whs reports booklet-ifmsa pakistan

WHS YOUTH CONSULTATION REPORTSBY IFMSA-PAKISTAN

Pakistan has hosted Afghan refugees from 80’s till date which has badly affected economy and livelihood of hosting population. PAGE 6

Young peopleshould be called for voluntary work in times of crises. There should be a system to bring them together and guide them so that their efforts are directed on the right path.PAGE 13

“Education is the ultimate solution:Don’t give the man a fish, teach him how to catch a fish.” PAGE 23

Major humanitarian crises of this region:● Floods, ● Sectarian conflicts, ● Earthquakes, ● Terrorist activities,

● Internally displaced persons (IDPs), ● War against terrorism, ● Sectarian

2 S E C T I O N N A M E

B u s i n e s s M a g a z i n e | A p r i l 2 0 11

Universities should send help in the form of train-ees and volunteers to IDP camps. Medical students can help by routine exami-nations along with a super-visor whereas Engineering students can help in devel-oping the infrastructure such as lighting and so on (basi-cally all students should help in their own capacity and specialization)

3S E C T I O N N A M E


Booklet Preapred by: Haleema Munir IFMSA-Pakistan

4 Offline Open-Ended Consulatation at Fatima Jinnah Medical College

6 Offline Consultation with Internally Displaced Persons

8 Open-Ended Consultation at Dow Medical College

10 Online Open-Ended Consultation by Quaid-e-Azam Medical College

12 Online Open-Ended Consultation with IFMSA-Pakistan Leaders

15 Online Youth Consultation by Sheikh Zayed Medical College

19 WHS Online Consultation by Allama Iqbal Medical College

21 WHS Online Consultation by Punjab Medical College

CO N T E N T S IFMSA-Pakistan WHS Consultation Reports



Date: 23rd june, 2015

Venue: Fatima Jinnah Medical College, Lahore

Hosting organisation: IFMSA-Pakistan

Time duration: 2hrs

Facilitators: 1 (Amna Rehman)

Participants: 7

Name of participants:1. Zahra Khan2. Bakhtawar Huma3. Ifrah Jalil4. Hira Ahsan5. Khadija Chaudhry6. Anum Jamal7. Asma Ahmed

SUMMARY: The consultation was conducted smoothly. The participants gave their input enthusiastically, and some of the responses were intelligent and ingenious. Due to shortage of time, the consultation covered Part 1 and Part 2 of the exercises as mentioned in the Consultation guide. Format of the session was open. The par-ticipants sat in a semi-circle, facing each other and the facilitator. The consultation extended over duration of almost 2 hrs. Prior to conducting the consultation ‘UNMGCY WHS INTRODUCTION GUIDE’ was shared with the participants to give them an idea about the WHS.

HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY MESSAGE FROM OPEN ENEDED CONSULTATION: The group recommended that policies be made that define the stan-dard guidelines for humanitarian action. It is always important to iden-tify the vulnerable groups within a affected population. The policies should focus on preparedness/ training of actors and communities. Also

IFMSA-Pakistan WHS Consultations

OFFLINE OPEN-ENDED CONSULTATIONAT FATIMA JINNAH MEDICAL COLLEGE



for coordination among the national and international communities and policy makers should look over the implementation of these policies.

The group suggested that each humanitarian project should be designed with a view of sustain-ability and long term goals. Plus, each project should have well-defined gender markers.

OUTCOMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS:1. WHAT ARE THE PRESSING PRIORITIES FOR

HUMANITARIAN ACTION?The main priority is to focus on the humanitar-

ian effectiveness that includes both timely action as well as appropriate action. Timely action means that response should be quick enough to reach out in time to those in need. Appropriate action includes life-sav-ing measures/actions followed by identification of vulnerable groups (include elderly, women, children, disabled, certain religious groups). Since humani-tarian action is a long term progress, the humanitar-ian actors should focus on complete rehabilitation with relief from economic, social, physical and mental constraints.

2. WHY IS THE INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL COMMUNITY HAVING DIFFICULTIES MEETING THE NEEDS OF HUMANITARIAN ACTIONS?

National and international community has failed in meeting the needs of humanitarian action. The main reason is because of the loopholes within the struc-ture of humanitarian national and international actors. There is lack of preparedness and resources distri-bution (infrastructure/training/ workforce) for disas-ter management. As a result when there is need for humanitarian action much of the international as well as national aids and support are utilized in making up for the lack of development. Thus, the humanitar-ian action is incapable of meeting the need of the hour. Another major factor is the lack of coordination among the national and international community on humanitarian grounds. The group identified political constraints as a major role factor in it.

3. WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES YOUNG HUMANITARIAN ACTORS FACE? HOW CAN HUMANITARIAN ACTION BE IMPROVED?

The main challenge is to become involved in the humanitarian action and play a major role. Most rec-ognize the lack of initiative to involve the youth as a major setback. Often enough the youth find lack of resources and training to guide them in humanitarian action.Since there isn’t a proper training platforms

at national level, youth finds it difficult to train and properly educate themselves in this particular field. Another challenge is their lack of experience as youth. Additionally many families don’t support involvement of their younger generation in humanitarian action.

For humanitarian action to be improved, changes are to be made at a larger level. It involves policies that define the standard guidelines for humanitarian action, protecting the vulnerable group, role of inter-national agencies, coordination among the national and international communities. Certain watch-dog groups should look over the implementation of these policies. The humanitarian action projects should have defined set-out outcomes and sustainability goals. There should be evaluation criteria to measure the effectiveness of a humanitarian action.

4. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN HUMANITARIAN ACTIONS AND HOW CAN YOUNG PEOPLE CONTRIBUTE BETTER? WHAT SUPPORT IS NEEDED TO ENSURE A MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTION?

Young people can contribute to new ideas and innovations within the humanitarian action. They play a major role in creating awareness and advocating for the effective humanitarian action. Young people can contribute to policy making and advocating. Being young and energetic, they can play a major part in field work such as organizing, delegating small groups and providing first aid treatment.

The major support that is needed is outreach pro-grams for youth that are focused on youth capacity building. Specific training programs should be out-lined. Plus, young people need support of the commu-nity as well as the government.



Date: 29th, June 2015

Venue: Online

Hosting Organization: IFMSA-Pakistan

Time Duration: 3 hrs (10am-1pm)

Facilitators: Imran Inam ,CE CRDOArslan Inayat, President IFMSA-Pakistan

Participants: Children and Youth Age group 5 years- 20 years

Arrangements: IDPs (Internally displaced people) are invited to a food collection point, and consultation of 3 hours taken place. Refreshments were given to the Participants

Target Population: IDPs, who were displaced for 4 years because of conflict

and man-made disasters like earthquake, floods, militancy etc. has dev-astated the infrastructures, livelihood conditions, and houses challenged the already limited resources of government. The scale of destruction as a result of the mentioned disasters was very high where large number of casualties were also reported. The militancy and war against mili-tancy have forced thousands of population displacement from their areas of origin. This type of situation has resulted in a lot of problems for host population as well. The recent influx was from North Waziristan Agency where after launch of military operation almost 85000 families were dis-placed from NWA. The displaced/ dislocated people moved to nearby district of Bannu-almost 80%.

Despite the assistance extended to them there are issues faced by them. These issues were discussed with youth and children of affected pop-ulation to ascertain the existing level of issues through a consultation meeting. And to recommend a solution for these issues if possible.

Programme :

The consultation was started with recitation from the Holy Quran, which is a cultural/religious way of starting meetings in Pakistan.

Introduction to the WHS process was given to them by the facilita-tor. Also introduction of CRDO and IFMSA-Pakistan was given to the participants.

In order to know the participant’s level of understanding they were asked about United Nations and the young participants replied as a “support-ing organization” which provide aid to the IDPs /Effected Population.

The participants were then asked to share the main problems faced by young and children and were shared as below:

1: Lack of schools: Many children who were going to school in their areas of origin were cut off from schooling after displacement. Lack of Certificates is one of the main reason for that but lack of schools accessible to displaced pop-ulation and capacity of schools to accommodate the children is also a contributing factor. It’s been 4 years they are not going to school and the young participant started labor work in order to feed the family. Education break up has certainly put the children on the verge of child


Back Ground

Pakistan has been facing multi-ple challenges since its existence some due to its geographic loca-tion and some as a result of disas-ters. Pakistan has hosted Afghan ref-ugees from 80’s till date which has badly affected economy and live-lihood conditions of hosting popu-lation. Secondly a series of natural

OFFLINE CONSULTATION WITH INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS



Education break up has certainly put the children on the verge of child labor and child abuse.

2. ProtectionThere are children headed households, female

headed households as well as older persons and persons with disability within their communities, and that they have problems in accessing assistance as mentioned under section on access to assistance/ser-vices. Further in-depth information on the specific bar-riers which exclude them from receiving assistance is missing. Negative behavioral change is observed in a way of increasing fight, violence including domestic violence and in other ways among the displaced fam-ilies specifically elders. Other issues associated with protection are

• CNICloss• Familyseparations• Registrationissuesthatmayleadtodisqualifi-

cation from relief assistance• Privacy/abuse/harassment/childabuse/• Lackofdocumentation

3: WeatherThe weather these days is very hot in these

summers, when Karachi facing 500+ deaths due to heat stroke, These IDPs are facing extreme difficulty with the hot weather.

4: Rent : Majority of IDPs prefer to live in host commu-

nity due to Some of the IDPs didn’t wanted to live in Camps due to cultural and social values, they have started renting small house but high rents again caused issues for them. They have big houses back in their homes. For that reason youth and children have to work to pay the rent

5: Congested and untidy localitiesUntidy and unhealthy environment has effected

the health of children and youth, having diarrhea and other diseases are very common. Hygiene sessions are needed to be imparted in the community

6: Stationary for SchoolsEven children lack general necessities like school

bags, books and stationary for education. Outcome of the consultation under 4 themes

By knowing the above sketch we started discus-sion about youth role

Humanitarian Effectiveness: This was for the very first time someone has exe-

cuted a thought process in the effected youth. They had been used to live for years on aid without thinking any other sustainable solutions.

They expressed that Government and Private sector can perform much better with the already exist-ing facility/ funds, if the communication and data transfer can be improved. If the humanitarian orga-nizations or government institutes giving Aid should have the complete data of all the effected people, they can better manage the calamity. Youth engage-ment requires awareness and Youth from IDPs need education and awareness about their roles that can be played in disasters/conflicts. With engagement of more and more young people in capacity building the humanitarian effectiveness can be achieved. Capacity building of the youth is required and they should be actively and constantly engaged in the process of humanitarian action

Transformation through Innovation: Youth couldn’t able to bring any innovative idea

at the moment of Consultation, but a thought process has been executed and will be pursued on follow up

Reducing Vulnerability and Managing Risk:Few voices claimed to have already built localities

for effected population and whenever disaster strike they should be shifted to those localities, having the basic necessities instead of arranging everything after the disaster.

Serving the needs of people in conflict:Mentioned above in the issues of youth and chil-

dren, All those issues can be resolved with little think-ing and effort.



Date: 2nd July, 2015

Venue: Dow Medical and Dental College


Time Duration: 1.5 hrs

Facilitator: 5 1. Aleena Khan2. Shayan Marsia3. Mustafa Arain4. Munira Mujtaba5. Sabih ul Hasan

Participants: 101. Maheen Kalwar2. Mustafa Shah3. Samar Mahmood4. Samir Mirza5. Zafir Zohab6. Khushboo Nusrat7. Aleena Messiah8. Aleena Suri9. Rabiya10. Shaheera 11. Fariha Shah12. Adil Siddiqui13. Javeria Hayat14. Omer Khan15. Sara Qazi16. Samra Samad12. Adil Siddiqui13. Javeria Hayat14. Omer Khan15. Sara Qazi

SUMMARY:

The Open-ended consultation was conducted in three portions:

After the introduction on WHS and UN-MGCY, the participants were made to do the first activity in a single large group. A statement was


OPEN-ENDED CONSULTATION AT DOW MEDICAL COLLEGE



spoken out loud by the facilitator and everyone agreeing to the statement would raise their hands, and those disagreeing would not.

Next, 4 subgroups were made and 2 subgroups discussed questions based on “Man-made disas-ters” while the other 2 groups discussed “Natural Disasters”. Each group consisted of 4/5 people and was facilitated by one facilitator who ensured the discussion remained to the point and everyone participated.

Lastly, each person from the four groups was called to wrap up by summarizing their group discussion.

HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY MESSAGE FROM OPEN ENEDED CONSULTATION:

The group suggested the youth should be involved more in humanitarian action by engaging them in the current affairs and providing training and skills neces-sary to provide humanitarian action. The group sug-gested working on awareness and preparedness. They also suggested that the youth be involved in policy making because their input will be free of bias and would include innovation due to the knowledge of recent advancements and technology.

It was also suggested that there should be forma-tion of bodies that overlook allocation of funds and implementation of policies.

OUTCOMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS:1. Humanitarian Action for man-made disasters:Routine check at Madrassas (Islamic schools) by

trained personals to ensure that students aren’t being taught religious extremism and intolerance since youth is vulnerable to brain-washing.

There should be a humanitarian actors group in all Universities which is trained to deal with humani-tarian crisis and is kept up to date with recent hap-penings in the country. This can be done by weekly or fortnightly sessions and there can be various activi-ties aimed at eradicating the above mentioned causes contributing to disaster, such as documentaries made of sects/religions living peacefully and in harmony to counter religious intolerance and sectarian conflicts.

Universities should send help in the form of train-ees and volunteers to IDP camps. Medical students can help by routine examinations along with a super-visor whereas Engineering students can help in devel-oping the infrastructure such as lighting and so on (basically all students should help in their own capac-ity and specialization)

• Tocountermigrationtheunder-developedareas should be developed.

• Strictlawsregardingpossessionofarms.

• Culturalavenuesshouldbeusedtospreadawareness such as tribesleaders in Africa and Bollywood in India.

There should be a body overlooking all the NGOs to make sure the NGOs are working ethically and utilizing resources effectively. This will ensure transparency and efficiency

2. Humanitarian action for natural disastersForemost thing needed is a proper infrastruc-

ture. An organization needs to be established com-prised of trained individuals; the unemployed could be recruited for this purpose. Response units should be established in all areas which are known to be affected by disasters such as floods beforehand. When the country isn’t facing any disaster the organi-zation should work to maximize awareness regarding natural disasters and how to respond to them

After the disaster strikes there is always short-age of food supplies, clothing etc. The organization can also work to make sure there is a reserve of sup-plies present so that when the disaster does strike the country is prepared in this aspect at least.

The groups talked particularly about the heat wave that hit Karachi and how people weren’t aware of the implications of such severe weather. Awareness regarding how to prevent a heatstroke and how to act during a heatstroke should be created on a larger scale especially to the majority of those who don’t have social media and are illiterate and so need someone to verbally explain it to them. This could be achieved again by going to slum areas, hospitals and also by trying to get a broadcast on television.

Another thing discussed was how funds being donated to organizations weren’t being used for the right cause so a system of transparency needs to be established. The group thought it more suitable to work through NGOs and not the government

3- Youth involvement in Policy MakingThe youth would be an asset in policy and deci-

sion making since they have fresh minds and their opinions and normally free of bias. The following points were proposed:

• Prospectsliketheyouthparliamentshouldbeencouraged and should be allowed to give direct input into the government’s decision making by allow-ing representatives into the national assembly.

• Anonymousforumslikethewiki-leaksshouldbe created.

• Mediashouldairseparateshowstohelpyouth voice their opinion and spread awareness.

It was emphasized that the above proposals are only applicable after the youth has been trained in policy and decision making process and are aware of the conditions and recent happenings in their country.



Date: 8th July

Venue: Online


Time Duration: 2 hrs

Facilitator: 1. Eesha Shafqat

Participants: 10Affifa LiaquatAitisam WaheedFaseeha RehmanFatima NaseemHamza RiazIqra NoorLyba NisarRamsha KhanRida IrfanZubda Iftikhar

SUMMARY: The consultation was held through an online skype conference call. The participants were welcomed and introduced to the WHS process and role of UNMGCY in it. Each of them listed a few humanitarian chal-lenges that the world is facing or is expected to face. Then the partici-pants were engaged in a discussion on all the four themes of the WHS process. Only the first two parts of the consultation were conducted which were followed by a conclu-sive ending.

HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY MESSAGE FROM OPEN ENEDED CONSULTATION: It was pointed out that the major reason why help does not reach the needy is corruption in the delivery system. It was suggested that one of the most important steps that could ensure an effective humanitar-ian response is the formation of a watchdog system that would keep a


ONLINE OPEN-ENDED CONSULTATIONBY QUAID-E-AZAM MEDICAL COLLEGE



check on the help delivery system and make sure that the needy receive help. Another major problem recog-nized was the lack of preparedness for disasters due to which a large numbers of resources go to waste. With proper planning and development of relief schemes long before the disaster hits, vulnerability and risk can be significantly reduced. Youth forms a considerable portion of the world population and has tremendous energy and potential. To ensure their par-ticipation in humanitarian action all that is needed is guidance so that they channel their energy in the right direction. In times of need the youth should be mobi-lized by calling them for help and guiding them to do it right.

OUTCOMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS:1. WHAT ARE THE PRESSING PRIORITIES FOR

HUMANITARIAN ACTION?The main priority identified by the participants is

humanitarian effectiveness which includes initiation of the right response and ensuring that the response has reached the ones in need. Usually there is no assess-ment of risk beforehand and so no preparations are made in advance to face the challenge whenever it appears. As a result when the calamity hits, relief cannot be provided immediately resulting in high death tolls. Moreover, larger number of resources is spent on devising a plan in a very short time, and it’s not as efficient as it could be. These could be saved if we are better prepared. Participants exemplified this by mentioning the heat waves that strike coastal areas of Pakistan and India, killing thousands of people each year. Since this disaster is expected to hit these areas again in future due to the global climatic changes, preparatory measures should be planned in order to reduce the number of deaths by delivering an immediate and effective response.

2. WHY IS THE INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL COMMUNITY HAVING DIFFICULTIES MEETING THE NEEDS OF HUMANITARIAN ACTIONS?

A number of reasons were suggested by partici-pants in answer to this question. A major problem is

corruption in the help delivery system. There must be watchdog societies to keep a check on every entity in the delivery of humanitarian response. All schemes must be made transparent. There is a sense of distrust among the affected masses with respect to the role played by governments and international organiza-tions in times of distress. Therefore, they are sometimes resistant towards international aid and interventions. Communication between the private and government sector is inadequate. Racial and religious discrimina-tion is another reason for the lack of cooperation between the helpers and the needy.

3. WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES YOUNG HUMANITARIAN ACTORS FACE? HOW CAN HUMANITARIAN ACTION BE IMPROVED?

The most important challenge faced by youth is that their voices are not heard. Their opinions are not given the weightage they deserve There is a lack of encouragement which in turn leads to less motiva-tion among the youth. Also, there is no proper guid-ance. The youth has tremendous potential and will to help but they are unable to deliver it efficiently owing to no guidance. If there is a system of approaching the youth in times of need and leading them to the right direction, their role in humanitarian action can be enhanced. Another challenge faced by young humanitarian actors is diminished financial security. The social norms especially in the regions of South and East Asia limit the participation of young people in such activities. Efforts should be made to improve this situation. One participant suggested that disas-ter management courses should be included in school and college curricula. Student bodies can be formed and supported in universities and colleges to train and guide young people regarding crisis manage-ment. Workshops and seminars could be arranged to prepare youth for this cause.

4. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN HUMANITARIAN ACTIONS AND HOW CAN YOUNG PEOPLE CONTRIBUTE BETTER? WHAT SUPPORT IS NEEDED TO ENSURE A MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTION?

Young people are particularly energetic and spir-ited. They are receptive to new instructions and can adapt. Youth is also a source of innovation in human-itarian action. They can be engaged in research aimed at assessing the risk and vulnerability as well as finding new solutions for humanitarian problems. To ensure a meaningful contribution, research pro-grams should be initiated with incentives for young sci-entists and students. The education system should par-ticularly be targeted so that young people are aware of all risks in their region and in the rest of the world.



Date: 6th July, 2015

Venue: Online (Skype)


Time Duration: 2 hrs

Facilitator: Abu Bakar Khan

Participants: 10Arslan InayatHaleema MunirAmna RehmanHassan TahirAleena KhanEhsan AhmedEesha ShafqatMinahil RehmanAiman TariqManaquibb Zain Ali Khan

SUMMARY: The consultation was conducted smoothly. The participants gave their input enthusiastically, and some of the responses were intelligent and ingenious. Due to shortage of time, the consultation covered Part 1 and Part 2 of the exercises as mentioned in the Consultation guide. Self made questions were included here too. Format of the session was open. The consultation extended over duration of almost 2 hrs. Prior to conducting the consultation ‘UNMGCY WHS INTRODUCTION GUIDE’ was shared with the participants to give them an idea about the WHS.

Major humanitarian crises of this region:

●Floods,●Sectarianconflicts,●Earthquakes,●Terroristactivities, ●Internallydisplacedpersons(IDPs),●Waragainstterrorism,●Sectariandisputes,●Climatechangeleadingto:-Heatwaves,-Famines,-Droughts.


ONLINE OPEN-ENDED CONSULTATION WITH IFMSA-PAKISTAN LEADERS



Round 1: The Line● Humanitarianactionmeetstheemerging

needs of people affected by disaster or conflict.Response: Mostly disagree● Conflictsarethemainreasonweneedhuman-

itarian action.Response: Half agree, half disagree● ItisokaythattheprivatesectororNGOs

have a financial profit from delivering humanitarian response.

Response: Mostly disagree● TheUNshouldintervenemoreoftenindisas-

ter settings.Response: Mostly disagreeComments:Nobody should be allowed to see into a country’s

internal affairs unless asked by the government of that country.

The UN should not be allowed to intervene in case of conflicts within a country but should intervene in case of disasters.

The UN should offer to intervene but the final decision of whether to allow them to intervene or not should rest with the government of that country.

The stronger nations do not abide by the poli-cies formed by the UN, especially in cases of conflict. The UN should take measures to make these policies binding for all nations.

● Youngpeoplecanworkforhumanitarianresponse.

Response: Mostly agreeComment: Youth is ready for voluntary action but

they need orientation so that their efforts are effective.These situations need energetic volunteers and

youth is the most energetic part of the population.● Thehumanitarianmindsetisdiminishingfrom

every succeeding generation.Response: Mostly disagree

Outcomes and Recommendation Why is the international and national com-

munity having difficulties meeting the needs of humanitarian actions?

Responses:● Thechangingnatureofdisasters.● Communicationgapbetweenthegovernment

and private sector.● Inadequacyofthehelpdeliverysystem.● Lackofpreparedness● Lackofproperinfrastructure● Increasingpopulation● Lackofmutualcollaborationbetweenaiding

organizations● Improperallocationofresources

What are the main challenges that young humanitarian actors face? How can humani-tarian action be improved?

● Noauthorityinthehandsofyouth.● Nopreparation,nofocus.● Lackofguidance/support/involvement● Lackoftraining/experience● Lackofinitiativetoinvolveyouth● Lackoftraining/capacity-building● Lackofresources/budgetWays to Improve: ● HumanitarianActorsgroupsshouldbeformed

in each university to engage the youth, keep them updated with the recent happenings and needs, and train them to handle humanitarian crises.

● TheUNshouldformorganizationsfortrainingof youth.

● Themotivatedpeopleshouldjoinhandsandset examples for others to follow.

● Youngpeopleshouldbecalledforvolun-tary work in times of crises. There should be a system to bring them together and guide them so that their efforts are directed on the right path.

● Properevaluationtomeasuretheeffectivenessof efforts and programs

● Policymaking● Watchdogsocietyforimplementation● Coordinationbetweenlocalhumanitarian

actors and stakeholders● Allhumanitarianpoliciesshouldbemade

transparent.● Developmentofinfrastructure.● Strictmonitoringoffunds.

What is the role of young people in humanitarian action and how can young people contribute better? What support is needed to ensure a meaningful contribution?

● Youthcancontributebygivingnewinnovativeideas. They can use their latest knowledge and skills




to find new and effective solutions to problems.● Youngpeoplecanadvocateeffectivehumani-

tarian action, motivate more people and increase the task forces.

● Theycanhelp/traininfieldwork.● Youngpeoplecanbeasourceofmanpower

in times of need.● Theycanbethevoiceofaffectedpeople,can

spread the word to gather more help either through electronic media or print media.

● Theycanconductresearchandsurveyswhichare important in understanding what the upcoming disasters and problems will bring with them.

● Theadministrationneedstocooperatewithyoung people.

● Theyshouldbeprovidedwiththepromisedsecurity.

● Thereisaneedtovaluetheopinionsofyoungpeople. The policy makers need to put faith in their potential and give them some authority to deal with crises.

How youth are affected by a humanitarian crisis?

● Thedevelopmentofyouthishamperedduetocrisis.

● Theireducationisinterruptede.g.timeiswasted when institutions are closed in times of crisis, exams are delayed.

● Poorqualityofliferesultingfromthecrisis● Poorprospectsforfinancialstabilityinthe

future● Psychologicalproblems,PTSDandpersonality

issues.● Duetocrisis,thedevelopmentandgrooming

of youth is compromised so a whole generation is lost to struggling. The nation remains static.

How can we have a positive outcome from

the youth who are affected? How can we involve them towards finding better solutions for crisis management?

● Feedbackcanbegatheredfromthoseaffected as they have the best understanding of the disaster and crisis since they have actually been through it.

● Outreachprogramscanbestartedtodealwith the psychological trauma.

● Asenseofpositivityandhopecanbecreatedso that the affected youth take part in the humanitar-ian action.

● Givemoralsupporttoeachother.● Peereducation:theseniorsteachthejuniors.● Theycanbecomethevoiceofallthose

affected and draw the attention of authorities and helpers.

● Theaffectedshouldbeaskedtohelpindevis-ing ways to solve the problems and prevent them in the future since they are the best guides regarding the crisis they have been through.



Date: 9th July, 2015

Venue: Online (Skype)


Time Duration: 1.5 hrs

Facilitator: Mr. Ehsaan Ahmed

Participants: 4Mr. Muhammad Rassan, Ms. Hareem Fatima, Ms. Syeda Nabiha Wadood Mr. Saadullah

SUMMARY: The consultation was aimed to take an opinion of the youth about the humanitarian issues and the needs of the people affected by a crisis or a conflict. The discussion was to reflect on problems faced by the humanitarian actors as well as the people in need and how can these hurdles be overcome.

Session 1. This session gives the members a few statements and asks whether they agree or disagree with the statement presented.

1. What are the main humanitarian crises in the region?

-natural disasters

ONLINE YOUTH CONSULTATION BY SHEIKH ZAYED MEDICAL COLLEGE




-climate change-terrorism-victims of war on terrorism-refugees-political conflict-clean water conflicts-poverty-corruption-violations of human rights-child labour

2. Humanitarian actions in the region meet the emerging needs of people affected by disaster or conflicts. Yes/no

The entire group disagreed with the statement. However there were 2 points to be considered.

1- Most of the funds brought up for humanitar-ian actions are known to be stolen by the people in charge or used for personal gains.

2- Some of the funds are known to be misman-aged in such way that the items bought to help people in need are wasted. Whether intentionally or due to mismanagement.

Considering these points, there is a possibility that the funds generated for the humanitarian action are enough but aren’t used properly.

3. Conflicts are the main reason we need humanitarian aid. Yes/no

The group was divided in the opinion. The people disagreeing with the statement suggested that the natural disasters for example the floods in 2010 and the earthquake of 2005, are the major reason for crisis in the regions. However the people agreeing with the statement reasoned that mist crisis like refu-gees, economic crisis, violation of human rights and so on, are in result to the interstate and intrastate conflicts.

4. It’s okay that the private sector or the NGOs have a financial profit from delivering humanitarian response. Yes/no

The group agreed to the statement for the reasons like ‘its only fair’ and that ‘the profit will encourage more and more people to set up systems for human-itarian actions. However, the group was concerned about the unreasonable amount of profit that an indi-vidual or a group can take from it. Thus it was pro-posed that there be supervising bodies to ensure

some predefined laws/guidelines are being followed.

5. The UN should intervene more in disas-ter settings. Yes/no

By large, the group agreed that UN needs to intervene more in disaster settings provided they do so fairly, since there have been too many known cases of mismanagement and corruption scandals associ-ated with the local government run and NGOs. These issues have led to loss of trust public had in organ-isations providing humanitarian response. There was however, an idea, that people will not like UN inter-vention if it gets too involved cause Pakistan is a sov-ereign state and should only require assistance when asked for. And if UN intervenes, it will lead to loss of what trust people have in UN.

6. Young people can work for humanitar-ian response. Yes/no

The group agreed with the common opinion that in face of trouble, we can use every hand we can get, and everyone can bring something and there is some place for everyone, doesn’t necessarily require educa-tion either.

7. Humanitarian mindset is decreasing with every succeeding generation. Yes/no

The group was divided in their opinion regard-ing this. Some believe that yes, with every succeeding generation, we are becoming less and less concerned about wellbeing of those in needs. The reasons that came up were the increased competition, so we have less time at hand to worry about matters that don’t directly concern us. And that, since there’s so much happening at all times, and because of the news, we are aware of it all, we’ve just become immune to it. The rest of the group believes that the humanitar-ian mindset is in fact increasing with every succeed-ing generation. The increased donations people give towards charity and development of victims of crises is one strong proof to support this belief. Furthermore, the new generations are connected to the entire world by some way or another and actively take part in humanitarian action all over the globe. So that the contributions of each individual are diffusely dis-tributed all through the world, and therefore don’t appear much when one single incident is considered. The youth are also more energetic, more willing and have been active at all levels on all crises, be it relief camps, rescue mission, or charity drives and volunteer-ing at local camps.



Session 2. This session consists of open ended questions and reasoned answers were asked for from each person.

1. Why are the national and international communities having difficulties meeting the needs of the humanitarian actions?

The changing nature of the disasters, the large community gap, lack of resources and corruption on different levels are some factors that are causing diffi-culties in providing enough humanitarian action.

2. What are the main challenges that young humanitarian actors face? How can humanitarian actions be improved?

The group came up with many different chal-lenges that the young humanitarian actors face. Some are, security threats to the humanitarian teams in the affected regions, lack of proper training institutes, lack of guidance to the willing youth specially in our local region, lack of resources and funds that young people are trusted with, illiteracy and the language barriers young humanitarians face when they get to the affected area, and lack of a personal motivation and recognition. Because, just personal satisfaction is sometimes not enough to do hard work for. There’s a lot of mistrust local people have in humanitarian actors which lead to another barrier in proper deliver-ance of aid.

The group came up with proposed changes to ensure that the challenges faced by young humanitar-ian actors are minimized.

1- Actors should be given proper incentive, so they may dedicate themselves more towards this cause.

2- Better feedback system from the youth involved and better coordination between them and the bigger organisations will help solve problems on both sides.

3- Capacity building and in field training pro-grams for the youth will train more and more people thus increase the resources we have in face of a crisis.

4- Increase awareness on larger scale to remind people of importance of humanitarian actions for the betterment of local communities and then in turn, the nation.

5- Youth should be trusted with more funds and proper guidelines and supervising teams should be made so that all available resources are optimally used.

6- Form independent forums where the public can directly approach higher organisations like UN, for

their humanitarian matters. This will exclude a corrupt government from the chain thus ensuring better deliv-ery of the humanitarian actions.

7- Involve locals from the affected regions and continue humanitarian actions and campaigns to regain the trust of the locals that is lost. This also ensures that we leave behind experienced youth to provide the earliest basic aid in case the crisis strikes again. As well as providing the community with more experienced youth who can make the future of their community brighter.

3. What is the role of young people in humanitarian actions? How can young people contribute better towards humanitarian actions? What support is required to ensure a meaningful contribution?

Young people are more fit, more motivated, they are more trusting, and more concerned about their community and also are more willing to prove them-selves. Because of these reasons, youth are more likely to work their hardest in face of crisis. They will go to extremes that older people cannot even with all their experience. Young people involved in the human-itarian action are more likely to inspire more people to join the cause and contribute towards the humani-tarian action in whatever way they can.

If the basic trainings are started at the school level, the young generation will learn a lot by the time they step into the practical life and this will also provide them with a productive get away from the cycle of classes and books that the average school student goes through. More incentives and more opportunities will bring in more and more volunteers. And appointment of facilitators and supervisors will help them build a better program.

4. How are youth affected by a humani-tarian crisis?

Youth are the most affected group in the face of crisis. The most damaged is the education. Crisis often close down schools or result in movement of people out of their homes. This disrupts the education greatly. The movement processes also result in separation of many families and the youth are often kidnapped and forced in to child labour. The stress and emo-tional trauma of losing a home alone or even losing people around them can lead the youth to become more liable to destructive bhaviour which may in turn result in another crisis for example increase criminal




activities and terrorism.

5. How can we have a positive outcome from the affected youth? How can we involve them in finding better solutions for crisis management?

The youth of the local area can be the first people to attend to the humanitarian needs of the commu-nity. Involving them in the humanitarian processes will help a lot in rebuilding a community or developing an older one. The feedback from the youth can improve the methods and the ways of the humanitarian actions and mold them according to the needs of the victims of crisis. The affected youth will also become an inspi-ration to more people and the number of humanitar-ian actors will increase, providing a better and fuller aid to the people in need.



Date: 30th June 2015 Venue: Online (Skype)


Time Duration: 1 hr

Facilitator: Noor ul Huda and Ali Ishtiaq

Participants: 4 Ahmad Nadeem Jaweria TariqNimra Shahid Maria Aslam

SUMMARY: The group consisted of highly moti-vated and enthusiastic individu-als representing the youth of the country. They understood humani-tarian challenges and were keen on working for humanitarian action locally, regionally and globally. We suggest capacity building, training and awareness programs super-vised directly by the UN for better youth involvement and developing a platform where the motivation and energy of the youth can be collec-tively directed towards achieving greater goals.

What are the pressing priorities for humanitarian action?

For Short term:

1. Improvement in emergency services

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2. Food/ Clean water supply3. Ensuring minimum profiting from investements

during the crisis

For Long term:1. Public Health2. Psychological Support3. Education in youth/ Incorporating people that

lost their business/jobs in the system again

Why is the international and national com-munity having difficulties meeting the needs of humanitarian actions?

Lack of a proper accountability system in 3rd world countries

Lack of a stable infra-structure to incorporate inter-national aid

What are the main challenges young humanitarian actors face? How can humani-tarian action be improved?

Safety. Financial SupportReluctance of military/govt to incorporate local

youth in their aid procedures

What is the role of young people in humanitarian actions and how can young people contribute better? What support is needed to ensure a meaningful contribution?

A proper framework to incorporate volunteers on short term and long term basis in protracted crisis

Provide travel assistance funds and subsidize airfares

Ensure safety and security of youthTraining the youth and capacity building for disas-

ter risk management

Did your consultation address any of the themes for the World Humanitarian Summit?

The consultation addressed 2 themes THEME 2 ROLE OF VULNERABLE IN

PROTRACTED CRISISThe outcomes of discussion was+ Decreasing gender discrimination and incorpo-

rating women as equal partners. + Verbal surveys conducted in children/disabled

etc to highlight the problems faced by that part of the society

THEME 4 DISASTER: HOW CAN NATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK ENSURE THAT ALL FACTORS RESPOND EFFICIENTLY DURING A DISASTER

+ by building a proper accountability system

+ by minimizing profiting in local investments from the business communtiy

+ by building a a framework that governs the cooperation, understanding and assistance between those different actors will ensure that the required aid reaches those in need in a timely manner.



Date: 25th June, 2015 Venue: Online (Skype)


Time Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Facilitator: 1. Minahil Rahman2. Javeria Gohar

Participants: 9 Ammara Binte BilalAmna MustafaBehram KhanMahnoor RahmanMuhammad Ahsan ul Haq WahlahMuzammil MakhdoomQamar CheemaDr. Khurrum Raja Rameez Mumtaz

Highlights and key messages:

1. International and national humanitarian laws should be made trans-parent to general population

2. Strict monitoring of funds distributed for purpose of humanitarian

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action at every level.

3. Encourage and conduct research for compil-ing important facts and figures related to disasters of every area of a country for effective planning of humanitarian action

4. To strengthen local humanitarian response, mutual collaboration of organizations must be estab-lished with regular training to equip them with skills and for “division of labor” for efficiency.

5. Cooperation from administration required.

Pressing priorities of humanitarian action:Emergency:1. Annual floods2. Earthquakes3. Epidemics4. Famine

Long-term:1. Ongoing conflicts (sub-state, intrastate,

interstate)2. Depletion of natural resources3. Poverty

Why does international and national com-munity having difficulty meeting needs of humanitarian action?

International:1. international bodies hesitate because they are

not promised security2. inter-sate conflicts

National:1. No infrastructure for disaster risk reduction and

management2. Lack of decision-making power3. Lack of funds4. No incentive provided to local working bodies5. No regular collection of data regarding

disasters6. Intra-state and sub-state conflicts7. Corruption at various levels8. Disaster-struck area often becomes inaccessi-

ble due to geographical reasons (e.g no appropriate place for landing of aid-carrying helicopters no tech-nical knowledge for alternate methods/improvising)

Main challenges young humanitarian actors face? How can humanitarian action be improved?

1. No proper training of organizations and institu-tions for the purpose

2.No mutual collaboration of NGO’s for

pre-planning disaster management for efficient work in times of crisis

3. Lack of funds4. Lack of technical knowledge and skill5. They are not aware of proper humanitarian

policy that must be followed.

Improvement of humanitarian action:1. Make international and national humanitarian

laws transparent to general population2. Conduct research regarding disasters common

to every area of country. Keep data open.3. Strict monitoring of funds distributed to working

bodies4. Advocate about importance of humanitarian

action to both administration and general population.5. Encourage administration to keep aside a

portion of national budget for emergencies and ongoing crisis.

6. Remind bodies in conflict of humanitarian law and how population is being affected (i.e smaller gain, greater loss; long-term effects of the greater loss at personal level as well)

Role of young humanitarian actors? What support do they need?

1. Conduct research2. Become trained individuals in their own fields

to be prepared actors for humanitarian action3. Can motivate other people to be involved in

humanitarian action4. advocate and propagate humanitarian

laws and their importance as the right of affected population

5. Can brainstorm for rehabilitation of affected population

Support:1. Cooperation of administration2. Funds2. Cooperation of educational institution3. Promised security4. Incentives

Which themes of WHS were addressed in consultation?

1. “How can national legal frameworks ensure that all actors respond efficiently & appropriately during a disaster?”

- Make humanitarian laws known to general population

- Establish infrastructure for disaster management and reduction

- Ensure strict implementation of humanitarian laws



latest requirements

- Security of working bodies ensured

2. “How can humanitarian action better recognize & support peace building & conflict resolution?”

- Conduct seminars/conferences to discuss how ending the conflict would result in better living stan-dards for all. Reminding the warring parties of their obligations, and how conflict is affecting general pop-ulation and national interests.

- Introduction and expansion of peace-building and conflict resolution programs in institutions.

Additional Open-ended questions:What are conflicts that need prior resolu-

tion? Why? How?- Sub-state conflicts_Feudalism.- Why? Land-owners break river embankments on

purpose at estimated points to cause flooding in their rival’s lands. This way rival faces loss in agricultural business. This is also a cause of annual floods that is adding to economic loss.

- How to resolve? a. Educationb. Spread awareness to feudals about loss faced

at national level due to personal differencesc. Strict implementation of humanitarian policy.

Suggested topics for further/in-depth discussion:

Transparency of humanitarian lawMonitoring of FundsKeeping research data open

Quotes from consultation participants I’d like to share:

“Peace-building: Reminding the warring parties of their obligations, in particular where non-combat-ants are concerned. For example, the ICRC calls on all the parties involved to abide by the rules of inter-national humanitarian law, and in particular to make a clear distinction between civilians and combatants and to respect people who are not or are no longer taking part in the hostilities. though it’s very hard to remain impartial and move towards conflict resolu-tion, the humanitarian action can speak, at best, and conduct seminars and talks about how people are being affected by conflict (people of both sides) and how ending the conflict would result in better living standards for all- basically motivation towards non-vio-lence. And since they are helping everyone without any discrimination, people are prone to listen to them more effectively.” (Ammara Binte Bilal)

“Road to development lies in conflict resolution” (Mahnoor Rahman)

“Education is the ultimate solution:- ‘don’t give the man a fish, teach him how to catch a fish’.” (Ahsan-ul-Haq Wahlah)

Projects youth can be involved for humanitarian effectiveness:

Involvement of youth in implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.

whs reports booklet-ifmsa pakistan

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