The ability to monitor assistance, define humanitarian needs, and approach equity in the distribution of assistance has lagged behind the world's growing commitment to responding to humanitarian emergencies. This article highlights relevant data sources to elucidate elements of an operational definition of humanitarian need. New and refined measures are proposed to assist in assessing the level...

The human resources crisis in humanitarian health care parallels that seen in the broader area of health care. This crisis is exacerbated by the lack of resources in areas in which humanitarian action is needed--difficult environments that often are remote and insecure--and the requirement of specific skill sets is not routinely gained during traditional medical training. While there is ample d...

INTRODUCTION While the number of humanitarian health workers has grown considerably along with the emphasis on evidence-based humanitarian practice over the last 15 years, no organization exists to ensure ongoing professionalization of this area of expertise. HYPOTHESIS/PROBLEM To determine whether and to what degree the community of humanitarian health workers self-identify as a professional...

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to investigate the nature of the humanitarian aid supply chain and discuss the extent to which certain business supply chain concepts, particularly supply chain agility, are relevant to humanitarian aid. Design/methodology/approach – The paper identifies elements of good practice in conventional business supply chains and applies them to the humanitarian...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide future researchers with a framework for conducting research in the unique field of humanitarian logistics. Design/methodology/approach – The authors categorized humanitarian logistics research articles. Borrowing from the theory of constraints and management information systems literature, the authors developed a framework for research. Findings...

Objective: within the framework of the monthly meetings of the Regional Food Security and Nutrition Working Group for West Africa, it has been agreed that, in a humanitarian perspective, WFP and FAO provide the group with highlights on the food security situation of the previous month. This document describes key elements developed during this meeting. FOOD SECURITY AND HUMANITARIAN IMPLICATION...

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...

BACKGROUND Low retention of humanitarian workers poses constraints on humanitarian organisations' capacity to respond effectively to disasters. Research has focused on reasons for humanitarian workers leaving the sector, but little is known about the factors that can elucidate long-term commitment. OBJECTIVE To understand what motivates and supports experienced humanitarian health workers to ...

Humanitarian Policy Group Britain's leading independent Britain's leading independent Britain's leading independent Britain's leading independent Britain's leading independent think-tank think-tank think-tank think-tank think-tank on international development international development international development international development international development and humanitarian issues humanitar...