Displaying items by tag: Security

The Dadaab refugee complex in north-east Kenya was established in 1991. Originally designed to accommodate 90,000 refugees, the camps now hold over five times their intended capacity, making Dadaab the third-largest population centre in Kenya after Nairobi and Mombasa. The region is remote and harsh, with temperatures of up to 48 degrees Celsius in the dry season and extreme flooding in the rainy season. The main Dadaab complex consists of the ‘older’ Dagahaley, Hagadera and Ifo refugee camps, with three further sites, Ifo East and Ifo West (combined they are known as Ifo 2) and Kambioos. These sites are being…

UN integration arrangements are the strategies and structures developed to facilitate greater coherence and coordination among UN agencies, funds and programmes, with the aim of maximising the collective impact of the UN’s response. The benefits and risks of UN integration for humanitarian space have been intensely debated for many years. Most humanitarian actors accept the need for greater coherence within the UN system, at least at a strategic level. However, many NGOs object to greater structural arrangements because they claim that this would result in the subjugation of humanitarian priorities to the UN’s political objectives. UN humanitarian actors have expressed…

The London conference on Somalia should be seen as the latest episode in the international community's efforts to stabilise Somalia since the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991. It comes at a time when the political community is espousing an air of optimism, pointing to perceived breakthroughs in their fight with the militant group al-Shabaab and in expanding the physical reach of the transitional federal government (TFG) in the capital Mogadishu. Yet, as the conference date approaches, the humanitarian community has less to be optimistic about. Yes, the UN has officially declared the famine over, but it points…

The environments in which humanitarian and development organisations work are continually changing and there is a growing demand for security training on specific issues. We are aware of the differing demand, with some security and programme management professionals looking to pick and choose topics, while others want an opportunity to refresh their knowledge. In order to meet this need, RedR will be hosting a range of one day sessions on key security issues across one week. Each component will reflect the latest thinking from within the sector and reflect the global challenges that we face in ensuring a safe environment…

This conference will bring together humanitarian organizations, relevant research institutes and donors to discuss different organizational perspectives on cash transfer interventions as a tool in humanitarian operations. HPG’s Sarah Bailey co author of GPR 11 Cash transfer programming in emergencies will facilitate the event over two days.

Just after World Food Day, this event launches the new report Escaping the hunger cycle: pathways to resilience in the Sahel, commissioned by the Sahel Working Group. It guides decision makers to strengthen preparedness, early response and rural livelihoods; and emphasise policies on social protection, disaster risk reduction, malnutrition and food price volatility. This important research has already generated considerable interest among the aid community and policy makers in the Sahel. It is based on interviews with over 70 practitioners, researchers, representatives from donors, governments and the UN, as well as field visits in Niger and Chad, and relevant literature…

The Haitian earthquake in 2010 displaced thousands of people, forcing them into overcrowded spontaneous settlements. Women and girls in particular are at risk of violence in the camps, including sexual violence. This is a huge problem.In the first two months after the earthquake, the Commission of Women Victims for Victims (KOFAVIV)[1] logged 230 incidents of rape in just 15 camps in Port‐au‐Prince. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported 68 cases of rape in one month (April) at just one of its clinics in Port‐au‐Prince. The actual figures are likely to be substantially higher given significant under-reporting. A lack of adequate lighting…

Cash transfers have often been described as key recent innovation in humanitarian response. Providing cash or vouchers in the aftermath of a crisis can be an appropriate alternative or complement to in-kind assistance, such as food aid. Many aid agencies and donors highlight their use of cash transfers as evidence that they are providing flexible, and even potentially empowering, assistance. There is also an undertone of caution. What if cash transfers cause inflation? What if the money is not spent on the ‘right’ things? Many studies and guidelines have looked at what we know about cash transfers and how we…

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Iraq created a ‘Women and War’ advisor position in 2008, responsible for assessing and integrating women’s needs into ICRC programmes. Although no confirmed figures exist, there are estimates of over a million women-headed households (WHHs) in Iraq. Despite limitations on access imposed by insecurity, it was possible to meet Iraqi women from all walks of life in Jordan and in more secure areas in Iraq, to discuss the problems affecting them. Based on these initial consultations and working with contacts provided by local NGOs, the ICRC organised a field survey…

Following the famine in Somalia, this virtual issue of Disasters brings together a number of seminal articles on previous famines in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere. The collection includes articles by world class scholars on early warning systems, targeting of emergency food aid, effectiveness of famine response, interface between war and famine, malnutrition, disease and mortality in times of famine and discussion of the definition of 'famine'. It is hoped that this rich literature, spanning almost 30 years, can be of help in informing the current response. Disasters publishes high-quality topical research to inform current debates, and has produced…