Reflections: Resolving conflicting demands within disaster risk and recovery

This ‘reflection’ describes conflicting experiences, drawn from the author’s career in varied aspects of disaster risk management and recovery (1973–2016) delving into his memory, Ian Davis explores conflicts he has felt in four parallel roles he has adopted as architect, NGO board member, academic and the personal challenges he has faced working within the humanitarian sector. After describing these encounters, some practical solutions are suggested. The reflection concludes with a suggestion that at the root of these conflicts there is a need for people working in the humanitarian field to become more accountable in a downward direction towards those they seek to serve, who often lack power and influence. These include an architect’s clients, the beneficiaries of an NGO’s concern, an academic’s students or trainees and more broadly an ethical challenge that the author strives after, to regard his work as a vocation, highlighting the need for service to others rather than self-promotion.     

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.     

环境NGO介入环境公益诉讼的必要性和复杂性研究

环境NGO在环保活动中已成为不可忽视的重要力量.随着2015年中国新环保法的颁布,环境NGO已经具备发起环境公益诉讼的主体资格,但由于中国环境NGO自身能力不足,完成诉讼仍存在困难.文章以环境NGO介入环境公益诉讼活动为研究对象,研究了现有环保NGO介入环境公益诉讼的现模式,并分析了环保NGO介入环境公益诉讼的必要性与复杂性,指出要提升NGO介入环境公益诉讼的能力,必须从培育环境公益诉讼意识、加强自身能力改造及破解资金难题等方面着手.     

A case study of perceptions of climate change impacts and child well-being: Implications for development programming

Climate change will affect those most vulnerable in the developing world, and humanitarian relief and development organizations will need to respond. Using a quantitative survey, the attitudes of World Vision staff towards climate change and its risks for children were examined. Results indicate a very strong awareness of climate change and its risks to the key outcome indicator of the organization (child well-being), but there are significant variations within the organization. Specific groups perceive fewer risks to child well-being and may be less supportive of action on climate change. Internal strategies are needed to build necessary commitments to organizational action.     

环境NGO对公众参与的促进行为

伴随着我国经济的持续高发展，环境形势日益严峻。整合和发挥环境非政府组织NGO（Non-Government Organization）以促进公众参与的巨大潜能，推动全民参与环境保护是实现可持续发展战略的根本途径。环境NGO为促进公众参与开展了多种形式的活动，尽管总体看来促进公众参与的行为层次比较低，然而以发展的眼光来看，其带来的变革将是深远的。全社会应该关注扶持环境NGO成长壮大，促使公众参与向更深层次推进。     

Roles of environmental movement organisations in land-use planning: case studies of the Niagara Escarpment and Oak Ridges Moraine,Ontario, Canada

The paper explores the roles of environmental movement organisations (EMOs) in land-use planning, including domain creation (establishment of new or modified landscape planning boundaries) and regime change (adoption of new or modified legal and planning rules). The research involved two case studies of land-use planning processes: the Niagara Escarpment and Oak Ridges Moraine, Ontario, Canada. The two cases together reveal an evolution of land-use planning towards collaborative processes on mainly private lands in Southern Ontario during the period from 1960 to 2002. The results suggest that EMOs can create new planning domains through agenda setting activities, build landscape value and vision, educate governments and the public, and work to maintain and alter regimes. Collaborative planning has emerged as an important process in which some EMOs are now participating.     

Frame alignment and environmental advocacy: the influence of NGO strategies on policy outcomes in China

ABSTRACT

The link between environmental frames and policy outcomes in China is explored. Environmental nongovernment organizations’ (ENGOs) issue interpretation and presentation affect environmental policy changes. The notion of ‘frame alignment’ is introduced, and it is argued that it can serve to link ENGOs’ advocacy needs and frame resonance among different stakeholders, thus successfully promoting advocacy. Based on in-depth interviews and analysis of news reports over a span of 10 years, it is found that where ENGOs are able to align their issue frames with those of the central state and media, the resulting frame resonance smooths policy change. In contrast, where ENGOs adopt conflict frames critical of state authorities, the absence of alignment leads to a slim chance of policy change. The findings shed light on why some ENGOs successfully create linkage and achieve their desired outcomes while others fail to do so.     

环境保护领域中环境NGO作用探讨

20世纪80年代以来，国际社会中非政府组织蓬勃发展。环境NGO（环境保护非政府组织）成为国际环境保护领域中的一股新生力量。阐述了环境NGO的定义、属性及其发展过程。分析了环境NGO在国际环保领域所起的作用、前景。指出了环境NGO对中国环境保护的启示作用。     

生态环境保护公众参与的不同层次分析

人类赖以生存的自然环境遭到破坏,会给社会、经济、政治的发展带来严重影响,也会对人类健康造成危害。保护生态环境,光靠政府采取措施、调整政策、加强环境公共事务的管理还不够,还必须有广大民众,各个层次的社团、组织的参与。文章从民众、民间团体、国际组织3个层面分析了生态环境保护公众参与的必然性、必要性。     

The use of cluster sampling to determine aid needs in Grozny, Chechnya in 1995

War broke out in Chechnya in November 1994 following a three-year economic blockade. It caused widespread destruction in the capital Grozny. In April 1995 Medical Relief International--or Merlin, a British medical non-governmental organisation (NGO)--began a programme to provide medical supplies, support health centres, control communicable disease and promote preventive health-care in Grozny. In July 1995 the agency undertook a city-wide needs assessment using a modification of the cluster sampling technique developed by the Expanded Programme on Immunisation. This showed that most people had enough drinking-water, food and fuel but that provision of medical care was inadequate. The survey allowed Merlin to redirect resources earmarked for a clean water programme towards health education and improving primary health-care services. It also showed that rapid assessment by a statistically satisfactory method is both possible and useful in such a situation.