Executive Summary

The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, marked the World Humanitarian Day by organising a public outreach event with the theme “Voices from The Field” at the POD in the National Library, Singapore. This inaugural event of the HADR Programme included a panel discussion, poster exhibition, and a networking session.

Many different types of responders assist in complex humanitarian situations, making the documentation of events on the ground particularly difficult. In effect, standard operating procedures, difficulties and strengths in coordination of response goes unrecorded and if they are recorded, political sensitivities oftentimes make it difficult for the story to be fully told. With this in mind, it is imperative that responders share their experiences with one another, identify lessons learned, and collaborate so as to better humanitarian response in the future. As such, the RSIS’ HADR programme provided a platform in which realised experiences from the field can be shared with different stakeholders and the public.

In the first presentation, Colonel Lim Kwang Tang, Director of Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC), described how the military works on-the-ground in humanitarian settings. In his most recent deployment to Nepal, COL Lim recounted that Singaporean forces treated the most number of casualties during its 14-day mission. He explained that the military was not originally designed to respond to disasters, but in the Asia Pacific, the military is most likely the first responder in the last resort. In other words, the military has the surge capacity to respond quickly even though humanitarian assistance is primarily a civilian response. With this in mind, the military is likely to be present and a main player in humanitarian response in the Asia Pacific.

Mr Johann Annuar, Founder and Trainer of Humanity Assist and Engineer with Medicins Sans Frontieres, recalled his experiences in Kenya during his mission in an internally displaced people’s camp. He spoke about the people’s resilience in the camp and the ability of refugees to help one another despite the adversities they face.

Mr Hassan Ahmad, Technical Adviser to the Corporate Citizen Foundation, seamlessly wove the former presentations together. He explained that since humanitarian situations are complex and attract a differentiated set of stakeholders, cooperation and partnerships prior to and on-the-ground are important. Therefore there is no single entity that has all and infinite resources for complex humanitarian situations. As such, it is imperative that resources are pooled and utilised in a manner that is effective and that resources meet the needs of the affected victims.

Through this event, members of the public were able to engage with the speakers during the panel discussion portion, and also find out more about humanitarian advocacies through different exhibitors from Badan Agama dan Pejalaran Radin Mas (BAPA), Corporate Citizen Foundation, Mercy Relief, Relief.sg, the RSIS’ HADR Programme, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Singapore Red Cross, and World Vision. This event was able to pique the public’s interest in the workings of an HADR deployment. A lively debate on the relevance of international protocols and what happens after response efforts leave was fostered. The importance of knowing the terrain, people, and culture of a mission location was also highlighted. The most important observation from this public event was that HADR efforts need to be context-specific and sensitive.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The current global humanitarian system is widely acknowledged as no longer being fit for purpose. As natural disasters and internal conflicts increase over the years, there is a corresponding increase in the number of actors involved in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief [HADR]. However, the growth in the number of actors has not translated into increased effectiveness and efficiency in HADR operations. The lack of coordination among the various actors is one of the key identified problems which has resulted in unnecessary duplicity of effort, wastage of resources, tensions among various parties involved, and delays in ensuring timely relief to affected populations. Different actors have competing agendas and biases, despite having the stated common goal to deliver humanitarian assistance to those in need.

Information sharing among HADR stakeholders remains problematic, which leads to a lack of coordination. Humanitarian actors may have different and even incomplete perceptions of a disaster situation which can hamper the coordination efforts. There is a lack of trust between stakeholders which inhibits communication and the flow of information. This remains one of the main reasons behind coordination problems. In general there is an unwillingness to share information results in the field, which results in different awareness levels of the same disaster situation, and leads to inefficient responses.

In conducting humanitarian assistance, especially in conflict-afflicted communities, the military wants that all humanitarian responders to coordinate with them to ensure their safety. However, some organisations are wary of working with the military as they are keen to preserve their principle of neutrality and independence in conflict settings. Regular constructive engagements between civilian organisations and the military may help the latter better secure humanitarian actors in accessing affected civilians in conflict areas, while respecting the fundamental principles of humanitarian action. Regular dialogue among all HADR stakeholders may help them achieve common situational awareness which can lead to more coordinated, faster and better services to conflict-afflicted communities.

NGOs and militaries have different approaches when it comes to the protection of vulnerable communities. Militaries and the police tend to use armed protection to ensure the physical protection of vulnerable communities. NGOs have a wider range of responses such as public awareness campaigns, emergency relief, psychosocial support, and advocacy measures with governments, donors, parties to conflict, community leaders, and local authorities.

It is imperative to have a much greater level of cooperation by all actors involved on multiple levels. No single agency or country can deal with the aftermath of humanitarian emergencies, including interrelated protection issues. International organisations, governments, militaries, local communities, private sector, and academia will all need to work together and cooperate with one another. Cooperation and partnerships can also lead to greater levels of trust, transparency, accountability and improved HADR governance structures.

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is one important protection issue that requires immediate attention of and collaboration among key actors. However, it is not often a government policy priority prior to disasters. The unspoken nature of SGBV along with the failure of national policies, responders, and of the local communities to really understand the effects of SGBV means that it is a silent disaster. A number of factors exacerbate risks of SGBV which include the increased number of actors involved; increased ‘chaos’ and opportunities for SGBV; increased levels of separation from family, friends and support networks; social taboos; breakdown in social protection mechanisms; and lack of state support to the victims.

In the Asia-Pacific, there are still many cases of SGBV due to deeply rooted gender inequality as well as discriminatory socio-cultural norms and practices. To correctly address SGBV and discrimination, a change of mindset and perspective are needed as regulations and policies alone cannot change the lives of victims. While governments often sympathize with the victims, the issue is still not considered as a major problem. It needs to be complemented with financial support for capacity building, partnership and coordination at the local level, as well as a blueprint for development design at the district and provincial levels to help serve the needs of victims in the aftermath of a natural disaster or conflict.

Research from the academic community is an area that is going to be very important and influential in order to find ways to address challenges to HADR including delicate protection issues such SGBV; but at the same time research also should be practical and should contribute to agenda-setting. It should also ensure that research projects make available to the humanitarian actors and practitioners the tools that they need to better empower vulnerable populations. Any academic pursuit in the field of HADR will be meaningless if it does not generate insights and/or concrete recommendations to improve the situation on the ground.

In an effort to bring together stakeholders from across the spectrum of HADR, this Roundtable is organised through the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies and the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The first part of the Roundtable focuses on two core HADR issues: the protection of and assistance to vulnerable communities in natural disaster and conflict settings. It attempts to map the emerging challenges for HADR actors and assess the effectiveness of HADR in recent years. The second part of the Roundtable focuses on a specific HADR challenge: gender-based and sexual violence in natural disaster and conflict settings, with particular focus on identifying the protection needs of victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and best practices in assisting victims and managing cases of SGBV.

The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in collaboration with the Embassy of Sweden, Singapore organised a panel seminar to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the UNSCR 1325: Women, Peace and Security. The event was held at the Residence of the Swedish Ambassador on 1 December 2015. It was attended by about 60 representatives from public, private and people sectors. His Excellency, Håkan Jevrell, Swedish Ambassador to Singapore and Dr Ralf Emmers, Associate Dean, Associate Professor and Head of the Centre for Multilateralism Studies, RSIS delivered the welcome remarks. The event was chaired by Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, Research Fellow and Coordinator for the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme in RSIS.

The S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, in collaboration with the Energy Market Authority of Singapore, organised a roundtable panel discussion at the 2015 Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) with the theme “Is Southeast Asia Ready for Nuclear Power? The two-panel roundtable featured diverse perspectives on whether Southeast Asia should or should not pursue nuclear power and facilitated constructive debate among experts on this issue. Roundtable panelists included Dr Olli Heinonen, Senior Fellow at Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University and former Deputy Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Dr Taswanda Taryo, Deputy Chairman of National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN) of Indonesia; Dr Tran Chi Thanh, President of Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM); Mr Egor Simonov, Director of ROSATOM Asia; Dr Ronald McCoy, Founding President of the Malaysian Physicians for Social Responsibility; and Dr Andrew
Wee Thye Shen, President of Singapore National Academy of Science and Provost’s Chair Professor of Physics, National University of Singapore.

The Conference on Inter-regional Comparisons of Humanitarian Action was held alongside the Re-launch of the NTS-Asia Consortium. The conference was organised by the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme at the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies.

Abstract

Food security encompasses multiple, inter-connected dimensions, from production-related concerns, to market and price dynamics, environmental trends and policy approaches. Given this, ‘robustness’, the ability to withstand disruptions to the various dimensions, is critical to food security. Yet, countries in Southeast Asia continue to be largely focused on domestic production alone, which is unsustainable in the long run. This Policy Brief suggests that, in order to increase food security robustness, countries could turn to regional-level action. Towards this end, an analysis using the Rice Bowl Index© is used to identify possible areas of cooperation and collaboration at the regional level.

Critical infrastructure (such as public utilities, transport, water and health systems) is a central function of development and human security, particularly in ensuring the basic needs and welfare of communities. However, the provision of such infrastructure in many developing countries is often concentrated in affluent metropolitan areas and tends to have limited benefits for poor and vulnerable urban communities in terms of improving their quality of life. Amid vulnerabilities to climate change and internal socio-political challenges, achieving equity among urban communities thus presents a vital challenge to many city governments in Southeast Asia.

This issues brief on Communities and Critical Infrastructure: Opportunities for Reinforcing Resilience distills the outcomes of the Workshop on ‘Community Resilience and Human Security: From Complex Humanitarian Emergencies to Sustainable Peace and Development’ organised by the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies in April 2014. It suggests ways forward for governments to work with local communities and other stakeholders to build disaster resilience and promote sustainable development in their cities.

Abstract

Asia’s food demands are increasing and evolving, and will continue to do so in the future. With high numbers of hungry and undernourished, rapid population growth, increasing rural-urban migration and the ever present threat of climate change, securing food for the region will be fraught with challenges. Increasing the production and availability of food will no longer be the only areas to focus on in time to come. However, Asia’s rising wealth and economic growth present several opportunities to meet these challenges.

About the Authors

Tamara Nair is Research Fellow at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), where she works primarily on food security but is also involved in studies in migration and development issues in the region. With a background in Political Science and Geography from the National University of Singapore, she also has a Graduate Diploma in Education from the National Institute of Education in Singapore. Tamara has a Masters in Environmental Management, a Graduate Diploma in Arts Research and a PhD in Development Studies from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Before joining the Centre for NTS Studies, she was involved in an international project looking at climate change and ‘cultures of resilience’ focusing on major waterways and communities (in Asia, Australia and the U.S.) in relation to their adaptation mechanisms in the face of climate change. She also served as a co-editor for a special edition volume of the International Journal of Water Governance. Tamara has taught in private and government schools in Singapore prior to her postgraduate studies.

Jonatan A. Lassa is Research Fellow with the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, where he researches on climate change, food security and (environmental) risk governance issues. Jonatan holds a PhD from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Bonn, Germany, and has studied Social Science and Interdisciplinarity at the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn. He also has an MSc in environment and international development from the University of East Anglia, U.K. Prior to joining the Centre for NTS Studies, Jonatan was a senior research fellow with the Institute of Resource Governance and Social Change (IRGSC). He has also previously served as a PhD researcher with the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security in Bonn (2007–2010) and as an Indonesia postdoctoral fellow at Ash Center, Harvard Kennedy School (2011). In his professional career, he has also worked with the UN, international NGOs and the private sector.