Using bamboo in humanitarian situations: a manual

Bamboo is widely used around the world for construction purposes, including in disaster-prone tropical regions. There can be many benefits to using bamboo, including supporting the local economy post-disaster (as bamboo tends to be grown at the community level), using and strengthening existing community skills (bamboo construction knowledge is widespread in many tropical disaster zones), it is often a cheaper option, it is strong if used correctly, there are vast bamboo stocks in many countries (especially tropical regions) and it grows very fast compared to timber or alternate natural materials.

Communicable Disease Control in Emergencies: A Field Manual

Connolly, M.A, 2005, Communicable Disease Control in Emergencies: A Field Manual, published by WHO
Communicable diseases are a major cause of mortality in emergency situations (that is, situations in which people are in need of urgent humanitarian relief) because generally in such circumstances health services collapse, access to health care is very limited, malnutrition is widespread, [...]

‘Zero Tolerance’ with exceptions?: The UN and NGO response to peacekeeping

The ANU Gender, Sexuality and Culture Seminar Series. Gabrielle Simm (PhD Candidate) on “‘Zero Tolerance’ with exceptions?: The UN and NGO response to peacekeeping“. 1.00 – 2.30pm, Monday 6 April 2009, Seminar Room C, Top Floor, RSPAS Coombs Building.

Continued crisis in Darfur alongside ICC action against Sudanese president

On March 4, 2009, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir on charges alleging genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s western Darfur region, where an ethnic conflict has raged since 2003. This is the first time that the ICC has issued such a warrant for a sitting head of state. Almost immediately the Sudanese Government responded by expelling 13 international humanitarian organisations and NGOs from Sudan including Oxfam, CARE and MSF and closed down three local relief agencies.

On the 24 March Ayman Al-Zawahri, the notorious second-in-command of Al-Qaeda, entered the fray saying that this would not help to solve the problems of Darfur, and called for all Muslim countries to arm themselves against further such interventions and intrusions into their affairs on the part of foreign countries.

The role of the affected state in humanitarian action: A case study on Indonesia

Whilst covering a lot of old ground on the role of the affected state and others in humanitarian action, this report by Barnaby Willitts-King is very timely as it raises issues including of the role of local authorities, local ownership, and appropriate behaviours of international agencies, both official and NGO.

Resources

These resources have been collected by us, with the key elements being summarised and links to the documents for download. Resources are under the following categories:
>   Gender
>   Environment
>   Participatory approaches
>   Humanitarian