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Afghanistan: Afghans and Nepalese Share Views on Conflict

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Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting
Country: Afghanistan, Nepal

Activists agree that civic engagement and social justice are key to ensuring stability.

By IWPR Afghanistan

Afghan and Nepalese experts had a rare chance to share their experiences of living in societies struggling to recover from conflict at an on-line IWPR event.

Afghanistan has suffered through more than three decades of war, and now faces the challenge of peace talks with the Taleban.

Nepal experienced a ten-year civil war that claimed 17,000 lives and displaced around 100,000 people. It ended with a 2006 peace deal between the government and the Communist insurgents, but speakers said that they too were still working to ensure political stability.

The July debate was held via Skype between participants in Nepal and Afghans in the city of Herat in the west of the country.

Speakers all agreed that civil society had to take an active role in solving the problems of conflict.

Afghan participants also stressed that the international community, especially the USA, had to play a central part in bringing peace as well as good governance to their country.

Chandani Pandey, a sociology lecturer at King Katmandu university in the Nepalese capital, said that peace in her country had been achieved after overcoming four difficult stages.

“First we made the country’s system receptive toward peace, then we achieved social stability with the support of civil society. After that, we divided political power fairly - and finally, we analysed all our country’s shortcomings and negative points and planned reforms on that basis.”

Nepalese civil rights activist Aleena said that Afghans also needed to engage in a public debate to understand the reasons behind their protracted conflicts.

She said it was impossible to solve conflict without identifying the solutions, causes and consequences of violence.

Herat provincial council member Habib-Ul-Rahman Pedram said that ongoing violence in Afghanistan was largely due to intereference by other regional powers.

Abdul Qadar Rahimi, head of the regional office of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), agreed.

He said that the 2014 withdrawal of coalition forces would delay the peace process for many years, with the resulting vacuum fueling a regional competition over power and e=nergy resources.

“Our first war was between Mujahedeen and the then-government,” he continued. “The second Afghan war was against the Taleban. The third war was between Hamid Karzai’s government and the Taleban, and the fourth war is between Islamic State and the current government of Afghanistan, which has not ended yet.”

Nepal’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Geta Sheresta, told the debate that she believed peace had to mean more than the absence of war.

Different people had different definitions depending on their situation, she continued.

“In my view, peace is safety and a situation where no shots and explosions are heard and where a person can live in complete security,” she said.

Mandira Rawat, the founder and head of the Nepalese Utsah training centre, agreed that the Kabul government needed to hold consultations with the nation. She emphasised the role civil society had played in bringing peace to Nepal, particularly through campaigning for changes in the country’s constitution.

Rawat also stressed that implementing justice in society paved the way to long-lasting stability, adding, “The Afghan government should strengthen the fundamentals of justice among all parts and tribes of the nation in order to bring peace.”

This report was produced under IWPR’s Promoting Human Rights and Good Governance in Afghanistan initiative, funded by the European Union Delegation to Afghanistan.


Nepal: South Asia: Flooding - Humanitarian Snapshot (as of July 2016)

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Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal

OVERVIEW

From 1 to 31 July, torrential monsoon rains caused severe flooding and landslides in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal affecting millions of people and destroying thousands of homes. Disaster management authorities are leading the local response supported by the national Red Cross and Red Crescent, volunteers and civil society organizations.

The second half of the monsoon season is expected to continue until September which may cause additional flooding for the next two months. In 2015, floods affected nearly 18 million people across South Asia and killed 880 people.

NEEDS

Food, water containers, safe drinking water, tarpaulins, sanitation facilities, personal hygenie kits, and shelter materials.

Nepal: Nepal: Flood and Landslide affected districts as of 01 August 2016

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Source: UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nepal
Country: Nepal

Nepal: Nepal: Operational Space Issues (June 2016)

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Source: UN Country Team in Nepal, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nepal
Country: Nepal

The incidents - indicated by the shading on the map - represents the total number of reports received, and not necessarily the total number of actual incidents

Pakistan: Pakistan taking the lead in respectful handling of the dead

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Source: International Committee of the Red Cross
Country: Afghanistan, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, World

Islamabad (ICRC) – Handling dead bodies with respect and dignity in emergencies is the theme of a five-day course currently being run by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Islamabad, Pakistan. The course has attracted emergency responders from Afghanistan, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam who will benefit from national expertise.

The course covers the core principles of dead body management. It focuses on the new techniques and technologies of identifying and handling the dead with respect and dignity, and minimizing the trauma of bereaved families. The course also reflects on the challenges that commonly hamper communications and coordination in the aftermath of complex emergencies.

The event was inaugurated by the Member Operations National Disaster Management Authority, Brig. Ishtiaq Ahmed and head of ICRC delegation in Pakistan, Reto Stocker.

Brig. Ishtiaq Ahmed highlighted the steps taken by the government of Pakistan to improve in this area: "After a disaster, large or small, all victims should be recovered and identified for a number of reasons, ranging from the needs of the family to paying compensation or sorting out legal formalities."

Reto Stocker acknowledged how much Pakistan had improved its handling of the dead in recent emergencies. "We face frequent disasters in Pakistan and in the region. We need to prepare for disasters, and that includes how to handle the bodies of victims with respect," said Reto Stocker. He also reiterated the ICRC's support for establishing a centre of excellence for dead body management in Pakistan and the organization's willingness to provide technical expertise to help government institutions and private organizations improve even further.

Since 2010, the ICRC has organized 12 courses in Pakistan, training more than 340 emergency responders and forensic specialists.

For more information, please contact:
Najum Abbasi, ICRC Islamabad, tel. +92 300 852 91 08

Belgium: IOM country office for Belgium and Luxembourg newsletter January – July 2016

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Source: International Organization for Migration
Country: Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Belgium, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Georgia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Morocco, Nepal, Russian Federation, World

Migration in the 21st Century: reflections & prospects for 2050 The Director General of IOM, Ambassador

William Lacy Swing, participated in the conference "Migration in the 21st Century: reflections and prospects for 2050” at the Palais d'Egmont in Brussels on 17 May 2016.

This conference, organized by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, coincides with the celebration of the 65th anniversary of IOM and the Belgian presidency of the IOM Council.

Pictures of the event are available on our Flickr album, and a short video report can be accessed here.

For more info, visit our website

World: The Market Monitor - Trends and impacts of staple food prices in vulnerable countries, Issue 32 I July 2016

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Source: World Food Programme
Country: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic (the), Lebanon, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, occupied Palestinian territory, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, World, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Global Highlights

  • During Q2-2016, FAO’s global cereal price index fell by 6 percent year-on-year but it is 3 percent up compared to Q1-2016. The increase is because of rising maize and rice prices. The FAO global food price index has increased and almost returned to the levels of June 2015 (-1%), because prices particularly for sugar and oil increased significantly.

  • The real price2 of wheat is 20 percent below Q2-2015.
    This is because world supplies are at record levels thanks to increased production as well as beginning stocks.

  • The real price of maize came under pressure in Q2-2016 and rose 7 percent from Q1, although it remained stable compared to 2015. Globally, supplies are abundant but consumption is expected to increase and stocks are estimated to reduce in 2016/17.

  • During Q2-2016, the real price of rice increased by 9 percent compared to the first quarter because of declining stocks and concerns about production, particularly in Thailand.

  • The real price of crude oil has increased since February 2016 and is up 34 percent compared to the previous quarter because of decreases in non-OPEC production and various supply outages.

  • The cost of the basic food basket increased severely (>10%) in Q2-2016 in nine countries:
    Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, north Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Togo and Zimbabwe. High increases (5–10%) were seen in Benin, Cameroon,
    Costa Rica, Egypt, Iran, and Mozambique. In the other monitored countries, the change was moderate or low (<5%).

  • Price spikes, as monitored by ALPS, were detected in 20 countries, particularly in Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Zambia (see the map below).3 These spikes indicate crisis levels for the two most important staples in each country, which could be beans, cassava, maize, millet, oil, plantains, rice, sorghum, sweet potatoes, sugar or wheat flour.

World: Groupe URD Annual Report 2015 - Learning and innovating to improve crisis response

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Source: Groupe Urgence - Réhabilitation - Développement
Country: Ghana, Haiti, Nepal, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, World

Looking back at an eventful year, our Annual Report for 2015 covers areas such as: the results and lessons learned from the response to the Nepal earthquake; the launch of the French and Spanish versions of the CHS; the end of the different NGO support projects by the Haiti Observatory, which closed in 2015; the preparations for the World Humanitarian Summit; and work carried out with French and European institutions on topics such as the environment, risk and disaster management and LRRD.

2015 was marked by a number of major international events: the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, COP21 in Paris, and the Third Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa. Groupe URD was involved in all of these dossiers, working, at the national level, with the French Development Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Environment, at the European level, with DG ECHO and DEVCO, and at the UN level, with OCHA and UNDP, and in preparation for the World Humanitarian Summit.

We also continued to work alongside practitioners via training courses, evaluations and the production of tools and methods. Of particular note was our active participation in the development of the CHS and its tools, based on key aspects of the Quality COMPAS. We are pleased that the CHS has been very favourably received and we will continue to work with our partners to help aid organisations to put it into practice.

In the field, we ended the majority of our activities in Haiti, closing our Observatory after five years of in-depth analysis of a crisis that has provided many lessons for the sector. We have a great deal of affection for this country, and we continued to monitor the situation there, and were present intermittently for a number of short projects. We were able to transfer many of the lessons from the response to the 2010 earthquake to the response to the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. We continued to work in the Sahel, though less than in 2014. Certain projects, such as the evaluations for the WFP, and our studies on the Ebola crisis, nevertheless allowed us to maintain ties with a certain number of countries in the sub-region, and we continued to keep a close watch on this particularly fragile area.

We also began several projects related to the Syrian crisis and monitored the refugee crisis in Europe which has raised questions about the capacity and methods of humanitarian organisations and donors…

Our goal is to continue to learn, innovate and improve… With this in mind, we finalized a new five-year strategy in 2015. Designed so that there is continuity with the past, it aims to allow more in-depth analysis and closer ties with the field, and to make the results of our work as practical and useful as possible.


Nepal: Nepal: Earthquake Emergency Appeal (MDRNP008) Revision n° 2

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Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Country: Nepal

This Revised Emergency Appeal seeks 85 million Swiss francs to enable the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) in delivering humanitarian assistance to 700,000 people (140,000 families) affected by the 25 April and 12 May 2015 earthquakes. This revision takes into account the amendment of budget lines to reflect the reconstruction guidelines circulated by the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) of Nepal recently and the current humanitarian needs of the affected people. The overall budget includes CHF 6.5 million for the deployment of emergency response units (ERUs) and 1.6 million Swiss francs for the deployment of a Shelter Cluster coordination team. Partners and donors are encouraged to contribute to the funding gap of this Appeal – 26.5 million Swiss francs.

The disaster timeline

25 April 2015: An earthquake measuring 7.9 magnitude on the Richter scale stroke area between Kathmandu and Pokhara. NRCS activated its emergency response committee (ERC) and emergency operation centre (EOC). NRCS staff and volunteers immediately engaged in coordination, search and rescue activities, provision of first aid and distribution of nonfood relief items in affected areas. The Government of Nepal declared a state of emergency and called for international humanitarian assistance.

NRCS requested for IFRC support. 500,000 Swiss francs was allocated from the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). IFRC alerted its global disaster response tools (HEOPs, FACT, ERUs and RDRTs) as well as surge capacity for immediate deployment to support NRCS.

27 April 2015: Emergency Appeal was launched seeking 33.4 million Swiss francs to support 75,000 people. IFRC started deploying global tools and surge to support the NRCS.

28 April 2015: Surge teams and the global disaster response tools started arriving in Nepal. NRCS response intensified.

12 May 2015: A strong aftershock, measuring 7.3 magnitude on the Richter scale, stroke with its epicentre 76 km northeast of Kathmandu. It affected 32 districts, caused more deaths and injuries and damage or destroyed buildings and infrastructures.

14 May 2015: NRCS response had reached 42,600 families (213,000 people) with non-food relief, emergency shelter and medical assistance, with more than 7,000 NRCS staff and volunteers mobilized. The NRCS response in country is supported by IFRC, ICRC and National Societies of 25 countries from Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and Middle East.

16 May 2015: Revised Emergency Appeal was issued for 84.9 Swiss francs million to support 700,000 people.

June – September 2015: Seasonal monsoon rains triggered landslides and floods, that exacerbated living conditions for people who lost their homes in the earthquake and hampered road and trail access, disrupting humanitarian aid delivery to some areas.

13 July 2015: Nearly 8,000 Red Cross volunteers have been mobilised to support 1.4 million people affected by the Nepal earthquake.

October – November 2015: Earthquake Seasonal Support package was developed with in-country movement partners to fit the seasonal response context in Nepal. This package acted as a reference for cash distribution planning.

16 December 2015: The Reconstruction of Earthquake Affected Structures bill was passed by the legislature parliament. The Earthquake National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) was established in December 2015.

December 2015 – January 2016: A total of 49,996 families were reached with a grant of Nepali Rupee (NPR) 10,000 per family through cash distributions.

January 2016: IFRC and NRCS have completed a massive emergency response operation that reached more than 620,000 people

February 2016: The NRA requested all organizations to stop housing reconstruction and associated plans until they were able to develop guidelines and sign agreements with partner organizations. The real-time evaluation (RTE) completed and published.

June 2016: Nepal Partnership meeting which was held on 7 to 8 June 2016. The completion and circulation of the 1-year Movement Wide Report. A movement Recovery Plan Draft has been agreed following this meeting and will be shared with partners in the coming weeks once finalized.

June 2016: An Agreement between NRCS and NRA was signed in early June paving the way for the recovery stage operations.

Nepal: Asia and the Pacific: Community engagement in humanitarian action August 2016

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Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, World

These bi-monthly updates seek to support growth in innovative policy, practice and partnerships in humanitarian action to better engage with disaster-affected communities across Asia and the Pacific. Readers are encouraged to forward this email through their own networks

VIDEO: My voice counts - introducing a complaints and response mechanism

A video on setting up a complaints and response mechanism in Bangladesh Red Crescent Society’s community-based disaster risk reduction programme, capturing community perspectives on the issue of feedback and complaints. View short (8 mins) and long (17 mins) versions.

World: HealthNet TPO: The annual report 2015

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Source: HealthNet TPO
Country: Afghanistan, Burundi, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Nepal, South Sudan, World

INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTORS

HealthNet TPO is a Dutch aid agency that works on recovery of communities in war torn societies.
We improve health and wellbeing by changing victims into agents of change, building on existing community resources to create new resources, thus help people gain health, hope and confidence.

HealthNet works through health projects, ranging from mother and child health to sexual and reproductive health and rights, with a focus on mental health from psychiatry to psychosocial emergency aid, and contributes to health systems development and disease control. Unique elements in our approach are the basis in local culture, the understanding of the mental effects of poverty, exclusion and war, and the way in which we make women and girls agents of change. Furthermore, we are a knowledge driven organisation, building the evidence base through applied academic research in projects wherever possible.

Since 1992 HealthNet implemented some 250 projects in 35 countries. In 2015 our projects took place in Afghanistan, Burundi, Cambodia, DR Congo, Lesotho, Nepal and South Sudan. 2015 was a year in which humanitarian needs were enormous. In this annual report we try to describe how HealthNet fulfilled its mission in bridging the gap between emergency relief and a developmental perspective for some of the most vulnerable people in the world (see the next chapter of this report).

At the same time the year was critical for the organisation itself. As reported in the previous years, HealthNet was slowly repairing the negative equity that resulted from losses in 2011 and 2012. As a result of unfortunate investment in necessary new administration software, a steep growth in project volume followed by a growth in overhead costs, and the lack of any unearmarked funding, the negative equity amounted to 2,2 million at the end of 2012.

Tight management brought positive results in the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, and the negative equity was brought back with some 200K. At the end of 2014, HealthNet still had a negative equity of €2 million. Working within a very tight setting against absolutely minimal costs in Amsterdam did not combine well with setting up a free fundraising capacity.

HealthNet had however found a way to manage the portfolio in fragile states within the boundaries of project budgets granted by institutional donors, and showed this three years in a row. In terms of efficient and effective use of donor funds, we believe we have some reason to be proud.

The Rabobank helped HealthNet bridge liquidity gaps, periods of no more than three weeks when donors were lagging behind in their payments, and costs had to be made to implement the projects.
When the bank decided to end this arrangement in July, HealthNet had only months to find solutions for financial sustainability. Then contact was made with the Zaluvida Group in Malaysia. The Zaluvida Group works in the life sciences sector and supports innovation to make the world a healthier place for everyone. The Zaluvida Foundation was created with the goal to improve health and wellbeing for people among the poorest in the world.

A match was made. We are proud to announce the structural and strategic support of Zaluvida for the activities of HealthNet. The combination of a passion for health and wellbeing for all, based on scientific evidence and natural resources, and a solid belief in the self-help potential of all people once minimal criteria for health and education are met, now creates an independent, scientifically rooted, financially solid and well-experienced international combination. Zaluvida strengthens the financial basis of HealthNet, and the partnership combines the best elements of NGO experience, business-minded efficiency, and academic rigor.

The focus of the work remains on the improvement of health and wellbeing of people living in isolation, exclusion, poverty and insecurity. Special attention is given to the mental health and psychosocial challenges in which people need to rebuild their lives and communities.

In 2016, the collaboration will be worked out in detail. We look forward to operating on the cutting edge of change in a world that needs sustainable solutions in life sciences and inclusive community development. The aim of the Zaluvida and HealthNet partnership is to bring new meaning to social entrepreneurship.

India: Flood Inundation Map of Koshi Basin (2016)

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Source: Government of Australia, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
Country: China, India, Nepal

'Flooding in the Koshi Basin is an annual phenomenon causing property damage, impacting livelihoods and sometimes causing loss of life. The Koshi Basin Programme (KBP) can now rapidly produce a 'flood inundation map' to support response to flooding in the basin. The outlook uses L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2 (PALSAR-2) images from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).Information is now being used by interested parties including the Department of Disaster Management, Bihar'

Here is a link to an interactive map that provides an assessment of the flood inundation map up to village level for some of the districts of Bihar, India. http://apps.geoportal.icimod.org/kbis/flood2016/

Nepal: IOM Aids Survivors of Sexual Violence in Nepal

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Source: International Organization for Migration
Country: Nepal

Nepal - The decade-long conflict which wracked Nepal from 1996 to 2006 was marked by gross human rights violations including killings, enforced disappearances, torture, rape and other types of sexual violence. There are countless stories that are untold due to fear of stigmatization and retribution.

In 2011, Nepal launched a National Action Plan on UN Secretary General Resolutions 1325 and 1820, which deal with crimes against women. But recent reviews of the plan suggest that a significant gap is still unaddressed in the area of provision of relief and support to survivors of sexual violence during the conflict, including access to justice.

In response, IOM, in partnership with the Conflict Victims Common Platform, has launched a project: “Empowering Conflict Related Sexual Violence Survivors to Effectively Assert their Rights on Services and Justice” in Kailali, one of the affected districts.

Funded by UN Women and Finland, the project focuses on capacity building for conflict-related sexual violence survivors. It will ensure that they have access to the government’s relief programme, including health, legal, psychosocial and livelihood services.

“We have been working closely with the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction in the field of reparations, victims’ assistance and transitional justice,” said IOM Nepal programme manager Jitendra Bohara. “We also have been continuously advocating that all relevant stakeholders adhere to Nepal’s commitment to international treaties, agreements and laws.”

Last year IOM, with UNFPA, formulated case management protocol for the provision of services to survivors of sexual abuse in Nepal. This provides practical advice on how to design and carry out ethical and victim-centred case management and is a guide to the eventual standardization of existing and new data.

For further information, please contact IOM Nepal. Jitendra Bohara, Email: jbohara@iom.int, Tel. +9779802013567 or Ariani Hasanah Soejoeti, Email: ahsoejoeti@iom.int, Tel. +9779810175020.

Nepal: Monsoon Preparedness Assessment: 14 Earthquake Affected Priority Districts and the Terai Districts - Final Report, 2016

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Source: REACH Initiative
Country: Nepal

Ahead of the 2016 monsoon season in Nepal, concerns were raised that the destabilization in terrain conditions caused by the 2015 earthquakes could significantly increase the risk of landslides during monsoon rains, both in areas historically prone to landslides and flash floods, and areas that have become susceptible following the earthquakes.

In preparation of the monsoon season, the Nepal Shelter Cluster decided to develop a contingency plan focusing on the 14 earthquake-affected priority districts and 22 Terai districts previously affected by widespread flooding. In order to inform this contingency plan, REACH was requested by the cluster to facilitate a monsoon preparedness assessment across the identified districts. The assessment included a macro-level secondary data analysis to identify risk areas and estimate potential caseloads, along with collection and analysis of primary data to understand expectations of assistance, level of preparation and potential coping strategies, focusing on families already living in emergency (tents/tarpaulin) or temporary shelters.

The macro-level analysis enabled an identification of Village Development Committees (VDCs) most at risk of landslides and flooding. Within them, caseloads were estimated using a methodology derived from IASC’s Humanitarian Population Figures ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up approaches’. The number of households most likely to need assistance in the event of monsoon impacts was estimated at 66,975 in Terai districts and at 46,894 in the 14 earthquake priority districts.

The micro-level data revealed that communities are overall aware of the risks they face but encounter considerable barriers when trying to mitigate them. For instance, many families reported not being able to purchase safe land or materials to strengthen shelters. In earthquake affected areas, many were uncertain on how to determine whether land is safe to build on and feared the impact of the monsoon: “Roads and land are at risk of extinction here, in 20 years there will be no Mamkha VDC,” predicts one FGD participant. Families in flood-affected Terai locations planned to resort to coping strategies such as taking turns to stay awake throughout the night during monsoon months, to ensure floods are noticed in time to enable all family members to flee to safety.

Assessment findings have been integrated by the Shelter cluster in its contingency plan and will be used by shelter actors to support monsoon-affected populations.

To read REACH’s recommendations based on findings from this assessment, access the full report here.

Nepal: Monsoon Preparedness Assessment: 14 Earthquake Affected Priority Districts and the Terai Districts - Final Report

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Source: REACH Initiative, Shelter Cluster
Country: Nepal

Nepal: Lack of safe land leaves communities at risk of landslide and flooding during the monsoon season

Ahead of the 2016 monsoon season in Nepal, concerns were raised that the destabilization in terrain conditions caused by the 2015 earthquakes could significantly increase the risk of landslides during monsoon rains, both in areas historically prone to landslides and flash floods, and areas that have become susceptible following the earthquakes.

In preparation of the monsoon season, the Nepal Shelter Cluster decided to develop a contingency plan focusing on the 14 earthquake-affected priority districts and 22 Terai districts previously affected by widespread flooding. In order to inform this contingency plan, REACH was requested by the cluster to facilitate a monsoon preparedness assessment across the identified districts. The assessment included a macro-level secondary data analysis to identify risk areas and estimate potential caseloads, along with collection and analysis of primary data to understand expectations of assistance, level of preparation and potential coping strategies, focusing on families already living in emergency (tents/tarpaulin) or temporary shelters.

The macro-level analysis enabled an identification of Village Development Committees (VDCs) most at risk of landslides and flooding. Within them, caseloads were estimated using a methodology derived from IASC’s Humanitarian Population Figures ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up approaches’. The number of households most likely to need assistance in the event of monsoon impacts was estimated at 66,975 in Terai districts and at 46,894 in the 14 earthquake priority districts.

The micro-level data revealed that communities are overall aware of the risks they face but encounter considerable barriers when trying to mitigate them. For instance, many families reported not being able to purchase safe land or materials to strengthen shelters. In earthquake affected areas, many were uncertain on how to determine whether land is safe to build on and feared the impact of the monsoon: “Roads and land are at risk of extinction here, in 20 years there will be no Mamkha VDC,” predicts one FGD participant. Families in flood-affected Terai locations planned to resort to coping strategies such as taking turns to stay awake throughout the night during monsoon months, to ensure floods are noticed in time to enable all family members to flee to safety.

Assessment findings have been integrated by the Shelter cluster in its contingency plan and will be used by shelter actors to support monsoon-affected populations.


Nepal: Livestock distributed to needy families

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Source: Humedica
Country: Nepal

One more step towards the return to a self-determined life: seed, water filters and cattle are both nutritional basis and earning opportunity in the rural areas of Nepal.

In April 2015 the people in Nepal experienced a tremendous destruction by an earthquake measuring 7,9 on the Richter scale. The rural areas outside the Nepalese capital Kathmandu were particularly hard hit, here the quakes destroyed up to 90 per cent of all buildings and took away all livelihood. Their basis of existence is to be restored by targeted measures.

Since June 2015 humedica is on site and assists families in the heavily affected region Sindhupalchowk 70 km east of the capital. This territory is one of the least developed areas in Nepal. The survival of its inhabitants depends completely on agriculture. There humedica supports 183 families, which lost everything due to the heavy earthquake in April last year and are not able to find their way back to their old life on their own.

The families are supported by the humedica sponsorship programme, which is scheduled to cover three years. Since the start many important measures such as the distribution of hygiene care parcels have been implemented in order to allow for a way back to normality.

A special challenge in this mountainous area remains the lacking access to sufficient food. It is very tedious to grow aliments here and the earthquake has ruined all the seeds. Even so there are enough rain and also wells to render the soil productive, neither a functioning irrigation system nor pipes for clean drinking water exist to exploit the rainy seasons efficiently.

Baseline surveys and observations show that the best way to improve the health and economic circumstances in this area is the advancement of agriculture and cattle breeding. A big part of the population has pursued these professions already before the earthquake, which proved handy and promising.

Also for this reason humedica has distributed seed and cattle in June and July this year. Beforehand people were trained in general agriculture and field cultivation as well as in the farming, use and breeding of cattle.

The families were allowed to choose the animals most suited for them in order to achieve both a stronger bonding to the cattle and to optimise the operation with regard to the availability of clean water and nutrition. To counteract the future lack of water humedica either provided water filter units with 21 l capacity to all 183 beneficiaries or repaired the existing ones. Trainings accompanied these activities to raise awareness for clean drinking water.

The families could choose between buffalos, cows, goats, pigs and chickens. 67 families settled for a buffalo, three of which already contribute to the family income by providing milk. Six other families opted for cows and can already milk half of them. In June 43 families obtained goats, six others each got four pigs, two male and two female piglets.

Thus the first steps have been made. More distributions are already planned. Unfortunately not all cattle could be distributed to their new owners at once due to heavy rainfalls impeding the allocation. Nevertheless all planned measures could be implemented till the end of July.

But further support is still crucial. The people affected by the earthquake will continue to depend for quite a long time on outside support till they will be again able to master their daily life on their own.

World: Groupe URD Rapport annuel 2015 - Apprendre & innover face aux crises

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Source: Groupe Urgence - Réhabilitation - Développement
Country: Ghana, Haiti, Nepal, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, World

Bilan et leçons du séisme au Népal, lancement des versions française et espagnole du CHS, fin des différentes missions d’accompagnement des ONG de l’Observatoire en Haïti, qui a fermé ses portes en 2015, participation aux travaux préparatoires du Sommet humanitaire mondial, implication aux côtés des institutions françaises et européennes dans des thématiques telles que l’environnement, la gestion des risques et catastrophes, le lien urgence-développement, etc. : petit aperçu d’une riche année 2015 pour le Groupe URD.

L’année 2015 a été une année riche en évènements internationaux qui ont marqué des évolutions importantes sur des sujets comme la gestion des risques et catastrophes avec la Conférence de Sendai et la COP21 à Paris, ou encore le financement du lien entre urgence et développement avec la conférence d’Addis-Abeba. Le Groupe URD a été très engagé sur ces dossiers, avec notamment une implication forte au niveau français, avec l’AFD, le MAEDI et le ministère de l’Environnement, au niveau européen auprès de la DG ECHO et de DEVCO, et au niveau onusien auprès d’OCHA, du PNUD et dans les travaux préparatoires du Sommet humanitaire mondial.

L’équipe est évidemment restée très impliquée auprès des acteurs de terrain, à la fois via des formations, des évaluations, mais aussi la production d’outils et de méthodes. On notera notamment une participation active dans le développement du CHS et de ses outils, sur la base des éléments clefs du COMPAS Qualité. Nous sommes heureux de voir l’accueil très favorable qui lui est réservé et restons mobilisés auprès de nos partenaires pour accompagner son application dans les pratiques des acteurs de l’aide.

Sur le terrain, nous nous sommes partiellement désengagés d’Haïti et avons fermé l’Observatoire, après cinq ans de travaux approfondis sur cette crise qui aura été pleine d’enseignements pour le secteur, tout en gardant néanmoins une veille et une présence intermittente dans ce pays que nous aimons grâce à des missions ponctuelles. Nous avons pu largement injecter les leçons tirées de la gestion du séisme de 2010 dans celle du séisme de 2015 au Népal. Nous avons également continué nos travaux au Sahel, avec malgré tout une présence plus réduite par rapport à 2014. Certains travaux, comme les évaluations pour le PAM ou nos travaux sur Ebola, nous on néanmoins permis de rester ancrés dans un certain nombre de pays de la sous-région, et le Groupe URD continue d’apporter une attention particulière à cette zone fragile. Nous avons aussi démarré plusieurs chantiers liés à la crise syrienne et avons suivi celle des réfugiés en Europe qui interroge les capacités et modes d’action des organisations humanitaires et de leurs bailleurs...

Continuer d’apprendre, toujours innover, encore s’améliorer... Pour cela, le Groupe URD a finalisé en 2015 une nouvelle stratégie pour les cinq années à venir. Conçue en continuité du passé, cette stratégie nous fournira les bases permettant d’approfondir nos analyses, de nous ancrer toujours plus dans les réalités du terrain et de voir comment rendre plus opérationnels et utiles les résultats de nos travaux.

Nepal: Lessons Learned in the Nepal Food Security Cluster - Exercise conducted by the global Food Security Cluster

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Source: World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Food Security Cluster
Country: Nepal

Executive Summary

Immediately following the earthquake on 25 April 2015, the Government of Nepal made a formal request to the United Nations for assistance, prompting the activation of the global cluster system incountry. The first Food Security Cluster (FSC) meeting was held the following day at the offices of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD) where it aimed to establish coordination and communication among humanitarian partners for effective response, prioritize target areas, identify immediate needs and gaps in the earthquake affected districts, and share partners’ plans for activities, geographic coverage and financial needs for inclusion in the preparation of the Flash Appeal. At the same time, the FSC established coordination mechanisms at the sub-national levels with support from lead agencies and partners.

Over the course of its activation the FSC aimed to identify needs and gaps, prioritize areas of intervention, coordinate food and livelihood activities, standardize approaches, provide information management support, and facilitate communication and sharing to minimize duplications and reach the most vulnerable populations. In the first few days of the response, however, the cluster faced challenges in obtaining up-to date and sufficiently detailed information from the earthquake affected districts, which subsequently posed challenges in the assessing needs, targeting those most affected and planning interventions. MoAD, as the cluster lead, relied on the support of the co-leads for coordination and communication among the partners, as well as for regular documentation and daily reporting. However, coordination with the Government and the partners was made more challenging due to frequent changes in staffing of the global FSC Coordinator role at the national level. Nevertheless, the cluster did play a crucial role in coordinating the food security response throughout the emergency phase, with further valuable contributions in co-leading three needs assessments which continue to provide essential and unparalleled data for government and partners in the planning of future activities. This lessons learned document captures some of the key learning and best practices from the cluster throughout its period of activation from 26 April to 31 December 2015.

World: Regional Consultative Group on Humanitarian Civil Military Coordination for Asia and the Pacific - Newsletter Issue 2 | August 2016

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Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, World

Welcome to the Second Edition of the Regional Consultative Group (RCG) on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination for Asia and the Pacific Newsletter.

We are glad to share the latest updates in relation to the RCG as well as other UN-CMCoord projects in the Asia-Pacific region:

  1. Second Session of the Regional Consultative Group (RCG) on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination for Asia and the Pacific;

  2. UN-CMCoord Course for the Pacific;

  3. Updates on the development of Common Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination Standards.

REGIONAL CONSULTATIVE GROUP (RCG)

The Regional Consultative Group on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination (RCG) for Asia and the Pacific was formed to act as a regional forum that brings together humanitarian, civilian and military actors involved in disaster response preparedness planning and disaster response, including aspects related to the field of humanitarian civil-military coordination and the use of foreign military assets.

The First Session of the RCG (December 2015) resulted in a number of key outcomes, summarized in the report available on Humanitarian Response.info. As RCG chair for 2016, the Government of the Philippines, with the support of the RCG Secretariat, is organizing the Second Session of the RCG that will take place on 11-12 October 2016 at the UN Building in Bangkok, Thailand. The event will have the following objectives:

a) To provide an update on the work plans that were agreed during the First Session of the RCG to strengthen the coordination of operational planning between civilian and military actors in each of the RCG focus countries (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Myanmar and the Philippines).

b) To outline the relevance for the Asia-Pacific region of flagship UN-CMCoord events (Annual Meeting of the UN-CMCoord Global Consultative Group - Geneva, February 2016; UNCMCoord side event at the World Humanitarian Summit - Istanbul, May 2016).

c) To discuss new UN-CMCoord projects such as the development of Common Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination Standards, the Key Immediate Needs (KIN) methodology, the RCG publications.

World: Genre et Résilience - Document de travail

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Source: Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters
Country: Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Senegal, Uganda, World

Résumé d’orientation

La contribution qu’apportent les projets de développement à la résilience des personnes, des ménages et des communautés face aux risques de changements et de catastrophes climatiques dépendra en grande mesure de la pertinence de leurs activités par rapport au contexte local et de la façon dont les Organisations Non-Gouvernementales (ONGs) s’attaqueront à la dynamique sociale et aux rapports de pouvoir existants.

Le fait d’examiner la dimension de genre de la résilience aux catastrophes et aux changements climatiques encourage les chercheurs et les praticiens qui travaillent dans ces domaines à se concentrer sur les différentes relations qu’entretiennent les populations avec leur environnement et sur l’accès différent qu’elles ont aux ressources. Cela les encourage par ailleurs à évaluer l’incidence des normes sociales, notamment celles qui ont trait aux inégalités entre les sexes, sur les projets visant à gérer les risques et à renforcer la résilience.

Le présent document traite de différentes approches possibles pour incorporer les objectifs d’égalité entre les sexes (ou égalité de genre) dans les projets de résilience. Il se sert d’un échantillon de propositions de projets sous l’égide du programme BRACED visant à Renforcer la résilience et l’adaptation aux phénomènes climatiques extrêmes et catastrophes climatiques (Building Resilience to Climate Extremes and Disasters programme – BRACED). L’analyse suggère également des manières de promouvoir des pratiques efficaces et cohérentes dans l’ensemble des projets. La méthodologie est double ; il s’agit de mener, d’une part, un examen systématique de la manière dont la résilience des hommes et des femmes est traitée dans les écrits portant sur la réduction des risques de catastrophe et l’adaptation aux changements climatiques et, d’autre part, une analyse des documents de planification des projets pour huit des 15 projets d’ONG actuellement soutenus par BRACED.

L’analyse des approches des ONG révèle différents niveaux d’ambition, allant de la reconnaissance des différences basées sur le genre au ciblage des intérêts spécifiques entre les hommes et les femmes, jusqu’à la transformation des rapports de pouvoir entre les femmes et les hommes. Plusieurs défis ont toutefois été identifiés ayant trait à l’intégration du genre dans la conception des projets, à la faisabilité opérationnelle et aux aspects pratiques du suivi des progres en termes d’égalité.
Les auteurs présentent des recommandations pour la mise en œuvre de projets de renforcement de la résilience dans une optique d’égalité de genre, en se basant sur des exemples tirés des écrits et de la documentation des projets des ONG.

Ils mettent un accent particulier sur les liens entre les « minithéories du changement » portant sur l’objectif ambitieux qu’est la transformation des relations entre les sexes et la théorie du changement globale pour le projet de résilience dans son ensemble.

Ainsi, les agences chargées de la mise en œuvre peuvent améliorer la cohérence, l’impact en matiere d’égalité et l’efficacité des plans de suivi et d’évaluation. Cet exercice demandera un examen approfondi des relations de cause à effet entre l’autonomisation des femmes et la résilience au niveau des communautés ou des ménages.

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