Transcript Humanitarian Governance

Laura Hammond
Dept of Development Studies, SOAS
SOAS/Mo Ibrahim Foundation Seminar on
Governance and Development
April 2014
Mauritius
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What is Humanitarian Governance? How does
it relate to other aspects of governance we’ve
been studying this week.
Responsibility to Protect – expectations of the
state & humanitarian organisations
Accountability – where does it come from?
Changes in, and challenges of, humanitarian
governance
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Rules, structures and mechanisms for
promoting accountable and effective
humanitarian practice, including prevention,
mitigation, management, response, and
recovery from disasters of all types.
◦ Actors can include states (at all levels) but also
regional bodies, LNGOs, INGOs, donors, UN
agencies, etc.
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Focus on saving lives, alleviating suffering
How can this be done most efficiently, with
fewest adverse effects – how does it affect
other forms of governance?
Host Government
Security, appeal for help,
Regulation, some coordination
NGO
NGO
UN agencies–
funding, coordination,
protection
NGO
(health)
Community
Rep
NGO
(wat/san)
NGO
(education)
Community
Rep
ICRC/Red
Cross
NGO
(food)
Community
Rep
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Rapid onset disasters –
◦ floods, storms, earthquakes, tsunami,
communicable disease epidemics
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Slow onset disaster
◦ drought, climate change effects, chronic disease at
epidemic levels
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Complex emergencies
◦ conflict, state failure, often overlaid with natural
disaster
- Usually these three are interrelated
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what is their reputation?
what kind of relationship do they
have with the state?
with local people?
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Do they engage directly –including
channelling funds through government?
Does the state facilitate or constrain
humanitarian action?
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1970s-80s: donors gave through direct
payment to the state, even balance of
payments support (Harvey 2009). INGOs
peripheral
1990s – shift to support through NGOs, Red
Cross. Assumed states were too weak or
corrupt to handle aid themselves
2000s – resurgence in interest in direct
assistance – recognition of increasing state
capacity
◦ Emphasis on national ownership
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State has the first ‘Responsibility to Protect’ –
Sovereignty has obligations and rights
State ideally should be able to respond to
risks/disasters on its own
Where it requires assistance, it should be able
to coordinate, approve intervention plans, see
and approve budgets, and evaluate (or see
evaluations) of external activities
International norms & legal instruments can
be used to back up national responsibility
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Provide protection &
life-saving assistance
if state cannot or will
not
Under IHL, states must,
if they are unable or
unwilling to assist
civilians, grant access
to an organisation ‘like
the ICRC’.
◦ Doesn’t mean that all
NGOs have a right to
access
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Natural disasters –
state must usually
invite international
intervention
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Independence, Neutrality, Impartiality are Key
to preserving access usually
◦ HOs must choose between capacity building,
service substitution, advocacy (& sometimes
denunciation)
◦ Where states do not uphold social contract, IOs
often see it as their role to speak out
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But adherence to principles may result in
distance between HOs and govt
Other humanitarians work for justice, equity,
empowerment – these may be at odds with
principles
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Strong response can provide a political boost
Conditionality regularly used to guide
political policy
Humanitarian assistance used for statebuilding, hearts & minds
Humanitarian principles often used only with
regard to humanitarian action & not
development
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Without regulation/registration, international
organisations are not likely to self-regulate
◦ Some accountability mechanisms: Humanitarian
Accountability Partnership, Red Cross Code of
Conduct, Sphere Guidelines, etc.
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Coordination problems
But state regulation of humanitarian
governance can also be used as a way of
maintaining control over citizens, restricting
LNGO activities, curtailing human rights
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Role of China as an
Economic Partner
‘Emergent’ donor
countries – Turkey,
Saudi Arabia, UAE
Increasing role of
Diaspora in funding,
providing humanitarian
assistance
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Faith-based
humanitarianism
(arguably not new, but
its role is increasingly
recognized)
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Humanitarian (& Development) Governance
part of wider governance debates
Humanitarian space can be a ‘black hole’ of
accountability
Effective system comes from leadership as
well as insistence on accountability & service
from below
Contradiction: provide support to
government but preserve independence to be
able to protect those who need it