Humanitarian approaches
Humanitarian interventions tend to be focused on decreasing mortality and morbidity, with agencies often providing health services in areas of a country where the government has little to no legitimacy. Donors usually have separate departments for humanitarian aid, with different rules and procedures, which work with short funding cycles.
Most humanitarian agencies adhere to standardised humanitarian principles. The Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response are the result of collaborative work by a group of humanitarian NGOS and the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement with the aim of improving the effectiveness and accountability of humanitarian responses. Although there is some debate on their universal applicability, these minimum standards on water and sanitation, food, shelter and health are used as indicators by most humanitarian agencies.
Humanitarian organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières have developed specific guidelines on assessing and addressing medical priorities in a humanitarian context. Their primary focus tends to be on the control of infectious diseases and nutrition, which are responsible for the greatest burden of morbidity and mortality in emergencies, but there is also an increasing attention for issues such as reproductive health and mental health. Although often fragmented and ad-hoc due to poor coordination mechanisms, health services provided under a humanitarian approach are often better funded, better equipped and have more highly skilled personnel than the available public services.
Humanitarian settings are often associated with conflict and poor security. There is an ongoing debate on the role of the military in these settings, as in contexts such as Kosovo and Afghanistan different militaries have taken an active role in services provision; this to the dismay of humanitarian agencies who fear that a blurring of lines between the parties involved in the conflict and NGOs (who operate under the principles of neutrality and impartiality) will lead to a reduced humanitarian space.
Most humanitarian agencies adhere to standardised humanitarian principles. The Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response are the result of collaborative work by a group of humanitarian NGOS and the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement with the aim of improving the effectiveness and accountability of humanitarian responses. Although there is some debate on their universal applicability, these minimum standards on water and sanitation, food, shelter and health are used as indicators by most humanitarian agencies.
Humanitarian organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières have developed specific guidelines on assessing and addressing medical priorities in a humanitarian context. Their primary focus tends to be on the control of infectious diseases and nutrition, which are responsible for the greatest burden of morbidity and mortality in emergencies, but there is also an increasing attention for issues such as reproductive health and mental health. Although often fragmented and ad-hoc due to poor coordination mechanisms, health services provided under a humanitarian approach are often better funded, better equipped and have more highly skilled personnel than the available public services.
Humanitarian settings are often associated with conflict and poor security. There is an ongoing debate on the role of the military in these settings, as in contexts such as Kosovo and Afghanistan different militaries have taken an active role in services provision; this to the dismay of humanitarian agencies who fear that a blurring of lines between the parties involved in the conflict and NGOs (who operate under the principles of neutrality and impartiality) will lead to a reduced humanitarian space.
Recommended resources
- Public health in crisis-affected populations: a practical guide for decision-makers
- ( F. Checchi;M. Gayer;R.F. Grais;E.J. Mills / Humanitarian Practice Network, ODI , 2007)
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A considerable proportion of humanity is currently living in crisis conditions. This paper by the Humnitarian Practice Network argues that never before has it been clearer what interventions must b...
- Lessons learned from complex emergencies over past decade
- ( P. Salama;P. Spiegel;L. Talley;R. Waldman / The Lancet , 2004)
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Major advances have been made during the past decade in the way the international community responds to the health and nutrition consequences of complex emergencies. The public health and clinical ...
- Médecins Sans Frontières
- MSF Reference Books
- Reliefweb
- Sphere Project
- Humanitarian Practice Network, ODI
