JAPAN EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI RELIEF ECUMENICAL SOLIDARITY MEETING

1. JAPAN EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI RELIEF ECUMENICAL SOLIDARITY MEETING May 6-7, 2011 Academy House, Seoul

2. Ecumenical Challenge • Immensity of disaster • Need for capacity building and training due to insufficient experience and expertise • Churches financial limitation • Conscience to the world to assist on the basis of humanitarian need

3. Turning Crisis into Opportunity • Demonstrate Ecumenical Movement commitment to the people of Japan • Manifest unity of the church with unity of humankind • Be a continued advocate to the international community long after CNN factor is gone • Demonstrate best practices in disaster assistance

4. Understanding vulnerability and risk • Limited access to: power, resources and structures • Inadequate local institutions, training, appropriate skills, local investments

5. Understanding vulnerability and risk Unsafe conditions • Physical environment: dangerous locations, unprotected buildings and infrastructure • Local economy: livelihoods at risk and low income levels • Government: lack of disaster preparedness

6. Understanding vulnerability and risk RISK = Hazard X Vulnerability

7. Disaster Response Best Practices • Do no harm • Avoiding competition for the sake of victims and their communities • Avoiding flawed program designs • Demonstrate accountability and transparency to both affected populations and donors

8. Disaster Response Best Practices • Quality of intervention not quantity • Actively involve all stakeholders including those whom we seek to help • Relief (aid) must be accompanied by constant advocacy (political action)

9. Disaster Response Best Practices • Ensure adequate funding • Provide competent management, avoiding inexperienced or convenient arrangements • Build in constant monitoring and evaluation

10. Emergency response has become an industry • Set as part of international development. According to OECD, annual emergency relief budget among governments amounts to more than US$ 85 billion. • Involving: • International relations and politics • Engineering • Economics • Environment • Education • Health

11. Emergencies and Development are similar • Only difference is time constraint, objectives and activities. • Principles, methods and approaches are similar. • Two basic approaches: • Working at grassroot level and directly implementing activities or • Working through local partners or NGOs

12. Emergencies and Development are similar Key points to remember: • Affected people find their own solutions • Separated families find missing on their own • Most affected people recover from psychological wounds • They find ways to adapt, rebuild and restart their own livelihoods • External assistance important to facilitate above truths.

13. Spectrum of Interventions • Relief Goals: 1. Relieve human suffering 2.Protect people from abuse 3. Mitigate the effects of disaster Methods: a. Provision of life- sustaining supplies b. Provision of basic social service (e.g. water & medicine) c. Advocacy of protection

14. Spectrum of Interventions Principles of relief delivery: • Understanding context of emergency: local politics and economics cannot be separated from intervention • Traditional responses by international agencies may cause more harm than good • International aid is a drop in the bucket compared with local aid

15. Spectrum of Interventions Principles of relief delivery: • Key to success in relief aid is involving local people directly • Relief and development and intricately linked • Relief aid is not a logistical exercise. It is a process to accelerate recovery • Past lessons must be heeded

16. Spectrum of Interventions • Rehabilitation, Reintegration, Recovery and Reconstruction Goals: 1. Reestablish conditions necessary for development 2. Reorganize social services Methods: a. Rebuild social infrastructure b. Reestablish economic activity c. Social integration of displaced d. Upgrade skills of social services professional

17. Spectrum of Interventions • Development Goals: 1. Alleviate poverty 2. Improve social services 3. Increase choice and freedoms Methods: a. Build social capital b. Support civil society and good governance c. Enhance economic and fiscal activity

18. Spectrum of Interventions IFRC Development relief principles: • Participation • Accountability • Decentralized control • Demonstrating concern for sustaining livelihoods

19. Spectrum of Interventions IFRC Development relief principles: • Basing strategies on the reality of a disaster • Identifying the needs and capacities of survivors • Building on survivors’ capacities • Building on local institutions • Setting sustainable standards for services

20. Ecumenical Tasks • Implementing best practices • Quality engagement • Quality accompaniment • Sustainable services • Being accountable to stakeholders • Relentless advocacy