For years now, we have been talking about ‘accountability’ and ‘community engagement’, including in the lead-up to the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit. But many still ask: “what does it all mean in practice?”
Like ‘impartiality’ or ‘neutrality’, accountability is a principle that responders must commit to uphold, as set forth recently in the Core Humanitarian Standard. ‘Community engagement’ is a means to be more accountable to the very people humanitarians are meant to serve. It is about 1/ providing timely and accurate information to affected people, 2/ continuously seeking their feedback and acting on it, and 3/ ensuring that they actively participate in decision-making. Formerly coined ‘communication with communities’ at OCHA, ‘community engagement’ is now a preferred term: it implies a more dynamic process, and ensures that people are active participants in their own recovery.
No doubt, inherently, humanitarians have always listened to affected people as part of their work. But community engagement should be much more than discussing with people sitting under a tree and conducting needs assessments. It is also much more than asking people, “did you get enough food?”
Ebola claimed hundreds of lives because of mistrust, misinformation and general confusion among local populations. Evaluations in Iraq and Syria have shown that systematic collection of feedback at the collective level would make humanitarian response more effective. For example, tracking rumours and concerns in a crisis and responding to these, can often prevent further displacement.
What is clear is that the humanitarian community needs to come together to better engage with communities—it should not be seen as a stand-alone and should be an integral part of all operations. In 2015, OCHA and CDAC Network members came together to propose a new approach: a ‘common service’ for information provision and feedback collection to influence decision-making at strategic levels. The model was piloted in the wake of the Nepal earthquakes in April, demonstrating that it’s possible to bring a diverse group of partners to work together. Much was also done to strengthen information systems: various humanitarian hotlines were launched and two charters with the mobile and satellite industries were created to help ensure that people have continued access to communication channels during emergencies, and thus have access to tools to make their own decisions. These of course are only some of the highlights.
But as we head towards the World Humanitarian Summit in May, OCHA and its partners must work together to strengthen community engagement in conflict settings. The complexities and sensitivities involved do not mean it cannot be done or prioritized. They mean that we need to come together and find solutions to make it happen.
Highlights:
- Why it matters… – p. 1
- IN FOCUS / Hotlines, the hottest way to connect with communities? – p. 2 & 3
- Q&A / Common Engagement Services in Nepal and Yemen – p. 4 & 5
- 2016 / Community Engagement at the World Humanitarian Summit – p. 6
- Resources