During project implementation in protracted crises, make use of local capacities, increasing the accountability of the response and rooting it in the local context. Local networks active over the long timespan of a protracted crises have had sufficient time to specialize in specific areas and possess valuable local knowledge and… Read More
Include an assessment of the state of the environment when updating the overall humanitarian needs assessment. Natural resource depletion and environmental degradation are drivers of subsequent disaster risk, can severely add to the vulnerability of affected people, increase the overall complexity of crisis and complicate recovery efforts. To assess environmental… Read More
In multi-year, protracted crises, a lack of funding and resource mobilization can create substantial barriers for project implementation. Underfunding of relief operations is an ongoing issue, especially when the attention of donors, after a sudden spike in events and media coverage, decreases. Such issues are directly affecting environmental programming in… Read More
Key environmental issues linked to camp coordination and camp management Read More
Including environmental concerns in the planning of the response to a protracted crises is critical to addressing these concerns through clear and specific actions. In most cases, protracted crisis involves conflict and often fragile socio-economic and governance conditions. In many UN-led responses, a Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is developed based… Read More
Including environmental concerns in response plans advances environmental mainstreaming throughout the humanitarian operations through clear and specific actions. Due to the nature of sudden-onset emergencies, not all relief activities can always be based on detailed pre-disaster information. Know the planning context within which you operate. Within the UN system, the… Read More
Planned or operational humanitarian programmes, projects and activities should be screened for their environmental impacts and risks. The NEAT+ screening tool can be used for environmental screening of projects [link to NEAT+ resource] If activities with negative environmental impacts are underway or planned three actions should be considered: Postpone or… Read More
Include environmental assessments as an integral component of the disaster assessment phase. Conduct an environmental assessment as soon as possible after the disaster even if the environmental consequences do not seem obvious. Make use of cluster and/or sector meetings to collect and share information, to raise awareness for cluster-specific environmental… Read More
Conduct an environmental assessment to establish the key impacts of the disaster on the environment, using tools like the Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment (REA), Flash Environmental Assessment Tool (FEAT), the New Environmental Assessment tool (NEAT+), Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), or full-scale Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) depending on the context,… Read More
Funding requests for environmental activities in sudden onset disasters must be linked to broader programming goals and strive to save and sustain lives. All requests should focus on these overarching objectives in order to justify environmental spending, and will also have a higher chance of securing funding. Environmental activities should… Read More
Environmental Situation Analysis, Preparedness
The purpose of the mission was to highlight key areas of environmental risk in UNHCR's programming in the CAI and neighbouring Chichituy host community while applying and promoting the Nexus Environmental Assessment Tool (NEAT+). Read More
The Brookings Bern Project on Internal Displacement paper discusses differences and similarities in the protection of people affected by natural disasters and by conflict, delineates some of the obstacles to effective protection, and describes a framework for protection response, the Inter Agency Standing Committee's Operational Guidelines on Human Rights in Natural Disasters. Read More
A rapid environmental screening tool for humanitarian contexts, which allows humanitarian actors to quickly identify issues of environmental concern before designing longer term emergency or recovery interventions. Read More
Besides the tools and resources listed in the previous chapter, the following tools can also help you identify environmental risks related to disaster waste: The Flash Environmental Assessment Tool (FEAT) 2.0 The Rapid Environmental Assessment Tool (REA) The Nexus Environmental Assessment Tool (NEAT+) Hazard Identification Tool… Read More
The thesis of this report, is that refugees inevitably place strain on natural resources and ecosystems. The core humanitarian sectors of water and health depend upon healthy, functioning ecosystems, they argue. And taking measures, such as catchment-based planning for water, as early as possible can make a vast difference to the well-being of populations. Read More
The Bidibidi Refugee Settlement is located in the West Nile Area of Uganda, and is home to over 270,000 South Sudanese refugees -- the second largest refugee settlement in the world. Read More
This report presents the results of an environmental scoping mission using the Nexus Environmental Assessment Tool (NEAT+) Hpa An Township, Kayin State in Southeast Myanmar. Read More