Hasta La Ideas

As the human civilization continues to evolve, our world is only getting more dangerous, not less. Natural disasters—including but not limited to the earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes of recent memory—happen with surprising frequency and are in part due to our decaying climate. Meanwhile, man-made disasters from building collapse to nuclear meltdown will continue to become more complex and more fatal as the human ego desires taller towers and more powerful sources of energy. Lastly, acts of terror seem an almost commonplace part of everyday life in many parts of the world—and, grim though it may sound, they will not end any time soon. As these disasters grow and claim more lives, new methods of prevention, response and recovery will be required.

In first world countries, disasters are clearly distinct from the normal state of events. However, in developing countries, the distinction between events requiring disaster response and those requiring humanitarian assistance is less clear. Non-governmental humanitarian aid organizations are often at the front lines during disasters and are able to intervene in these situations where countries with more specialized disaster response resources are impeded by political affairs. The challenges presented by disaster response efforts include “four common operational problems: (1) difficulties in interagency communications, (2) ambiguity of authority, (3) poor utilization of special resources, and (4) unplanned media relations.” The need has arisen for a way to better coordinate cross-organizational and governmental response to disasters on the global scale.

The Role of the United Nations

In the international arena, disaster response systems have become increasingly difficult to maneuver as political rivalries dominate agendas and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) bear the largest burden of humanitarian assistance. As with many international situations, the United Nations—specifically, the Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA)—is intended to take charge during global catastrophes. The goal of OCHA is to “bring together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies.”

Commanded by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, the OCHA includes divisions for Coordination and Response, Emergency Services, Communications and External Relations. Larger branches include the Surge Capacity Section (SCS), which manages massive influxes of responders, and the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), which develops procedures for urban search and rescue.

Non-Governmental Organizations

The most prominent of the NGOs involved in disaster relief include the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The former consists of a series of distinct organizations that collaborate under the auspices of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which was founded in 1919, more than fifty years after the initial creation of the humanitarian group. Under international humanitarian law, which is composed of the Geneva and Hague Conventions, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is the only body with authority to enforce the Conventions. As such, the various entities of the Red Cross are greatly respected as a do-gooder force around the world.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) was originally founded in 1933 as an American counterpart of a European disaster relief group. During World War II, the organization began focusing more on providing aid to refugees. The IRC maintains an Emergency Response Team, deployable within 72 hours, to assess the needs of a humanitarian crisis. Preparedness strategies include supplies pre-positioned around the world at hubs like Dubai’s International Humanitarian City and a roster of emergency personnel for short-notice deployment.

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