendations made during the operational review of the implementation of the SRP-2 and other guidance based on lessons learned and risk analysis.
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An approach to emergency situations. Relief workers face rapidly changing and complex environments, new disease patterns, enormous humanitarian needs and relatively limited resources.
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The authors of this book use their experience in the area to produce an operational manual of the issues involved in refugee health programs. This book is aimed at professionals involved in public health assistance to refugees and displaced persons. It deals with a variety of specific refugee health issues at the decisional level, and discusses the priorities of intervention during the different phases of a refugee crisis, from emergency to repatriation.
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Commissioned by Plan International the report draws on data from research conducted in Bangladesh in April 2018. It explores how adolescent girls within two age brackets (10-14 and 15-19) understand the
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unique impact the crisis has upon them, and how they have responded to the challenges they face.
Despite the numbers of adolescent girls affected so profoundly by the ongoing Rohingya crisis, and of course, by many crises around the world, it is rare that either their own communities or the humanitarian sector at large pay much attention to them. This research is an attempt to rectify that: to acknowledge that girls and young women do have rights and that their ideas are worth listening to and acting upon.
Among the many learnings, we discovered that girls feel isolated. They have settled among strangers, and parents worry about their safety, keeping them even more trapped inside their new, makeshift homes.
75% of girls interviewed said they have no ability to make decisions about their own lives.
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Looking forward, the 2019-2020 Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP) for the DRC situation aims at addressing the needs of
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new arrivals of Congolese refugees in the region, and those in protracted situations. By supporting livelihoods opportunities and through a resilience-based approach, refugees will be able to contribute to the development of their host countries, and of their country of origin upon their return. Given the limited capacity of host communities to support the impact of massive numbers of refugees, the response strategy will also address the needs of local populations, strengthening peaceful co-existence and building social cohesion.
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