Definitions Flashcards by Flea-on Samson

Definition of a disaster

A disaster is a calamitous event resulting in loss of life, great human suffering and distress, and large scale material damage

A disaster is a disruption of normal life and activities that requires the affected community to make extraordinary efforts to cope with it and usually requires outside help

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What is an IGO?

Inter-Governmental-Organisation

Refers to organisations constituted by two or more governments . It thus includes all United Nations Agencies and regional organisations.

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Define NGO

Non-governmental Organisation.

Refers to organisations, big national and international, which are constituted separate from the government in which they are founded.

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Principles of Humanitariansim?

Humanity
Neutrality
Impartiality
Independence

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What is Sphere?

1997 a group of humanitarian non-governmental organisations and the Red Cross and red crescent movement aims to improve the quality of their actions during disaster response and to be held accountable for them.

The Sphere handbook sets clear benchmarks for what actions can be considered as Humanitarian.

I.e. Defines humanitarian response as one which is concerned with the basic rights of populations affected by disasters and conflicts.

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What are the principles grounding Sphere?

The Humanitarian Charter provides the ethical and legal backdrop founded on the principle of HUMANITY and the HUMANITARIAN IMPERATIVE. These include:

The right to life with dignity
The right to receive humanitarian assistance
The right to protection and security

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Core Humanitarian Standard

The nine commitments: state what affected communities can expect from organisations and individuals delivering humanitarian assistance

Humanitarian response is appropriate and relevant
Humanitarian response is effective and timely
It must strengthen local capacities and avoid negative effects
Must be based on communication, participation and feedback
Complaints are welcomed and addressed
Must be coordinated and complementary
Humanitarian actors must continuously learn and improve
Staff are supported to do their job effectively and are treated fairly and equitably
Resources are managed and used responsibly for their intended purpose

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The principles of Sphere:

Include:

Protection of civilians in armed conflict

Non-refoulement: no return of refugees, or IDPs to a place of persecution; and I return if anyone facing torture

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The legal framework of Sphere:

International Human rights law

International Humanitarian Law

International Refugee Law

National Constitutions

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Sources of Refugee Law

Convention on the status of Refugees (1951)

Protocol on the status of refugees (1967)

OAU (organisation of African unity convention (1969))

Cartagena Declaration (1984)

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International humanitarian Law….

Imposes duties on states and warring parties

Applies in times of conflict but not in peace

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Core Humanitarian Standards Structure and components:

The nine commitments- what affected communities can expect

Quality criteria- how Humanitarian actors need to work in order to meet the nine commitments

Key actions- what humanitarian workers need to do to deliver quality programmes in an accountable manner, against each of the nine commitments

Organisational responsibilities- describe policies and processes and systems the organisations need to have in place to support their staff

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Top 3 humanitarian values

Respect for victim and community
Independence from political, financial, religious, and other pressures
Accountability to beneficiaries

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Too 3 Humanitarian skills

Multitasking
Negotiation and mediation
Team building

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Top 3 humanitarian knowledge areas:

Needs assessment
Security and safety issues
International humanitarian law

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Needs assessment:

Provides an understanding of the disaster situation and a clear analysis of threats to life, dignity, health and livelihoods to determine, in consultation with the relevant authorities, whether and external response is required and if so the nature of this response.

Allows the agency to decide whether to intervene or not

If an intervention is planned, assessment provides information to allow agency to:

determine priorities
plan programmes
Design systems to monitor progress of programmes
share information

Sphere project ref

Complex Humanitarian Disaster

Complex emergencies are situations of disrupted livelihoods and threats to life produced by warfare, civil disturbance and large-scale movements of people, in which any emergency response has to be conducted in a difficult political and security environment.

WHO 2002

Complex emergencies combine internal conflict with large scale displacements of people, mass famine or food shortage and Fran hike failing economic, political and social institutions. They can often be exacerbated by natural disasters.

United Nations definition: a humanitarian crisis in a country, region or society where there is total or considerable breakdown of authority resulting from internal or external conflict and which requires an international response that goes beyond the mandate or capacity of any single and/or ongoing UN country program. In short, an acute emergency layered over ongoing instability.

IAWG

Inter Agency Working Group on reproductive health in armed conflict formed in 1995 to help promote access to reproductive healthcare for refugee women and others affected by conflict.

Originally comprised of over 30 groups including United Nations agencies, universities, governmental and non-governmental agencies,
Overseen/ led by the United Nations High commissioner for refugees, the WHO and the United Nations population fund.

Malnutrition

MUAC

Z score

MUAC: middle upper arm circumference is a rough guide to nutritional status.

If >14cm normal
If <11cm severe malnutrition

If >10% moderately malnourished it is a nutrition emergency

Z score is a weight for height ratio but more difficult/complex to calculate but more accurate

Water standards minimum requirements

Water standards

Minimum standard requirements 15 litres per person per day (including eating,cooking, drinking and hygiene)

Feeding centre 20-30litres/person

Health centre 40-litres/person/day

Should be a place to store water for standby

Triggers for humanitarian action

Rise in mortality:

crude mortality >1/10,000/day
rise in mortality in children <5 to >4/10,000/day

Reduced energy supply:

<1500kcal/day for adults
< 100kcal/kg/day for infants and children
reduced z score or MUAC in 10% children aged <5
wasting > 15% of normal body weight

Types of disaster

Natural
Man-made
Complex emergencies
Societies affected by conflict

Sudden or acute onset:
Earthquakes, flood, high wind, landslide, volcanic eruption, epidemics

Slow, Or chronic onset:
Drought or famine

Man made disaster: 
Industrial
Chemical, microbiological, radiological and nuclear accidents, fire, explosion, pollution, terrorism
Transport accidents 
Deforestation

Social and public health implications of disasters

Complex humanitarian emergencies: Wars, civil strife etc leading to internally displaced persons and refugees

Characteristics of fragile and failed states

War and public health
Features of post-conflict societies
Stabilisation of post-conflict states
Urbanisation and disasters

Epidemiology in disasters

- the use of epidemiological methods to study and manage the public health aspects of disasters

Time, person, & place
Numbers and rates
Key indicators

Who, what, when, where, why, how

Data collection methods 
- mortality
- CMR, CFR, age specific, maternal, U5MR
- morbidity
(Incidence, attack rate, incidence rate, prevalence)
- nutritional
-health services 
- vital needs

Surveillance systems, surveys, outbreak investigations

Sphere's 6 Core Standards Are informed by the Humanitarian charter and the Red Cross/ red crescent and NGO code for conduct, which explain the four Humanitarian principles and provide context for them in practice. The charter makes strong mention of the principle of humanity and calls upon all state and non-state actors to respect the "impartial, independent and non-partisan role of humanitarian agencies" (Humanitarian Charter paragraph 3)

1. People-centres humanitarian response 2. Coordination and collaboration 3. Assessment 4. Design and response 5. Performance, transparency and learning 6. Aid worker performance

Core Humanitarian Standards Similarity in approach between the CHS and the Sphere core standards is not a coincidence . Promote coherence with other existing Humanitarian Standards.

1. Appropriate and relevant response 2. Effective and timely response 3. Strengthened local capacities and avoidance of negative effects 4. Communication, participation, feedback 5. Complaints welcomed and addressed 6. Coordinated and complementary response 7. Continuous learning and improvement 8. Supported, effective, fairly treated staff 9. Resources responsibly used for intended purposes

Core Humanitarian standard is a stand alone document

Sphere core standards are one element in the Speer handbook and must be taken as part of this larger approach. The core standards serve as a bridge between the principles laid out by the Humanitarian Charter and Protection Principles and the practice described in the minimum standards for technical areas.

Comparison slides Sphere core standards: The qualitative levels that should be attained in humanitarian response in order to uphold humanitarian principles and affected people's rights. (Also called "people and processes standards) Key actions: for each core standard, the activities and inputs that will help Humanitarian actors meet the standard Key indicators: for each core standard the "signals" that show whether the standard has been attained Guidance notes: for each core standard, the specific points to consider when applying it

CHS Commitments Nine commitments: what affected communities can expect from organisations and individuals delivering humanitarian assistance Quality criteria: how Humanitarian actors need to work in order to meet the commitment Key actions: for each commitment, what humanitarian workers need to do in order to fulfil the commitment Organisational responsibilities: for each commitment, the policies, processes and systems humanitarian organisations need to have in place to support their staff Indicators: Guidance notes:

Core Humanitarian Standards

1. Assessment (appropriate and relevant response) 2. Design implementation (effective and timely response) 3. Local capacities (strengthened and local capacities and avoidance of negative effects) 4. Communication (communication, participation, feedback) 5. Complaints mechanisms (complaints welcomed and addressed) 6. Coordination (coordinated and complementary response) 7. Learning (continuous learning. And improvement) 8. Staff performance (supported, effective, fairly treated staff) 9. Resources (responsibly used for intended purposes)

Differences between core standards and CHS Overall the broad and inclusive consultation and harmonisation process that led to the development of the CHS succeeded in effectively reflecting the Sphere Core Standards in the CHS. Enhanced accountability and aid worker elements, as well as its reflection of recent learning in humanitarian response. All of these adjustments promise to help achieve the Humanitarian community's overarching goal of improved quality and effectiveness of humanitarian action and improved accountability to communities and people affected by crisis.

New elements/ different emphasis in the CHS. 1. Strengthened and/or more extrnsive emphasis on accountability reflecting the 2010 HAP standard 2. More prominence given to organisations' support to and management of their aid workers, reflecting the People in Aid Code of Good Practice 3. Learning in the Humanitarian community The CHS also includes 2 new elements not previously addressed by the Sphere core standards 1. Consultation with affected populations in complaints mechanisms. This about consulting with communities and people affected by crisis on the design, implementation and monitoring of complaints handling processes. 2. "Unmet needs" are also specifically mentioned: "refer any unmet needs to those organisations with relevant technical expertise and mandate" (sphere core standards previously mentioned complementarity of response efforts) 3. CHS commitment 8. Staff performance: staff safety, security and well-being. Addresses the need for competent and well managed aid-workers focused on staff obtaining support to work effectively and receiving fair and equitable treatment.