After a brief introduction to Humanitarian Demining we will review the basic principles of the electromagnetic detection of metallic objects, especially induction devices (“metal detectors”), and see how they are applied in Humanitarian Demining and Civil Engineering, with emphasis on visualization techniques. We will then report on tests of a commercial “imaging metal detector” aimed at trying...

The relief organizations work in volatile environments involving a variety of actors with different skills and knowledge. The service of emergency for victims of natural disasters requires a rapid decision-making. The objective of the approach presented in this paper is to develop a Systemic Process Model (SPM) for procurement decisions in humanitarian logistics. The SPM aims to support procure...

The author analyses the new international context in which humanitarian action is being undertaken. He raises the problem caused by the diverging objectives of impartial, neutral humanitarianism and politically motivated actions that implement strategies of prevention and conflict resolution. He reviews the criticism that humanitarian has come under in recent years and that has resulted in esta...

Since the end of the Cold War, states have increasingly come under pressure to intervene militarily and, in fact, have intervened militarily to protect citizens other than their own from humanitarian disasters. Recent efforts to enforce protected areas for Kurds and no-fly zones over Shiites in Iraq, efforts to alleviate starvation and establish some kind of political order in Somalia, the huge...

Fostering community resilience in the aftermath of a disaster constitutes a significant challenge and requires an adequate understanding of the community’s specific capabilities and vulnerabilities. We carried out a field study in Nepal as a multi-disciplinary research team that explored how the humanitarian response enabled community resilience after the devastating earthquakes. We explored th...

The scale, scope, and significance of humanitarian action have expanded significantly since the late 1980s. This article reflects on two ways in which humanitarianism has been transformed. First, its purpose has been politicized. Whereas once humanitarian actors attempted to insulate themselves from the world of politics, they now work closely with states and attempt to eliminate the root cause...

As disaster response becomes more complex, entities involved in humanitarian operations also increase in numbers and sophistication. Humanitarian actors are beginning to see the value that an efficient supply chain can bring. However, participating actors are faced with competition for funding and often do not cooperate with each other, which produces inefficient outcomes at the expenses of the...

Donors have expressed disappointment in the performance of humanitarian organizations in responding to recent unprecedented disasters. Efforts to restore confidence have focused in part on improving transparency, accountability and capability through implementation of supply chain management information systems. This paper explores issues of trust, control and confidence in partner cooperation ...

The World Health Organization estimates that the burden of surgical disease due to war, self-inflicted injuries, and road traffic incidents will rise dramatically by 2020. During the 2009 Harvard Humanitarian Initiative's Humanitarian Action Summit (HHI/HAS),members of the Burden of Surgical Disease Working Group met to review the state of surgical epidemiology, the unmet global surgical need, ...

Humanitarian aid in settings of conflict has always been fraught with challenges. In the absence of political engagement, however, manipulation by state authorities, however, have the potential to pervert aid intervention to inflict harm. South Sudan exemplifies how states may abuse the humanitarian response to retreat from public responsibility, divert funds to further violence and conflict an...