Transcript Disaster Health Management: Role of NGOs in Disasters Dr Peter A. Leggat MD, PhD, DrPH, FAFPHM, FACTM, FACRRM Associate Professor and Deputy Director Anton Breinl.

Disaster Health Management:
Role of NGOs in Disasters
Dr Peter A. Leggat
MD, PhD, DrPH, FAFPHM, FACTM, FACRRM
Associate Professor and Deputy Director
Anton Breinl Centre for Public Health
and Tropical Medicine
James Cook University
Townsville, Australia
About the author

Dr Peter Leggat is co-ordinator of the postgraduate
course in disaster and refugee health at James Cook
University in Australia. He has also served on the
World Safety Organization (WSO) Board of
Directors from 1989-1999 and from 2003-Present.
He was Director General of the WSO from 19971999. He is currently assisting with their terrorism
and counter-disaster initiative. Dr Leggat undertook
his studies in disaster health as part of his
postgraduate studies in aeromedical evacuation at
the University of Otago, New Zealand
In this session, we will
 Revisit
the potpourri of NGOs definitions
and acronyms
 Examine some of the core values of
NGOs and how NGOs operate
 Gain some insight into new directions in
accountability of NGOs
 Examine the civil-military relationship
 Appreciate how NGOs may fit into the
disaster health management equation
What are non-governmental
organisations (NGOs)?
In the current context:
 A civic or public advocacy organisation, which
generates, transfers, or administers
humanitarian and other aid (development /
relief)
 Generally, NGO's are organised as nonprofit
corporations (charities)
 Can be local or international (INGOs)
 May work with or independent of government
 Generally, do not include professional
associations, businesses, and foundations
Examples of NGOs involved in disaster
& humanitarian crisis response
 Care
 MSF
 Oxfam
 Red
Cross (not ICRC)
 Save the Children
 St John Ambulance
 World Vision
Who are the other players in
disaster health management?
 Government
• National
• State/Provincial
• Local
 United
Nations
 Donors
 Hybrid
organisations with own defined status
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Related Acronyms
CBO: Community-Based Organization
 CSO: Civil Society Organisation
 DONGO: Donor-Organised Non-Governmental
Organisation
 GONGO: Government-Organized Non-Governmental
Organisation
 IO: International Organisation
 NGDO: Non-Governmental Development Organisation
 PDO: Private Development Organisation
 PSO: Public Service Organisation
 PVO: Private Voluntary Organisation
 QUANGO: QUasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental
Organisation
 VO: Voluntary Organisation

Every NGO is different and is
governed largely by their own
individual charter
How do they operate?
 NGOs
vary greatly
 Organizational structure is similar to
businesses
• Usually non-rigid hierarchy; significant
flexibility and authority at the field level
 International
NGOs often team up with
local NGOs or have regional or local
branches
Core values
 Neutrality
• Aid will not be used to further a particular
political or religious standpoint
 Impartiality
• Aid is given regardless of race, creed, or
nationality
• Aid is based on need alone
 Independence
• Aid agencies shall not act as instruments of
government foreign policy
Core values
 Core
values may impact on NGO’s
willingness to work with other agencies
• Even perception of value violation will be
avoided
What do they do?
 Operational
verses Advocacy
 Grassroots, long-term projects,
development work
 Willing to work in high risk areas; not
constrained by sovereignty
 In theory, emphasis on sustainability
 Full integration with local population
 Good positioning for disaster response
What do they do well?
 Usually
have excellent advocacy or
lobbying capacity
 Can fill gaps-specialised skills/capacity
 Usually mobilise quickly
 Often well connected at local level
What don’t they do well?
 Can
duplicate services
 Turf wars can erupt
 May step outside their areas of specialty
 Often overcommit/overextend capacities
 May not be so good at sustainability
The extent to which an NGO
can contribute to any disaster
relief operation is often dictated
by context
What is the context?
is the situation?  How robust or resilient
is
the
community?
 Who is there? What is
 Are there plans in
their capacity?
place?
 Are their tensions
 Are the roles clarified?
between players?
 What voice does the
 How well are they
NGO have? Are they
recognised there?
recognised by other
 What frameworks are
in place on the ground? NGOs?
 How are they funded?
 What
Who pays them?
 Funding
sources
• Private Donations (citizens, businesses
and foundations)
• International Organizations (UN)
• National Governments
 Perceptions
are important
• Importance of public relations and the
Media
Where international assistance
required in disasters
 Donors
also rely on NGOs, because of
their access to the populations in need
• And again, their access is dependent on
their neutrality
• NGOs, as implementing partners of
donor organisations, are the legs on
which disaster response stands
Accountability
 How
do we know that NGOs are doing
the right thing?
 Who
monitors NGOs?
Who monitors NGOs?


Little External Monitoring
Self-Regulation: NGO Standards
• Red Cross Code of Conduct
• InterAction PVO Standards
• Sphere Minimum Standards in
Disaster Response
Sphere Project
www.sphereproject.org
 Launched in 1997
 Humanitarian NGOs and
related organizations,
including Red Cross and
Red Crescent movements
 Three elements

• Handbook
• Collaboration
• Expression of commitment to
quality and accountability
Sphere Project
 www.sphereproject.org
 Includes
• Humanitarian Charter
• Minimum standards in
disaster response
 One
example of a
standard to aspire to/be
measured against
NGO Culture
 Independent:
need to cooperate
 Decentralised authority
 On-the-job training (changing however)
 Often develop a range of field guidelines,
e.g. MSF, Red Cross
 Hopefully develop long-term perspective
How do NGOs coordinate?
 Australian
Embassy team
 Other Government Agencies
 UN Coordination Entities [UNHCR, WFP,
UNDP, UNICEF, OCHA, Special
Humanitarian Coordinator]
 NGO-Only Coordination Bodies/Fieldlevel coordination meetings
 Host Government Ministries / Authorities
 Civil-Military Cooperation or Operation
Centres
Government
Military
UN/IOs
Host
Countries
NGOs
Religion
Business
Zone of Collaboration/Coordination
Civil-military cooperation
 Most
disasters and humanitarian
emergencies do NOT involve the
military
• The need for civil-military cooperation
may be the exception rather than the rule
 However
the logistic support provided
by larger NGOs or the military in
support of smaller NGOs can be
invaluable
Civil-Military Co-operation
Services typically requested by NGOs
 Security
Services
 Landmine Locations
 Security Briefings
 Convoy Support
 Guidance on Local Security
 Technical Assistance
 Access to Remote Areas, Ports, and
Airfields
How effective are NGOs?
 What
have they chosen to do?
 What is their mandate
 Do they add value?
 What will the other players allow them to
do?
 How do you measure these? Are they
accountable?
The capacity of an NGO to
contribute to disaster response
depends on their own ability to
 Define
their role within the broad context
of disaster health management,
 Effectively communicate that role
(are other players aware?), and
 Ensure that they add value