Emergency Standby Team

Transcription

1 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 1 Responding Early to Children s Rights in Emergencies. The role of the Emergency Standby Team

2 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 2 Creating sustainable impact and mainstreaming children s rights into more long-term programme responses are some of the main challenges of the emergency response. This booklet summarises a core programme activity for Save the Children Sweden when responding to complex refugee emergencies.

3 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 3 Save the Children Sweden s policy for emergencies Whenever a catastrophe occurs, children find themselves in extremely difficult and vulnerable situations. Their security, protection and development are at risk. When aid agencies respond to emergency situations, they focus on immediate relief and material assistance, often overlooking the protection and developmental rights of children and adolescents. It is however critical, that interventions to protect and care for the affected children are seen as a priority concern from the early stages of any disaster. The requirement of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (crc) to promote the physical and psychological reintegration of the child victim of armed conflict poses a challenge to all agencies involved with refugees and displaced populations. The overall goal of Save the Children Sweden concerning children in armed conflict and displacement is to improve the condition - both physically and psychosocially - of those particularly at risk, with no or little access to civil and social rights. War and flight destroy the homes and social structures of children and their families. Communities are divided and the trustful relations among its members can be ruptured. The focus of intervention should be on creating protection for the child within its normal environment - the family and the community. Dependency on external resources as well as institutional care should be avoided. Save the Children Sweden aims to supplement long-term efforts within its country programmes with an emergency response capacity, by: At HeadQuarters: Organizing an Emergency Standby Team Complementing other organizations, especially unhcr, in the area of psychosocial assistance At Regional Offices: Building a joint regional emergency preparedness within the International Save the Children Alliance Building capacity of local partner organisations to respond to emergencies 3

4 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 4 Methods: Using a long-term strategy, and not only focus on the emergency phase Using the local human resources, thus strengthening the local community capacity Prioritising children s rights Having a community-based approach, providing protection and care for children in family/group environment, avoiding institutions Promoting access to measures for rehabilitation and social re-integration Promoting access to education Emergency Response Collaboration with UNHCR An Emergency Standby Agreement between Save the Children Sweden and unhcr was established in The organisations had earlier collaborated around the secondment of social workers to unhcr in Pakistan and Somalia in the 1980 s. These secondments generated confidence and respect for Save the Children Sweden in the field of social work in refugee situations. They also contributed towards a more permanent role for Save the Children Sweden within unhcr s early assessment teams in other parts of the world. In order to ensure a high degree of preparedness for emergency situations, a standby arrangement was considered suitable. Save the Children Norway joined the agreement in unhcr considered it vital that refugees participate from the very outset in order to set the right patterns geared towards self-help and self-reliance. The main objective was formulated as being: To enhance UNHCR s capacity to assist and protect refugees and other persons of concern to UNHCR in emergency situations through the provision of Community Services (CS), with particular focus on women and children. For Save the Children Sweden the agreement offered a chance to 1. Provide psychosocial assistance in unhcr s emergency programs and 4

5 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 5 2. Influence unhcr s emergency programmes by providing protection and assistance to meet the needs of children identified early in an emergency, and 3. Ensure an effective programme response, with a special attention to creating sustainable local support structures. The agreement allows unhcr to draw on a list of qualified and experienced Community Services Officers (cso) at 72 hours notice. These candidates are selected on the basis of broad professional experience in social or community work and preferably with practical experience of working with distressed populations. They are offered additional training by unhcr and Save the Children Sweden/Norway. The candidates have an agreement with their employer, allowing them to take leave of absence at short notice. Since 1993 there have been more than 50 deployments in emergency and emergency-like situations. For instance: Tanzania and Uganda Russia and Northern Ossetia Zaire 1996 Rwanda 1997 Training given to the Emergency Standby Team - Community Services within UNHCR - Crisis and Catastrophe reaction among children and adults - Children in Emergencies - Disaster Psychology - Children in war - Communicating with children - The Convention on the Rights of the Child - Community Based Social Work - Community Participation - Children and Handicap - Organised Violence - People Oriented Planning (POP) - Health problems affecting children and adolescent - Security Training - Child to Child - Rapid Appraisal Techniques - Actions for The Rights of The Child (ARC) - UNHCR programming - Rehabilitation of children victims of violence. 5

6 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 6 Somaliland 1998 Liberia and Guinea-Conakry 1998 East Timor Albania and Kosovo Angola 2000 Eritrea and Sudan 2000 Central African Republic 2000 Sierra Leone and Guinea Conakry 2001 Ukraine 2001 Pakistan/Afghanistan The Swedish and Norwegian governments are the main donors to the arrangement. The agreement has been subject to constant review. The first joint evaluation was carried out in In October 1999, there was a joint Save the Children - unhcr evaluation workshop, later followed by joint review missions to Kosovo and Sudan/Eritrea and a written review of the End of Mission Reports, providing background material for an extension of the agreement. Organisation for the Emergency Standby Agreement The Emergency Standby Team has ten to fifteen members, of which at least six must be prepared and available for immediate mobilization within 72 hours. When an upcoming crisis situation has been defined as an emergency, unhcr Emergency Response Teams are deployed. Community Services Officers and other experts are included in the teams, responsible for different sectors like Shelter, Water, Protection, Logistics, Health and Sanitation. In-between deployments Emergency Standby Team members are at the disposal of Save the Children Sweden as resources within the organizations own emergency work. They are sometimes also available for enlistment by other un Agencies and the Save the Children Alliance. What sort of emergencies? Emergency Teams can be deployed in various situations: 1 Refugee Emergency Programmes Refugee-Emergency like programmes Emergency Returnee/displaced population situation Emergency-like situation 1 Review of Save the Children Sweden/Norway Community Services Deployment Mission Reports, Monique Jansen, Consultant for unhcr, July

7 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 7 Refugee Emergency Programme Community Services deployment took place to Uvira, Zaire where 12 camps for Burundi refugees were set up in 1996.The majority of the population were women and children. CS focused on a programme for Unaccompanied Minors (UAM) and the promotion of refugee participation and self-help programmes. Refugee committees were organised (women, youth and income-generating groups) and an introduction workshop on CS was held for UNHCRís implementing partners.the CS deployment worked in close co-operation with the various sectors within the camps; Site planning - structures of the camps and installation of new arrivals, Health - reporting procedures of sexually violated women and children, Protection - registration procedures for UAM, and other groups at risk.the CS deployment initiated NGO and Interagency meetings on CS to strengthen Community Services-ordination. Refugee Emergency-like Programme CS deployment took place in 1996 in Moscow to review a cash-assistance programme for asylum seekers. The CS deployment worked closely with the NGO who implemented the programme.the situation of asylum seekers in Moscow was assessed. A review and recommendations of who the beneficiaries of the programme should be, what assistance the refugees should receive and how criteria for assistance was to be set. Emergency-like situation A CSO was deployed to Somaliland where a repatriation and rehabilitation/re-integration programme was implemented. CS focused on groups with special needs for their repatriation and reception, and assured a gender perspective and community participation in the planning of the repatriation. Assessment was made on the situation of children, position of women, groups with special needs, education and reproductive health. Returnee/Displaced population A CSO was deployed to East Timor as soon as the refugees started to return. First an assessment of the situation for Separated Children and other groups with special needs was made. Later a system was set up for identification, registration and family reunification for Separated Children and structures were put in place to co-ordinate the activities in the returnee area. Activities and the need for activities on health, food/nutrition, shelter, counselling, vocational training/skills training, income generating activities, education, peace and reconciliation and youth activities were assessed, as well as the possibilities for a community-based approach in implementation of the activities. 7

8 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 8 TANZANIA Children are participating in an aids-awereness workshop. PHOTO: SEAN SPRAGUE/PHOENIX RWANDA Camp for Internally Displaced Population in Gikongoro District, Rwanda PHOTO:TRYGVE BØLSTAD/PHOENIX 8

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10 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 10 What do the Community Services Officers do? The deployment of Community Services Officers from the outset of an emergency is regarded as extremely important in order to reach the refugees most at risk, as well as to have a longer-term impact on the programme. The Community Services Officers stimulate self-help activities through a community-based approach and thereby ensure the care and protection of the refugees identified as being most at risk. Areas of input The main areas of input for Community Services in an emergency situation are: Assessment of the refugee situation The Community Services Officer makes an overview of the refugee/returnee population and identifies needs and resources, with special focus on women, children and groups with special needs. Both physical and psychosocial well-being is addressed. An assessment of the structures of the refugee community is made, focusing on the presence of refugee committees/groups, the position of women, children and adolescents and the presence of groups with special needs (disabled, older people, mentally handicapped, traumatized people, single headed or child-headed households, unaccompanied minors, separated children, former child soldiers, ethnic minority groups, etc). Other important issues are sexual violence, harmful traditional practices, teenage pregnancies, the security situation (presence of mines, soldiers) and areas related to Community Services such as education, health, reproductive health, nutrition/food and water/sanitation and shelter. The most used tool for information gathering for the Community Services Officers is an ongoing dialogue with the refugee community - individually or in groups. These meetings are being held together with other members of the unhcr team. It is essential to get an optimal cooperation and coordination between the different sectors within the unhcr team. 10

11 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 11 Community Services should be first in after a disaster - and last out Sector collaboration within UNHCR The Community Services Officer is involved in programming in close collaboration with the other unhcr colleagues - including the areas of designing projects, budgeting, identification of implementing partners and monitoring progress. Special efforts are made to highlight children and adolescent issues and to ensure that they are incorporated into programme activities. The Community Services Officers also train and supervise the local unhcr staff. Reports on the work process are produced so that experiences are documented and continuity after departure is facilitated. The Community Services Officer is UNHCR`s link to the refugee community Community Development By uniting the efforts by the refugee community itself with the efforts of other actors, a Community Development process is initiated. Improved living conditions for the whole community have to be promoted. This is done through specific techniques that focus on community ownership of the process. In some cases, therefore, the challenge of community development is not just helping communities to maintain the social structures that existed prior to flight. More importantly, it also involves facilitating the adjustment to the new environment and the development of new structures and practices. Coordination with implementing partners The work with implementing partners includes identifying resources, monitoring and coordinating activities, and providing training to them. The Community Services Officer also has to identify gaps in the programmes and give recommendations for improvements. Providing guidelines and definitions can be a useful tool to avoid poor performance of implementing partners. It is essential that actors involved in the programmes share the policies in their actions, as well as it is agreed on guidelines that promote a communi- 11

12 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 12 TANZANIA Newly arrived Rwandese unaccompanied children are photographed in Benaco Camp,Tanzania, by that facilitating family reunification. PHOTO: HELDUR NETOCNY/PHOENIX RUSSIA Children from Georgia, playing outside a refugee center. PHOTO:TRYGVE BØLSTAD/PHOENIX 12

13 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 13 ty development approach. E.g. it is not always clear among the different actors, who are to be defined as refugees with special needs or how refugees should be involved in decision-making. Routines for The Community Services Officer Before departure the est member has received a work description - a Terms of Reference, designed by unhcr, following a request from the unhcr local office in the country where the disaster has occurred. Background information on the country where the Community Services Officers will be deployed, including country project descriptions and relevant Community Services manuals, is provided as soon as it is known that the person will depart to the field. At Departure to the duty-station a briefing is given at unhcr headquarters in Geneva. Meetings are also arranged with relevant unhcr staff members. At the duty station a new briefing on the previous programme and the actual situation is given by unhcr. The Community Services Officer prepares a plan for the initial work. Within three weeks after arrival an initial rapid assessment is written and a revision of the Terms of Reference is made together with the unhcr supervisor. This report includes: The scope of the emergency and main protection concerns Refugee profile including a brief initial identification of groups with special needs and existing human resources (skills, experience) Presence of other agencies and ngo s Identification of priority areas for Community Services intervention All actions taken should be focused on ensuring continuity. In most missions a local employee (Community Services Assistant) is working together with the est member. A hand-over of the programme should be initiated in due time, well before departure from the duty station. An End of Mission report is produced at the end of the three-months period. This report includes the following: 13

14 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida Summary of Context and Background a. Profile of the population of concern, including: Gender and age breakdown Groups with special needs Existing support structures and resources (skills and experiences) Ethnic, religious and minority groups b. Summary of social and political context 2. Community Services Main Activities Key protection issues and priority areas for Community Services intervention identified Community Services Sector specific inputs, working methods applied including community involvement Community Services inputs and collaboration with other sectors such as Shelter, Water, Health and Sanitation, including community participation Activities targeting groups with special needs, including community response Inter-agency coordination, including agreed guidelines and policies Community Services Programme and Budget planning Operational and Working Constraints Identified 3. Recommendations Overall Programme Recommendations Specific Community Services Issues to be followed up, including suggested hand over (to be discussed and cleared with Supervisor before departure) This provides an opportunity for highlighting recommendations and stressing the needs for follow-up action by unhcr at all levels. Impact The Community Services Officers are frequently present today within the different unhcr Emergency Response Teams and play an important functional role in addressing children s needs and rights and influencing perspectives on emergency issues within un s refugee programmes. Post emergency relief has been converted from a service delivery profile towards a community development programme profile. Before, relief programmes were social service delivery projects, often independent of one other. Community inputs and participation was low. Some features of this shift in the field are: Enhanced promotion of community participation Training towards self-help ventures and community organisation 14

15 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 15 AFGHANISTAN Male representatives from the Afghani refugee community participating in training on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. PHOTO: ULLA BLOMQVIST/RÄDDA BARNEN ALBANIA Refugees from Kosovo in one of many camps in Kukes, an albanian town close to the Kosovian frontier. PHOTO: HELDUR NETOCNY/PHOENIX 15

16 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 16 Addressing the specific needs of women and children, involving the community and the groups with special needs themselves in the response programmes Early identification of separated children, thus initiating tracing and family reunification in an earlier phase of the emergency 1. Focus on Refugee Children - a handbook for training 2. arc - Action for the Rights of Children - unhcr and International Save the Children Alliance joint capacity building and training resource packs. A wider impact has been: Giving children and adolescents with special needs access to services, facilitating their inclusion and participation in community activities Promoting community-based responses to children s needs and rights Providing new inputs for Save the Children Sweden s programmes for Children in Armed Conflict and Displacement to take on long-term projects following on the Emergency Standby Teams initial input, especially in relation to separated children, child soldiers and exploited/abused children. Initiation of capacity-building projects and training materials such as: 16

17 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 17 Constraints One major problem is the under-funding of the unhcr. Community Services programmes have been substantially reduced which has affected staffing as well as programming on the operational level. The concept of Emergency Teams also has natural limitations, whereas the needs to be addressed are more long-term. This can easily create non-continuity and a lack of sustainability. The recommendations given by the initial Emergency Team need to be followed up and acted upon as a part of a long-term strategy, something which is often hampered by delays in staffing and budget allocations for community services. The future Some of the future challenges Save the Children Sweden is facing in the area of Emergencies would be to: Ensure that the experience gained from the Emergency Standby Team is incorporated into preparedness planning and rapid-response models of intervention within Save the Children emergency operations worldwide. Continue with capacity building on Children s rights and needs disseminating the capacity-building material of Actions for the Rights of Children (arc). Promote a Community Development approach in emergency programming Create more sustainable mechanisms for bridging from the emergency phase into a more long-term rehabilitation and development phase Contact address Save the Children Sweden Policy, Research and Development Section se Stockholm Sweden (Contact person: Ulla Blomquist or Hans Lind, Programme Officers, Children in Armed Conflict and Disaster) ulla.blomquist@rb.se hans.lind@rb.se

18 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 18 ZAIRE Goma, 17th of July During five days more than one million Rwandese refugees entered Zaire. PHOTO: JØRN STJERNEKLAR/PHOENIX

19 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida Save the Children Sweden ISBN: Code no: Author: Hans Lind Lingustic review: James Hurst Project management: Ulla Blomqvist and Hans Lind Production managament: Ola Höiden Cover photo: Jørn Stjerneklar/Phoenix Graphic design: Anna Fanqvist Printing:TemoTryck AB Project Funder: Swedish International Developement Agency (SIDA)

20 EmergencyStandbyTeam Sida 20 this booklet summarises a core programme activity for Save the Children Sweden when responding to complex refugee emergencies. As an operational strategy for emergency work Save the Children Sweden has chosen to complement other agencies by seconding staff on standby with a particular expertise in child protection and community-based social work. A long-standing partnership with unhcr in large-scale refugee and repatriation situations has given ample proof that identifying children s specific needs and rights and addressing them from the earliest stage of an emergency is key to an efficient and appropriate programme response. At the heart of this intervention approach lies a process- oriented, child-focused situation analysis coupled with an immediate response to children s psychosocial needs. Refugee and local community structures must be mobilized and strongly supported to create a sustainable community response to the protection and care of affected children. Effective advocacy work for children s rights and strong co-ordination mechanisms between all actors working with children in emergencies are of priority concern to ensure that interventions are made in the best interest of children and their communities. Save the Children Sweden Stockholm Phone Fax info@rb.se, Save the Children fights for children s rights. We deliver immediate and lasting improvements to children s lives worldwide. Code no:

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