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With the increasing frequency and severity of disasters and the increasing number of patients living with kidney disease, on dialysis and with transplants around the world, the need for kidney care in humanitarian settings is increasing. Almost all humanitarian emergencies pose a threat to kidney health because all treatments are highly susceptible to interruption, and interruption can be deadly. Providing support for people requiring dialysis in humanitarian settings can be complex and is associated with many trade-offs. The global kidney care community must become familiar with the ethics, principles and duties essential to meeting the overarching goals of ethical and effective disaster relief. Ethics principles and values must be considered on the individual, public health and global levels. The wellbeing of a single patient must be considered in the context of the competing needs of many others, and optimal treatment may not be possible due to resource constraints. Public health ethics principles, including considerations of triage and resource allocation, maximization of benefit and feasibility, often become directly relevant at the bedside. Individuals delivering humanitarian relief must be well trained, competent, respectful and professional, while involved organizations need to uphold the highest professional and ethical standards. There may be dissonance between ethical guidance and practical realities in humanitarian settings, which for inexperienced individuals may present significant challenges. Sustaining dialysis care in emergencies brings these issues starkly to the fore. Preparedness for dialysis in emergencies is an ethical imperative that mandates multisectoral stakeholder engagement and action, development of surge response plans, clinical and ethics guidance, and transparent priority setting. This manuscript outlines common ethics challenges and considerations that apply in all humanitarian actions, and illustrates their relevance to kidney care as a whole, using examples of how these may apply to dialysis and kidney disaster relief efforts in humanitarian settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The application of social sciences has been recognized as valuable to inclusive humanitarian programming that aims to be attentive to the needs and initiatives of affected communities. However, the integration of social science-informed community engagement (CE) approaches in humanitarian action remains episodic, fragmented, and under-resourced. This research article provides insights from a study that reviewed existing and needed capacities for the systematic integration of social sciences for community engagement in humanitarian action. We examined what capacity resources exist and what resources need to be developed for strengthening social science integration into humanitarian programming for improved engagement of affected and at-risk communities in conflict and hazard contexts. A mixed method approach was used, including twenty-two key informant interviews and a focus group discussion with social scientists and humanitarian practitioners, an online survey with 42 respondents, a literature review, and a year-long monthly consultation with social scientists and humanitarian practitioners in a UNICEF-led global technical working group. Results illustrate insights on the value of the “social science lens” in humanitarian action and current usage of different social science disciplines. Challenges found include different understandings (e.g., on standardization), languages and methods used by practitioners and social scientists, and how to integrate the seemingly “slow” processes of social sciences to fit emergency response. Institutional barriers to mainstream community-centered humanitarian action facilitated by the social sciences include top-down decision-making and resourcing, lack of localization, and many siloed, dispersed, and episodic efforts.

The application of social sciences has been recognized as valuable to inclusive humanitarian programming that aims to be attentive to the needs and initiatives of affected communities. However, the integration of social science-informed community engagement (CE) approaches in humanitarian action remains episodic, fragmented, and under-resourced. This research article provides insights from a study that reviewed existing and needed capacities for the systematic integration of social sciences for community engagement in humanitarian action. We examined what capacity resources exist and what resources need to be developed for strengthening social science integration into humanitarian programming for improved engagement of affected and at-risk communities in conflict and hazard contexts. A mixed method approach was used, including twenty-two key informant interviews and a focus group discussion with social scientists and humanitarian practitioners, an online survey with 42 respondents, a literature review, and a year-long monthly consultation with social scientists and humanitarian practitioners in a UNICEF-led global technical working group. Results illustrate insights on the value of the "social science lens" in humanitarian action and current usage of different social science disciplines. Challenges found include different understandings (e.g., on standardization), languages and methods used by practitioners and social scientists, and how to integrate the seemingly "slow" processes of social sciences to fit emergency response. Institutional barriers to mainstream community-centered humanitarian action facilitated by the social sciences include top-down decision-making and resourcing, lack of localization, and many siloed, dispersed, and episodic efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Qatar has emerged as a key actor in humanitarian diplomacy (HD), which has received limited academic attention. This paper provides an analysis of Qatar's engagement with HD, drawing on a literature review and extensive interviews with officials and humanitarian workers in Qatar, observations of state activities and humanitarian agencies, and personal interviews with international humanitarian aid workers. The study reveals Qatar's unique strategy, characterised by its diplomatic stance and the integrated efforts of its governmental and non-governmental sectors, as foundational to its HD efforts. The study also reports challenges hindering those efforts, namely the impacts of the political tensions, the lack of diplomatic immunity for humanitarian workers, and a scarcity of specialised expertise in HD. These are explored in terms of their implications for the effectiveness of Qatar's efforts, emphasising the critical need for enhanced supportive frameworks, targeted capacity-building initiatives, and well-defined protocols for HD engagement. To add to the dialogue on HD, this paper reflects on Qatar's engagement in HD, suggesting that smaller nations can meaningfully contribute when leveraging their strengths and international relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Purpose Approach and methods Findings Policy implications Qatar's humanitarian role in Afghanistan, a less‐explored example of a non‐traditional actor, is crucial in understanding international responses to geopolitical crises. Examining Qatar's involvement provides insights into the complex dynamics of humanitarian assistance, diplomatic efforts, and post‐crisis challenges.The study examines Qatar's multifaceted role in Afghanistan since 2021, highlighting its impact as a non‐traditional actor in complex humanitarian operations and diplomacy.The research combines a desk review of online sources, academic literature, reports, non‐governmental organization documents, and media articles with first‐hand observations and informal stakeholder interviews. It also analyses international aid statistics from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Financial Tracking Service and the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee.Qatar emerged as a key humanitarian player in Afghanistan, adopting a whole‐of‐society approach. Its efforts encompassed emergency relief, evacuations, educational support, and humanitarian diplomacy, effectively bridging the Taliban with international actors after the takeover.This research highlights the impactful role of non‐traditional donors, as seen with Qatar in Afghanistan, emphasizing their potential in complex humanitarian scenarios. The study advocates recognizing and leveraging the unique capabilities of smaller states and non‐traditional actors in humanitarian responses, promoting capacity building to harness their institutional agility and societal resources effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After often gruelling journeys, some refugees arrive at secure locations with severe injury or illness. Others find themselves shortly thereafter facing a life-limiting health condition. Palliative care has been the focus of recent research, and of academic and aid sector dialogue. In this study, we ask: What are experiences and needs of patients and care providers? What opportunities and obstacles exist to enhance or introduce means of reducing suffering for patients facing serious illness and injury in crisis settings? We present findings of a qualitative sub-study within a larger programme of research exploring moral and practical dimensions of palliative care in humanitarian crisis contexts. This paper presents vignettes about palliative care from refugees and care providers in two refugee camps in Rwanda, and is among the first to provide empirical evidence on first-hand experiences of individuals who have fled protracted conflict and face dying far from home. Along with narratives of their experiences, participants provided a range of recommendations from small (micro) interventions that are low cost, but high impact, through to larger (macro) changes at the systems and societal levels of benefit to policy developers and decision-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of solidarity, although not new to the humanitarian sector, has re-emerged in recent discussions about effective and ethical humanitarian action, particularly in contexts such as Ukraine and Myanmar where the traditional humanitarian principles have been facing certain pressures. Because solidarity appears as a good but can also involve selectivity and privilege, and because it risks continued militarism and normalization of civilians participating within that militarism, the notion of solidarity merits rich and rigorous thinking. This article explores how the notion of solidarity is being utilized by those currently re-emphasizing its importance and what it might mean in practice in today's humanitarian contexts. The article argues that if solidary action involves not only a political stance but solidary working methods, the recent calls for solidarity demand respect for the variety of principles and practices within the humanitarian ecosystem, while nevertheless upholding mutual obligations owed within that professional community – that is, within careful limits as to what is considered humanitarian action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of humanity has been much discussed with respect to humanitarian work and international humanitarian law. There is today an idea of a single humanity, with each member equally valued beyond superficial differences in belief, nationality, ethnicity etc., and a global legal framework exists to prevent needless human suffering, including in war. Dehumanization arises linguistically as the negation of a common, positive and mutually supportive humanity, though there is no single definition, and it certainly predates its opposite. Research indicates that dehumanization increases the risk of conflict/violence, increases the risk of abuses therein, and makes it harder to resolve conflict. This paper gives an overview of how humanity is currently defined and used, notably by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as one Fundamental Principle of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and what dehumanization means especially in relation to conflict and violence. The paper then explores why and how dehumanization happens and the real-world harm that can result when it is espoused or tacitly condoned by those in positions of power. Finally, the paper examines how global legal frameworks and the principle of humanity, bolstered by impartiality, independence and neutrality, in particular as enacted by the ICRC, work to curb and push back against some of the worst harms that dehumanization can cause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyses of the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence often focus on the principles' meanings and/or the challenges of applying them in practice. This article, by contrast, steps back to address foundational but somewhat neglected questions about whether these principles can accurately be designated "the" humanitarian principles; about how they came to govern the whole humanitarian sector; about their legal character and normative content; and, more fundamentally, about whether the principles can even have objective character and content. It begins by defining "humanitarian principles" and determining whether and on what basis certain principles constitute "the" humanitarian principles. The article then traces the history of how the principles came to govern the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and diffused from there to non-governmental organizations and the United Nations system. It then analyzes the principles' legal character and normative content for each of the above-mentioned categories of actor plus States, demonstrating that the principles do not – and, legally, cannot – have fixed legal character and normative content. While humanitarian actors share common understandings of the principles, legally the character and content of each principle flows from its source for the actor in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide an overview of the main landmarks and basic problems of humanitarianism, which is seen as a philosophy - an ethical response to suffering - but also as a practice in the form of humanitarian actions. There is general agreement that suffering ought to be alleviated, but not that humanitarian actions, and the humanitarian sector in general, are an adequate response. However, the practice of humanitarianism itself is not clearly demarcated. While for some it only refers to the actions aimed at eliminating or alleviating immediate suffering, others believe that humanitarianism requires dealing with the causes of suffering, and in its most extreme form, that humanitarianism requires force in the form of military intervention to stop suffering. Therefore, the objections to humanitarianism are contradictory - while on the one hand, its apolitical stances are respected in the name of timeless and decontextualized ethics, on the other its politicization is criticised. To condemn or praise humanitarianism, whether it comes from the point of ethics or politics, the authors conclude, it is important to always keep in mind what exactly is meant when referring to it.

Copyright of Djoussour El-maarefa is the property of Association of Arab Universities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Disability inclusion has been firmly established as a human rights issue in humanitarian action. Numerous stakeholders have entered into commitments and designed policies to make their services inclusive and accessible for persons with disabilities. In practice, however, persons with disabilities are still excluded from participating in humanitarian action and cannot access the services they need. Drawing on evidence from the Rohingya refugee response in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh and the civil war in South Sudan, this policy and practice note shows that humanitarians often lack the knowledge and confidence to make their services inclusive for persons with different types of impairments. To anchor disability inclusion in all programmes and operations, it should be treated as a strategic issue. It requires sustainable and reliable funding, capacity development at the individual, organizational and strategic level of the humanitarian response, better coordination, robust and reliable data collection based on quantitative and qualitative assessments, and meaningful participation with organizations of persons with disabilities that represent the diversity of persons with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Julia Lahaye (1886-1978), a Belgian nurse who worked for the Barcelona Red Cross during the Spanish Civil War, was considered by peers and patients as one of the most outstanding figures of local society for her sense of sacrifice, her spirit of organization, and her humanitarian work. But that is only one part of her life story. In 1921, Lahaye had been convicted in absentia of spying for the German Reich during World War I and fled to Spain. Her story illustrates the complexity of human character and makes us ponder the question of whether humanitarian action can be motivated by repentance and the desire to atone for the crimes of the past. It also helps to deconstruct gender stereotypes of women nurses who have been traditionally depicted as "angels of mercy" and to rethink how the experiences of care receivers can shape the identity of caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Temida is the property of Victimology Society of Serbia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the context of a sharp aggravation of interstate rivalry, an increase in natural disasters and the emergence of new epidemiological challenges, the problem of timely provision of humanitarian assistance to the population of the most affected countries and regions becomes especially acute. Its solution, already fraught with a whole complex of objective economic, political and other difficulties, is further complicated by the existing practice of imposing unilateral and multilateral or international sanctions, which have become one of the key instruments of the leading subjects of world politics. And although formally sanctions regimes are provided with humanitarian exceptions designed to minimize their negative consequences for the population of target countries, their imposition inevitably results in new obstacles to the provision of humanitarian assistance to those in need. The paper identifies the key challenges associated with provision of humanitarian aid under the existing sanctions restrictions, and assesses the prospects for addressing them in the contemporary context. The first section examines political and academic debates on the negative humanitarian consequences of sanctions and possible ways to overcome them. In particular, the author identifies the logic behind the transition from comprehensive to ‘smart’ sanctions, as well as the specifics of applying humanitarian exceptions. The second section outlines key aspects of the complex disruptive impact of restrictions on humanitarian assistance, including the technical and political barriers faced in the implementation of humanitarian exceptions. Finally, the third section identifies current trends in the use of humanitarian exceptions by the main initiators of restrictive measures. In this context, particular attention is paid to the UN Security Council Resolution 2664, adopted in December 2022, which mandates the inclusion of standardized exemptions in UN sanctions regimes in order to minimize the impact of restrictive measures on the provision of assistance and to alleviate the suffering of those in need. The author concludes that although there still remain possibilities to address the negative humanitarian consequences of sanctions, this requires strong political will on the part of the international community.

Abstract Assuming that higher education has a role in the professionalisation of humanitarianism, this article discusses humanitarian work as a subject in higher education. The Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA) joint master’s programme in International Humanitarian Action is used as a case study for understanding the challenges and potentials in teaching the subject. Teaching challenges are discussed in relation to three themes: interdisciplinary, work-integrated learning and intercultural competencies. These themes are an integrated part of the professionalisation of humanitarian work, since they concern how humanitarian action should be understood and implemented. The NOHA joint master’s programme incorporates a variety of approaches, such as student mobility and a range of courses, to strengthen the student’s education in each of these themes. The last part of the article discusses the future prospects of the programme in response to trends that affect higher education: online teaching and rapid technological change. It is argued that the NOHA network and the NOHA joint master’s programme are well positioned to navigate these trends and continue to be relevant for educating humanitarian professionals.

Since its launch in 2021, the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations (the Charter) has been signed by hundreds of humanitarian actors across the world, including local and national organizations, United Nations agencies, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and large international NGOs. The Charter's development grew out of a sector-wide recognition that humanitarians have a role to play in addressing the crises of climate change and environmental degradation, and that fulfilling this role would entail changing how they work. Two years into its existence, the Charter has helped build momentum towards this change and has provided a useful measurement tool for how much remains to be done. This paper traces the origins, inspiration and process of the Charter from the perspective of the present authors, who co-led the Charter's development. The article highlights some of the challenges that we faced and how these were addressed. In taking stock of progress towards the Charter's goals, the article flags areas where further effort is needed to adequately strengthen the humanitarian response to the climate and environmental crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narratives are a means of making sense of disasters and crises. The humanitarian sector communicates stories widely, encompassing representations of peoples and events. Such communications have been critiqued for misrepresenting and/or silencing the root causes of disasters and crises, depoliticising them. What has not been researched is how such communications represent disasters and crises in Indigenous settings. This is important because processes such as colonisation are often at the origin but are typically masked in communications. A narrative analysis of humanitarian communications is employed here to identify and characterise narratives in humanitarian communications involving Indigenous Peoples. Narratives differ based upon how the humanitarians who produce them think that disasters and crises should be governed. The paper concludes that humanitarian communications reflect more about the relationship between the international humanitarian community and its audience than reality, and underlines that narratives mask global processes that link audiences of humanitarian communications with Indigenous Peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is trust, and how is it established in humanitarian operations? Why do humanitarians consider trust a vital resource in their work? Building on the International Committee of the Red Cross' response to urban violence and the anthropological literature that conceives trust both as a modern social virtue and a technology of power, I examine the ways in which trust is enacted and practiced in humanitarian settings. While the organisation's legalistic logic has traditionally led to a conceptualisation of trust as the end result of a 'moral contract' rooted in the Geneva Conventions and operationalised through 'confidential dialogue' and face-to-face interactions, more recent concerns for accountability have surprisingly led to the establishment of technocratic procedures where trustworthiness is achieved through the emptying out of social relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review synthesizes the current state of literature on community-level child protection in LMICs. The aim of the review is to present available evidence and effective strategies that implementing agencies can use to support community-level structures, practices, resources and processes. Multiple database searches were conducted, using search terms to capture community-level approaches to child protection in LMICs. The search identified 1,549 unique published articles and 1,745 grey literature resources. After a screening process based on pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 38 published articles and 204 grey literature resources were analyzed. The review highlights (1) a practice-research gap related to community-level approaches generally and more specifically in humanitarian settings; (2) the important role of different socio-ecological levels when implementing community-level interventions; and (3) a number of recommended strategies that implementing agencies can adopt in their work, such as ensuring ownership at community level increasing the potential of sustainability of an approach; linking with existing processes and structures; being inclusive in the approach; and carefully negotiating possible tension between traditional mechanisms and rights-based frameworks. Further studies, with a focus on outcomes for children, families and communities, are needed to broaden the current evidence-base and research on the applicability and effectiveness of community-level approaches in humanitarian settings is recommended to steer implementation in the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assuming that higher education has a role in the professionalisation of humanitarianism, this article discusses humanitarian work as a subject in higher education. The Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA) joint master's programme in International Humanitarian Action is used as a case study for understanding the challenges and potentials in teaching the subject. Teaching challenges are discussed in relation to three themes: interdisciplinary, work-integrated learning and intercultural competencies. These themes are an integrated part of the professionalisation of humanitarian work, since they concern how humanitarian action should be understood and implemented. The NOHA joint master's programme incorporates a variety of approaches, such as student mobility and a range of courses, to strengthen the student's education in each of these themes. The last part of the article discusses the future prospects of the programme in response to trends that affect higher education: online teaching and rapid technological change. It is argued that the NOHA network and the NOHA joint master's programme are well positioned to navigate these trends and continue to be relevant for educating humanitarian professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanitarian action is commonly thought to involve two types of aid providers: international and local actors. But this tends to ignore a third humanitarian domain, namely transnational humanitarianism during conflicts, global epidemics and natural disasters by diaspora individuals and organisations. These transnational connections, which involve the mobility of people, goods and money, significantly change the context in which global humanitarian actors function and may have notable secondary effects on other aid providers. We contend that the significance of diaspora humanitarianism during natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic has still not been thoroughly explored in the academic literature and remains relatively 'invisible' in aid practices and policies. This article arises from an empirical study on the significance of diaspora in humanitarian action by analysing the impact of diaspora remittances and organisations that have emerged as an important potential for diasporas during humanitarian action. To examine the potential and role of the diaspora in humanitarian action, this article makes the case for the Indian diaspora's humanitarian potential and efforts, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy establishes the first-ever framework for the United Nations system to advance disability inclusion across all pillars of the Organization's work, including the peace and security pillar, and to measure the progress made across the system. Evidence reported since the launch of the Strategy in 2019 demonstrates that the Strategy has provided a clear impetus among United Nations entities and peace operations working in the sector to address the rights of persons with disabilities, who are among the most marginalized in any crisis-affected community. However, the evidence also reveals that while humanitarian entities have made progress since the launch of the Strategy, disability inclusion remains an emerging area of work for peace operations in the field. The article argues that the Strategy's accountability framework has provided a much-needed blueprint and ability to monitor progress across the system, yet far more needs to be done to ensure that the United Nations system is equipped to respond to complex situations and reach the furthest behind first. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental disorders have high prevalence for disability and almost 80% of the global burden occurs in low- and middle-income countries. The impacts of mental health conditions can affect many sectors of society and threaten peace, human rights and development. However, international law jurisprudence has not sufficiently developed to guide mental health governance. This paper reviews the international legal protections for people who experience mental health conditions, including mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities. It focuses on State application of legal instruments in particularly vulnerable contexts, namely, least developed countries and situations of armed conflict. It argues that relying on existing treaties and soft-law instruments from the health and human rights angles is inadequate, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is not the right fit. New hard- and soft-law instruments are urgently needed to meet positive obligations and safeguard rights in these vulnerable contexts. Some suggestions for the contents of future instruments are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the situation of persons with disabilities caught up in armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular in North Kivu Province. The study goes beyond the few statistics available – which show the vulnerability of persons with disabilities during humanitarian crises – to identify the obstacles to taking persons with disabilities into account in humanitarian action in North Kivu. As a result, the study provides practical recommendations to overcome these obstacles, fill in the gaps in humanitarian action and improve the situation of persons with disabilities by ensuring efficient and effective protection in times of armed conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disability inclusion has become a crucial issue for humanitarian action, at least at the international policy level. However, little is known about how humanitarian actors are "doing inclusion" in practice. With a case study on South Sudan, this article examines whether the increase in publications, policy tools and guidelines has made humanitarian action more inclusive for persons with disabilities, and how stakeholders can overcome persisting barriers for persons with disabilities. The article demonstrates noticeable progress in data collection, capacity-building, the removal of barriers and meaningful participation, but humanitarians still lack the skills, confidence and resources to address many persisting barriers. To advance inclusion, donors and humanitarian organizations must invest more time and resources in capacity-building and coordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenge faced by Somalia's newly established National Disability Agency (NDA), along with other emerging actors in the disability arena, is how to address the perception that disability is primarily a humanitarian issue in a country that not only is in conflict but also faces cyclical humanitarian crises. A further challenge for the NDA is how to ensure that the humanitarian architecture put in place facilitates non-discrimination, as well as the inclusion of and participation by persons with disabilities. While a typical humanitarian architecture can inadvertently reinforce an already stigmatizing charity or welfare approach towards persons with disabilities, Somalia's experience demonstrates that humanitarian actors can do a lot with leadership, a willingness to leave agency branding behind, and an active committed partner such as the NDA. Nevertheless, genuine inclusion in Somalia's overall State-building project needs also to be the remit of development, reconciliation and similar actors, with access to and participation of persons with disabilities guaranteed in their range of processes and frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Following the earthquake of August 2021 in Haiti, humanitarian agencies provided support to the local population. NATAN, a voluntary based non-governmental organization, had arrived in the field five days after the earthquake and provided medical support based on a mobile clinic in seven villages close to the epicenter of the earthquake. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on data collected from 331 persons of concern, as part of ‘good clinical practice’. They received basic treatment such as antibiotics and minor surgical interventions following a diagnosis. The main variables that were collected in this intervention included demographic data, main diagnoses, and main treatments. We also examined the distance from the earthquake epicenter (DfE) and its effects on the diagnoses and treatments. Results: Several interesting findings were observed. A significant association between the DfE and the diagnoses was found, where within the group closest to the epicenter, the most prevalent diagnosis was internal medicine problems (40.3%). Conclusions: It is possible that since five days had passed since the earthquake, the expected diagnoses of traumatic injuries were reduced, leaving sub-acute problems to be diagnosed and treated. Finally, mental health symptoms and stress levels should be assessed systematically and with validated measures.

Abstract The article spotlights the impediments of the localization agenda in the Rohingya response in Bangladesh through the notion of humanitarian space. The Rohingyas rely entirely on material aid and humanitarian services in the camps, mainly stemming from international actors committed to the localization agenda, which, however, has not been effectively implemented. Drawing on the definition of humanitarian space as an arena, we investigate the main negotiations within humanitarian space in the Rohingya response and how they impede the realization of the localization agenda. We conducted secondary data analysis on reports published by organizations involved and validated the findings with ten telephone interviews with organizations in Bangladesh. We identified three main negotiations. First, negotiation on the nature of the partnership between local and international humanitarian actors, including the debates on the definition of “local”; second, negotiation concerning the characteristics and appreciation of local capacity; and third, the negotiation related to constraints within the operating environment for humanitarian actors in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. We conclude that the lens of humanitarian space is necessary for further understanding the dynamics impeding localization in the Rohingya response in particular and humanitarian action in general.

In modern times, the papacy has consistently advocated peace, disarmament, and peaceful resolution of conflicts, limiting the scope of traditional just war theory, particularly in the era of weapons of mass destruction. However, no pope has gone as far as Pope Francis, who has stated that there is no such thing as just war and that "Only Peace is Just." This contribution examines how Francis expressed and developed his thought in the context of his humanitarian diplomacy and theological thinking during the first ten years of his pontificate. In the last part, I argue that the Ukraine war is a test for Pope Francis, who has repeatedly called for peace negotiations and condemned arms supply, while recognizing the moral right for Ukrainian self-defense. While this may seem contradictory, his policy shows Francis's deeper conviction that "war is always a defeat for humanity." More interested in peace-making and assisting victims than in doctrinal issues, Francis has not jettisoned the just war concept in theory, but has done so in his witness and actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts to shift the ways disasters have traditionally been managed away from authoritarian, top-down approaches toward more bottom-up and inclusive processes often involve incorporating viewpoints from marginalised and vulnerable groups. Recently as part of this process, there have been calls for greater inclusion of Indigenous peoples in disaster management. In theory, this also suggests a shift in power structures, towards recognising Indigenous peoples as experts in disaster management. However, in popular imagination and policy Indigenous peoples often appear to be caricatured and misrepresented, for instance through tropes of Indigenous peoples as custodians of the environment or especially vulnerable to environmental change. These framings matter because they can result in disaster management policies and practices that do not capture Indigenous peoples' complex realities. However, these framings have not been analysed in the context of disasters. In this article, we aim to better understand these framings through a critical discourse analysis of how Indigenous peoples in disasters are represented in the expert news media. We identify five discourses, including a dominant one of disasters as natural phenomena to be addressed through humanitarianism and technocratic interventions. Such discourses render Indigenous peoples helpless, depoliticize disasters and are justified by framing governments and NGOs as caring for Indigenous peoples. However, we also identify competing discourses that focus on systems of oppression and self-determination in disaster management. These discourse recognise disasters as political and include discussion of the role of colonialism in disaster creation. As care emerged as a means through which intervention was justified, we conclude by asking questions of who is cared for/about in disasters and how that care is performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AI predictive tools for migration management in the humanitarian field can significantly aid humanitarian actors in augmenting their decision-making capabilities and improving the lives and well-being of migrants. However, the use of AI predictive tools for migration management also poses several risks. Making humanitarian responses more effective using AI predictive tools cannot come at the expense of jeopardizing migrants' rights, needs, and interests. Against this backdrop, embedding AI ethical principles into AI predictive tools for migration management becomes paramount. AI ethical principles must be imbued in the design, development, and deployment stages of these AI predictive tools to mitigate risks. Current guidelines to apply AI ethical frameworks contain high-level ethical principles which are not sufficiently specified for achievement. For AI ethical principles to have real impact, they must be translated into low-level technical and organizational measures to be adopted by those designing and developing AI tools. The context-specificity of AI tools implies that different contexts raise different ethical challenges to be considered. Therefore, the problem of how to operationalize AI ethical principles in AI predictive tools for migration management in the humanitarian field remains unresolved. To this end, eight ethical requirements are presented, with their corresponding safeguards to be implemented at the design and development stages of AI predictive tools for humanitarian action, with the aim of operationalizing AI ethical principles and mitigating the inherent risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Entretextos (2007-1426) is the property of Promocion de la cultura y la educacion superior del Bajio, A.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Insāniyāt / Revue Algérienne d'Anthropologie et de Sciences Sociales is the property of Centre de Recherche en Anthropologie Sociale et Culturelle (CRASC) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Anticipatory action (AA) is a growing area of climate and disaster risk management that emphasizes the use of climate services and risk analyses to predict where crises might strike and enable action to prevent or mitigate impacts before disasters occur. Based on interviews with stakeholders involved in Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) AA programs in 18 countries, we identify common benefits and challenges associated with AA programs. We find that RCRC AA programs have built capacity within National Societies, leading to more proactive operations and expedited humanitarian response. Initial investments in AA can also develop key partnerships and facilitate later scaling-up by other organizations. AA can also overcome common challenges in climate services by providing a framework and decision-making and resources for early action. Despite these benefits, AA practitioners struggle with challenges common to climate services, development, and humanitarian aid, including local project ownership, capacity and infrastructure, integration with existing systems, data availability, forecast uncertainty, and monitoring and evaluation. Given these challenges, we reflect on how AA might be able to address challenges of ownership and capacity building and what donors can do to facilitate shifts toward longer-term capacity building.