rebecca barber - learning from humanitarian response in se asia
TRANSCRIPT
Issues in Humanitarian Response in Asia Pacific
Rebecca BarberHumanitarian Policy Advisor
Save the Children
Outline• Disaster Risk in Asia
Pacific• Regional trends • Requests for
international assistance• Case Studies: Thailand and Cambodia 2011 flood response; Philippines
Disaster risk in Asia Pacific• The most disaster-prone region in the world. • Greatest number of disasters: 45% of all
reported disasters between 1980-2009.• Greatest number affected: Over the past decade,
accounted for 90% of people affected annually by natural disasters globally
• Numbers increasing due to climate change
Regional Trends• Economic growth• But ↑ in economic & human disaster risk exposure,
outpacing economic growth.• ↑ in national disaster management capacities• But ↑ capacity not keeping pace with ↑ risk; still a
need for international assistance.• Shift in regional attitudes: assertion of national
disaster management capacities; few formal requests for international assistance
UN GA Res 46/182 on the Strengthening of the Coordination of the Humanitarian Emergency
Assistance of the UN“Humanitarian assistance should be provided
with the consent of the affected country and in principle on the basis of an appeal by the
affected country.…
The UN… should ensure the … delivery of relief assistance in full respect of the above
mentioned principles…”
Thailand/Cambodia Floods 2011• Assistance welcomed but not requested• But this didn’t amount to an ‘appeal’ as understood by Res
46/182: “The Thai Government said that they
welcome assistance but many agencies do not work that way.’
• Gave rise to frustration: “There was a sense that our hands were tied, that we
could only do so much.”
Thailand•Informal activation of the HCT (‘purposefully adopted a low-key approach’) and clusters.•Useful, slow to get started.Cambodia•International actors looked to NCDM to take the lead - NCDM declined due in part to absence of formal appeal for assistance. •Financing affected
Thailand/Cambodia Floods 2011
Philippines: Tropical Storm Washi and Typhoon Bopha• Formal acceptance of
international assistance• Activation of HCT and
clusters• Appeals launched
• Generally regarded as a well-coordinated response with strong government leadership
What distinguishes the Philippines?• Humanitarian
infrastructure already there, no need to consider ‘trigger’ for activation
• No issue made of the lack of an ‘appeal’• National government familiarity and ownership
of the international humanitarian architecture
In summary:• Disaster management capacities in Asia ↑, but so is
disaster risk; still a place for international assistance• Key components of the humanitarian system out of
date: assume a generalised appeal for assistance, and that international actors will take the lead
• Need for ‘localisation’ of the humanitarian toolkit by recognising national government capacities and leadership - Philippines a positive example
