Humanitarian Engineering : Innovative Approaches and Partnerships in Crisis Response

Tayler, Yolanda

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: reconstruction;    conflict;    fragile states;    infrastructure;    service delivery;   

RP-ID  :  108683

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The overall purpose was to identify howreconstruction of infrastructure and provision ofessentialservices could be more effective,especially in countries,such as Lebanon andJordan, facing a massive refugee crisisdriven by the war in Syria. The attention of theinternational community is increasingly focusedon maximizingeffectiveness in crisis response. That is underscored in thecommuniqué of therecent G7 summit in Japan, and in therecent UN World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, whichhighlighted the need for the humanitarian and developmentcommunities to collaborate inaddressing the special needs ofgrowing numbers of people facing long-term crisisconditions. TheCyprus workshop was thus verytimely,especially in identifying priority steps tooptimizethe critical role of procurement, onwhich the effectivenessof crisis response ultimately depends. The notion of“Humanitarian Engineering” and the InternationalHumanitarian Engineering Partnership (HEP) were key themesat the workshop. Humanitarian Engineering” hasbeen definedin terms of enhancing human and community welfare, includingin situations of chronic distress of large numbers of people(e.g.,emergencies and refugee crises) and encompassingresearch, design, manufacturing,construction and servicedelivery. HEP engages key stakeholders to develop innovativeapproaches and tools for moreeffective crisis response, inparticular in the procurement dimension. The critical needfor resources being developedby HEP was highlighted by a May2016 surveyconducted across regions. Practical informationabout effective crisisresponse procurement that HEP candisseminate was illustrated at the workshop. Traditionally,development organizations haveoperated outside the emergencycontext.However, with the rise in long-lasting crises, itiscritical to coordinate with local and regional stakeholderssuch as Non-governmental organization (NGOs), humanitarianagencies, and private sector, includingsmall and mediumenterprises (SMEs). The World Bank’s participation in HEPbuilds on its commitment to addressing the regionalcrisisincluding the MENA Financing Initiative to support refugees,host communities, and recovery and reconstruction.Partnering with stakeholders such as InternationalFederation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) in the HEPinitiative provides a strategic multiplier for the Bank’sefforts in crisis response. The dialogue at the workshopsuggests key takeaways for the way forward.