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Emergency response In recent years, increases in global emergencies and disasters, food insecurity, mass migration, climate degradation and the global financial crisis have posed significant challenges for humanitarian assistance. Australian NGOs continue to deliver accountable assistance through well-developed links into communities and support networks for the Pacific, Asia and Africa regions.
— ACFID: How can I help?
— Previous emergency responses
— AusAID: How you can help |
| Emergency responses Pakistan floods - August 2010  Floods and landslides caused by heavy rain have left 2 million people homeless and affected over 20 million people in northwest Pakistan. The death toll stands at 1,600, with over 2,000 injured. The number of people affected by the floods in Pakistan could exceed the combined total in three recent disasters — the 2004 tsunami, the 2005 South Asia earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
There has been increased flooding in the south of the country, causing further displacement and damage. Delivering assistance to those affected is difficult due to severely limited access, and water levels are not expected to recede for a number of weeks with more rain to come.
Australian agencies are providing emergency food, water and shelter. Agencies are also moving to address the growing concerns about the spread of water-borne diseases and preparing for the forecast further rains. Australian agencies responding include NGOs Act for Peace, ActionAid Australia, AngliCORD, Australians for UNHCR, CARE Australia, Caritas Australia, CBM Australia, Muslim Aid Australia, Oxfam Australia, Plan International Australia, Save the Children Australia, Tear Australia, and World Vision Australia, and humanitarian agency the Australian Red Cross. Agencies are working with the Australian Government which has provided $35 million for the emergency response.
Overall, funding for the response has been very slow, and though the Pakistan Initial Floods Emergency Response Plan (PIFERP) is now 64% funded, coverage has been uneven; WASH and health clusters, both key priorities at this point, are just 28% and 43% covered respectively.
To date, Australian agencies have raised contributions of $6 million. Donating cash continues to be the best way the Australian public can help the Pakistani people. Donations can be made through ACFID member agency appeals.
Image: An elderly man is carried to safety after water flooded his home in northwestern Pakistan © Abdul Majeed Goraya/IRIN
PNG cholera outbreak 23 June 2010
Cholera continues to spread in Papua New Guinea (PNG), and has now reached the capital Port Moresby where government health officials are describing the disease as a major national public health concern. Since the first case was reported in August 2009, more than 3,000 cases have been confirmed nationwide and more than 60 people have died.
Cholera is fuelled largely by poor sanitation practices and inadequate access to safe drinking water. According to UNDP, about 58 per cent of PNG's six million inhabitants do not have access to safe drinking water. There are fears that the poor living conditions in many of Port Moresby's squatter settlements will provide a fertile environment for the disease to spread.
Australian agencies continue to work with local health authorities in order to control the spread of the disease and provide treatment.
Tropical Cyclone Tomas, Fiji — 15 March 2010 Tropical cyclone Tomas (Category 4) hit Fiji on Monday 15 March. Warnings for hurricanes, storms and gale-force winds are still in place. The cyclone totally destroyed 517 houses and a further 1,150 houses were partly damaged. The estimated damage to other sectors such as health, education and agriculture, including infrastructure, is so far estimated at almost FJ$35 million, of which almost $23 million is agricultural damage, mainly on Taveuni.
The Fijian Government activated its national pre-positioned response plan. The Australian Government has provided $1 million towards the humanitarian response.
Australian agencies continue to work with their partner’s in-country to provide emergency assistance such as shelter, food and clothing.
Chile earthquake – 27 February 2010 A magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit Chile at 3:35am local time on Saturday 27 February. Aftershocks as large as 6.0 in magnitude are still continuing. The epicentre was 325 km southwest of the capital in the moderately populated region of Bio-Bio in central Chile. Countrywide about 1.5 million Chileans were affected and 200,000 homes severely damaged.
The Australian Government has provided $1 million in emergency assistance and an additional $4 million for reconstruction and recovery. Australian agencies are supporting their in-country partners' emergency assistance efforts.
Haiti earthquake — January 2010  A powerful earthquake of 7.0 magnitude affected Haiti on 12 January. The earthquake, reported to be the most severe to hit Haiti in over 200 years, struck 17km south west of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Two months into the response and 4.3 million people have received food assistance. The current death toll is 230,000 and 1.3 million remain homeless.
Port-au-Prince has been severely affected including critical city infrastructure such as electricity, water and phone services. Relief agencies are continuing to work tirelessly to provide emergency assistance such as water and sanitation, food, shelter and medical supplies.
The Australian Government's assistance package now stands at $15 million — $10 million in emergency humanitarian relief and $5 million for reconstruction assistance.
Donating cash continues to be the best way the Australian public can help the Haitian people. Donations can be made through ACFID's member agency appeals - Donations for Haiti: ACFID member agency appeals.
Image: Haiti: Residents walk in a destroyed area after a major earthquake hit the capital Port-au-Prince, January 14, 2010. Source: REUTERS/Jorge Silva
(Last updated 1 April 2010) |
| ACFID Humanitarian Reference Group In 2008, ACFID's Humanitarian Reference Group (HRG) was invited by ACFID’s Executive Committee to increase its role to that of an ACFID advisory committee. As an advisory committee, the HRG will continue to coordinate emergency response systems, work closely with ACFID's Executive Committee on policy and advocacy and further collaborate on operational activities/policy such as supply chain management, civil military coordination and human security issues. |
| Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) NGOs define CIMIC as 'the essential dialogue and interaction between civilian and military actors in humanitarian emergencies that is necessary to protect and promote humanitarian principles, avoid competition, minimise inconsistency, and when appropriate pursue common goals'.
Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Reference Paper: Civil-Military Relationship in Complex Emergencies (pdf)
ACFID Guiding Principles for Civil-Military Interaction |
| Protection Humanitarian protection is the effort to protect the fundamental well-being of individuals caught up in certain conflicts, or ‘man-made’ emergencies. People at risk are usually the main actors in their own protection, but there is also a role for humanitarian agencies to help them and to mobilise the responsible authorities. Protection is usually sought from direct violence, coercion (including forced displacement, slavery, or prostitution), or deprivation (including the restriction of access to humanitarian aid, or the destruction of property or livelihoods).
The ALNAP Guide to Protection is an excellent and practical resource for NGOs to better understand the complexities of protection, and how to implement protection into existing and new programs. | | |
