1. A global perspective
on integrated
emergency response
David Alexander
University College London

2. Emergency
medical and
health response
Volunteer
societies
and NGOs
Other
'blue-light'
services
Peacekeeping,
stabilisation,
military help
Emergent
groups and
civil society
Emergency
management
and logistics
Specific
professional
services

3. Mean annual totals 2001-2010
Disasters: 707
Natural disasters: 57%
Technological disasters: 43%
Deaths: 131,318
Natural disasters: 93%
Technological disasters: 7%
People affected by disaster: 268 million
Natural disasters : 99%
Technological disasters: <1%
Damage: US$107.2 billion

4. Disaster risk
reduction
Incident
management
Population
(community)
protection
Plans,
procedures,
protocols
Human
and material
resources
Hazard
forecasting,
monitoring,
etc.

5. Cascading
effects
Collateral
vulnerability
Secondary
disasters
Interaction
between risks
Climate
change
Probability
Indeterminacy
"Fat-tailed"
distributions
of impacts

6. SUSTAINABILITY
OF DISASTER
RISK REDUCTION
DAILY
RISKS
(e.g. food
security,
poverty)
EMERGING
RISKS
(e.g. climate
change,
pandemics)
GENERAL
SUSTAINABILITY
(e.g. lifestyles, economic
activities, environment)
MAJOR DISASTER
RISKS
(e.g. floods, drought,
landslides, heatwaves)

7. Domestic
civil
protection
Worldwide
humanitarian
assistance
European
emergency
assistance
Volunteer groups Armed forces
Disasters and crises
International NGOs

8. The international relief system
PUBLIC AND
CORPORATE
DONORS
INTERNATIONAL
NGOs
DONOR COUNTRY
GOVT. AGENCIES
RECIPIENT COUNTRY
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
RECIPIENT COUNTRY
DONORS
LOCAL
NGOs
AFFECTED POPULATION AND VICTIMS
UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES
UN Office for the Co-ordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA)
UN Disaster Assistance Team (UNDAC)
International SAR Advisory Group (INSARAG)
UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
World Food Programme (WFP)
Other UN Agencies
RAPID RESPONSE TEAMS
International SAR teams
Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs)
RED CROSS-RED CRESCENT
International Committee of the RC (ICRC)
International Federation of RC Socs. (IFRC)
National societies - donor countries
National societies - recipient countries

9. UN Resident Co-ordinator (UN-RC)
UN Humanitarian Aid Co-ordinator (UN-HC)
Emergency Relief Co-ordinator (UN-ERC)
(Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs)
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (UN-IASC)
[UN Humanitarian Agencies; UNHCR,
Red Cross, World Bank, various NGOs]
Civil-Military Humanitarian Co-ordinator (UN-CMCoord)
Department of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-DHA)
Office for the Co-ordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA)
In the assisted country

10. Humanitarian assistance
• direct: distribution of materials and
services directly to the beneficiaries
• indirect: e.g. transport of
relief personnel and supplies
• infrastructure support:
general services such as road
repairs, air traffic control,
electricity generation.

11. Humanitarian
assistance
Domestic
disaster relief
Domestic civil
institutions:
• local
• regional
• national
Foreign civil
institutions:
• local
• regional
• national
International organisations and NGOs:
UN, IFRC, etc.
Military aid to civil
authorities and communities

12. Stabilisation Peacekeeping
Humanitarian
assistance

13. UK Armed Forces
Military Assistance
to civil authorities
Military Aid
to other
Government
Departments
(MAGD)
Work of
national
importance
(e.g. during
strikes)
Military Aid
to the Civil
Power (MACP)
Maintenance
of public
safety and
security;
Counter-
terrorism
activities
Military
Aid to
the Civil
Community
(MACC)
Search &
rescue;
Logistics;
Disaster
response
Civil
defence
Military
operations
The British model of military assistance

14. Aceh (Indonesia)
Afghanistan
Africa meridionale
Angola
Burundi
Cecenia
Colombia
Corea del Nord
Eritrea e Ethiopia
Grandi Laghi Africani
Haiti
Il Caucaso
Iraq
Kenya
Kosovo e i Balcani
Liberia
Pakistan settentrionale
Palestina e Israele
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sri Lanka
il Sudan
Timor Orientale
Uganda
'Complex emergencies': situations of
political, economic and military collapse
and damage to the fabric of society

15. Complex emergency:
"a humanitarian crisis in
a country, region or
society where there is a
notable lack of government
as a result of internal or
external conflict, which
to be adequately resolved
needs more resources than
those provided by any
single UN programme."

16. • social and economic disruption
• military instability and
the need for stabilisation
• recurrent natural disasters
• persistent poverty and inequality.
Complex emergencies
are distinguished by:-

17. www.sphereproject.org
Humanitarian forces need to
be sensitive to cultural norms
and the dilemmas of neutrality

18. Public
perception
of disasters
continues to be
dominated by
myths and
inaccuracies
enthusiastically
propagated by
the mass media.

19. "Myth" no.1: Disasters are
truly exceptional events.

20. "Myth" no.2: After disaster has struck,
survivors tend to be dazed and apathetic.

21. "Myth" no.3: After disaster has
struck, people will not make rational
decisions and must therefore
wait for guidance from authority.

22. "Myth" no.4: People will flee in
large numbers from a disaster area.

23. "Myth" no.5:
When disaster strikes panic and
irrational behaviour are common reactions.

24. "Myth" no.6: Disasters usually give
rise to widespread, spontaneous
manifestations of antisocial behaviour,
including looting and violence.

25. "Myth" no.7: Disaster requires the
imposition of martial law to stop
the collapse of the social fabric.

26. "Myth" no.8: Emergency responders
will not report to work in a disaster,
they will protect their families instead.

27. "Myth" no.9: Emergency responders
will not know what to do in a disaster.

28. "Myth" no.10: Any kind of aid
and relief is useful after disaster
providing it is supplied quickly enough.

29. "Myth" no.11: To manage a
disaster well it is necessary to
accept all aid that is offered.

30. "Myth" no.12: People can survive
for many days when trapped under
the rubble of a collapsed building.

31. 0.5 1 3 12 1 2 3 4 5 7 10 15
Hours Days
Survival time
100
50
0
Percentageofpeoplebroughtout
alivefromundercollapsedbuilings

32. "Myth" no.13: Unburied dead
bodies constitute a health hazard.

33. "Myth" no.14: Disease epidemics are an
almost inevitable result of the disruption
and poor health caused by major disasters.

34. "Myth" no.15: Dead bodies, survivors,
streets, rubble and other things
should be sprayed with disinfectant
to stop the spread of disease.

35. "Myth" no.16: Great quantities
and assortments of medicines
should be sent to disaster areas.

36. "Myth" no.17: In the aftermath of
disaster mass vaccination is an excellent
way of stopping the spread of diseases.

37. "Myth" no.18: Field hospitals are
particularly useful for treating people
injured by sudden impact disasters.

38. "Myth" no.19: The mass media
create an accurate picture of the
disasters on which they report.

39. "Myth" no.20:
In disasters
there are heroes
and villains.

40. Our image of disasters is conditioned
far too much by Hollywood!

41. War and
conflict
Poverty
Natural
disasters
Insecurity
Vulnerability and
marginalisation
Military
Humanitarian assistance
assistance
The "Military Cross"

42. What falls out
of the sky?
Cluster bombs
Humanitarian rations

43. Military
assistance
Humanitarian
assistance
Creation
of poverty,
marginalisation,
precariousness
"Capacity
building":
creation of
resilience
Global
exploitation
Informal and
black economy
Science
The international community

44. www.slideshare.net/dealexander
Thank you for
your attention!