Anatomy of an ambush: security risks facing international humanitarian assistance

The 2003 war with Iraq has generated security concerns that present unique challenges to the practice of providing international humanitarian assistance during war and conflict. Objective research studies on security management are lacking. However, case studies have proven to be an important education and training tool to advance situational awareness of security risks. These challenges are illustrated by an analysis of the events surrounding the first ambush of, and assassination attempt on, a senior US aid official in Baghdad. Before deployment to conflict areas, especially those characterised by insurgent activity, humanitarian providers must realistically assess the threats to life and to the mission. They must obtain pre-deployment situational awareness education, security training and optimal protective equipment and vehicles.     

The promise of acceptance as an NGO security management approach

This paper explores three questions related to acceptance as a security management approach. Acceptance draws upon relationships with community members, authorities, belligerents and other stakeholders to provide consent for the presence and activities of a non‐governmental organisation (NGO), thereby reducing threats from these actors. Little is documented about how NGOs gain and maintain acceptance, how they assess and monitor the presence and degree of acceptance, or how they determine whether acceptance is effective in a particular context. Based on field research conducted in April 2011 in Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda, we address each of these three issues and argue that acceptance must be actively sought as both a programme and a security management strategy. In the paper we delineate elements common to all three contexts as well as missed opportunities, which identify areas that NGOs can and should address as part of an acceptance approach.     

The impact of humanitarian context conditions and individual characteristics on aid worker retention

High employee turnover rates constitute a major challenge to effective aid provision. This study examines how features of humanitarian work and aid workers’ individual characteristics affect retention within one humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Holland. The study extends existing research by providing new theoretical explanations of employment opportunities and constraints and by engaging in the first large‐scale quantitative analysis of aid worker retention. Using a database of field staff (N=1,955), a logistic regression is performed of the likelihood of reenlistment after a first mission. The findings demonstrate that only 40 per cent of employees reenlist for a second mission with MSF Holland, and that workplace location and security situation, age, and gender have no significant effect. Individuals are less likely to reenlist if they returned early from the first mission for a personal reason, are in a relationship, are medical doctors, or if they come from highly developed countries. The paper reflects on the findings in the light of policy.     

Faith-based aid, globalisation and the humanitarian frontline: an analysis of Western-based Muslim aid organisations

This paper focuses on the emergence and modus operandi of Muslim faith-based aid organisations from the West, particularly those from the United Kingdom. Through case studies of Islamic Relief Worldwide and Muslim Hands, it examines the actual and potential added value generated by these humanitarian players in Muslim-majority contexts at times when aid actors from or associated with the West are being perceived by some as instrumental to the political agendas of Western powers, or are being confronted with the consequences thereof. The study analyses Muslim faith-based aid organisations' transnational networks, their implementing partnerships with local faith-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and their security position within and their access to insecure contexts, drawing on field examples and opinion from Central Asia, Iraq and Pakistan. It thereby argues that there is ground for an expansion of the role of Muslim aid actors, because of the existence of social and political realities in the field that cannot be always effectively tackled by the dominant international development approaches.     

The United Nations' humanitarian pillar: refocusing the UN's disaster and emergency roles and responsibilities

Changes in the nature of humanitarian crises and in the ways that the international community responds to such crises demand a radically overhauled role for the United Nations system. At a time when the UN and its member states are pursuing reform of some of that institution's most fundamental peace and security functions, this paper suggests that reform, too, is required to meet humanitarian crises of the future. This paper proposes a new type of operational role for the UN, while at the same time arguing that the UN has to place itself in the vanguard of humanitarian assistance as "the standard-bearer". The article draws many of its conclusions and recommendations from a recently completed study, requested by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, concerning the effect for the UN system of changes in humanitarian financing.     

区域综合公共安全管理模式及中国综合公共安全管理对策

中国政府将公共安全事件分为4大类,即自然灾害、事故灾难、公众卫生和社会安全。中国的公共安全管理体制包括在中央一级成立国务院应急管理办公室,以及针对上述4类公共安全问题相应组建的以管理自然灾害为主的国家减灾委员会;以管理事故灾难为主的国家安全生产委员会;以管理公共卫生为主的中国爱卫会和以管理社会治安为主的中央综合治理委员会。在地方政府一级,一般与中央有关公共安全管理体制的机构相对应,也相应组建了地方政府的应急管理办公室和上述4类的公共安全管理的委员会。此外,国家出台了各类公共安全管理的应急预案,并针对一些主要的公共安全因素,相继制定了一系列法律、规定和决定。由此可以认为,中国公共安全的管理体制是“以中央为主,中央与地方政府相互配合”。中国公共安全管理机制是中央与地方政府的相关部门,在灾前、灾中与灾后分别承担相应的责任,至今还没有一个政府部门就某一种公共安全因素承担全部的备灾、应急与恢复和重建任务。国家的公共安全管理战略一直是以“预防为主,防抗救相结合”,2003年SARS事件后,各级政府重视公共安全管理工作中应急管理体系的建设。文章提出了区域综合公共安全管理模式,即灾区政府、企业、社区在灾前备灾、灾中应急、灾后恢复与重建的减灾全过程中,形成一个有机的整体。在此模式的指导下,针对中国公共安全管理体制与机制中存在的问题,提出了进一步改进中国各级政府综合公共安全管理的对策：一是加大公共安全信息的及时公开力度,建立国家和地方公共安全信息共享体系;二是建立公共安全管理的纵向、横向与综合协调机制,全面提高各级政府的综合公共安全管理能力;三是从源头上降低公共安全事件的发生频率,建立发展规划的“风险”评价制度;四是鼓励非政府组织在综合公共安全管理中发挥作用,建立社区综合公共安全管理体系;五是大力提高减灾资源的利用效率与效益,建设区域综合风险防范关键技术示范基地。     

The vulnerable do‐gooders: security strategies of German aid agencies

Humanitarian and development agencies have confronted growing insecurity in some of the regions in which they work over the course of the past decade. Consequently, aid agencies are changing their approach to security issues. Compared to aid agencies from other countries, especially the United Kingdom and the United States, German aid agencies have been relatively slow to adopt security measures. In addition, the security measures they have selected differ from one agency to another, even in comparable security contexts. The literature on organisational learning helps to explain these differences. The findings show that external and internal organisational factors influence an aid agency's choice of a particular security measure. The different responses of German aid agencies to the changing security environment demonstrate that security measures are not only influenced by an organisation's identity but also can be a way for them to demonstrate their identity and thereby distinguish themselves from other actors that deliver aid.     

The mental health of expatriate and Kosovar Albanian humanitarian aid workers

The mental health consequences of exposure to traumatic events and the risk factors for psychological morbidity among expatriate and Kosovar Albanian humanitarian aid workers have not been well studied. In June 2000, we used standardised screening tools to survey 285 (69.5%) of 410 expatriate aid workers and 325 (75.8%) of 429 Kosovar Albanian aid workers from 22 humanitarian organizations that were implementing health programmes in Kosovo. The mean number of trauma events experienced by expatriates was 2.8 (standard deviation: 2.7) and by Kosovar staff 3.2 (standard deviation: 2.8). Although only 1.1% of expatriate and 6.2% of Kosovar aid workers reported symptoms consistent with the diagnosis for post-traumatic stress disorder, 17.2% and 16.9%, respectively, reported symptoms satisfying the definition of depression. Regression analysis demonstrated that the number of trauma events experienced was significantly associated with depression for the two sets of workers. Organisational support services may be an important mediating factor and should be targeted at both groups.     

Privatisation and outsourcing in wartime: the humanitarian challenges

The tendency today to privatise many activities hitherto considered the exclusive preserve of the state has given rise to sharp debate. The specific nature of humanitarian emergencies elucidates in particularly stark contrast some of the main challenges connected to the privatisation and outsourcing of essential public services, such as the provision of drinking water and health care. Privatising the realms of defence and security, which are at the very core of state prerogative, raises several legal and humanitarian concerns. This article focuses on the roles and responsibilities of the various parties involved in armed conflicts, especially those of private companies engaged in security, intelligence and interrogation work, and in the provision of water supply and health services. It highlights the need for humanitarian and development actors to grasp better the potential risks and opportunities related to privatisation and outsourcing with a view to supplying effective protection and assistance to communities affected by war.     

Measuring populations' vulnerabilities for famine and food security interventions: the case of Ethiopia's Chronic Vulnerability Index

The concept of vulnerability has become an important part of food security analyses since the 1980s. It is seen as having two sides: exposure to external hazards; and an inability to cope with those shocks, attributed to social, political, and economic factors. Numerous attempts have been made to construct models to determine levels of vulnerability among populations. This paper analyses one such attempt, the Chronic Vulnerability Index (CVI), developed to measure levels of vulnerability to food insecurity in Ethiopia. The example of the CVI reveals many of the difficulties associated with producing a basic model of vulnerability that can be used in disaster mitigation. Ultimately, the CVI assumes that vulnerability is a linear, additive phenomenon with discrete causes and effects and fails to capture interactions between hazards and the human systems that produce and complicate them. The paper concludes with a discussion of alternatives to the CVI.     

Transitional coordination in Sudan (2006–08): lessons from the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office

With the increase in internal conflicts following the end of the Cold War, the scale and scope of the United Nations' work in conflict and post‐conflict environments grew markedly. As a result, the coordination of programming and policy in the transition from relief to recovery has been a central preoccupation of academics and practitioners alike. Intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) have made these topics a subject of regular discussion, while some countries have altered their bureaucratic structures to respond more effectively in post‐crisis settings, particularly in cases involving the deployment of national troops. The United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office in Sudan provides a model for other transitional countries and is a useful case study of the broader challenges of post‐crisis programming. Effective coordination structures and planning/programming processes are identified as interdependent prerequisites for ensuring a successful transition from relief to recovery.     

Still falling short: protection and partnerships in the Lebanon emergency response

The Israeli–Hezbollah conflict in the summer of 2006, although brief, had a lasting impact on the region and prompted an intense humanitarian response. The conflict raised challenging questions for the United Nations (UN) about how to assist a middle‐income yet extremely vulnerable population in a context where global and local relations are highly politicised. This paper focuses on two key questions that emerged from the humanitarian response. First, how can humanitarian agencies, and particularly the UN, improve the protection of civilians, and was what they did in Lebanon enough? Second, how can humanitarian agencies create partnerships with local actors and still remain true to core humanitarian principles when local actors are fiercely divided along confessional lines and influenced by external actors, and when some, such as Hezbollah, are parties to the conflict? This paper argues that despite the importance of protection and partnerships to the humanitarian response, their role in the UN emergency response still falls short.     

The tragedy of Kampuchea

This paper, abstracted from the final report of the Kampuchea Inquiry Commission, analyses the population losses in Cambodia prior to 1979 and goes on to describe some of the unwanted side effects of the international relief programmes in both Thailand and in Kampuchea. The paper concludes that various opposition movements to the present Vietnamese backed regime in Kampuchea have been strengthened by international aid.     

面向信息安全的域间角色访问控制模型的改进

基于传统的IRBAC2000模型,对域间角色转换时产生的安全问题进行了分析。提出了一种改进的IRBAC2000模型,该模型将传统模型中的角色分为域内角色和域间管理员角色,为域间角色转换产生的安全性问题提供了一种新的判定方法,提出了先决条件的概念来加强IRBAC2000模型安全性的保护机制。     

Looking beyond food aid to livelihoods, protection and partnerships: strategies for WFP in the Darfur states

The humanitarian crisis in Darfur remains extremely serious. The optimism that followed the signing of the Abuja Peace Accord was followed by a rapid deterioration in security on the ground in part associated with increasing factionalism in various rebel movements. This paper briefly reviews the evolution of the crisis, its impact on lives and livelihoods and the response by the World Food Programme (WFP) to June 2006. The major challenges and issues facing the food aid programme in the previous 18 months included: dealing with insecurity while maintaining or even extending programme outreach; the need to link protection with assistance more explicitly; and determining the wider impact of food aid programming on the processes and institutions linked with the conflict. The paper discusses the main strategic issues facing WFP in the future such as: integrating security and protection with needs assessments and operational decisions, broadening response strategies beyond food aid and bringing livelihoods to the fore, the need to review cost-efficiency, promoting partnerships and strengthening national and regional capacities.     

大气化学灾害应急气象保障系统的设计与开发

大气化学灾害应急气象保障系统是针对危险化学品的泄漏、爆炸和光化学烟雾等大气化学灾害应急处置专门设计开发的技术支持系统，该系统由大气化学灾害事故信息接警、现场气象监测、气象资料综合显示、社会经济环境背景查询、危险大气成分预报、决策服务产品制作、应急指挥、预警信息发布等若干子系统组成，可以为各级政府指挥大气化学灾害的应急工作提供科技支撑平台。     

甘肃中部地区生态安全评价

在PSR模型框架下，利用熵法确定权重，采用1986年Landsat TM和2000年ETM＋影像确定模型中的自然组分数据，结合社会经济统计数据，对生态安全过程进行景观格局判定，较好地得出了15年来甘肃中部地区生态安全的变化状况。研究表明：2000年甘肃中部地区生态安全状况整体较差，15年来，人类活动加速了自然组分的退化，逐步弱化了景观中的稳定成分，促进形成了异质性程度低、格局粗粒化、稳定性差的景观格局，其中，快速城市化、水资源减少和耕地、林地等重要土地资源的快速转化是整个地区生态安全状态弱化的主要原因。     

中国自然灾害转移、安置的财政补助机制

简要分析了转移、安置在应急管理与救灾实践中的重要意义。在分析转移、安置要素的基础上，结合灾害脆弱性分析提出了转移、安置规模和程度模型，讨论了人为决策影响因素对模型的影响，较好地体现了自然因素和人为因素的综合作用。根据对转移、安置的发生进程的分析，提出了转移、安置分级的概念并进行了简单的分级，阐述了转移、安置中的资源需求。在这些工作的基础上，进一步分析了我国当前转移、安置财政补助机制的优缺点，提出了基于上述模型和分级标准的改进建议。     

Why the poor pay with their lives: oil pipeline vandalisation, fires and human security in Nigeria

Since its discovery in Nigeria in 1956 crude oil has been a source of mixed blessing to the country. It is believed to have generated enormous wealth, but it has also claimed a great many lives. Scholarly attention on the impact of oil on security in Nigeria has largely focused on internal conflicts rather than on how disasters associated with oil pipeline vandalisation have impacted on human security in terms of causing bodily injuries and death, destroying livelihoods and fracturing families. This paper examines how pipeline vandalisation affects human security in these ways. It identifies women and children as those who are hardest hit and questions why the poor are the most vulnerable in oil pipeline disasters in this country. It recommends the adoption of a comprehensive and integrated framework of disaster management that will ensure prompt response to key early warning signs, risk-reduction and appropriate mitigation and management strategies.