PADM 5345 International Public and NGO Management

10. Humanitarian assistance

24, 26 October 2023

The international public sector provides direct services to people in a number of areas. The most prominent is in the area of peace, security and humanitarian assistance. Here, by providing troops that can reduce conflict or secure public order, by providing basic public services to refugees and displaced persons and by assisting in emergency reconstruction, international organizations - both public and non-governmental - are like governments. However, management of these services takes place in a context that is quite different from those that a national government, or a national NGO, would face. This session explores those differences and the management implications that flow from them. It is divided into two sessions. The first dealt with the muscular peace and security aspects, the second will deal with humanitarian assistance. They are similar, but different.

Questions covered	Neutrality and openness as key characteristics Provision of services in a context where order is lacking. Finding the right people for the job Making contracting effective
Lecture	Humanitarian Assistance lecture
Required readings	Mathiason, Chapters 7-8 Medecins sans Frontieres, Yemen Medecins sans Frontieres, 2021 Financial Statement (in course canvas) United Nations, OCHA, Funding 2022. A description of what the office actaully intends. Also look at UNOCHA. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Global Report 2019. [Go to page and click on Instruction and then on Global Strategic Priorities] Browse other chapters. World Food Programme, Strategic Plan (2022-2025) . International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Learning from the Tsunami: Mid-Term Review, 2007
Recommended readings	Weiss and Wilkinson, Chapter 9 Barnett and Finnemore, Chapters 4-5 Browse the UNHCR site. Browse the WFP site.
Discussion questions	What are the two main causes of humanitarian crises"? How is the contradiction between the need for neutrality in humanitarian assistance and functioning of peacekeeping best resolved? When are NGO's better at humanitarian assistance and when are UN agencies?
On-line session recording	24, 26 October 2023 found in class Canvas.

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John R. Mathiason

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Revised: September 29, 2023 .