Principles, Standards and Actors in Humanitarian Aid since 1994

Past developments leading towards an ever more complex fabric of aid

Thomas Pfeiffer, Dipl.-Ing.

1

Structure 1. Observations

a. Timescale / Objective

b. Needs

c. Standards

d. Principles

e. Actors

2. Questions

2

a) Timeline 1: The 1990ies

• Disasters (above)

t

1999 1997 1995 1993

2001

Ruanda Genocide

German Army starts humanitarian aid

Fall of Wall Yugoslavia

Afghanistan ISAF

3

MDG Goals EU LRRD Apr 2001 1998 SPHERE Intro. ZOPP

• Standards, new actors, policies (below)

a) Timeline 2: 21st Century

t

2013 2011 2009 2007 2005 03

EU Consensus

Tsunami Haiti, Pakistan Syria civil war Earthquake Pakistan

4

Cash Programing

Paris Declaration

Accra Agenda

EMS Forum on CSR

Principles

Humanitarian Space

Standards New

Actors

Effect on Counterparts, beneficiaries

Aid Workers

5

a) Objective

b) Needs

i. Conflict

ii. Natural Disasters

6

Needs

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Number of natural disasters occuring according to CRED

-50 000 000

0

50 000 000

100 000 000

150 000 000

200 000 000

250 000 000

300 000 000

350 000 000

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Nu

mb

er o

f p

eop

le a

ffec

ted

by

nat

ura

l dis

aste

rss

year

Number of people affected by natural disasters

b) Needs: Natural Disasters Natural Disasters

–Increase in numbers, intens.

–Increase of world population

particularly of urban

population and more dense

settings

Conflict

–Scarcer ressources (Water,...)

7 Source: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database – www.emdat.be,

Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels (Belgium)

8

Quantifiable needs and their link to standards

Wishes

Baseline

dri

nk

eat

Hyg

ien

e

Co

oki

ng

Eg: R

ice

Lit

/ d

ay, P

ers.

15

lit /

(t

ag▪p

ers

)

Objective

Self

-he

lp

b) appropriate response to Needs

• Relevance and Appropriateness

9

b) Needs

10

• Talk to the entire community

Structure 1. Observations

a. Timescale / Objective

b. Needs

c. Standards

d. Principles

e. Actors

2. Questions

11

d) Standards

12

€, $, £

Humanitarian Space

Effect on Counterparts, beneficiaries

13

Civil

Pro-

tection

The field, space and neighbours

€, $, £

d) Standards

14

• Approaches

– Participative approach

– Monitoring and Evaluation

– Project Management

(Logical Framework, results based

management)

Link Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD)

Theoretically

Zeit t

Intensity of aid

Disaster End of Humanitarian aid

Humanitarian Aid

LRRD Reality

Time

Intensity

Earthquake Humanitarian phase ends

Humanitarian Aid

Cholera

LRRD The real world

Time

Intensity

Earthquake Humanitarian phase ends

Humanitarian Aid

Cholera

j

…why can‘t relief&development

• Analyse contexts together and?

• Cooperate ?

If • Acute Needs and • Chronic Needs Cooexist…

c) Principles

18

To what degree are the humanitarian principles respected?

c) Principles

• IHL agreed in 1949, established after second world war, but going back to the Conventions of Haag in 1899

• The ethical boundaries back then were founded in a chivalry, that has itsroots in christian values

• Since then the ethical boundaries have given in and threaten also humanitarian aid.

19

c) Principles

• Military cant stay clear of „humanitarian aid“

20

Private companies CSR

e) Actors

• Private donations growing

• EU, Regional Unions such as ASEAN, AU

• Audit Companies also „evaluating“ operational topics.

• Donors: – strict distinction

humanitarian / developmental

– Security focused donors

• Companies (ppp, CSR)

21

e) Actors

• CSR

• ICRC‘s policy on CSR

22

e) Actors • Aid Workers

• Volunteer programmes

NGO; 141600 UN; 85600

RC; 30000

Private; 1

257200 Aid Workers in 2010

23

Professionalism

4400 NGOs

540 aid workers affected by security in 2009/2010

Health / balance of Aid workers

Structure 1. Observations

a. Timescale / Objective

b. Needs

c. Standards

d. Principles

e. Actors

2. Questions

24

Principles

Humanitarian Space

Standards

New Actors

Effect on Counterparts, beneficiaries

Aid Workers

Donors

25

companies

2) Condensing

2) Next Questions

• How can you understand the context well and dedicate time to its understanding?

• How can you deliver aid – Competently,

– Consciously,

– Assertively ,

– and with a sense of Responsibility?

• How can we defend the respect for our craftsmanship?

26

Last point

27

•Competence •Responsibility •Simplicity

Thomas.Pfeiffer@mastering-aid.de