Crises

Research in the NTS Centre has been reconceptualised to reflect global changes in the last few years and certainly amid COVID-19. Given these developments, we organise and reflect our research in two components of Non-Traditional Security – Crises and Sustainable Security – found in our region and globally. Recasting NTS Centre’s research around these two research streams underscores the need to address transnational security threats with a whole-of-society approach. It also aims to capture the comprehensive nature of non-traditional security whilst communicating the two streams that our research covers. It puts the NTS Centre on the front foot in terms of organising our research in a structured and consistent way and places the NTS Centre well for exploring external collaboration and partnership opportunities that mirrors NTS Centre’s expertise.

The research programme on Crises examines NTS issues that are quick onset and high impact scenarios such as disasters, pandemics and nuclear hazards. The emergence of multifaceted and interlocking NTS issues challenges is testing the capability of states, regions and the broader global community to effectively deal with them. Just in recent years, several significant NTS issues, ranging from pandemics to disasters, have threatened the resilience of affected communities and states in the region. COVID-19 has indeed been the crisis of a generation. This makes the task of dealing with its severe and multidimensional consequences no less urgent as it is complex and challenging. The NTS Centre examines how state and non-state actors as well as regional and global institutions forge practical cooperation to find sustainable ways to prevent, mitigate, prepare and respond to crises. This programme therefore focuses on three core areas: humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), pandemics and nuclear hazards.

Core Research Areas

Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme

RSIS established the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme to facilitate and enhance cooperation on preparedness and response strategies to the fragile and unpredictable situations we face in the Asia-Pacific. Aside from comprehensively investigating regional emergency response frameworks, governance issues, disaster preparedness strategies and the identification and development of response niches for civilian and military actors, the programme also seeks to develop the next generation of global leaders in HADR through roundtable sessions, dialogues and workshops.RSIS launched the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme on 21 July 2015 at the Copthorne King’s Hotel in Singapore. Presenting the keynote address at this event was Dr Noeleen Heyzer, Singapore’s highest ranking Singaporean in the United Nations, the UN’s former Under-Secretary-General and one of Singapore’s leading experts on HADR.




The HADR programme was launched by RSIS Executive Deputy Chairman, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong.
More information on the launch can be found here.

Research areas
- - Future HADR Landscape in Asia: Structures and Mechanisms. This first pillar of the programme tracks the emergence of new humanitarian actors (both state and non-state) and maps particular successes, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in preparing for disaster relief and conflict response in the region. This research area also focuses on the relationships between civilian and military actors and the emerging points of difference and convergence between the two in responding to HADR in the Asia-Pacific. This research area also evaluates the quality and impact of both military and civilian organisations’ emergency responses.
 - Community Protection and Assistance. The second pillar focuses on the complex nature of humanitarian assistance that evolves from specific vulnerable communities’ varying and often limited capacities to protect themselves from impacts of disasters. This research area maps the most vulnerable populations so as to better characterise needs assessments and determine deployment of targeted assistance. In addition, one area of research in this pillar will highlight how women are disproportionately affected both during disasters and in response settings. Beyond targeted response, specific focus on the forms of vulnerabilities unique to women will be explored. In particular, this research will explore the transformative possibilities of the UN Security Council’s resolutions on the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in creating sustainable policies, ensuring greater participation and facilitating the move towards a more gendered perspective on disaster response – a primary step in creating more resilient communities.
 - Humanitarian Technology. The third pillar of the HADR programme examines the field of humanitarian technology [HUMTECH] as applied to a broadly defined context of crises encompassing both natural disasters and conflict zones. This research area identifies the impact technology has on humanitarian responses as well as the emergent challenges of information technology, big data and technological innovations in humanitarian action.
Webinars and Online Events

NTS Centre Panel Webinar on “Humanitarian Futures in the Post-COVID-19 World” on 3 June 2020
Pandemics
A deadly new pandemic – Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to an inordinate number of lives lost and a huge economic fallout. The emergence of COVID-19 and its cross- cutting impacts have caused untold human misery placing a lot of stress on governments and populations globally. Moreover, the multifaceted effects of a pandemic are compounding existing socio-economic inequalities, generating new vulnerabilities and escalating levels of risk. The NTS Centre examines the intersections between COVID-19 and other NTS challenges confronting the region, such as food security, climate change, migration, and humanitarian crises. It explores some of the potential pathways for addressing issues created by the pandemic.For list of publications, please see click here.
Nuclear Hazards
Nuclear energy has been widely promoted as a clean and carbon-free energy source that can make a significant contribution to achieving the climate change mitigation target of the Paris Agreement. Several ASEAN Member States aspire to include nuclear energy in their future and long-term power generation sources to boost their energy security and reduce their carbon emissions.While there is no operable nuclear power plant in Southeast Asia, radioactive materials are already widely used for civilian applications in medical, industrial, agricultural, and scientific research fields. Without stringent oversight on the use and handling of radioactive materials, there are potential risks of these being accidentally leaked, stolen and used for malicious purposes, or released indiscriminately by non-state actors. Hence, it is crucial to comprehensively analyse how radiological security, a subset of nuclear security, can be further strengthened in the context of Southeast Asia’s security environment.This research project focuses on prospects for and emerging challenges to civilian nuclear energy development in Southeast Asia as well as the effectiveness of the ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy (ASEANTOM) in enhancing regional nuclear governance. It identifies and examines gaps in nuclear governance in the region and how ASEAN Member States, through the ASEANTOM, deepens cooperation on civilian nuclear energy, including nuclear safety, security, and nuclear emergency preparedness and response.