Definitions

Question 1

Definition of a disaster

Answer 1

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

Or

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

Question 2

What is an IGO?

Answer 2

Inter-Governmental-Organisation

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

Question 3

Define NGO

Answer 3

Non-governmental Organisation.

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

Question 4

Principles of Humanitariansim?

Answer 4

Humanity
Neutrality
Impartiality
Independence

Question 5

What is Sphere?

Answer 5

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.

Question 6

What are the principles grounding Sphere?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Core Humanitarian Standard

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

Answer 7

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

Question 8

The principles of Sphere:

Answer 8

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

Question 9

The legal framework of Sphere:

Answer 9

International Human rights law

International Humanitarian Law

International Refugee Law

National Constitutions

Question 10

Sources of Refugee Law

Answer 10

Convention on the status of Refugees (1951)

Protocol on the status of refugees (1967)

OAU (organisation of African unity convention (1969))

Cartagena Declaration (1984)

Question 11

International humanitarian Law….

Answer 11

Imposes duties on states and warring parties

Applies in times of conflict but not in peace

Question 12

Core Humanitarian Standards Structure and components:

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Top 3 humanitarian values

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Too 3 Humanitarian skills

Answer 14

1. Multitasking
2. Negotiation and mediation
3. Team building

Question 15

Top 3 humanitarian knowledge areas:

Answer 15

1. Needs assessment
2. Security and safety issues
3. International humanitarian law

Question 16

Needs assessment:

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Complex Humanitarian Disaster

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

IAWG

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

Malnutrition

MUAC

Z score

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Water standards minimum requirements

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Triggers for humanitarian action

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Types of disaster

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Social and public health implications of disasters

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Epidemiology in disasters

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

Answer 24

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

Question 25

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)

Answer 25

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

Question 26

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.

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Core Humanitarian standard is a stand alone document

Answer 27

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.

Question 28

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

Answer 28

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:

Question 29

Core Humanitarian Standards

Answer 29

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)

Question 30

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.

Answer 30

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.