[MUSIC] Welcome to the session introducing humanitarian action. In the previous session we covered the definition of communication and its recent evolution. In the following sessions we will focus on humanitarian communication. In this session in order to better understand the specificities of humanitarian communication, we first need to define the framework of humanitarian action. Therefore, in this session we will define humanitarian action and present its main characteristics. It will help you to better contextualize the specific setting in which you implement your communication. Humanitarian action refers to assistance and protection provided in a short term programme focusing on the crisis event and the needs of people directly affected. These could be victims of man made disasters, such as armed conflict and mass displacements, or of natural disasters, such as epidemics, floods, or earthquakes. There is no internationally agreed definition of what humanitarian action is and what its limits are. However, it is commonly considered that international or national humanitarian action has to be deployed when a crisis occurs and national institutions do not have the capacity to cover the fundamental needs of the population, such as food, shelter, water, and health care. The aim is to save lives, limit extraordinary suffering, and prevent further injury to the population and damage to the society by providing goods and services and obtaining full respect for the rights of the individual, in accordance with relevant bodies of law. The two components of humanitarian action are called assistance and protection. Assistance is related to the provision of goods and services to address the physical, material, and psychosocial needs of persons of concern. This may include food items, medical supplies, clothing, shelter, seeds, and tools. Protection, on the other side, refers to all activities aimed at obtaining full respect for the rights of individuals and communities in accordance with the letter and spirit of human rights, as well as refugee and international humanitarian law. Protection implies creating an environment conducive to respect for human beings, preventing and alleviating the immediate affects of a specific pattern of abuse, and restoring dignified conditions of life. Almost always the first helpers in a crisis situation are the affected community members themselves. For example, neighbors will provide food to families who have lost all their belongings and resources in the crisis. But if the entire community has been severely affected or if its capacity to cope with the extent of the damages is overwhelmed, extra assistance must come from outside. However, humanitarian action is for humanitarian purposes, meaning that it is not done for political, commercial, or military purposes. The response should be delivered rapidly and be neutral, impartial, and independent. This means that it is based on humanitarian principles. In the next session we will introduce what humanitarian principles are. The sole aim of aid actors should be to respond to the assessed needs of the population. This focus must be kept despite difficulties, attempts of diversion or manipulation, and other prevailing agendas. By sticking to the needs of affected people and by respecting the humanitarian principles and implementing of aid actions, humanitarian actors can reach their central objective, save life and alleviate suffering. The humanitarian response is characterized by short term programs focusing on the crisis event and the needs of the people directly affected by the crisis. Humanitarian action should be results oriented with a short term perspective as well as outcome oriented, focusing not only on the product of an activity but also on the processes, taking into consideration effects and impact on the environment on the community and the context. It should do no harm and make all possible efforts to have more positive effects than negative ones. The humanitarian response has to an end of a certain stage. In many instances it should be handed over and lead into development project. Ideally, humanitarian and development activities should be integrated and coordinated in order to guarantee a more relevant, coherent, constructive, and responsible response. The humanitarian response should include processes to strengthen the resilience of people and reinforce their capacity to prevent and prepare themselves for the next disaster. In the same country different types of situations can coexist. For example, in one part of the country a natural disaster can suddenly affect a group of people and put them at risk of dying if they do not receive immediate aid to cover their fundamental needs. However, in another part of the same country at the same period, development projects can still be established for populations not affected by the natural disaster. Haiti was a country in this situation during the 2010 earthquake. In some contexts, natural disasters and armed conflict occur together at the same time in the same place. For example, the Sila region is a very sad and good example of these complex crises. Let's now look at the responsibility of the different actors. First of all, states have the responsibility to protect their population. A state has the primary role in initiation, organization, coordination, and implementation of humanitarian aid. The United Nations General Assembly resolution states this very clearly, reaffirming the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national unity of states, and recognizing that it is up to each state, first and foremost, to take care of the victims of natural disasters and similar emergency situations occurring on its territory. If a state fails to provide aid for its own people, it becomes a receiver of aid. The international community then supplements the role of the state in accordance with a principle of respect of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity. Actors involved in humanitarian action have the responsibility to adapt their response to the specific needs of the population and the particular situation. Therefore, as a humanitarian communicator you have the responsibility to adapt your communication to the context and the specificity of the crisis. Humanitarian actors coming from different parts of the world should as much as possible act in collaboration or coordination between them, but also with the national and local bodies. These include public services, as soon as they are able to function again, civil society organizations, the local population that can mobilize and structure its efforts for the most affected members of the community. This can happen through self help groups, local organization, other local bodies. Vulnerable groups have also to be identified. Those that have existed before the crisis, for example, handicapped people, and those that have become more vulnerable as a result of the crisis. Vulnerable individuals or communities need special attention. Humanitarian actions should also avoid reinforcing preexisting exclusion mechanism. As a person involved in humanitarian action, we have a lot of responsibilities. Quality of our action is essential, and we believe that we can and should always improve ourselves. Now let's be part of this endeavor as a humanitarian communicator. Thank you. [MUSIC]
