CrossCutting Themes

1
Cross-Cutting Themes

• The purpose of this session is to understand the
  importance of
• CULTURE,
• GENDER,
• ENVIRONMENT,
• PROTECTION,
• LIVELIHOODS and
• HIV-AIDS
• to the assessment process

2
Culture and Disasters

• Are our programs adapted to the beliefs and
  institutions of the affected populations?

3
What is culture?

• A learned system of ways to behave and interpret
  reality
• Beliefs, institutions typical of a population or
  community at a given time

4
How Culture Intersects with Humanitarian
Assistance

• Every disaster actor has a particular culture
  (affected populations donors, donor governments
  UN agencies, PVOs NGOs host governments)
• Cultural beliefs and attitudes will influence how
  assistance is provided, received, and interpreted

5
Why Knowledge of Culture is Important in Disaster
Assistance

• Beliefs/ attitudes can hinder OR help
• Insufficient/incorrect knowledge can lead to
  inappropriate assistance
• Solid understanding can help ensure effective
  programming

6
Examples of Disastrous Culture Clashes

• Focusing on the most vulnerable vs the most able
  in Southern Sudan
• Setting up municipal elections in Kosovo
• Other examples?

7
Implications for programming

• What cultural issues must be addressed for the
  program to be successful?
• Are they addressed in effective ways?

8
Social Context Gender

• Is knowledge of GENDER relations and issues
  integrated into our programs?

9
Definition of Gender

• GENDER refers to the socially constructed
  differences among male and female adults,
  adolescents, and children

10
Some crucial differences among the groups

• Public vs private
• Access to productive assets
• Inheritance

• Decision-making
• Social networks
• Status
• Rights

11
Key Gender Concept 1

• Disasters often have different effects on the
  categories of female and male members of a
  population

12
Examples of differential effects

• Sudanese boys in Kenya
• Rwandan women farmers
• Participant examples

13
Key Gender Concept 2

• Disasters often affect individuals WITHIN each
  group differently according to certain variables

14
What to assess in the field

• How has the disaster affected
• Which gender group(s) need assistance in
  priority
• Roles and responsibilities, needs and capacities
• How goods and services should be provided?

15
Implications for Programming

• Are the needs and capacities of the different
  gender groups described/analyzed adequately?
• Are gender issues incorporated into all parts of
  the proposal?

16
Environment the Natural Context of Disasters
17
Definitions

• The Natural Environment
• Ecosystems
• Natural Resources

18
Inter-relationshipsbetween humans and the
natural environments they live in

• Humans impacts on nature
• Positive
• Negative

• Natures impacts on humans
• Positive
• Negative

19
When Good Humans Go Bad

• Environmental Degradation and Disasters
• Environmental degradation and change may increase
  the severity and impact of disasters
• Deforestation and desertification
• Water and air pollution
• Global warming

20
Tools for AssessmentIndicators of Environmental
Degradation

• Decreased agricultural production
• Loss of species/biodiversity
• Settlement in marginal lands
• Increased erosion and sedimentation
• Increase in disease epidemics

21
How can degradation be prevented or reversed?

• Environmentally sensitive development
• Environmentally sensitive disaster response
• Post-disaster environmental rehabilitation

22
Implications for Programming

• What environmental issues need to be addressed
  for the program to be effective?
• Could the proposed activities have negative
  environmental impacts? If so, how will they be
  mitigated?

23
Assessment Tool

• REA Rapid Environmental Assessment
• supported by OFDA
• method and training
• applications