HAITI  

The use and abuse of humanitarian principle

DAKAR, 19 February 2013 (IRIN) - Following the 9/11 attacks and the launch of the Global War on Terror, many humanitarian policy wonks spoke of a new era of heightened aid instrumentalization - that is the use of humanitarian action or rhetoric as a tool to pursue political, security, development, economic, or other non-humanitarian goals, which would muddy humanitarian principles and constrain access to those in need. full report

Preparing for urban disasters - challenges and recommendations

 BANGKOK, 10 January 2013 (IRIN) - Electrical engineers and hazardous waste experts join emergency rosters. Power mapping becomes as important as hazard mapping in emergency prevention and response. #fragilecities shows up as often as #fragilestates in Twitter searches. Humanitarian science fiction? No, welcome to what demographers call the new urban millennium and the challenges, as well as changes, aid groups face responding to emergencies in urban areas. full report

Urban violence - new territory for aid workers

 DAKAR, 8 January 2013 (IRIN) - The gradual expansion by a small number of humanitarian agencies beyond their traditional remits of war and natural disaster towards tackling the consequences of large-scale criminal violence in urban settings raises questions about the legal framework and working methods of such interventions. full report

Urban water woes

 NEW YORK, 2 January 2013 (IRIN) - In Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare (population 3,000,000), a man relieves himself in the dirt next to his tin shack, holding his nose to ward off the stench of a nearby overflowing latrine. In Ramallah (population 300,000) in the occupied Palestinian territory a 14-year-old girl wakes with menstrual cramps - and skips class because her school lacks a washroom where she can clean herself in private. In Bangladesh’s mega-capital (population 12 million), a monsoon-season flash flood leaves thousands with cholera. full report

Analysis: The militarization of hospital beds

 NEW YORK, 20 December 2012 (IRIN) - Delivering health aid to hotspots including Haiti and Afghanistan has brought together - and at times pitted against one another - humanitarians and militaries in an uneasy but increasingly necessary union. full report

DISASTERS: Slow-onset disasters take toll

 DHAKA/BANGKOK, 7 December 2012 (IRIN) - In southwestern Bangladesh, recent large-scale water-logging - stagnant flood water that fails to recede - threatens agriculture and public health for years to come. It is a crisis in the making, highlighting the risks slow-onset natural disasters pose to poor countries, and how ill-prepared officials are to respond - even with ample early warning. full report

Analysis: When lack of early warning becomes manslaughter

 BANGKOK, 4 December 2012 (IRIN) - The recent conviction in Italy of seismologists on manslaughter charges, based on their failure to warn residents about a 2009 earthquake, could have serious repercussions for earthquake preparedness, experts say. full report

Analysis: Why dead body management matters

 BANGKOK, 31 October 2012 (IRIN) - Dead body management is a key element of disaster response: How corpses are dealt with can have a profound impact and long-lasting effect on the mental health of survivors and communities, say experts. full report

GLOBAL: Fighting for the rights of child soldiers

 NAIROBI, 17 January 2012 (IRIN) - At end-November 2011, Somalia and the Central African Republic became the latest countries to commit to end the use of child soldiers – a move seen as “encouraging” by the UN, albeit with the proviso that the situation in both countries remains volatile. full report

FILM: Heroes of HIV: The Prison Educator

 NAIROBI, 1 December 2011 (IRIN) - The latest chapter in our Heroes of HIV film series follows former prisoner Jean Julux Alusma as he works to increase awareness and understanding of HIV/AIDS among inmates of Haiti’s jails. full report

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