Humanitarian Governance

Laura HammondDept of Development Studies, SOAS

SOAS/Mo Ibrahim Foundation Seminar on Governance and Development

April 2014Mauritius

What is Humanitarian Governance? How does it relate to other aspects of governance we’ve been studying this week.

Responsibility to Protect – expectations of the state & humanitarian organisations

Accountability – where does it come from? Changes in, and challenges of,

humanitarian governance

Outline of the Session

Rules, structures and mechanisms for promoting accountable and effective humanitarian practice, including prevention, mitigation, management, response, and recovery from disasters of all types. ◦ Actors can include states (at all levels) but also

regional bodies, LNGOs, INGOs, donors, UN agencies, etc.

Focus on saving lives, alleviating suffering How can this be done most efficiently, with

fewest adverse effects – how does it affect other forms of governance?

Humanitarian Governance Defined

Community Rep

NGO (health)

NGO (wat/san)

NGO (education)

NGO (food)

UN agencies– funding,

coordination, protection

ICRC/Red Cross

Host Government Security, appeal for help,

Regulation, some coordination

Community Rep

Community Rep

NGO NGO

Rapid onset disasters – ◦ floods, storms, earthquakes, tsunami,

communicable disease epidemics Slow onset disaster

◦ drought, climate change effects, chronic disease at epidemic levels

Complex emergencies ◦ conflict, state failure, often overlaid with natural

disaster

- Usually these three are interrelated

Humanitarian Responses to...

what is their reputation? what kind of relationship do they

have with the state? with local people?

How would you describehumanitarian actors in your country?

Q.

Do they engage directly –including channelling funds through government?

Does the state facilitate or constrain humanitarian action?

How is the state seen by humanitarian actors in your country?

Q.

1970s-80s: donors gave through direct payment to the state, even balance of payments support (Harvey 2009). INGOs peripheral

1990s – shift to support through NGOs, Red Cross. Assumed states were too weak or corrupt to handle aid themselves

2000s – resurgence in interest in direct assistance – recognition of increasing state capacity◦ Emphasis on national ownership

State-Donor relations through history

State has the first ‘Responsibility to Protect’ – Sovereignty has obligations and rights

State ideally should be able to respond to risks/disasters on its own

Where it requires assistance, it should be able to coordinate, approve intervention plans, see and approve budgets, and evaluate (or see evaluations) of external activities

International norms & legal instruments can be used to back up national responsibility

Role of the State

Role of Humanitarian/Development Organisations Provide protection &

life-saving assistance if state cannot or will not

Under IHL, states must, if they are unable or unwilling to assist civilians, grant access to an organisation ‘like the ICRC’. ◦ Doesn’t mean that all

NGOs have a right to access

Natural disasters – state must usually invite international intervention

Independence, Neutrality, Impartiality are Key to preserving access usually◦ HOs must choose between capacity building, service

substitution, advocacy (& sometimes denunciation)◦ Where states do not uphold social contract, IOs

often see it as their role to speak out But adherence to principles may result in

distance between HOs and govt Other humanitarians work for justice, equity,

empowerment – these may be at odds with principles

How to work?

Strong response can provide a political boost

Conditionality regularly used to guide political policy

Humanitarian assistance used for state-building, hearts & minds

Humanitarian principles often used only with regard to humanitarian action & not development

Politics of Humanitarian Governance

Without regulation/registration, international organisations are not likely to self-regulate◦ Some accountability mechanisms: Humanitarian

Accountability Partnership, Red Cross Code of Conduct, Sphere Guidelines, etc.

Coordination problems But state regulation of humanitarian

governance can also be used as a way of maintaining control over citizens, restricting LNGO activities, curtailing human rights

The accountability vaccuum

Changes/Challenges Role of China as an

Economic Partner

‘Emergent’ donor countries – Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE

Increasing role of Diaspora in funding, providing humanitarian assistance

Faith-based humanitarianism (arguably not new, but its role is increasingly recognized)

Humanitarian (& Development) Governance part of wider governance debates

Humanitarian space can be a ‘black hole’ of accountability

Effective system comes from leadership as well as insistence on accountability & service from below

Contradiction: provide support to government but preserve independence to be able to protect those who need it

Conclusions