Recovery. In brief. Appeal No. MAA /04/2009. This report covers the period 01/01/2008 to 31/12/2008.

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1 Recovery Appeal No. MAA /04/2009 This report covers the period 01/01/2008 to 31/12/2008. Early recovery following Cyclone Nargis: Community-led cash-for-work irrigation repair project in Myanmar. International Federation In brief Programme purpose: To improve the capacity of the International Federation to design and deliver high quality post-disaster recovery programmes through: An increased human resource base to design, deliver, monitor and evaluate post-disaster recovery programming. Increased knowledge and skills to design and deliver high quality post-disaster communitybased recovery programming (including disaster risk reduction) among the International Federation s secretariat and National Society staff. Flexible aid delivery modes and mechanisms systematically introduced into major emergency response operations. Improved media management following major disasters. Increased knowledge sharing and application of recovery lessons learned. Increased coordination with other humanitarian actors in disaster recovery. Programme(s) summary: Throughout 2008, the International Federation s capacity for quality post-disaster recovery programming was built upon the back of major disaster operations in West and Southern Africa, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar and the Caribbean. These operations provided the opportunities to further develop recovery skills, strategies, tools and approaches, and yielded valuable lessons learned. A number of successful global and regional training and capacity-building activities were conducted, and have substantially increased knowledge sharing and coordination on key aspects of recovery programming (including cash transfer programming and livelihoods) within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. The development of recovery

2 surge team capacity has been enhanced through operations and training, and through linkages with Movement and non-movement partners particularly for detailed post-disaster recovery assessment. Case studies of good recovery programming practices and lessons learned have been documented from around the world, and guidelines for livelihoods programming in early recovery were developed for piloting in Financial situation: The total 2008 Disaster Recovery budget was CHF 758,342 (USD 722,230 or EUR 505,561, of which 71 per cent covered. Expenditure overall was 59 per cent. The underspending reflects delays in some human resource development activities (the shared Recovery Officer position with the British Red Cross Society), and delays in finalizing a number case study and guideline publications. Some savings against the budget have also been accrued through the employment of a staff-on-loan position in lieu of more costly consultancy contracts. Key disaster recovery training events throughout 2008 have also attracted substantial in-kind funding from Partner National Societies (including the British, Canadian and Swedish Red Cross Societies). Click here to go directly to the attached financial report. No. of people we help: International Federation s secretariat-supported disaster recovery programme interventions built the capacity of more than 250 Red Cross Red Crescent and partner staff and volunteers during the reporting period, and indirectly helped more than 500,000 people through early recovery activities under the International Federation s emergency response appeals. A similar number of Red Cross Red Crescent and partner staff and volunteers will receive training and support on early recovery programming in 2009, with a greater emphasis on capacity building and the training of trainers. The number of people indirectly benefiting from ongoing recovery operations is set to increase in 2009, as the large operations in China, Myanmar and the Horn of Africa extend their assistance. Our partners: The International Federation s secretariat-led recovery programme relies upon effective partnerships within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and with external partners to deliver many of its outcomes. Key multilateral partners include the United Nations (UN) system and the World Bank on assessment methodologies, and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as Oxfam and Save the Children, on cash transfer programming and post-emergency market mapping and analysis. Partnerships with the Swedish Rescue Services Agency and Lund University on recovery training were also initiated. During the reporting period, key National Society partners with strong collaboration on recovery programming included the British, the Canadian and the Spanish Red Cross Societies whilst National Societies in South and East Asia, in West and Southern Africa and the Caribbean, were the focus of capacity building. Context When a major disaster strikes, not only does it cause serious loss of life and property, it often takes away or threatens the livelihoods and future of those who have survived. For a large number of households, not only will their short-term economic and social vulnerability be increased, but their ability to cope with future shocks may also be eroded. The International Federation recognizes that large-scale natural disasters often require a commitment to longer-term recovery that extends beyond the provision of immediate food, shelter and medical assistance. Recovery programming seeks to help people recover or improve upon their pre-disaster living conditions, and strengthen and sustain the impact of relief activities. Recovery programming can also link relief activities to longer-term community support programmes in health and disaster management and link broader disaster response to the 2

3 development programmes of governments and humanitarian partners. Recovery programming allows us to address the underlying causes of vulnerability to disasters. Four major disasters were the focus of the recovery programme during The ongoing response to Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh was built around a recovery phase strategic framework the result of two days of participatory planning between the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, the International Federation and several Partner National Society partners. Large complex humanitarian disasters in Myanmar (Cyclone Nargis) and China (Sichuan earthquake) presented opportunities for early recovery perspectives to be included in assessment, appeal document development, and relief to recovery programming. The 2008 Caribbean hurricane season produced widespread destruction with a major relief to recovery operation in Haiti, providing further opportunity to collaborate with the UN and the World Bank on joint assessment activities, and with NGOs on an emergency market mapping exercise. A number of other small and medium-size disaster response operations utilized the services of recovery surge team members to enhance the quality of recovery programming approaches. As a reflection on growing awareness and changing mindsets about post-disaster recovery in the broader International Federation, many operations strengthened recovery analysis and action plans as part of programme proposals and requests for funding. There was also evidence of growing interest in, and acceptance of, cash and voucher transfer programming as complimentary or an alternative to, conventional commodities-based emergency assistance and recovery programming. Progress towards outcomes Outcome 1: Increased human resource base to design, deliver, monitor and evaluate postdisaster recovery programming. The human resource base for recovery personnel was substantially increased during 2008 through 10 key events for the training and capacity building of more than 250 Red Cross Red Crescent personnel. These were the Bangladesh Cyclone Sidr recovery strategic framework process (January), the Field Assessment and Coordination (FACT) trainings in Canada (January/February) and Italy (June), the FACT and Emergency Response Unit (ERU) team leader training in Finland (November), the strengthening livelihoods and economic development workshop in Madrid, Spain (April), the global relief training in Geneva (April), the Caribbean recovery workshop in Trinidad (April/May), the livelihoods guidelines development workshop in Sri Lanka (November), the Household Economic Security (HES) Module training in London (November) and the Federation Early Recovery Surge Team (FERST) training in Nepal (December). In addition, the International Federation collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to deliver the emergency recovery course for the Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SRSA) in Sweden (October) to train potential partners for deployment on recovery missions. The skills, competencies and experiences necessary to design post-disaster recovery programmes was further strengthened through on-the-job coaching and training to the Federation teams involved in the early assessment and coordination of the emergency responses to Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, and the Sichuan earthquake in China. Six key members of the surge team were deployed for short-term assignments in Ghana (floods), Mozambique (Cyclone Jokwe), Nepal (post floods livelihoods programme support), Myanmar (Cyclone Nargis), China (Sichuan earthquake) and Haiti (Hurricane Hanna) these assignments helped ensure that disaster response operations incorporated early recovery considerations into assessment, planning and programme implementation. The missions also 3

4 included awareness raising and training for National Society staff and volunteers in recovery programming. Links with the International Committee of the Red Cross s (ICRC) economic security department and with the British Red Cross Society HES module were strengthened through collaboration on tools development and training in By the end of 2008, there were approximately 60 trained early recovery personnel that the International Federation could call upon to join its response to major disasters. One of the key constraints to the deployment of recovery personnel has been the lack of personnel trained for deployment through the Federation global tools (FACT, RDRT and ERUs). This has started to be addressed in 2008 with the earmarking of positions for recovery personnel on FACT induction courses, and the review of opportunities for including recovery functions, skills and competencies in ERUs. The accreditation of the HES Module for deployment in recovery functions within or alongside the global tools proceeded well in the last quarter of 2008, and bodes well for developing similar such accreditation arrangements with some non-red Cross Red Crescent partners in A persistent and major constraint to the development of recovery human resource capacity has been the failure to fill the Asia Pacific Disaster Management Unit recovery position in 2008, and the absence of other recovery positions globally within zone organizational structures. Outcome 2: Increased knowledge and skills to design and deliver high quality post-disaster community-based recovery programming (including disaster risk reduction) among the International Federation s secretariat and National Society staff. As mentioned above, there have been numerous events and opportunities for conducting education sessions on recovery with the International Federation s secretariat personnel and National Societies during global and regional meetings and training programmes. Information on the draft post-disaster recovery policy and various recovery-related draft guidelines (media, cash programming, livelihoods, etc) recovery needs assessment, analysis and planning are well integrated within the training. Key zone, regional and country-level delegates, and staff and volunteers from more than 20 National Societies, were familiarized with the draft recovery policy and guidelines in 2008, and demonstrated how they can apply recovery principles to their work. Presentations on the International Federation s evolving disaster management strategy and disaster recovery mandate and functions, were discussed in the two disaster management working group meetings and two disaster management coordinators meetings in The provision of recovery technical assistance to major operations (in-country and from Geneva) directly increased the knowledge and skills of field personnel and volunteers to design and deliver high quality post-disaster community-based recovery programming (including disaster risk reduction). A process was initiated in the fourth quarter of 2008 to capture, consolidate and disseminate Red Cross Red Crescent global learning and good practices around livelihoods programming in an early recovery context. In November, the Swedish Red Cross Society supported a global livelihoods guidelines development workshop, hosted by the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society. 4

5 Some 15 National Societies participated in the workshop, and draft guidelines were produced in late 2008 these will be published in early 2009 for piloting during Training modules on recovery were developed in 2007, and elements of these have been incorporated into disaster management-related training programmes globally and regionally in 2008 however these require further refinement in 2009 before being disseminated as modular self-learning tools. Indicators for measuring the impact of training are not well integrated into the current curricula and post-training plans and will be strengthened throughout The quantification and qualification of recovery content in emergency appeals has also not been captured and will be reviewed in early 2009 to recreate a baseline and set more realistic indicators and targets for measuring the impact of the global recovery programme. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there has been a substantial increase and improvement the design of post-disaster recovery programming as reflected in emergency appeals and programme updates. Outcome 3: Flexible aid delivery modes and mechanisms systematically introduced into major emergency response operations. There has been steady progress in awareness and acceptance of cash and voucher transfer programming within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement over the past twelve months - with all major operations considering the option of cash in addition to commodities-based approaches to relief and early recovery. Whilst actual implementation of cash and voucherbased programming tends to remain within the context of longer-term recovery programming, there is an enhanced scope for piloting the use of cash and /or vouchers during relief, and some limited examples of cash being used to compliment non-food item (NFI) distributions under appeals and through the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). An awareness seminar was conducted for 30 staff (International Federation s secretariat and ICRC) in Geneva in March, and the secretariat is supporting two inter-agency cash transfer programming training events for around 50 people in Bangladesh (July) and Panama (August) this year. The International Federation also contributed lessons learnt and case studies to the revision of the inter-agency cash transfer programming in the emergencies training curricula. Cash transfer programming concepts were included as a session in recovery training events, and have reached over 100 Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers during the reporting period. The International Federation also lent support to inter-agency efforts to pilot a rapid market assessment tool (emergency market mapping and analysis EMMA) in Kenya (April) and in Haiti (September / October). The introduction of flexible aid delivery mechanisms into disaster response requires a greater investment in early quality assessments. A lack of awareness around early recovery assessment methods often means that inadequate human resources are allocated by operations teams and National Societies to participate in inter-agency assessments. Facilitating the inclusion and entry of a sufficient quantity of recovery personnel into, or alongside disaster operations team remains a challenge. 5

6 Cash and voucher transfer programming is growing well on the basis of the existing Red Cross Red Crescent Movement guidelines, and despite the lack of clear policy guidance or formal procedures. There is a need to clarify and document finance, logistics and legal concerns around the use of large-scale cash and voucher programming (particularly for Federation-led multilateral operations) and to develop some clear procedures. Outcome 4: Improved media management following major disasters. Post-disaster recovery communication tools and guidelines have been developed and tested, and are well integrated into recovery training materials. These were reviewed during the fourth quarter of 2008, with a view towards clarifying guidance around early recovery and more medium to longer-term recovery roles in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Finalizing the publication of the disaster recovery communication tools has been delayed due to delays in having the draft recovery policy approved. A clear and well-resourced dissemination strategy also needs to be developed in 2009 to incorporate not only the communications guidelines, but also the training modules and the various recovery case studies under development. The delayed appointment of the shared Recovery Officer position (with the British Red Cross Society) has meant that progress against this objective was delayed, and that some of the key deliverables have now slipped into the 2009 workplan. Outcome 5: Increased knowledge sharing and application of recovery lessons learned. Knowledge sharing on recovery was substantially increased in 2008 through the regular (quarterly) production of a recovery update newsletter and through the production of four recovery case studies (Yogyakarta earthquake, and the hurricane response in the Bahamas, Grenada and Jamaica). The Caribbean case studies were produced with a video resource Perspectives on Recovery to compliment the use of recovery case study materials in training forums. Recovery lessons learned were regularly included in emergency appeals and programme updates, and there was increased sharing of recovery tools and resources through a growing network of recovery practitioners. Establishing linkages between recovery personnel working on major operations in Bangladesh, Myanmar and China proved effective for knowledge sharing, and the application of lessons learned. The shared Recovery Officer position between the International Federation and the British Red Cross Society was only filled in October Much of the new shared officer position s time was devoted to organizing the major livelihoods workshop and recovery training events in the last quarter of The development and implementation of a recovery knowledge-sharing strategy was not achieved in 2008, and will be prioritized in early

7 Outcome 6: Increased coordination with other humanitarian actors in disaster recovery. The International Federation selectively engaged with UN inter-agency recovery coordination fora in 2008 focussing on participation in joint post-disaster needs assessments, and on partnerships with NGO alliances for cash transfer programming and market assessment. The International Federation and the ProVention consortium supported the inter-agency processes for strengthening the social component of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) post-disaster damage, and loss assessment methodology during the Bangladesh Cyclone Sidr response in January and the joint UNDP / World Bank / European Union (EU) post-disaster needs assessment in Haiti in September / October. The International Federation and the Myanmar Red Cross Society also supported the Post Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA) in June. The International Federation also engaged with the UN, governments, donors and NGO partners in the Early Recovery Policy and Practitioners Forum Space for Early Recovery in Copenhagen in September The International Federation remains a committed member of the Steering Committee for the International Recovery Platform, established under the Hyogo Framework for Action, working in close partnership with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). Given limited human resources, the International Federation has been very selective in its engagement with other humanitarian actors in disaster recovery. Strategically, the International Federation has invested in partnerships with organizations more experienced in early recovery programming, and where opportunities have presented themselves, collaborated on the development of recovery-related programming tools that will be beneficial to National Societies. Direct engagement with the UN Cluster Working Group on Early Recovery (CWGER) and the International Recovery Platform (IRP) has been minimal in 2008, but will be reviewed in early 2009, with a view towards more strategic engagement on Post Disaster Needs Assessment. Working in partnership The International Federation s secretariat-led recovery programme relies upon effective partnerships within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and with external partners to deliver many of its outcomes. Collaboration with the ICRC economic security department was strengthened throughout 2008 through cross representation on training courses, secondment of short-term technical assistance and cooperation on the development of tools and guidelines. In developing a Federation-wide approach to recovery assessment that is consistent with key multilateral partners, the International Federation s secretariat collaborated with UNDP, the World Bank and the ProVention consortium on joint multi-sectoral assessment approaches; and on ECLAC damage, needs and loss methods. National Societies were encouraged to engage with international NGOs/NGO partners active in the field for coordinating local recovery assessment, and the sharing of information with all stakeholders. Some key bilateral partnerships have been strengthened between the International Federation s secretariat and the British Red Cross Society on recovery tools development and livelihoods skills support to Federation global tools (FACT/ RDRT / ERU), and with the Spanish Red Cross Society on livelihoods and economic development approaches. The 7

8 Inter-Agency collaboration with Save the Children UK, Oxfam GB and the British Red Cross Society continued in the area of cash/voucher transfer programming, with several joint training events held throughout The International Federation also engaged with the International Rescue Committee, Oxfam GB and other NGO partners on the piloting of a rapid market assessment tool / emergency market mapping and analysis. The International Federation collaborated with UNDP to deliver the emergency recovery course for the Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SRSA) in Sweden (October) for training potential partners for deployment on recovery missions. This helped to extended and strengthen the established partnership between the International Federation and SRSA. Community-based approaches lie at the core of recovery programming, and some key examples of local partnerships with community-based organizations and NGOs were documented throughout 2008 for learning purposes. Some of these will be published as case studies in Contributing to longer-term impact The major post-disaster recovery assessments conducted in Bangladesh, China, Haiti and Myanmar in 2008 drew immediate attention to the need for integrated programming approaches to maximize Red Cross Red Crescent programme effectiveness and impact. A relief to recovery approach was adopted under a clear common disaster risk reduction objective. With a clear focus on longer-term impact, early recovery interventions seek to institutionalize quality and accountable approaches to assessment, analysis, participatory planning and design, monitoring, review, evaluation, exit planning and longitudinal impact studies. Recovery resource people also seek to champion the cause for cross-cutting issues such as gender equity, diversity, good environmental stewardship, and rights-based programming approaches. The recovery programming agenda also seeks to give priority to lessons-learnt events, the documentation and dissemination of case studies, programme review and evaluation, qualitative reporting, and encouraging cross-zonal/regional participation in learning events. Looking ahead Many of the achievements of 2008 are linked to ongoing recovery operations and can be expected to result in longer-term recovery programme impacts in 2009 and beyond. Building upon the work undertaken on detail assessment methodology and guidelines for livelihoods programming in early recovery will be priorities for In 2008, a substantial investment was made in training and developing the skills of experienced recovery personnel who can be deployed at short notice in a surge capacity. In 2009, the surge team will be further developed through improved personnel management systems, knowledge sharing, additional training and deployment. Further efforts will be made to harmonize the recovery surge capacity with existing global tools such as FACT, RDRT and ERU, increasingly drawing upon existing recovery expertise within Partner National Societies. Major disaster response operations will continue to provide the most useful opportunities for applying early recovery approaches, and promoting learning by doing for National Societies and response personnel. Expanding strategic partnerships with the UN system and the World Bank on post-disaster needs assessment is a priority for 2009, as is strengthening National Society engagement in 8

9 selective NGO consortia initiatives for cash-transfer programming and for market assessment and mapping. How we work The International Federation s activities are aligned with its Global Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's mission to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity". Global Agenda Goals: Reduce the numbers of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters. Reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies. Increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability. Reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity. Contact information For further information specifically related to this report, please contact: In Geneva: Simon Eccleshall, Senior Officer Recovery, Disaster Management department; simon.eccleshall@ifrc.org; phone ; and fax: