seminar repor t - reliefweb.int€¦ · report of the seminar organised by voice in association...

A seminar organised by VOICE in association with People In Aid

and supported by DG for Humanitarian Aid

Strategic Resourcing

in Humanitarian NGOs:

Towards the Coexistence

of Professionalism

and Voluntarism?

S E M I N A R R E P O R T

Brussels, 7th July 2006

Strategic Resourcing

in Humanitarian NGOs:

Towards the Coexistence

of Professionalism

and Voluntarism?

Prepared by VOICE

Brussels, July 2006

REPORT OF THE SEMINAR organised by VOICE

in association with People In Aid

Background information on seminar organisers

Glossary ............................................................................................................ page 4

Kathrin Schick, VOICE Director......................................................................... page 5

Current issues in Human Resource management in humanitarian NGOs

Jonathan Potter, People In Aid Executive Director ............................................ page 6

What we can learn from each other: European NGO experiencesand views on professionalism and volunteering ........................................... page 8

• Malteser ....................................................................................................... page 8

• Handicap International ............................................................................... page 10

• CESVI - Cooperazione e Sviluppo............................................................... page 12

• Emergency Capacity Building Project (Initiative 1 – Staff Capacity Initiative).......... page 13

Part 1 - Lessons from volunteer-sending organisations.............................. page 17

• International FORUM on Development Service.......................................... page 17

• International Federation of the Red Cross .................................................. page 18

Part 2 - Initiatives in the EC ......................................................................... page 21

• VOICE........................................................................................................ page 21

• Technisches Hilfswerk................................................................................. page 22

• DG for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) – European Commission ....................... page 23

................................................ page 24

Summary of main points raised during Working Groups ........................... page 28

Definition of a ‘volunteer’ ............................................................................ page 28

Working Group 1: Locating and recruiting volunteers .............................. page 29

Working Group 2: Making volunteers more professional ......................... page 30

Seminar agenda..................... page 35

Speakers’ biographies............ page 36

List of participants ................ page 47

Useful Links ........................... page 38

A N N E X E S

W O R K I N G G R O U P S

M A I N D I S C U S S I O N P O I N T S

R O U N D T A B L E 2

R O U N D T A B L E 1

O P E N I N G S E S S I O N

I N T R O D U C T I O N

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CONTENTSPAGE

1

2

3

4

5

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CESVI Cooperazione e Sviluppo

CLONG Comité de Liaison des ONG de Volontariat

DFID Department for International Development

DG Directorate General

DG RELEX External Relations Directorate General

EC European Commission

ECB Emergency Capacity Building

ECHO Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid

EU European Union

EVHAC European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps

FPA Framework Partnership Agreement

HI Handicap International

HPN Humanitarian Practice Network

HR Human Resources

IFRC International Federation of the Red Cross

NGO Non-governmental Organization

THW Technisches Hilfswerk

VOICE Voluntary Organizations in Cooperation in Emergencies

List of Acronyms

4

GLOSSARY

5

Introduction1

BELONGING TO A NATIONALEMERGENCY CONSORTIUM

In 2002, the political idea of some kind ofmechanism for EU volunteers in international co-operation was launched among politicians andthen formalised in the draft European Consti-tution. The EU intervention during the Tsunamigave new strength to the debate which led toseveral European Commission (EC) initiativesfurther developing the concept: studies on theEuropean Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps(EVHAC) (under Directorate General (DG) forHumanitarian Aid (ECHO), on a European CivilPeace Corps (under DG RELEX), and on how tostrengthen voluntarism in EU civil protectionbodies (under DG Environment) were undertaken.

Parallely, the humanitarian community hasrecognised that the search for and retaining ofadequate human resources represent a consi-derable management challenge for humanitarianNGOs, independent of size or their country oforigin. There is therefore a need to expand theglobal pool of humanitarian expertise.

The humanitarian NGO movement has constantlybeen striving for increased professionalism in itswork and there are perceptions that volunteeringcould possibly hinder these developments. On theother hand however, volunteering could alsomake a valuable contribution to the pool ofHuman Resources in the sector. Many NGOs infact base their legitimacy on grass-root supportthrough volunteers. The recent EU volunteerinitiatives however seem to be mainly politicallymotivated, with the aim for example of ensuringEU visibility in the field.

VOICE, as a network representing some 90European humanitarian NGOs, has been involvedin the ongoing debate surrounding volunteers andvolunteering in humanitarian aid since the draftEU Constitution took form. VOICE has beenparticularly involved since it established a WorkingGroup on the EVHAC in 2005. Being the maininterlocutor with the EU concerning humanitarianaid, and considering how voluntarism in huma-nitarian aid is becoming an increasingly discussedtopic in the whole sector (particularly at EU level),VOICE therefore felt the need to further addressthe issue by organising the seminar on voluntarism

and professionalism. In association with People InAid, the seminar was co-financed by DG forHumanitarian Aid (ECHO), under the project“Enhancing the Network - Improving mana-gement and network capacities for Europeanhumanitarian NGOs”, which seeks to strengthenmanagement in European NGOs.

AIM OF SEMINAR

The aim of the seminar was to raise awareness ofthe main issues and of the specific needs relatingto human resource management in humanitarianaid, and to engage in the debate on the role thatvoluntarism can play in filling the human resourcegap in the humanitarian sector. The different waysof defining and looking at what a volunteer is andwhat volunteering is about, are perhaps some keystarting challenges that face the HR sector inhumanitarian aid. It is therefore also hoped thatthe seminar will help move closer to finding acommon understanding of what is meant by theseterms.

The seminar offered participants the opportunityto consider how and to what extent volunteerscan contribute to the human resource base inhumanitarian aid. It also provided an extremelyuseful platform for an exchange of best practicesand current initiatives in relation to humanresource management in the humanitarian field.Furthermore, the seminar provided the oppor-tunity to establish partnerships linking the huma-nitarian NGOs with other related sectors andpractitioners, thus paving the way for possiblefuture synergies.

Key questions addressed included:

s What are the positive/negative aspects ofusing volunteers by NGOs and Internationalorganisations?

s Are recent EU volunteer initiatives relevant ornot?

s Are these initiatives relevant to fixing thehuman resource (HR) gap in humanitarianaid?

Kathrin Schick, VOICE Director

VOICE Seminar reportJULY 2006

INTRODUCTION:TOP HUMAN RESOURCE (HR)PRIORITIES IN HUMANITARIAN AID

The top HR priorities in humanitarian aid includerecruitment, enlarging the pool, retention, andcreating surge capacity. The HumanitarianResponse Review, commissioned by the UN in2005, identified several issues related to humanresources, of which four elements are mostrelevant to the seminar today: the pool for rapiddeployment is limited, many organisations seekingexpatriates are recruiting from each other ortapping into the same resources, “training is bestformalized within the UN system and the largernetworks such as the Red Cross/Red CrescentMovement”, and “the hiring of [local personnel]is usually routinely done in a very informal mannerwith little staff preparation or training”.

CURRENT CHALLENGES FACING HR MANAGERS

The centrality of people in the humanitarianworld means that there will be HR challenges totackle. Current challenges facing humanitarian HRmanagers include an increasing demand for‘professionalisation’ and accountability, a challen-ging operating environment (security), moredisasters and conflicts, as well as challengingfunding issues. All these are issues which alsoaffect whether volunteers should or should not besent into humanitarian situations. The theme tokeep in mind during the seminar today is whetherone has the right person in the right place and atthe right time.

DO WE ALL MEAN THE SAMEWHEN TALKING ABOUT‘PROFESSIONALISM’?

Professionalisation is a very important issue -donors as well as humanitarian staff aredemanding increased professionalism, as moreeffective management is wanted. There arevarying answers to what is meant by professio-nalism.

Donors (in a survey for the HumanitarianResponse Review) view increased professionalism

as quite important for enhancing the performanceof the global humanitarian system. This is alsolinked to the need for more staff. The Clintoninitiative - a six-month intensive review of fivecritical challenges that face U.S. and internationalNGOs, which were brought into starker relief inthe context of the tsunami recovery - also includesa professionalism strand focussing on organi-sational capabilities. Professionalism seems to meto consist of appropriate behaviours, applyingprocedures and policies, effective management,delivering objectives, adding value, capacity/willingness to learn, flexibility, and hitting theground running.

At the individual level, how are these criteria forprofessionalism compatible with volunteers? Canvolunteers achieve these as well?

DOES THE WORD ‘VOLUNTEER’DO US ANY FAVOURS?

In the UK for example, the word ‘volunteer’ iscontrary to professionalism, and the word issometimes perceived as unprofessional. There arealso many models of volunteers which furtherconfuse matters: the Red Cross/Red Crescentmodel, the French model ‘Volontariat de SolidaritéInternationale’, other models in other countries,missionary work, UNVs, etc. Furthermore, thereare different criteria that might define a volunteer(remuneration, length of service, contractualstatus, position in management structure; perhapsalso age, level of experience, first-timer/intern,etc.). The terminology used therefore affects howthe role of the volunteer is perceived.

KEYQUESTIONS

This brings us to ask certain key questions:

Who are and/or who could be volunteers?

s Interns, corporate secondees, local people,younger people with relevant degrees,volunteers with development experience,backfillers, etc. are all potential volunteerswho could join the humanitarian pool.

s Can these categories be of any use?

Jonathan Potter, Executive Director, People in Aid

Opening session2

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CURRENT ISSUES IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN HUMANITARIAN NGOs

Opening session

What are the ideal characteristics of a volunteerin a humanitarian response?

s A volunteer should have a good knowledgeof the local context, of the organisation’sprocedures and values, and s/he must beskilled.

s They should not take up management timein the early phases and already be familiarwith organisational policies and procedures.

Do volunteers ‘free up’ funding for operationalwork?

Does the solution lie in:

s Producing a steady stream of interns familiarwith your systems?

s Arranging HQ staff to come out, with theirown jobs being ‘backfilled’ by volunteers?

s Relying on your country offices to identifyand train local people as potential volun-teers?

s Is more training (on a collaborative basisbetween organisations) needed?

IN CONCLUSION - POSSIBLESOLUTIONS TO THE HR PROBLEM

There are three possible options to the humanresource problem faced by humanitarians:

s Stick to the pool of staff that the organi-sation is already using.

s Compromise, to get what you want fromusing volunteers. Do not expect everyone tobe a ‘Superman’ or a mouton a cinq pattes.

s Ensure that the pool is topped up with morepeople.

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Round Table 13

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This section looks at the characteristics of volunteers, from bothan organisational perspective and cultural perspective, i.e. how

volunteers are perceived in different organisations andcultures. The advantages and disadvantages from a HRpoint of view of having volunteers are also examined, fromthe perspective of the organisations, the individualvolunteers, and the beneficiaries in the field.

The section also covers issues in relation to managingvolunteers, what function/job volunteers are used for, where they

are used, and the organisational practice in relation to volunteers.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM EACH OTHER:EUROPEAN NGO EXPERIENCES AND VIEWS ON PROFESSIONALISMAND VOLUNTEERING

VOLUNTEERS IN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE -FROM A GERMAN NGO PERSPECTIVE

Janine Lietmeyer, Emergency Coordinator, Malteser International

The presentation focuses on two points.

s The motivation of volunteers

s Advantages and disadvantages ofvoluntarism in humanitarian projects.

INTRODUCTION

The German word for volunteer positions, whenliterally translated, means ‘honorary post’, a wordthat describes perfectly the fact that voluntarism isa value in itself. Voluntarism is an important partof a civil society and allows us to fulfil needs which would not be addressed otherwise. In many cases the beneficiaries of volunteer work andenthusiasm are the most vulnerable groups withinour societies: the poor, the sick, the elderly. Thislinks up a basic motivation for voluntarism withthe most important principle of humanitarianassistance, which is humanity and humanitarianconviction.

DIFFERENT MOTIVATIONS

However, voluntarism does not equal altruism. Itis not only the beneficiaries of voluntary work who

benefit from the fact that someone does anunpaid job but the volunteer himself also receivesa whole spectrum of positive outcomes from hiscommitment, which is also valid for volunteers inhumanitarian assistance. What the volunteer isdoing when working with a humanitarianorganisation is exciting and definitely out of theordinary. Gaining experience abroad alone is ahuge incentive for volunteers. The volunteerreceives public appreciation for what he or she isdoing. This enhances his/her personal satisfactiontoo and may lead to more self-confidence. Peoplewho volunteer become part of a community thatmight answer their desire to be part of a certaingroup and to feel comfortable within it.

The volunteer probably also receives substantialtraining and learns skills which he can use in diffe-rent life situations including his professional career.

To take this variety of motivations into conside-ration when thinking about recruiting and managingvolunteer staff is very important in order to be clearabout expectations from both sides. A volunteer ingeneral has no monetary incentive to stay in acertain position. It is also important to bear in mindthat, once a volunteer system is established, an orga-nisation might become to a certain extent depen-dent on the volunteers’ commitment and work.


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SOME DISADVANTAGES OF USINGVOLUNTEERS

This last point might be considered a firstdisadvantage of volunteer work in NGOs’ humani-tarian assistance. But the most important issue inthis discussion is the ever-changing environment inwhich humanitarian assistance is nowadays given.

The high complexity of disaster situations and theresulting difficult working environment that oftenhas to be managed in a foreign language requires alevel of competency and qualification that is difficultto reach for a volunteer. A volunteer who actsunprofessionally in the field is - like any employedaid worker of course – a threat to the well being ofthe beneficiaries whose lives might depend on theprofessionalism of aid delivery. This is a high risk initself but is even further aggravated for anorganisation by the fact that ‘bad practice’jeopardises the organisation’s reputation towardsboth the affected population and towards theprivate and institutional donor community.

Another disadvantage is that there are a numberof risks for the volunteer himself in a difficultworking environment; these range from healthissues to security risks and experiences of extremefrustration and exhaustion for example. Thesending organisation must be held responsible forthe proper preparation and information of itsvolunteer staff. Funds need to be allocated inorder to ensure proper training facilities and goodhuman resource management according to thespecial needs a volunteer might have in contrast toemployed staff. Volunteer staff in general needsmore attention on an individual basis because thisforms a big part of their remuneration.

One last point is the difficulties which mightarise from managing the relationship betweenemployed and volunteer staff. An employeeknows his position in the decision-making processof an organisation because normally it is part of hisjob description. A volunteer, or at least one whohas been working over a long period of time for anorganisation, becomes a stakeholder in theorganisation but might be deprived from thepossibility to participate in the decision-makingprocess. This can lead to frustration and conflictswhich need to be mitigated in order to ensure agood collaboration. An established policy that

determines the relationship between employeesand volunteer might become necessary.

ADVANTAGES OF USINGVOLUNTEERS

In contrast to the negative aspects of volunteerengagement in humanitarian assistance there arealso a number of evident advantages coming fromvolunteers and their contributions. Volunteers aregenerally highly motivated and committed peoplewho can be extremely supportive in many differentkind of ways. They normally do not come withempty hands but bring skills and experiences thatcan be enriching for the organisations, and whichnormally would have to be paid for. One of themost important functions that volunteers fulfil istheir role as ‘ambassadors’ for the humanitariancause. Once they have seen or done the work of ahumanitarian agency they normally go and spreadthe message. This can be an important and valua-ble tool for all the activities which are done in donorcountries, from general advocacy and educationalaspects to concrete fundraising activities.

IN CONCLUSION

Voluntarism as part of an organisation’s workneeds good structure and organisational manage-ment in order to:

s be efficient

s provide volunteers with proper training fortheir personal safety and for the success ofprojects

s be able to put volunteers into a legal frame-work

s stay a reliable and professional actor inhumanitarian assistance.


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VOLUNTARISM AND PROFESSIONALISM IN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE -FROM A FRENCH NGO PERSPECTIVE

Isabelle Prin, Human Resources Director, Handicap International, France

INTRODUCTION

There is a great diversity among French NGOsand on their view on volunteering. This pre-sentation is done from the perspective of amiddle-sized, non-medical, International SolidarityOrganisation perspective which depends on publicdonors for about half of its activity.

VOLUNTEER STATUS -AN EVOLVING CHALLENGE

Status issues are an evolving challenge in FrenchNGOs’ human resource management. To under-stand this, it is necessary to first come back tohistory. French volunteering was born withinternational solidarity.

For twenty years, Handicap International (HI)grew thanks to its volunteers (as well as itsnational staff), who represented 100% of its inter-national staff. For HI, voluntarism was consideredas a means of strengthening and giving just valueto international solidarity. This status meant:

s A disinterested commitment over a limitedperiod

s The rotation of volunteers guaranteed adynamic approach and renewed motivation

s Upon their return, volunteers brought withthem both experience and a perception topass on

HI has always refused the opposition that hasbeen made between voluntarism and profes-sionalism.

From the very beginning, most of HI’s volunteershave been professionals in their field (disabilityspecialists, P&O, physiotherapists…).

HI required two years previous experience andprovided significant training before departure.Some volunteers had 20 or more years experience inEurope, and could certainly be considered “profes-sionals”. Requirements existed on reaching resultsfor beneficiaries but the working environment waseasier in those days: funds were easy to find,

quality standards were not so high, and volunteerscould concentrate on field activities rather thanproject proposals and finance controlling. NGOscould take the risk to hire young committedvolunteers and take the time to train them.Partnerships between actors were based on trust.

WHAT HAS CHANGED?

s There is a need for stable skills to assure thesupervision and sustainability of programmes. Thisimplies that some staff on a long-term professionalcommitment perspective are needed, a situationwhich is not compatible with the volunteer status.HI set up its first salaried contracts in 1999. At thattime, the criteria of access to salaried status wasnot one’s position but rather the number of yearsof experience in international solidarity (fouryears). There was no difference in human resourcemanagement between the two statuses (i.e. samerequirements and tools: job descriptions, trainingsessions, assessment tools, etc.). The objective wasthen to have a balanced proportion of 1/3 salariedstaff and 2/3 volunteers.

In other NGOs which did not make this choice(often for cost reasons), the only solution to retainthe staff has been to increase allowances. This led to the first twist: voluntarism was not a“disinterested commitment” anymore.

Volunteers, after a few years in the field, wererightly considering themselves as professionals,comparing their remunerations and contributions,and negotiating “allowances” in line with theirresponsibilities and competencies.

s International solidarity has become a sector ofactivity where it is possible to build a career pathand is thus attracting more and more youngpeople who look for a job with meaning andvalue. Schools and universities which felt the trendincreased the offer of specialised degrees, withoutconsidering the real needs of the employers.

Instead of learning a job and acquiring technicalskills, young people enter these studies with manyillusions and are then deceived to see that their“skills” are not useful and that there are not so


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many job opportunities. This is the second twist:except, maybe, for medical jobs, voluntarism isnot a personal choice anymore for people who cansell their skills in different sectors of activity, it hasbecome a obligatory path, a ‘before-salaried’ statusfor people who consider themselves as beingprofessionals once the diploma is in their pockets.

Voluntarism is now perceived as a “cheapstatus” for NGOs, who would benefit at a goodprice from good qualifications!

The commitment passed from a personal one,based primarily on solidarity values, to a profes-sional one, where projects could be driven bymethodologies, “North” high-quality standards,tangible results and qualitative figures, rather thanbeneficiaries’ time-schedule and partnersaccompaniment.

The salaried status is steadily killing volunteerstatus. Within 6 years, the proportion of volun-teers among international staff in HI went fromtwo-thirds down to one third. This brings us toquestion if we have to regret it and what are theimpacts of this trend.

THREE ISSUES TO BE FACED

s Renewal of generation:This is a classical human resource issue, faced byall kinds of organisations in all sectors of activity.How to hire young professionals, train and retainthem? The issue is complicated to face whendonors look carefully at human resources costsand apply pressure to decrease international staffcosts. In this context, volunteer status is indeedused as a cheaper status for these young people(if allowances are not increasing because ofcompetition among NGOs). In HI for instance, ajunior volunteer status was set up, for which theexpatriate allowance is half of the usual one forvolunteers. But the issue is not linked to costs. Asit becomes increasingly difficult to take risks,supervising young professionals requires manage-ment capacity and time to do it, which projectmanagers, facing more and more complex situ-ations, do not have.

s Managing flexibility:The French labour law, known to be protective of

employees and rather rigid and complex foremployers, is not adapted to our activities andcontext of intervention. For instance: there aremany difficulties to renew fix-term contracts, tointerrupt those contracts for any other reasonsexcept “serious fault”, etc. Managing salariedstaff sometimes becomes a concern: volunteerstatus then offers a flexibility that does not existanymore with the salaried status. This is thereforebetter adapted to our activities. Volunteer statuscould be the right status if it was not perceived asprecarious and as less serious as the salariedstatus.

s International Solidarity “spirit”, how tomaintain creativity, adaptability and renewedmotivation among expatriate staff:What do we understand by the word “profes-sionalism” in our field of activities? Being a“professional” in the humanitarian or develop-ment field is not only a question of know-how,methodological or technical skills. It is neither onlya question of experience, analysis capacities andcompetencies to build up beautiful and “sexy”projects in all kind of contexts. We thinkprofessionalism is also a question of behaviour,and of ability to enter in relation with beneficiariesand partners, to understand their culture, theirwishes and needs. This requires personal ethics,strong values among which especially humility.Sufficient idealism and distance may also beneeded to avoid falling into mechanical work,driven by management or financial logics, and intocynicism. These qualities are not acquired throughdegrees or trainings. A capacity to always cross theborderline or the gap between nationals andexpatriates so as to really meet each other, a gapwhich grows with time and purchasing powerdifferences, is also required.

That is why HI chooses to ask staff on their firstmission for one year of voluntarism beforeacceding to salaried status, whatever the pro-fession, even for senior member of staff. Thiswould imply that working in that environmentbecomes a renewed choice, and that expatriationremains a temporary experience and expatriatescan come back in their home country on a regularbasis and find jobs easily between two assign-ments. This is rarely the case. In HI, we still try tokeep a mobility policy: every expatriate staff is hesalaried status is steadily killing volunteer status.


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Within 6 years, the proportion of volunteersamong international staff in HI went from two-thirds down to one third. This brings us toquestion if we have to regret it and what are theimpacts of this trend.required to work in anothercountry after four to six years.

IN CONCLUSION

Despite the environment trends and difficulties weencounter, HI continues to promote voluntarismand tries not to get pulled in by the competition

logic and by the inflation of allowances for thisstatus. The volunteer status should remain the sym-bol of a different commitment - a professional onebut in a specific sector of activity. This is difficulthowever in an internationalised sector and amoney-driven world. HI will not succeed on itsown. We need to share our view and promote thesevalues with a sufficient number of NGOs, so as tohave an impact on the public and actors. It maywork through partnerships with volunteer-sendingorganisations, in order to avoid status confusion.That is also for us the added value of working withNGO platforms such as CLONG or VOICE.

EVOLUTION OF VOLUNTARISM IN ITALY -FROM AN ITALIAN NGO PERSPECTIVE

Roberto Rivalta, Desk Officer for Middle East and for Asia, CESVI

INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITIONS

According to a recent study that analyses thenon-profit sector, there are about 3 millionvolunteers in Italy. However, it is always difficult toevaluate these figures since in Italy those who workin the non-profit sector, especially in internationalcooperation, are perceived as volunteers.

A volunteer is someone who decides to spend aportion of his/her time and energy to help otherswithout getting back anything except the satisfactionto have done something useful for the community.

CESVI distinguishes between:

s Hybrid Volunteers:

• People who have a humanitarian/volunteerspirit and are willing to work in the non-profit/humanitarian sector without imme-diate “monetary” compensation. They havethe goal to acquire expertise to be moremarketable in the labour market and tosecure a position in a sector of interest.

- Stagiaire/Intern

- Civil service volunteers

s Pure Volunteers:

• The classic volunteers as defined earlier

- Civil service volunteers

- “Other volunteers”: usually motivatedpeople of all ages and classes whostrongly believe in a cause and arewilling to contribute their time toproduce a positive change.

THE ITALIAN CIVIL SERVICE

The Civil Service was born in Italy in 1972 as analternative to the mandatory military service. Withthe reform of the military service on voluntary basisin 2000, the Civil Service also changed and in 2005both male and female could access it. It became nolonger an alternative to the military service, but afree and volunteer choice for young men andwomen. In 2001, there were 181 volunteers, andin 2005 there were 45.175. The civil service isincreasingly becoming a source of volunteers and isquickly acquiring more relevance in the activities ofthe non-profit organisations, including NGOs.Volunteers can be paid about € 400 per month.

CESVI’S EXPERIENCE

CESVI has historically based its activities on thecontribution of professionals for two main reasons:


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necessity to structure the organisation andnecessity to ensure continuity of the interventions.

However, CESVI has now decided to modify itspolicy and to start working with volunteers. ForCESVI, volunteers are only people who give theircontribution to help others without expecting anymaterial remuneration, and therefore this isdifferent from the common understanding ofpublic opinion.

VOLUNTEERS IN ITALYAND ABROAD

CESVI distinguishes between:

s Volunteers in Italy

Since 2004, CESVI has started recruitingvolunteers in Italy and a person is following thisactivity. The decision to formalise the recruitmentof volunteers was based on the following reasons:

a. Extending the organisation’s capability ofintervention in the Italian territory, spreadingits message and ideas without subtractingresources from the humanitarian intervention.

b. Encouraging the development of theprofessional skills of its supporters, allowingthem to contribute not only in a monetaryway, but also with their time and work.

CESVI’s objective is to create groups in severalcities in order to build an active network at anational level with the goals of:

a. Sensitising public opinion on CESVI’s missionb. Fundraising

CESVI has dedicated a section of its website to theactivities of interest to potential volunteers.Volunteers have access on the site to informationon the activities carried out by past and presentCESVI volunteers in addition to information onhow they can also become volunteers. CESVIreceives requests to volunteer from individualswho independently learn about CESVI’s volunteerprogramme or about CESVI activities throughpublicity spots, the bimonthly magazine“Cooperando”, and through referrals.

s Volunteers abroad

CESVI is now also evaluating the possibility ofusing volunteers abroad. At present, its focus ismainly to place volunteers in situations andlocations which are favourable both to thevolunteer and to the contextual environment inwhich the volunteer is placed, i.e. where there is astrong office and several project/activities to beimplemented. Volunteers can be used to monitorsuch activities, to support local and expatriate staff,and provide a winning contribution based on theirskills and experience. Cultural exchange betweenvolunteers and local population also takes place.

It is interesting to point out the change ofattitude in CESVI’s field offices: whilst in the pastvolunteers were perceived as a dead weight, theyare now seen as a helpful asset and CESVI is nowgetting requests for volunteers from the field.

This part of CESVI’s volunteer strategy is just atthe beginning and will be developed in the comingmonths.

PROFESSIONALISM AND VOLUNTARISM IN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

Mark Hammersley, Staff Capacity Initiative Manager, Emergency Capacity Building (ECB) Project

INTRODUCTION

Emergency Capacity Building is a collaborationbetween seven international NGOs to improve the speed, quality and ultimate effectiveness ofhumanitarian action. The participating organisa-tions are: CARE International, Catholic Relief

Services, International Rescue Committee, Savethe Children USA, Mercy Corps, Oxfam GB, andWorld Vision International.

Our work addresses four main areas of emer-gency capacity where the participating agenciesfelt collaboration could achieve more than


Round Table 1

country. Most agencies also encourage communityparticipation in relief activities, as well as partneringwith civil society organisations, so in reality an evengreater proportion of people delivering assistance toaffected communities actually started in the countrywhere we are working, and many fall into anydefinition of “volunteer”.

KEY STAFFING FACTORS

The ECB project commissioned a study into thekey staffing factors in emergencies (published onECB website). We found remarkable similarity inperspective across all seven organisations,between HR managers and Emergency Programmanagers, and between those based at agencyheadquarters as well as field offices. The topfactors included: people preparedness, planningand team working.

THE AID WORKERS' PERSPECTIVE

People in Aid undertook a survey of current andformer humanitarian managers to better under-stand the factors affecting retention and loyalty.Results of the study are published on the ECBwebsite, and are also referred to in the forth-coming HPN Network Paper on Staff Turnover(see www.odihpn.org).

This research separated “push” factors whichcause staff to want to leave an organisation from“pull” factors which affect the choice of whichorganisation to move to next. All of the mainfactors which result in turnover are within thepower of agencies to improve.

In all of our work we have found no evidence ofcorrelation between salary levels and speed,quality or effectiveness of humanitarian action -but workforce models certainly play a big part.

WHAT IS “HUMANITARIANACTION” IN PRACTICE?

Humanitarian agencies are involved in all stagesof emergency management: from prevention,mitigation, preparedness, through response andrecovery. Most of our engagement in a country is

14

individual action: Staff Capacity, Accountability andImpact Measurement, Disaster Risk Reduction,and Information and Communications Technology.

The project aims to be transparent so that theentire sector can benefit from our learnings - weare working closely with other interagencyinitiatives (e.g. People in Aid) and will publishfindings externally. More information, includingcopies of the reports I will mention, can be foundon the website.

STAFF CAPACITY

“Staff Capacity” shortcomings are frequentlycited in project evaluations as a major cause ofdelayed or inadequate humanitarian responses.We have understood “Staff Capacity” to includethe number of people working in an organisation,their mix of skills, knowledge and abilities, and theeffectiveness of processes by which people aremobilised and deployed in emergencies.

We have also recognised that emergencycapacity is a factor of core capacity: the speed,quality and ultimate effectiveness of emergencyresponse are in large part based on what theagency was doing in the affected country beforethe emergency and whether it had additionaltrained and experienced people on standbyelsewhere.

PROFESSIONAL VOLUNTEERS OR HUMANITARIAN TOURISTS?

We have already noted that in several Europeancountries, non-governmental organisations are re-ferred to as “Voluntary Organisations”. Recognisingthat the term “volunteer” has a wide variety ofinterpretations, this presentation will focus on whatwe have learned and observed about “the peoplewho do what we do,” as well as the organisationalprocesses which ensure the right people are in theright place at the right time with the right mixtureof skills, knowledge and behaviours.

The ECB project has referred to “the people whodo what we do” as “staff”, regardless of contracttypes or levels of remuneration. We have noted thatover 95% of our staff are nationals of the affected


Round Table 1

not high stress, nor critically time pressured. Thereare also many essential support functions, not allof which take place in the affected country.

What is the real purpose of our mission? Is it toserve the affected population or to provideexperience for the people assisting? Surely thereis a balance, but one extreme fails to build apipeline of competent professionals and the otherextreme risks becoming humanitarian tourism.

Even during the most acute phase of emergencyresponse, what exactly are we doing? Enablingrapid development assistance? Administering sub-grants to partners? Providing medical or engi-neering technical support? Distributing supplies?

Most agencies have different deploymentmodels for emergency response according towhether or not there is an established office in theaffected area. Opening a new programme andscaling-up an existing operation are quite differentin organisational terms. Key factors in all cases arestanding capacity - dedicated emergencymanagers and technical staff in country, in region,globally; and surge capacity - ability to shiftresources from unaffected areas to scale up in theaffected area, including backfilling arrangementswhere staff are temporarily released frompermanent posts to fill short-term needs.

WORKFORCE MODELS

Most agencies seem to have a similar hierarchy,with different levels of responsibility: s Relief workers - who erect tents, dig latrines,

connect water systems, distribute food andmedicine

s Team leaders - who supervise day to day work

s Programme managers - who supervise severalteams, carrying budgetary responsibility andduty of care for workers

s Directors - who oversee strategy and majorbudgetary decisions

All agencies seem to face similar challenges infinding, keeping and developing competentprogramme managers, but few have difficulty atthe level of “relief worker” to erect tents, diglatrines etc. Indeed the vast majority of people

who do such work are nationals of the affectedcountry and they can be mobilised quicklyfollowing the onset of an emergency, whereas themost effective managers are those in long-termemployment by the agency.

Some of the international relief agencies thatresponded to Hurricane Katrina learned valuablelessons through providing assistance in their homecountry. They found that skilled and experiencedhumanitarian managers had an important role inhelping to coordinate activities at the “front line”.They also found that volunteers from elsewherewho wanted to help could best contribute theiradministrative and organisational skills in thehead-office environment which was more directlyrelated to the volunteers' prior experience.

Several agencies are developing models wherebyvolunteers can support essential “back-office”functions during surge, thereby temporarilyincreasing organisational capacity and releasingexperienced staff to move closer to the field.Simultaneously, recruitment for senior field posts isfocusing on people whose humanitarian careersstarted as national staff in affected countries.

DEVELOPING TALENT

Some roles in emergencies can be designed toeasily fit skills that are readily available in theaffected area, or which can be trained for in a veryshort time (e.g. drivers, masons, communitymobilisers); other roles require longer trainingand/or practical experience with the agency tofully understand systems and demonstrate neededcompetencies (e.g. medical coordinators, financemanagers). Several agencies are now ensuringthat internationally experienced human resourcesprofessionals are deployed from standing teams toaffected countries in the early stages ofemergency response to support rapid recruitmentand effective induction/orientation of nationalstaff.

World Vision is using a “feeder school” systemwhereby experienced national staff with proventechnical skills can receive targeted training andcoaching for more senior roles requiringinternational experience. Participants in the feederschool deploy to emergencies in other countries,

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Round Table 1

to shadow one of the international staff membersworking there. Most alumni go on to permanentjobs as senior managers in their home country oras members of the Global Rapid Response team.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) uses a “fellowshipprogram” to attract and develop future countrydirectors. Graduates of top international develop-ment masters programmes are selected through arigorous and highly competitive process for alimited number of fellowship places each year. The12-month programme offers practical work expe-rience and specific training in project manage-ment. It comprises two six-month placements indifferent countries, during which the Fellowreports to a national staff manager. Most Fellowseasily find permanent jobs with the agency at theend of the programme, and many quickly rise tosenior management positions. Some 35% ofCRS's present country directors entered theorganisation through this route.

ROSTERS AND REGISTERS

Many agencies are developing exclusive pools oftrained and experienced professionals who areknown and trusted, understand the organisation'smission and systems, and can be mobilised foremergencies. Normally these comprise staff withpermanent posts in other parts of the agency, andwho can be released for emergency deployments- they may be considered as “volunteers” withinthe agency. Certain technical posts (e.g. engineers,doctors, accountants) are also susceptible tostandby arrangements between humanitarianagencies and other employers who are willing torelease staff for short placements when needed.Maintaining the readiness of people on suchstand-by lists is challenging, and agencies areusing a variety of creative techniques to build“loyalty” among this cadre.

ECB NEXT STEPS

The Emergency Capacity Building Project is nowdeveloping four pilot projects to help agenciesimprove the recruitment, development and reten-tion of quality staff for humanitarian action:

s Staff Capacity Metrics: giving “staff capacity”the form of numbers to help track impro-vements and facilitate benchmarking betweenhumanitarian programmes in different coun-tries or different agencies.

s Multi-agency Simulations: scenarios which maybe used for testing emergency response me-chanisms and improving preparedness.

s Building Trust in Teams: tools to help improveself-awareness and encourage rapid forma-tion of effective working relationships amongculturally diverse staff in emergencies.

s National staff capacity: increasing competenceand confidence of existing agency staff forhumanitarian leadership positions.

IN CONCLUSION

s All agencies seem to have similar challenges inattracting, developing and retaining seniorinternationally-experienced field managers,but there

s are generally few problems at other levels(emergency directors, national staff, volunteers)

s The level of pay does not seem to be corre-lated to the quality of work

s BUT - the resourcing strategy is a major factor

s A committed pool is needed

s Effective planning and preparedness is needed

s A clear management structure and levels ofresponsibility are needed

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INTRODUCTION

Skillshare International is one of the four UKinternational volunteering agencies funded byDFID principally for this activity. The four agencieswork collectively in many areas, and are membersof the International FORUM on DevelopmentService. The traditional model that we have allused has been that of the two year placementwith a partner organisation, although there havebeen a number of changes in recent years,notably:

s The rediscovery of the solidarity model, which,during the 1980s and 1990s had been replacedto a large extent by a technocratic model(technical assistance)

s The move from placing British volunteers tothe placement of volunteers, first from othercountries in the EU, and now from countriesbeyond the EU; and

s More specifically, the development of south-south cooperation, the placement of people fromdeveloping countries in developing countries;

In order to contribute some of the lessons fromour experience over 40 years of placing volunteers

in developing countries, the following two mainthemes will be addressed: language, and risk.

LANGUAGE

We use the term “professional” in a number of ways:

s Meaning qualified, or competent. The converseof professional, in this case might be incom-petent, or amateur;

s In terms of ethics of the collective (such as themedical or legal profession) or of the individual- which links with motivation to perform com-petently, or to act in solidarity. The conversewould be unprofessional; and

s Meaning paid. The converse would be unpaid,voluntary or amateur.

We can use these terms about individuals, butthey also apply to organisations. So NGOs, andpeople working with NGOs, may act professio-nally in respect of qualifications and ethics, butmay be voluntary (or paid less). We need tounderstand these different uses of terminology inorder to understand the coexistence that is beingquestioned as the topic of the seminar.

Round Table 24

The first part of this second Round Table provides examples andlessons from organisations which have a history of using

volunteers. Two different approaches are presented, the firstbeing a more development oriented organisation which placesvolunteers internationally, and the second being the RedCross which only works with volunteers at national levels.

The second part of the session is dedicated to EU volunteerinitiatives, first presenting a recent EU project on developing

minimum standards for volunteers in civil protection, thenpresenting DG for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO)'s position on

volunteers and professionalism in humanitarian aid.

PART 1 - LESSONS FROM VOLUNTEER-SENDING ORGANISATIONS. COEXISTENCE OF PROFESSIONALISM AND VOLUNTARISM?

INTERNATIONAL FORUM FOR DEVELOPMENT SERVICE'S EXPERIENCE WITH VOLUNTEERS

Jake Bharier, Senior Adviser, Skillshare International /International FORUM for Development Service


RISK

Risk, and risk management, have becomefashionable approaches in the UK for manage-ment, and the fashion is pervading the voluntarysector. The concept originates with assessment offinancial risk but is now extending to othermanagement functions.

The international volunteering agencies, becausethey are working on longer-term development,have the benefit of time and resource to manageplacement risk. We do this through the processesof partner and placement assessment, selectionprocesses, pre-placement and in-placementtraining, a high level of support and throughmonitoring and evaluation.

The principal gain is the focus on the partner andthe desired outcome. However our approach hasdemanded a high level of infrastructure. It alsomeans that we tend to be risk-averse, andtherefore there is less impetus for us to innovate.We are also slower to respond than humanitarianNGOs.

IN CONCLUSION

Plainly, humanitarian NGOs have to work fasterand are also faced with a swell of interest fromvolunteers at times of particular need. The focuson risk may provide some pointers for humani-tarian NGOs. This leads to certain key questions:

s Are there practices or principles which couldbe developed which would mitigate the riskof placing inappropriate, incompetent or un-

ethical volunteers?

s What can be done in advance of the humani-tarian intervention?

s Would there be benefit in having a register orroster of “approved”, or at least pre-selectedvolunteers?

s Could this be done for the sector as a whole,as some form of qualification?

s How do we recognise the human resourcecontinuum, whereby an individual may work,either as a volunteer or as an employee, in anumber of different agencies (or even in theirown agency) during their working life?

Round Table 2

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INTRODUCTION

The International Federation of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement has a long history of usingvolunteers and volunteerism is one of the sevenFundamental Principles of the Movement. The firstvolunteers to assist in a relief effort go back to1859 at the Battle of Solferino.

VOLUNTEERING IN THE RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT MOVEMENT

Volunteering in the Red Cross and Red CrescentMovement is an activity that:

s Is motivated by the free will of the personvolunteering, and not by a desire for material

or financial gain or by external social, econo-mic, or political pressure

s Is intended to benefit vulnerable people or theirlocal communities

s Is organised by recognised representatives of aNational Society

Under the Federation's definition, volunteering isnot a paid activity, although all expenses should bereimbursed. This means that if people are being paid,they are not and cannot be described as 'volunteers'.

“Local volunteers are not allowed to work ininternational operations: they should apply to beincluded in the teams managed by the internationaldepartment of their National Society or to thevacancies opened at the Federation Secretariat or ICRC.”

VOLUNTEERING IN THE RED CROSS/RED CRESCENT MOVEMENT

Oscar Zuluaga, Consultant, IFRC


Round Table 2

When discussing who can be a volunteer, a gapcan be created if one focuses too much on aparticular 'type' of volunteers, such as highlyqualified and experienced people - many valuableskills can also be found in youths and other people,even if they are perhaps less academically qualified.For example, in recognition of the contributionyoung people can make, the IFRC developed aYouth Policy in 1991 to help both National Societiesand the Federation to plan for the development ofRed Cross and Red Crescent youth.

WHAT VOLUNTEERS BRING TO AN ORGANISATION - ADDED VALUE

Volunteers can bring real added value to theorganisation. They:

s Can contribute to achieve the mission

s Can be part of programmes, services, andactivities

s Are local and act according to the local culture

s Because they are on the spot, they act imme-diately in case of crisis, disasters andemergencies

Today, the IFRC has clear goals. Volunteers bringskills and knowledge, new ideas, energy, en-thusiasm and their time. Though the IFRC does nothave volunteers who work abroad, the addedvalues lies in local volunteers ensuring the ability tobe closer to the local communities, to know theirneeds and to promote and strengthen civil society.

For IFRC, volunteering means management,efficiency, quality and coordination. Volunteers donot save money, they extend the budget.

LEGAL, OPERATIONAL ANDADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT FORVOLUNTEERS

An organisation will fail with volunteers if it doesnot have any volunteer plan, if there is novolunteer management system in place, and ifthere are no job descriptions drawn up forvolunteers. IFRC tries to be more professional anddefining the role of volunteers within theorganisation is a key issue. This is not consideredpurely as a HR issue but more as a global issue

since the organisation's best resources are people.

The IFRC has:1. Adopted a volunteer policy which is implemented

and well known at local level2. A volunteer management system in place3. Detailed descriptions of the tasks to do - written

role descriptions based on the humanitarianneeds of the population and the local servicesand programmes

4. Insurance (in case of accidents, diseases, deathand legal problems)

5. Encouraged friendly relations between volun-teers and paid staff - clear distinction of theirtasks and their complementary work but theyare part of the same team

6. IFRC offers coaching - follow up - motivation -basic and specialised training

ROLES - ACTIVITIES FORVOLUNTEERS

1. Volunteers provide a public service: humani-tarian aid on health programmes, communityservices, social welfare, training, prevention anddisasters

2. Volunteers are part of the governing board -direction

3. Experts or advisers- engineers - artists - bankers- lawyers - journalists - advertising- economists- notary

4. Volunteers in administration and finances5. Working in emergencies, social crises and health

outbreaks

The IFRC has developed many various tools andresources concerning volunteering, including aVolunteers Policy and implementation guide, avolunteer management system, a volunteer/youthnewsletter, web sections on volunteers, a volun-teer reference centre, etc.

Volunteer management is not always easy how-ever, and involving volunteers in emergenciespresents certain challenges. The IFRC has problemswith discipline (in following rules and the Code ofConduct, etc.), with coordination, competition,security, etc. These are complicated issues to dealwith and to communicate about. The key tovolunteer management however is participation atall levels of the organisation.

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Round Table 2

The IFRC tries to get volunteers involved in criseslocally. For emergencies, it has come up with a setof 'procedures' to take with volunteers before,during and after any emergency. These actionswere drawn up for different types of volunteers:

'formal and active volunteers', 'spontaneous/newvolunteers' and for 'non-active volunteers'.

The following slide demonstrates the differentactions to take with formal and active volunteers.


Round Table 2

EUROPEAN VOLUNTARYHUMANITARIAN AID CORPS (EVHAC)

The first time the concept of humanitarianvolunteers emerged was in the draft EU Consti-tution when a corps for young volunteers wasproposed in the chapter on humanitarian aid.VOICE got involved in the issue because it, alongwith its member NGOs, had concerns relating tovolunteers in humanitarian aid.

At that time, many NGOs lobbied against theinclusion of the Voluntary Corps in the draftConstitution for several reasons - firstly, becauseNGOs did not agree with sending young peopleinto emergency situations as this raised importantsecurity issues due to the increased risk of workingin the field. NGOs also believed at the time thatsending young volunteers did not correspond withthe push for increased professionalism beingpromoted. However, as demonstrated by discus-sions and presentations during the morning, it isclear that the dialogue has moved on somewhat onthis matter. Finally, NGOs felt that volunteers hadnothing to do with the Constitution, and that thisrelated more to a practical than a political issue.When ECHO embarked on the study on theEuropean Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps,VOICE established a Working Group in order toprovide its input on the issue.

Despite remaining sceptical to European volun-teers in humanitarian aid, NGOs neverthelessrecognise that their sector is based on voluntarism,and that this is what many NGOs grew out from.In that sense, the idea of using volunteers in thefield is supported, though perhaps more in adevelopment setting rather than an emergencysituation. Yet despite the active lobbying on partof the NGOs, the concept of the Voluntary Corpsremained in the draft Constitution.

OTHER EU VOLUNTEERINITIATIVES

When the Tsunami struck in December 2004,this created a strong wave of interest from thegeneral public in the whole issue of humanitarianaid. This renewed interest from the public,combined with NGO shortage of staff,contributed to the Parliament feeling the impetusto launch a new initiative, particularly sincevisibility and relating to voters was of interest topoliticians. At the same time, the EuropeanCommission also launched the strengthening of itscrisis capabilities. Having Europeans volunteer wasseen as one way to make the European taxpayerfeel that his/her money was being well used.

As a result, three studies were undertaken. Twostudies - namely a study on the promotion ofvolunteer work in civil protection and a study onthe European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps -will be presented here today. The third one is theEuropean Civil Peace Corps, which looked into thepossibility of creating a European Peace Corps forconflict prevention and peace building. DG RELEXwho was responsible for the study stated toVOICE in advance of the seminar that the study isnow concluded but that they will be looking moretowards the existing resources and capacities inNGOs and civil society organisations.

With the three studies nearly completed, VOICEcomes away with the impressionthat neither theNGOs nor EC services are too enthusiastic aboutthe added valuethat the proposed initiativeswould have other than improve EU visibility.

INTRODUCTION

Kathrin SCHICK, VOICE Director

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PART 2 - INITIATIVES IN THE EC EU VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES: VALUABLE RESOURCE BASEOR POLITICAL VISIBILITY?


22

Round Table 2

THE PROJECT

Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) is the GermanFederal Agency for Technical Relief, a govern-mental organisation dealing with civil protection.It works only with volunteers both in Germanyand abroad (e.g. tsunami).

THW was commissioned by the EuropeanCommission (DG Environment) to carry out an EUfunded project on 'volunteers in civil protection'over a period of two years (December 2004 toDecember 2006). In the frame of this project,THW has had to assess the current situation in the25 EU member states as well as Norway,Liechtenstein and Iceland. From this study, it isexpected to get an overview on the inclusion ofvolunteers in civil protection, to identify thespecific influential factors and problematic areas,to develop a structured compendium of solutions(best practice), and to analyse the training systems.

Recommendations for Minimum Standards forthe conditions of volunteer work in civil protectionwill be elaborated, as well as for MinimumStandards concerning the training of volunteers incivil protection.

The project relies on the completion of threephases: Evaluation, Workshops and Final Report.The international workshop organised in March2006 and in which a wide variety of organisationsparticipated, had four objectives: discuss and agreeon recommendations for minimum standards,identify good practice examples, develop andgather ideas for a follow up of the project, andexchange experiences and to network amongdifferent organisations. Conclusions were made onthe minimum standards.

The final report will contain a summary andaggregation of the results of the evaluation phase,the survey (performed by questionnaires), thecountry visits, and the international workshop. Itwill be submitted to the European Commission inDecember 2006.

MINIMUM STANDARDS FORVOLUNTEERS IN CIVIL PROTECTION

The major concern of the project is the elabo-ration of minimum standards for volunteersregarding the working conditions of volunteers(management of volunteers, risk management,recruitment in disaster operations, insurance) andthe training of volunteers. Focus is also put on therelations between paid staff and volunteers, andon the employers.

In each different work group, the same formatwas used for each discussed topic (about 25 topicsin total) to help elaborate the recommendations.Three aspects were examined every time: rights andexpectations of the volunteer, responsibilities of theorganisation, and responsibilities of the volunteer.As an example, Ms. Blanckmeister discussed theoutcomes of the discussion on the recommen-dation for the relation between volunteers andpaid staff.

Rights and expectations of the volunteer:s Equal opportunities

s Mutual respect

s Volunteer to be included in planning anddecision making

Responsibilities of the organisation:s To be aware of potential tensions

s To install mechanisms to provide for equalopportunities

s To have a policy which recognises the valueof each staff member (paid and unpaid)

s To promote mutual respect

s To involve volunteers in the planning anddecision making process

Responsibilities of the volunteer:s To understand and appreciate the need for

the role of the paid staff and volunteers

s To participate in the planning and decisionmaking process

EU PROJECT: VOLUNTEER WORK WITHIN EUROPEAN CIVIL PROTECTION

Barbara Blanckmeister, Project Manager for the EU-funded project “Promotion of Volunteer Work in Civil Protection”, Technisches Hilfswerk


Round Table 2

EUROPEAN VOLUNTARYHUMANITARIAN AID CORPS(EVHAC)

Concerning the European Voluntary Humanita-rian Aid Corps (EVHAC), an exhaustive study onvolunteers in humanitarian aid carried out over thelast year by ECHO, had convinced Mr Lewartowskiamong others that the idea is 'neither feasible nordesirable'.

EUROPEAN VOLUNTARY HUMANITARIAN AID CORPS (EVHAC) THE EC PERSPECTIVE

Richard Lewartowski, European Commission official, DG for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO)

EFFICIENCY ANDPROFESSIONALISM

ECHO's aim is to give aid in the most efficientway possible and the need to be professional istherefore paramount. Key for ECHO is whetherNGOs can carry out their work properly andefficiently. If they cannot, this impacts on NGOSgetting the Framework Partnership Agreement(FPA). ECHO has a responsibility towards theEuropean taxpayer and is monitored by the Courtof Auditors, and therefore what matters most to itare the results that are obtained through its NGOpartners. In this sense, NGO professionalism isvery important.

ROLE OF VOLUNTEERS

The juxtaposition of the two concepts 'volunta-rism' and 'professionalism' is becoming outdated.The Commission does not regard as importantwhether it is volunteers or paid staff who work inits NGO partners. This decision is left to the NGOsthemselves.

Studies show that the best volunteers are local,as they know and understand local behavioursand culture. In terms of sending volunteers out tothe field in emergencies, in the first period of acrisis, untrained volunteers do not have a role toplay - they can even have a negative influence. Asshown in recent emergency situations, there is arisk when individuals from the general public wantto 'go out and help' - such individuals constitute adanger to themselves but also to the humanitariancommunity and the beneficiaries. They do notunderstand the security issues and can havedetrimental effects. It may be argued thatvolunteers could play a better role in developmentrather than in emergency situations.

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Main Discussion Points5

The following issues were the main comments/questions raised during the various discussiontimes throughout the seminar.

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENTVERSUS SALARIED STAFFMANAGEMENT - IMPACT ON NGO WORK

Isabelle Prin (Handicap International) raised theissue that the decrease in volunteers - andconsequently the increase in salaried staff - inFrench humanitarian NGOs has meant that, interms of management, it has become moredifficult to manage this 'newer' group of staff, dueto their age, family status, and to their moredemanding nature in general. Salaried staffrequirements are higher than volunteers'. Shenevertheless raised the positive aspect linked tousing salaried staff which is the impact that thishas had on staff turnover, which has decreasedamong staff with permanent contracts. This isconsidered advantageous for the stability ofprogrammes as well as of the organisation.

MOTIVATION - FINANCIAL GAIN -IMPACT ON QUALITY

The role of motivation versus financial incentivesand what impact this has on the quality of aiddelivered were questioned during the morning.

The issue of financial gain and motivation isdeep and complex. The discussion demonstratedthe belief that there is diversity in motivationbetween different people - for example, betweena first timer and someone further down the line.The different motivations may have an impact onthe performance and behaviour in the field. MarkHammersley (ECB Project) explained how a studyon retention (on push and pull factors for stayingin an organisation) showed up issues of equity ofremuneration - two people working alongsidedoing the same job but one not being paid canprovide a complication. However, this is alsorelated to the level of satisfaction in work. If staffare happy in their jobs, they will not be asconcerned about financial issues.

From reviews that the ECB Project has done,financial remuneration does not appear to be animportant factor as far as quality is concerned.Instead, the fact that volunteers work withoutfinancial motivation provides a special kind ofmotivation, which benefits the quality of thework. However, if given a choice, people will ingeneral always opt for a salaried status.

What is important to note is that manyvolunteers are motivated by the fact that they canoffer professional services as well, even if on avoluntary basis. People working in the humani-tarian aid sector know they could get bettersalaries in other sectors, yet they stay in thehumanitarian sector since they are motivated byother things than monetary reasons. Studies showthat the level of the quality of work in general isnot correlated with the level of salary.

In terms of quality of work delivered, thediscussion centred on what to expect from volun-teers. If you are an organisation who employsprofessionals, you can expect to get professionalservices in return. Can you expect the same fromvolunteers? How does using volunteers affect theissue of quality of work?

Janine Lietmeyer (Malteser) pointed out that inher organisation the requirements for volunteersare very high, and that Malteser always strives toget professional workers. It is important to treatvolunteers the same, to appreciate them evenmore than salaried staff perhaps, because they arecommitted to their work even if they are not paid.

MANAGEMENT OF EXPECTATIONSOF VOLUNTEERS - A CHALLENGE

Tim Hayward (Red-R) put forward the idea thatan area worth further exploring is young peoplecoming to humanitarian aid with many illusionsabout the sector but without appropriate trainingand professionalism. Tackling this issue impliesknowing how to manage expectations, andmaking sure that people understand that theirskills and competencies must be compared towhat is needed in the field. Following the Tsunami,a huge wave of people came forward who'wanted to help' and who did not understand thatspecific skills and experience are required in


Main Discussion Points

emergencies. To manage people's expectations isa huge challenge for recruitment. The value infurther exploring people's expectations is todevelop an understanding of those trying tovolunteer their services. People are comingforward with completely wrong ideas andexpectations of what they could do and what theycould be going into, and this is an issue to betackled.

Isabelle Prin pointed out that NGOs should notbe the main ones to manage people's expec-tations, as this is then already at too late a stage.Expectations should be managed earlier byschools, universities, the media, etc., beforepeople create their illusions and expectations ofthe sector.

From a recruitment perspective, Janine Lietmeyersaid that recruiters must shift people's expecta-tions that they will be only doing some technicalwork in the field. It is relatively easy to find staffwith technical skills but harder to find people withother skills such as management skills which arealso often required. Overall, there must be moreclarity in setting out the requirements for volun-teers, so as not to raise their expectations.

VALUE IN INVESTMENT OF VOLUNTEERS

Most participants at the seminar appeared toagree that volunteers have a contribution to make,whilst also admitting the complexity of the issue.Is it worth for organisations to invest more in themanagement of volunteers and in volunteer de-velopment, instead of focusing on 'normal' humanresource management? Should NGOs invest in thebetter integration of volunteer management intothe HR strategy?

If the contribution volunteers can make isdeemed valuable, then it is worth investing involunteers. It is important to note however that ifthere is no capacity to manage volunteers withinthe organisation, then it is a waste of valuableresources and time to use them. On the otherhand, if capacity does exist, then it is worthinvesting in volunteer management. It is also lesscostly to place a higher value on volunteer workalready done 'in-house': many salaried staff put in

extra working time on a volunteer basis, and thisshould be further acknowledged and perhapsdeveloped.

Other members of the panel stressed theimportance of investing in the overall HR strategy,stating that the most significant factor in thequality of a humanitarian response is the cohe-rence of the resourcing strategy. A committed pooland effective planning and management areneeded. Whether workers are volunteers or notwas seen as unimportant. What is important ishaving the right people at the right place at theright time. Whether this involves paying people ornot is down to the organisation to decide. If anorganisation's resourcing strategy is run onideological grounds, it will not work.

CAREER PLANNING (CONTINUUM MODEL OF HR)

Jake Bharier (International FORUM for Develop-ment Service) raised the point that the continuumof human resources needs to be recognised in thesector. Experiences that people in the wholeinternational sector have at different stages oftheir lives in different organisations mean thatthey bring experience into their jobs. Whenthinking in this continuum way, it is possible tobegin to view differently the issue of how tomanage young versus old volunteers, and lessexperienced versus professionals. This is a veryvaluable way of looking at the 'problem' ofvolunteers, and the sector should not lose out bynot employing volunteers who may well laterbecome high ranking and highly experiencedprofessionals in the sector.

VOLUNTEER POLICY COHERENCEWITHIN ORGANISATION

With regards to the Red Cross/Red Crescentexperience, a unified policy exists across the RedCross/Crescent organisations that aims to improvethe management of volunteers. However, it takestime to convince people to invest enough timeand effort in working on a volunteer managementstrategy. It also takes time for a policy and strategyto spread across different local organisations.When trying to implement a policy cross-organisa-

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tion, the local/national differences in each countrymust also be taken into account, even if theorganisations have the same basic framework.

VALUE OF VOLUNTEERS'CONTRIBUTIONS - “VOLUNTEERS DON'T SAVE MONEY,THEY EXTEND THE BUDGET”

One of the Red Cross/Red Crescent's strongestmessages is that to use volunteers is not abouttrying to save money but it is a way of trying to domore and doing it better. Tim Hayward drew theattention to the fact that volunteers are seen as away of extending the budget. To what extent doNGOs truly value the contribution that volunteersmake? As an example, it was explained how, in astatement on recommended practice, organisa-tions are required to show on their budget thevalue of contributions in kind (e.g. volunteers). Ifan organisation has volunteers on its expenditureside, it should also put in an equivalent value onthe income side; the contribution made by thevolunteers is therefore clearly demonstrated. It wasfelt however that many organisations do not actu-ally do this. This could be something to promotewith organisations using volunteers.

ADDED VALUE OF EU VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES

Concerning the civil protection initiatives cur-rently being developed in the EU, these have raisedmany questions from the NGO side, includingwhat the added value of these developments is,and where the complementarity with humanita-rian aid lies.

Concerning the EVHAC, it was specified that theEuropean Commission's official position on thestudy is still pending, awaiting the Commissioner'sfinal comments on the study. Another report cameout this year - the Barnier Report - which talked alot about coordination and complementaritybetween different EU actors. Among other things,it also suggested that all external assistance acti-vities (civil protection, rapid reaction mechanism,humanitarian work) be concentrated under ECHO.

VOLUNTEERS IN CIVILPROTECTION STUDY

Barbara Blanckmeister (THW) explained how theEU study aimed to define the minimum standardsfor volunteers in all civil protection organisations,whether these work in domestic disasters or inmore international settings abroad. The idea ofhaving similar minimum standards across the EU isvery useful when one of the reasons behind under-taking the project is having more European teamsin the future being able to work together on inter-national missions.

POLITICAL VISIBILITY /PROFESSIONALISM IN NGOS /EFFECTIVENESS

Two possible reasons were put forward for whythe European Commission has recently focused onvolunteers in both civil protection and humani-tarian aid. The rationale for sending volunteersabroad may either come from a more political andvisibility perspective, or, from the other spectrum,from the desire to help beneficiaries/populationwith the best expertise at hand.

Richard Lewartowski (ECHO) stated that theCommission's primary concern is that a job is effec-tively carried out for the benefit of the benefi-ciaries. In terms of which message to send to partnerNGOs concerning professionalism, he focused onthe need for effectiveness and getting a job welldone. Professionalism is required to properly iden-tify what is required and to implement this directly.Whether those who implement it are volunteers ornot, does not matter to the Commission.

Rosien Herweijer (PSO) pointed out that to denythat the EU is not interested in visibility is wrong,as the importance of EU visibility is part of thereality. Following the Tsunami, and the increasedinterest in humanitarian aid by the general public,it was interesting to see how Euro and nationalpoliticians started thinking about the added valuein promoting volunteering.

At present, NGOs seem to be having problemsconnecting with people solely through raisingmoney. People want to be more involved andwant to contribute to the effectiveness of the



NGOs. This brought the discussion on to whetherNGOs are seriously thinking about their owneffectiveness. Are they relating to the people whohave been providing them with many funds for along time, and acknowledging that these peoplewant to be involved in a new and different waythan how they traditionally were? NGOs have aresponsibility to reflect on how to involve peoplein NGOs' work in a way that does not necessarilyinvolve sending them out in the field.

The discussion moved on to NGO accountabilityto supporters, which has increased over the years.The level of participation across the Europe isphenomenal (roughly 17 million NGO supportersacross the EU), and the general public is veryimportant in supporting NGOs. Yet NGOs' firstpriority is accountability to the beneficiaries. Issuesof management and control linked to NGOsupporters exist, because we can talk aboutengagement in governance in NGOs, just as wecan talk about engagement in governmentstructures through parliamentary democracy.However, when it comes to dealing with imme-diate and urgent issues, formal systems of parti-cipative governance often do not necessarilydeliver the goods. There needs to be a balancebetween effective accountability through forms ofgovernance and effective management thatdelivers the needs.

VOLUNTEER SKILLS IN THE DEVELOPMENT VERSUSHUMANITARIAN SECTOR

There are different levels of competencies requiredfor workers in either development or emergencysettings. For example, medical professional com-petencies will vary from those needed by the onesdealing with long-term diseases and those dealingwith trauma. The skills needed when working incommunities are probably common skills, thoughthey may materialise in different ways dependingon whether staff are dealing with long or short-term situations. Most essentially perhaps, people'shumanity and ability to work with others arecharacteristics which during the selection processNGOs are most concerned about (along withtechnical skills). However, FORUM has developedno formal competencies framework for develop-ment workers, which could be of use to comparewith the list of competencies needed by emer-gency relief workers that the Emergency CapacityBuilding Project is currently developing.

27


Before starting the Working groups, the plenary- facilitated by Ms. Emma Jowett - attempted todefine the term 'volunteer', for the purpose ofhaving a common definition for the afternoonactivities.

CHARACTERISTICS

Desirable characteristics included the following:s being professionals commitment to works national to international progressions travels working in limits of competences reliabilitys availabilitys willingness to accept conditionss stabilitys knowledge of humanitarian principless resilience

MOTIVATION AND FUNCTION

The motivation for a person to volunteer has tostem from positive reasons. The function of avolunteer can be 'anything' and 'nothing'.Different forms of commitment exist.

IN CONCLUSION

It was extremely difficult to come up with asimple definition of what is meant by 'volunteer'.Not everyone in the group was totally satisfiedwith the definitions, thereby demonstrating thecomplexity of the issue in the humanitarian sphere.

DEFINITION OF A 'VOLUNTEER'

SUMMARY OF MAIN POINTS RAISED DURING WORKING GROUPS

28

Working Groups6

WORKING GROUP 1: LOCATING AND RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS

There are many sources in which to findvolunteers, including websites, universities,professional organisations, etc.

Methods to find volunteers include training,using databases, advertising, public awarenessactivities, etc.

Importance of being clear/honest about theworking conditions of volunteers, so as not to raise wrong expectations

Promotion of volunteer participation in thedecision-making process of an organisation can help attract volunteers

Importance of assessing how big a pool ofvolunteers is needed in an organisation

Importance of assessing how to guaranteevolunteer availability in an emergency

Importance of assessing how to select and retain volunteers

WORKING GROUP 2: MAKING UNPAID VOLUNTEERSMORE PROFESSIONAL

Need for volunteers to hold a certain level of qualifications, personal qualities, andachievements

Responsibility of NGO to be professional

Importance of professionalising the wholehumanitarian sector

Need for organisational standards to helpmeasure professionalism

There are three levels which help ensure theprofessionalism of the sector and of volunteers:

• Individual competence

• Professionalism of organisations

• Humanitarian sector boundaries andframeworks


Working Groups

29

WORKING GROUP 1: LOCATING AND RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS

DEFINITION

For the purpose of clarity in this Working Group, a'volunteer' was specifically defined as a non-salariedperson, though possibly receiving an allowance.

AIMS OF SESSION

Compile a list of where to possibly recruitvolunteers (sourcing)

Discuss ideas on how to find these people(methodology)

SOURCING

Where can organisations go to find volunteers?

s Websites (some examples):• Alertnet: www.alertnet.org• Charitypeople: www.charitypeople.oc.uk• Coordination Sud:

http://www.coordinationsud.org/ • DevJobs: www.devjobs.org • Idealist: www.idealist.org • OneWorld: www.oneworld.net • ReliefWeb: www.reliefweb.int

s Universities• During milk rounds • By targeting specific courses• At Career Fairs• Greenhouse effect -> Targeting students will

take two-three years to produce any poten-tial volunteers (once studies are finished)

s Internally: ask your staff and current volunteers

s Peers

s Private companies/corporate relationships

s Youth organisations

s Professional organisations (e.g. circle oflawyers)

s National staff

N.B. It is important to have the ability to diffe-rentiate between all those who want to volunteerand those who are worth investing in.

Facilitated by Jonathan Potter (People In Aid)

METHODOLOGIES

What methods can organisations use to locatevolunteers?

s Advertising

s Focused public awareness activities• Be aware of the risk that the wrong type of

people may be the ones coming forward tovolunteer.

s Training courses Courses can provide a pool of potential (trained)volunteers. E.g.:• In-house training: ACF, Medair• Bioforce 'active recruitment' -> Bioforce

organises recruitment sessions for NGOs bycalling for interview its ranks of studentswho have undergone Bioforce training

• Red Cross courses: Basic Training Course, inhealth, Emergency Response Units

s Carrying out innovatory projects

s Search through databases• In-house • Bioforce alumni

KEY POINTS

s Good, clear, support materials are needed tohelp organisations locate volunteers

To convince people to take part as volunteers,it is very important to be transparent and


DEFINITION OF VOLUNTEER

For the purpose of clarity of this Working Group,spontaneous and paid volunteers were excludedfrom the scope of the session.

DEFINITION OF PROFESSIONALS

s Volunteers from recognised professions

s Experienced people who have proved recordof achievements

• Achievements, not only experience, areimportant as a person may have years ofexperience but been doing things wrong.

s Compliant with standards in the sector

s Discipline - followership

s Accustomed to adapt/integrate into a system

s Understand their own limits

s People who project credibility - can this beassessed?

s Academic qualifications

s Members of professional institutions

Working Groups

honest about the work and the workingconditions of volunteers. In order to do this,organisations could:• Develop policy papers on voluntarism• Develop success stories and real life stories

of volunteers• Always give the full picture of the work and

working condition of volunteers• Be open about the expectations• Be clear about the 'employment' conditions• Develop exclusive competencies (in print)• Organise field visits to more stable loca-

tions- but who pays?

s Promoting volunteer participation in thedecision-making process of the organisationis a good way of attracting volunteers

• Recognition and appreciation is necessary toattract volunteers

ISSUES

s The size of the volunteer group to target shouldnot be• too big - there is no point in having too

many names on a volunteer list becauseonly some will be available

• too small - the organisation must ensure thatit will have sufficient volunteers available

from the volunteer pool when needed

s How can organisations guarantee that volun-teers will be available when they are needed?Will volunteers be ready to go or not whenthere is an emergency?

s During standby periods, the NGO needs toorganise regular meetings, exercises, commu-nication, team building, and training forvolunteers, as this develops loyalty and retainsvolunteers. Giving fidelity to the social aspectof volunteering (networking) is also a meansof retaining volunteers.

s Due to lack of time, there was not muchdiscussion on selection processes for volunteersbut the Working Group came up with thefollowing questions:

• Should the selection process be different forvolunteers than it is for professionals? Thisdepends:- On the person- On what the volunteers are expected to do- On what kind of person the organisation is

looking for• Is it important to include on the interviewing

panel a person who has previous personalexperience of volunteering?

• Are face-to-face interviews necessary forvolunteers?

WORKING GROUP 2: MAKING UNPAID VOLUNTEERS MORE PROFESSIONAL

Facilitated by Tim Hayward (Red-R)

30


Working Groups

31

s Possess soft and hard skills

• Soft = people skills, resilience, etc.• Hard = technical skills, project

management, academic skills, etc.• Both types of skills are complementary

and necessary

s Humility and openness to other cultures

HOW TO CREATE PROFESSIONALVOLUNTEERS AND RECOGNISE ITWHEN WE HAVE IT?

Three areas:

s Competence related to individual

• Recruitment of competent individuals - butthis can be expensive to assess

• Professionalisation of individual before s/heenters the organisation - but the humanitarianaid sector is still struggling to be recognisedas a profession, which hinders the possibilityto provide a body which can professionaliseindividuals- Other sectors (e.g. financial sector) have

such bodies - Body of chartered accoun-tants, which professionalises staff in thesector

• Complementary competencies can berecognised

• Recognition of transferability of skills (or not)to humanitarian role. - The special context.E.g.: doctors in hospital versus doctorsworking in emergency situations/ conflict

• Adaptability of individual to differentcontexts

• Requirement of field experience• Need academic qualifications - however

there is often reliance on people association/personal links, rather than on academic skills

s Boundaries [framework, codes, guidelines,tools which help define what the sectorexpects from an individual]

• Use of standards and codes of good practice- but how well known are these? What arethe implications for non-compliance tostandards/codes to the organisation? Isthere a process that is set up to deal withnon-compliance to standards and codes?

• The humanitarian sector should be able tomake its own standards for professionalism(not designed externally) - how are standardsperceived in different parts of the world(local perception)?

• Use of competencies frameworks - however,risk that organisations with structuredcompetent frameworks drive out creativity.

• Need to recognise that there are differentlevels of professionalism, it is not just blackand white: yes/no, graduate/affiliate, etc.

• Need to understand the roles volunteers gointo and the competencies for the role tomatch

• Develop career paths for volunteers

s Professional organisation [requirement ofsupport within the organisation, otherwiseyou cannot expect individuals to beprofessional]

• An organisation must be clear of its ownobjectives and how to achieve them

• Equality between unpaid volunteers andsalaried

• Constant evaluation and assessment - byinternal and external regulation. - Regulation needs to be stronger.

• Mechanisms and support for accreditation• If projects are managed and supported well,

then even first time volunteers will havelittle problems in the field

N.B. Before trying to professionalise individuals,importance of having a professional organisationin place!


ISSUES

s What is the 'tipping point' for professionalism?

• At what level do we put the bar for consi-dering what a professional organisationslooks like and for considering what a pro-fessional humanitarian worker is like?

• At what point do we decide that there is aneed for professionalism?

• When a majority of organisations is seen asprofessional, this creates the need to makethe rest professional too.

• In the same way, the number of people whoare professional impacts on how profes-sional we want the sector to be.

s Are we setting the barriers for professionalismtoo high or too low?

KEY POINTS

s Responsibility of the organisation in creating/providing

• Training• Regulation• Clear objectives• Development

s This creates a professional environment

s An organisation must be able to recognise thevalue of learning, integrating the changingenvironment and learning from it.

s To professionalise the sector, organisationalstandards must be developed

• It is important to put organisations throughregulation

• Organisations need to have kitemarks for theprocess

• It is not about the enforcement of standards

s How to assess competence

• Organisations can benefit with their partner-ships - e.g.: sharing simulations

• This may require external enforcement tomake it successful

• Expensive - but should this become part ofheadcount costs?

s What is the cost of professionalising versusnot professionalising?

Working Groups

32


33

ANNEXES

Venue: Amazone, rue du Meridien 10, BrusselsSEMINARAGENDA

7th July 2006, Brussels

“STRATEGIC RESOURCING IN HUMANITARIAN NGOs: TOWARDS THE COEXISTENCE OF PROFESSIONALISM AND VOLUNTARISM?”

35

BiographiesSPEAKERS

Jake Bharier has worked for Skillshare International since1991. He works in Strategic Services, providing advice anddirection in a number of areas, including development of thesector, and of Skillshare International's role in the sector. Beforejoining Skillshare International, he worked for Courtaulds in acorporate function, on health, safety and environmentalissues. Jake represents BOND (the British network ofinternational NGOs) to CONCORD, the European Confe-deration of international NGOs in relief and development.

Barbara Blanckmeister has a PhD in Social Sciences (IslamicStudies and Social Anthropology). She started her career in thefield of development cooperation with special focus on WestAfrica. Between 1995 and 1999 Barbara worked in Austria atthe Afro-Asiatisches Institut Salzburg (NGO) in the domain ofscholarships programs for students from Asia, Africa and LatinAmerica. Until 2003 she worked for the Carl-Duisberg-Gesellschaft in Cologne (now: Inwent) in the area ofinternational training and capacity building. Since 2005 sheworks for the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief(THW) as project manager for the EU-funded project“Promotion of Volunteer Work in Civil Protection”.

Mark Hammersley is Staff Capacity Initiative Manager withthe Emergency Capacity Building Project. In this role he issupporting collaboration between seven international NGOsto improve the speed, quality and ultimate effectiveness ofhumanitarian programmes. Mark is a former emergency pro-gramme manager, during which time he discovered first-handthe challenges of hiring and managing large numbers of"front line" staff during a crisis. Prior to working in this sector,Mark was a management consultant, specialising in the appli-cation of knowledge management techniques to improveservice quality in multinational corporations. In 2002, he wasone of the founders of Aid Workers Network, a global com-munity of practice for development and relief professionals.

Tim Hayward has a background in both relief and develop-ment, and in engineering. Initially in 1986 volunteering as aWater Development Engineer with VSO in Indonesia, beforeworking in civil engineering in the UK for 5 years. In 1994 hewas seconded, through the RedR register, to work with Oxfamin Goma, Zaire (DRC), as a Water Engineer working in theRwandan refugee camps. Over the following 6 years he tooka number of assignments, mainly with Oxfam but also withUNHCR and MSF(F), in various technical roles primarily inCentral Africa and the Balkans, but also Latin America andSouth East Asia. In 1999 he joined the training team at RedRwhere he is now the Head of the Training & LearningDepartment.

Emma Jowett has been working as an independent trainingand learning specialist for a total of twenty years. While shehas worked extensively in the public and private sectors in thepast she has focused in the humanitarian sector since 1995working for international NGOs, UN agencies and voluntaryorganisations at a national and international level.

Richard Jan Lewartowski studied at the University of Sussexand Universitaet Konstanz. In 1966/67 and 1971/72, heworked with Voluntary Service Overseas in Algeria. Since1973 Richard is an official of the European Commission,always dealing with External Relations. Between 1973 and1991 he worked mainly as a desk officer for West and CentralAfrican countries, but also as Economic Adviser EC DelegationGuyana. Since 1991 Richard's responsibilities include Iraq afterfirst Gulf War, Caucasus region during first Chechen War.Richard worked as a Policy Adviser for former Yugoslavia then

Head of Mission for region based in Sarajevo 1998-2000.Subsequently acting head of Evaluation and responsible forrelations with new and joining Member States.

Janine Lietmeyer has a Master in Political Science and inHumanitarian Assistance. Janine worked for an NGO specia-lized in exchange projects with South-Eastern Europeanstudents for three years. Currently she is employed as Emer-gency Coordinator with Malteser International (HQ inCologne). Janine is responsible desk officer for the recruitmentand training of volunteers.

Jonathan Potter is the Executive Director of People In Aid.People Jonathan joined People In Aid in 2001 having workedfor volunteer-sending organisation BESO and for ActionAid.Prior to this he worked in international marketing and sales forten years, mostly working in the Middle East. He has a degreein Oriental Studies (Persian and Arabic) from the University ofOxford and in 1991 took a master in International Relations atTufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Isabelle Prin is currently the Human Resources Director ofHandicap International (HI). She is in charge of HR manage-ment for all the staff (French HQ + expatriate staff + supportfor national staff management). Prior to this, Isabelle workedfor HI for almost 6 years as Human Resources Manager, after5,5 years as a management consultant. Isabelle is also an"occasional" member of the Board of Directors (when dealingwith HR subjects). After her studies, she worked in Cameroonas a volunteer teacher.

Roberto Rivalta has an educational background in economicsand in 2001 he took a MBA. Until 2000, he worked in theprivate sector. From 2002 he worked as a consultant inFinancial Monitoring and Technical evaluation for EU fundedprogrammes (EU ETF - European Training Foundation). Heworked with AHT (German Consulting) in Tibet (China) asProcurement manager. Since February 2005, he works as aDesk officer for Middle East and Asia with CESVI.

Kathrin Schick has an educational background in SocialAnthropology and Business Administration from Oslo Uni-versity. She worked in Norwegian organizations such as theNorwegian Red Cross and Norwegian People's Aid, as well asfor the Directorate for Immigration of Norway, focusing onrefugee issues and programs in South America. She sub-sequently gained field experience in Guatemala as ProtectionOfficer for the UNHCR and consultant for CARE International.As Deputy Secretary General of the SOLIDAR network, sheworked for seven years mainly on EU development policiesand education campaigns. In 2001, Kathrin became VOICEDirector.

Oscar Zuluaga joined the Red Cross Movement in 1969, as ayoung Volunteer at Colombian Red Cross; able to successfullydevelop the youth and volunteers and mastered manyleaders as volunteer managers. Many different experiences atthe National Society including the position of SecretaryGeneral; Chairman Youth Commission InternationalFederation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies 1981-1989 asa volunteer; ICRC staff member in Geneva during 18 monthsin the 90's; Federation Red Cross delegate in Latin Americaand the Caribbean as a volunteer during the 90's and alsoFederation delegate in Central Asia, East Timor and Iraq in therecent years; Consultant on volunteering and developmentissues. Oscar has humanitarian experience in the Americas,Europe, Asia and Middle East. Actually lives in Lisbon-Portugal with his family.

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37

Organisation Country Name Job title

Action Contre la Faim FR Florence DAUNIS HR Director

Accion Contra el Hambre ES Robert GOOD HR Director

ADRA EU Liaison Office BE Mario OLIVEIRA Programme Adviser

ADRA EU Liaison Office BE Paulo FERREIRA Director

AGEH - Arbeitsgemeinschaft DE Hans NIRSCHL Head of Department fur Entwicklungshilfe e.V. "Human Resource Development"

AVSI BE John MAKOHA AVSI Representative

BIOFORCE FR Olivier VANDECASTEELE Recruitment and Careers Advisory Service

CARE INTERNATIONAL BE Jerome LEBOUC EU Programme Officer

CARE INTERNATIONAL BE Arunima SENGUPTA Stagiaire

CESVI IT Roberto RIVALTA Desk Officer Asia and Middle East

ECB Project UK Mark HAMMERSLEY Staff Capacity Initiative Manager

ECHO EC Richard LEWARTOWSKI EC official

ECHO EC Marije MELLEGERS Trainee

FORUM UK Jake BHARIER Strategic Services

Handicap International BE Debora GUIDETTI Career and CompetencyManagement Officer

Handicap International FR Isabelle PRIN HR Director

IFRC CH Oscar ZULUAGA Consultant

IRC CH Christian BOWMAN HR Director

IRC BE Herve de BAILLENX Director

Johanniter BE Alexandra FEITH Trainee

Malteser DE Janine LIETMAYER Emergency Coordinator

Medair CH Rene PASQUIER HR Director

Medecins du Monde BE Cecilia FRACASSA HR Assistant

Norwegian Refugee Council BE Bjarte VANDVIK Liaison Officer

ORC Worldwide UK Catherine McMENAMIN Consultant

People in Aid UK Maduri RAJKUMAR HR Services Coordinator

People in Aid UK Jonathan POTTER Executive Director

PSO - Capacity Building NL Rosien HERWEIJER Directorin Developing Countries

Red Cross EU Office BE Emilie GOLLER Programme Officer

Red-R UK Tim HAYWARD Head of Training and Learning Department

Technisches Hilfswerk DE Barbara BLANKMEISTER Project Manager

The Centre BE Simon LIEPOLD

Universite Catholique BE Eileen Mae TUFAY Masters in Conflictde Louvain and Peace Studies student

VOICE BE Sonia GIANNONE Project Coordinator

VOICE BE Jessica PETTER Consultant

VOICE BE Kathrin SCHICK Director

VOICE BE Gilles VAN MOORTEL Advocacy and Communication Officer

Facilitator UK Emma JOWETT Consultant

Seminar on human resources in humanitarian aidLIST OF

PARTICIPANTS

7th July 2006, Brussels

Alert Net www.alertnet.org

CESVI www.cesvi.it

Charitypeople www.charitypeople.oc.uk

Coordination Sud www.coordinationsud.org/

DevJobs www.devjobs.org

DG Environment http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/environment/index_en.htm

DG for Humanitarian Aid http://ec.europa.eu/comm/echo/(ECHO)

DG RELEX http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/index.htm

ECB www.ecbproject.org

Emergency Personnel Network www.epn.peopleinaid.org/

Handicap International www.handicap-international.org

Idealist www.idealist.org

IFRC www.ifrc.org

International FORUM www.forum-ids.org/on Development Service

Malteser www.malteser.de

OneWorld www.oneworld.net

People In Aid www.peopleinaid.org

RedR www.redr.org

ReliefWeb www.reliefweb.int

Technische Hilfswerk www.thw.bund.de/

VOICE www.ngovoice.org

USEFULLINKS

38

VOICE Secretariat:43, Avenue Louise,B-1050 Brussels, BelgiumTel: +32 (0)2 - 541.13.60Fax: +32 (0)2 - 534.99.53 E-mail: [email protected]: www.ngovoice.org

This document has been producedwith the financial assistance of the European Community.

The views expressed herein do notnecessary reflect the official opinionof the European Community.

Cooperation in Emergencies) is a network

representing some 90 European NGOs active

in humanitarian aid worldwide. Seeking to

involve its members in information, training,

advocacy and lobbying, VOICE is the main

NGO interlocutor with the EU on emergency

aid, relief, rehabilitation and disaster prepared-

ness. As a European network, it represents and

promotes the values and specific features of

humanitarian NGOs. Based in Brussels, VOICE

has been active for the last 12 years and is an

independent organisation under Belgian law

since 2001.

People In Aid is an international network of

development and humanitarian assistance

agencies. People In Aid helps organisations

whose goal is the relief of poverty and suffering

to enhance the impact they make through

better people management and support.

People In Aid provides support to agencies

committed to improving their human resources

management. It responds to the needs of its

members and the wider sector, by providing

research, publications, workshops, seminars,

the Code of Good Practice, and other activities.

seminar repor t - reliefweb.int€¦ · report of the seminar organised by voice in association...

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