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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI13042101/00001
Notes
- Summary:
- This report evaluates the impact and effectiveness of coordination services provided by the IFRC-led Shelter Coordination Team in 2010-2011 in response to Myanmar Cyclone Giri. Cyclone Giri hit an impoverished and politically sensitive area of Myanmar two weeks before national elections in October 2010. As the government requested the UN keep the humanitarian operation ‘low profile’, a transparent humanitarian operation was made difficult, resulting in delays in information, funding, and approach. Despite this context, the IFRC convened the first ‘informal’ Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI) Cluster (ESC) within 3 days of Giri. Three months after Giri, the ESC was phased out and handed over to the Shelter Working Group led by UN Habitat, which had a strong presence in the country given their Nargis recovery program. The evaluation found that the IFRC was quick to take responsibility for Emergency Shelter (and NFI) coordination, working with existing human resources. UN Habitat was an active participant throughout the lifetime of the ESC, but only took a more proactive role in month two, when it co-led the implementation of a comprehensive shelter assessment. The report provides background on the response, covering preparedness, the first week after Giri, the emergency shelter cluster, and activation of the formal emergency shelter cluster. It then focuses on the terms of reference for the shelter and NFI cluster, as well as the performance of the cluster in its functions. Other topics discussed include the structure of management and staffing of the ESC, accountability, handover and the role of UN Habitat, lessons learned from previous ESC deployments, and the necessity of coordination teams in small and medium emergencies. The evaluation involved interviews with over 50 persons associated with humanitarian agencies and government organizations, and visits to 15 villages where villagers were interviewed on their opinions of the emergency shelter intervention. The report suggests that IFRC must advocate for stronger emergency response protocols and stronger humanitarian leadership in responses to disaster. It also concludes that having a team that knows the country and can speak the language has advantages in terms of involving local actors and information exchange. As ‘nationalizing’ disaster management and response is the only correct and sustainable option, building national capacity is the responsibility of the humanitarian community. ( English )
- Subject:
- Shelters ( English )
- Citation/Reference:
- Hedlund, K. (2011). Shelter and NFI cluster evaluation Cyclone Giri response, Myanmar October 2010 to January 2011. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
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