07 December 2015
World Humanitarian Day: Voices From the Field
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.
RSIS, World Humanitarian Day: Voices from the Field, 19 August 2015 (Report, Singapore: RSIS Centre for NTS Studies, 2015)
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.
