Strengthening Humanitarian Network: From India to South Asia

Contributions from: Prabodh Chakrabarti, Pradnya Paithankar, Achyut Luitel, Barkat Ullah Maruf, Mihir R. Bhatt and Khayal Trivedi

South Asia is one of the most diverse and densely populated regions in the world with one fourth of the world’s population in merely one fifteenth of the geographical area. Having witnessed some of the worst humanitarian crises - from famines to wars, migration, child mortality, poverty, hunger, and disasters such as floods, earthquakes etc, it has been a humanitarian hotspot setting an important reference for the rest of the world. 

The humanitarian system is defined as the network of interconnected institutional and operational entities through which humanitarian action is undertaken when local and national resources are insufficient to meet the needs of the population in crisis (ALNAP 2018-21). This system in India has evolved immensely: from the institutional colonial era dealing with famines to calamity relief (1955-2005), to right to minimum standard of relief (2005 onwards). The passage of the disaster management act in India (in 2005) marked a crucial change in the region's humanitarian systems. The act expanded the legal institutional framework, strengthening the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMA) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in India, thereby also influencing neighboring countries. This led to an increase in funding from various sources that was previously unimaginable and shaped the current scope of the humanitarian field. While discussing ways to strengthen the humanitarian sector in South Asia, there are some crucial lessons that we can take from India to a regional level. 

India has managed to produce a strong and self-reliant humanitarian system with laws, institutions, and financial mechanisms to have a robust response mechanism during crisis and disasters in not just India but also the region. By refusing to accept external aids, 

India has set an example for the region in its capacity to be independent and innovative. The large network of NGOs and CSOs are supplementing the government initiatives. The advances in scientific and technological fields have helped to create effective early warning systems and deployment of technologies such as RS, GIS, DBT and AI. Odisha and Assam have highly efficient systems developed to combat flooding and cyclones. Kerala has created a huge base of trained volunteers. 

But while the country has progressed tremendously, it has also faced difficulties in dealing with civil disturbances, communal riots, insurgencies - and these have largely remained outside the organised system of humanitarian assistance. Indian humanitarian systems still bear a strong legacy from its colonial past, which is minimalist in nature and lacks accountability, monitory, and evaluation framework. The system remains to be close knit and not transparent enough. 

On food production and security, despite having such a small geographical area in the world, South Asia is contributing more than 50% of global food production which makes the region sensitive to climate change. Indian food production systems are stable today, but how will the systems work with increasing population and disasters? And the same implies to regional production and humanitarian systems that must take into account the increasing instability in the region due to various reasons. 

Similar to having national guidelines and minimum standard of relief for national needs, we must have common minimum standards applicable at a regional level for relief management and information systems. There has to be a transparent mechanism for integration, collation and distribution of aid among the humanitarian actors so that the regional systems become more robust, gender sensitive, responsive, inclusive and importantly accountable. It is often noticed that these systems tend not to focus as much on training and capacity development. These shortcomings can be seen in cases where the crisis is rarer and therefore the impact and damages are greater, simply because the community has not build the resilience as there has been no transfer of knowledge.

One of the speakers noted the unpredictability of the disasters and their non-localised nature which goes beyond borders. The earthquake in Nepal (2015) is one such example which caused damages in neighboring states of India. As the glaciers shrink, and lakes expand, the chances of downpouring and flooding downstream increase significantly. This can impact the entire region until the Bay of Bengal. And along with water and river basin management, this is also linked with food security. A regional collaboration and policy is required to combat these challenging times. The disaster management center (DMC) at SAARC has a huge potential here to expand. And while each of the South Asian countries has done tremendous work, it is time to look at these crises regionally.

How must we therefore conceive a regional governance framework for humanitarian systems? Following are some of the recommendations that were generated from the discussion - 

1. We need an active collaboration between governments, CSOs, and NGOs and to mobilize sufficient resources according to the priorities. 

2. A basic humanitarian requirement and minimum standard must be agreed upon.

3. Financing and resource mobilization should be an integral part of it. 

4. Innovation and use of technologies at the core

5. Mechanisms for greater accountability, monitoring and evaluation must be in place.

6. Developing relief management information system and model relief manual

7. Inclusive humanitarian system is the way forward

8. A concrete road map both short term and long term must be in place.

9. Education and research on humanitarian systems

10. Must focus on sustainability and reducing carbon footprint while designing HS

11. Recipients of the aid should be treated as participants to further build resilience.

In conclusion, the humanitarian systems in South Asia must take a step back to review their performance, and identify faulty assumptions that hinder the ability to create new humanitarian markets. We must think beyond our structural and cultural barriers to think radically to ensure relief and recovery. Bangladesh, despite its developmental and economic challenges is providing refuge to 1 million people. This is tremendous and marks South Asia’s ascent in the global hierarchy of the humanitarian system. There is a new South Asian humanitarian reality emerging and is taking shape after each disaster. It is also taking shape between two disasters which is commendable and is charting a way forward.

Authors:

Mihir Bhatt (AIDMI), Pradnya Paithankar (WFP), Achyut Luitel (Development Enthusiast), Barkat Maruf (COAST Foundation), Prof. P.G. Dhar Chakrabarti (RKMVERI), Khayal Trivedi (HOISA)