International Aid Organizations Research Articles

Going local without localization: Power and humanitarian response in the Syrian war

International aid organizations and donors have committed to localize aid by empowering local actors to deliver and lead in humanitarian response. While international actors do often rely on local actors for aid delivery, their progress on shifting authority falls short. Scholars suggest that while localizing aid may be desirable, the organizational imperatives of international actors and aid’s colonial past and present make it difficult at best. Can localization efforts produce locally led humanitarian response? Adopting a power framework, we argue that localization reinforces and reproduces international power; through institutional processes, localization efforts by international actors allocate capacity to, and constitute local actors as, humanitarians that are more or less capable, funded, and involved in responding to crises in the latter’s own countries. This article interprets aid efforts during the Syria War. In this crucial case, we might expect localization to be “easy” due to the dependence of international actors on local actors because of security concerns and constraints on international access. We draw on fine-grained qualitative data collected through immersive observation and 250 interviews with Syrian and international aid workers in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as descriptive analysis of quantitative data. We reveal the ways Syrians were constituted as frontline responders, recipients of funds or trainings, risk-takers, gateways to access, and tokenistic representatives of the crisis. Our research shows that while the response seemed to “go local” by relying on the labor and risk-taking of Syrians to implement relief, it did not transfer authority to Syrian actors. Findings contribute to current debates in global development and humanitarian scholarship about who holds power within the global aid architecture.

“Faith-Sensitive” Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Pluralistic Settings: A Spiritual Care Perspective

Over the past two decades, in response to a growing awareness of the impacts of humanitarian crises on mental health and psychosocial well-being, leading UN agencies and international aid organisations have developed a comprehensive framework for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS). In more recent years, aid workers have further begun to consider religious life as a central factor in mental health and psychosocial well-being, viewing “faith” as an important, but often neglected, component of empowering and “locally appropriate” MHPSS. However, the attempt to deliver “faith-sensitive” MHPSS across the highly pluralistic settings of international humanitarian intervention has entailed protracted ethical and practical challenges. In this article, we argue that these challenges may be usefully understood in terms of three areas of concern: the lack of evidence on effective interventions; the risk of reproducing problematic power dynamics between MHPSS providers and receivers; and the challenge of articulating a cross-culturally relevant paradigm of “faith-sensitivity” comprehensible across a wide range of religiously diverse settings. This article contributes to these challenges by drawing on the field of professional spiritual care to suggest areas of potential contribution and interdisciplinary dialogue.

The right to housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living: issues of implementation amidst Ukraine’s housing stock destruction and solutions

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the right to housing, framing it as an essential component of the broader right to an adequate standard of living. Situated within the context of international human rights norms, the article scrutinizes how these global standards influence and shape Ukrainian legislation. It argues that national laws should aim not merely to provide a basic minimum but to ensure a dignified standard of living that encompasses the full range of capabilities necessary for individuals to function effectively in society.
 The study delves deeply into the multifaceted nature of the right to housing, examining its various components and dimensions. It highlights the acute challenges that Ukraine faces in implementing this right, particularly in light of the extensive damage to the country's housing stock due to Russian aggression. The article emphasizes the pressing need for a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to address the complex issue of restoring damaged housing and constructing new dwellings to replace those that have been destroyed.
 Furthermore, the article underscores the pivotal role that both the private sector and international aid organizations must play in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction efforts. It posits that solving the housing crisis is not an isolated endeavor but is intrinsically linked to broader social protection mechanisms, issues of population displacement, and the overall quality of life for Ukrainian citizens. The study suggests that a multi-stakeholder approach, involving governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and international partners, is crucial for addressing the intricate challenges posed by the housing crisis.
 In summary, this scholarly article offers a nuanced understanding of the right to housing within the Ukrainian context, influenced by international human rights standards. It advocates for a multi-dimensional and collaborative approach to tackle the housing crisis, emphasizing the interconnectedness of housing with broader social, economic, and ethical considerations. The study serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, scholars, and practitioners interested in understanding and addressing the complexities of housing rights in post-conflict settings like Ukraine.

Do Women Benefit from Women Education Aid? Evidence from Panel Data

Generally, the literature on aid focuses on the potential growth effects of aggregate aid. Due to the fact that donors have consistently asserted the multidimensionality of their purposes, it is necessary to conduct a much more disaggregated analysis of aid effectiveness. In this study, the effect of women education aid on 72 developing countries is examined empirically over the period 1990–2016. Using cross-country regression, this study examines the effectiveness of aid targeted at women’s education. Based on the fact that donors provide a large amount of women’s education aid to countries whose voting positions in the UN General Assembly are similar, this analysis exploits an instrumental variable. This study shows that women’s education aid has a significantly positive effect on women’s education. The results of this study are robust when different sensitivity checks are performed. The findings have significant policy implications for donor countries and international aid organizations, as they assist in identifying the most effective types of foreign aid flow to the various sectors of the recipient country’s economy.

Empty Threats and Aid Weaponization: Understanding the International Response to Yemen’s Humanitarian Crisis

ABSTRACT Since 2015, international aid organizations have delivered over $23 billion in assistance to alleviate Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. Complicating this effort, however, is the fact that aid organizations must coordinate aid delivery with the Houthis, the de facto authority ruling 70 percent of Yemen’s population. Rather than allowing aid organizations to operate without interference, the Houthis have restricted their operations and weaponized aid for political purposes. This comes despite aid organizations’ threats to withhold assistance from the Houthis. Why do the Houthis continue to weaponize aid despite pressure and condemnation from the very organizations upon which they depend for assistance? I argue that the structure of humanitarian relief efforts makes it difficult for aid organizations to credibly threaten to cut off assistance to the Houthis, and that these empty threats do little to deter Houthi bad behavior. In developing this argument, this article contributes both to our understanding of the politics of Yemen’s civil war, as well as to theoretical conversations about the relationship between rebel groups and international actors.

Towards more sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects in Magway Region, Myanmar

AbstractClean water and sanitation are essential for human development. Governments, international and national aid organizations have implemented water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects worldwide, notably in low- and middle-income countries. However, the majority of such projects experience failure. As a result, 2.4 billion people worldwide are deprived of improved WASH services. Research revealing how WASH projects can be sustained and which factors need to be considered is crucial. Despite the gap and its importance, existing studies on the sustainability assessment of WASH projects are limited. This study attempted to assess and compare the sustainability of WASH projects in Myanmar that used the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) approaches with the “Sustainability Check” developed by The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). This research also evaluated the extent to which WASH projects contributed to the Myanmar National WASH Strategy. The study results show that both CLTS and PHAST project operations fully met the sustainability standards regarding accessibility and intra-village equity. Other sustainability indicators, such as water quality, use of sanitation facilities, and handwashing facilities, were at or above 85% and had already met the 2025 national targets. In contrast, handwashing practices have reached the 2030 national targets. The findings revealed that technical factors, institutional factors (at the community level), social, financial, and sanitation factors contributed to WASH project sustainability. The results also highlight the need for strengthening collaboration with local government to ensure that communities receive post-implementation support from local authorities, to encourage community participation and foster sense of ownership, to empower community-based bodies for O&M and monitoring of water and sanitation facilities, to integrate appropriate behavioral change activities, and to align with the National WASH Strategy. This study would be beneficial for WASH practitioners to ensure the inclusion of factors that support sustainability in the execution of future WASH projects. Graphical abstract

COVID-19 and Migrant Coping Strategies: A Person in Environment Perspective on Experiences of Malawian Migrants Living in South Africa

International migrants, particularly those migrating between and among developing countries (South-South migration), continue to experience increased vulnerabilities as social services in host countries are inadequate. Using the Person in Environment (PiE) framework, the study explored coping strategies adopted by Malawian migrants living in South Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with Malawian migrants (n = 24), and key stakeholders (n = 5). Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically using NVivo12. Migrants expressed reliance on self-help attitudes by remaining focused on their goals and staying positive. Participants used social support through informal networks (family, friends, and neighbors) including Malawian migrant social groups. Migrants also expressed dependence on the church and international aid organizations for informational support and to leverage national-level resources. Most importantly, the Ubuntu cultural philosophy provided them with the strength to stick together and support one another in the face of adversaries. These findings underscored the need for national policies that support underserved populations with resources to build networks of communities of coping that can reduce the risk of health threats during pandemics. Further research, on the provision of social services, and with a more diverse population of South-South migrants living in South Africa, is needed.

The consequences of Sudan’s armed conflict on public health: a closer look at the devastating impact

The consequences of Sudan’s armed conflict on public health: a closer look at the devastating impact

A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF INTERNAL AUDIT REPORTS PUBLISHED BY THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP)

International aid organizations organize aid campaigns to reduce poverty in the world and support global economic growth. One of these organizations, the World Food Programme (WFP), aims to end the threat of hunger in the world. The aim of the study was to analyze the internal audit reports containing the countries in need and aid types that WFP, a leading international aid organization, focuses on, using the content analysis method. According to the results obtained in the study, Mozambique with 10 risks was the country with the highest number of risks among the countries in which internal audit was conducted by WFP in 2022, and the country with the lowest number of risks was Jordan with 4 risks. Another result of the study was that Haiti is the country with the highest number of high-risk observations. Apart from this, while no high risk was detected in the audits carried out in Guatemala, Iran, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Mauritania, it was another remarkable result that at least one high risk was detected in other countries.

‘The tears don’t give you funding’: data neocolonialism in development in the Global South

This paper examines the knowledge politics and cultures that shape data relations between international aid organisations and Global South public institutions, taking African libraries as an example. International organisations increasingly rely on data from the Global South, purportedly as a resource for development, which has raised valid concerns about the emergence of new practices of data colonialism. One proposed solution is to expand the capacity of Global South institutions to control their own data processes, so they can likewise control the politico-economic relationships that draw on their data. A pan-African library organisation representing 34 countries is exploring this possibility though a multiyear research project to increase library capacity to use data to partner with development aid organisations. However, this work revealed that data colonialism precedes practices of value extraction. In focus groups, a survey of library systems and interviews with aid organisations, aspects of the data cycle are epistemically framed by aid organisations to undercut Global South control, and subtle neocolonial mechanisms encourage libraries to shape their own data cultures according to desires of aid organisations. This underscores the need to expand data neocolonialism as a frame for confronting epistemic injustice by highlighting Western rationalities embedded in data relations.

Continuity and change: wartime housing politics in Ukraine

The article analyses the war-imbued housing crisis in Ukraine and emergency response to it in the first four months of the full scale Russian invasion as embedded in the wider context of Ukrainian housing politics. As in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe after 1989/91, the Ukrainian housing sphere has been shaped by mass giveaway privatisation, which created a super homeownership regime that is characterised by high expectations towards the state in the support of homeownership. Despite the mass destruction of the war and scale of the displacement, housing politics continues to be shaped by institutional inertia and attempts to resolve the current housing crisis with existing instruments and the support of homeownership. Such an ad-hoc policy approach leaves displaced households without coherent assistance in finding shelter. Only rather sporadic and insufficient options provided by communities at local level and international aid organisations are available. However, while lacking institutional and policy adjustment in the first months of war, the Ukrainian housing sector is changing. Growing importance of renting in the tenure structure and the pressing need to shelter those who lost access to homeownership as a result of war call for the development of a new, more comprehensive, housing strategy.

Humanitarian aid and local responses: the aftermath of the rebuilding effort on Tongoa island, Vanuatu.

Cyclone Pam swept through the archipelago of Vanuatu on 13-14 March 2015, with wind speeds exceeding those recorded anywhere in the South Pacific since the 1980s. Southern and central parts of the country were particularly affected. Material damage on Tongoa, one of the most afflicted islands, was extensive, but no deaths were reported. During the storm, villagers found shelter in their kitchen, in what is considered locally as a 'lifeboat'. The aftermath was managed and mitigated by international aid organisations. On Tongoa, this included a 'Shelter Cluster' programme, under which villagers were given house rebuilding kits. Elaborating upon extensive ethnographic investigations on site between 2011 and 2018, this paper explores and reveals the ways in which this aid generated confusion among the local population. In a larger context of regular disasters triggered by natural hazards, locals have found endogenous ways of dealing with such extreme climatic events, for the most part without any external assistance.

Foreign aid for rural development: village design and planning in post-independence Morocco

ABSTRACT During the late colonial era and after independence, international organizations engaged in donating foreign aid to Morocco. The United Nations' technical assistance initiatives engaged in ambitious schemes targeting the rural realm. Among them, the Lalla Mimouna community development project (1957–1965), the Projet Sebou (1963–1980), and the Programme d'habitat rural (1967–1972). All three projects were concerned about the physical rural environment, which is assessed in this article on a common scale: the village. Given that they each focus on the geographical area of the Gharb plain, these projects offer a cross-section over the entanglements between their supporting international organizations' policies and the disciplinary expertise of village planning and design. After providing an overview of the development agendas of the aforementioned UN bodies, we discuss each of the case studies on the basis of unpublished archival material. Then, we discuss the overlaps in the UN bodies' development ideologies in relation to the ideologies inherited from the colonial era, and their selective appropriation by Moroccan polities. Finally, we argue that whereas planning practices were highly sensitive to the shifting paradigms of international aid organizations, village design remained relatively autonomous. This raises questions concerning the capacity of the disciplines of planning and development studies to carry out their emancipatory missions.

Korean Buddhist International Aid Work: A Critical Comparison of the Join Together Society and the Global Community Association (Good Hands)

This paper critically scrutinizes the history and activities of South Korea’s two largest Buddhist international aid organizations, namely, the Join Together Society, founded in 1991 by Venerable Pomnyun, leader of Korea’s independent Jungto Society order of lay Buddhists, and the Global Community Association (Jiguchon Gongsaenghoe, Good Hands), founded by former Jogye Order president, Venerable Wolju (1935–2021). It examines the origins, organizations, and activities of both organizations, followed by a comparison of their similarities and differences, along with a discussion of their respective relationships to Korean Buddhist mainstream life and the advantages and disadvantages of each. They are significant, not only for the many benefits they have brought to their target communities abroad but also for what they represent to the Korean Buddhist community at home. As the Korean Buddhist establishment continues to grapple with a prolonged crisis of falling membership and loss of relevance within Korea’s increasingly agnostic society, the long-term sustainability of Korean Buddhist international efforts remains an open question. Nevertheless, the two organizations represent new visions for the modes of meaningful Buddhist praxis and engagement with the modern world that have a strong appeal to Korea’s younger, urbanized Buddhist laity. The further support and expansion of such activities by the Buddhist establishment might aid in reversing the current downward trends of belief.

Causality of geopolitical risk on food prices: Considering the Russo–Ukrainian conflict

As the Russo–Ukrainian conflict obstructs the vast wheat production of Ukraine, we investigate the relationship over crises between geopolitical risk and prices of essential food commodities. We use multiresolution analysis to identify patterns concealed by high noise levels inherent with commodity prices during crises. Our sample includes such important periods as Brexit, COVID-19, and the current Russo–Ukrainian conflict. Results evidence a one-way causal relationship, with geopolitical factors significantly affecting food prices. Scholars interested in global development, as well as policy makers and international aid organizations will be especially interested in understanding the sensitivity of food prices to geopolitical risk.

Assessment of Water-Migration-Gender Interconnections in Ethiopia

In recent years, water stress has affected Ethiopian people and communities through shrinking water availability/quantity, poor quality and/or inadequate service provision. Water stress is further exacerbated by the impact of extreme events such as droughts and floods. For people exposed to water crises–whether slow-onset water stress or extreme water-related scenarios-migration often emerges as an adaptation strategy. Yet, knowledge on the interlinkages between water stress and migration pathways remains limited and particularly blind on the gender aspects. This paper contributes to the emerging literature on the nexus between water stress, migration, and gender in settings where large numbers of people and population live in vulnerable conditions and are regularly exposed to water stress. Our analysis in Ethiopia adopts the three-dimensional water-migration framework outlined by the United Nations University in 2020 comprising water quantity, water quality, water extremes. In addition, it has been customized to include a fourth dimension, i.e., water governance. Adapting this framework allowed for an enhanced understanding of the complex interactions between water-related causalities and migration decision making faced by communities and populations, and the gendered differences operating within these settings. We adopted a qualitative research approach to investigate the influence of water stress-related dynamics on migration and gender disparities in Ethiopia with a specific focus on opportunities for migration as an adaptation strategy to deal with water stress. Moreover, our approach highlights how gender groups in the state, especially women and girls, are facilitated or left behind in this pathway. Based on the examination of available information and stakeholders' interactions, we noted that when having the chance to migrate to a more progressive region, women and girls can benefit from other opportunities and options for education and emancipation. While existing policy responses for water governance focus on durable solutions, including the creation of sustainable livelihoods, as well as the improvement of (access to) water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities and water infrastructure, they remained restricted on socioeconomic dimensions. Gendered aspects seem to be gaining attention but must be further strengthened in national and regional water management plans and public policies. This agenda would involve representation and consultation with different actors such as civil society and international (aid) organizations to support gender-sensitive investment for water management and for managing the spillover impacts of water crisis, including voluntary migration, and forced displacement. Taking note of selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 10 (reduced inequality), SDG 13 (climate action and peace) and SDG 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions), we have outlined recommendations and strategies while discussing the multiple narratives applying to the water-gender-migration nexus. The key points include a focus on long-term sustainable solutions, boosting stakeholder participation in decision making processes, facilitating cooperation at all political levels, and creating inclusive, gender-sensitive and integrated water frameworks comprising support for regulated migration pathways as an adaptation strategy to water and climate crises.

The politics of humanitarian aid

The global expansion of psychotherapy through humanitarian aid is a political act. International aid organizations assert power over resource-scarce countries, make critical decisions about who receives care, who provides care, and what modalities are delivered. Once embedded in a country, programs exert influence between international interests, local governance, and the targeted population. This study adds to the limited information on how the humanitarian aid phenomenon is experienced by the practitioners who must navigate these conflicts through a case study of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in Cambodia. As a non-Western nation with a colonial and autogenocidal history, Cambodia offers a unique perspective for those interested in the concerns and challenges of globalized psychotherapy. As found in this case study, EMDR as humanitarian aid and a mental health movement pushes traumatology while simultaneously necessitating the need for EMDR. Findings suggest that Cambodians working as psychologists become dependent upon and caught between competing aid organizations.

Working as a surgeon with Doctors without Borders

Als internationale medizinische Nothilfeorganisation steht Ärzte ohne Grenzen Menschen bei, die durch bewaffnete Konflikte, Naturkatastrophen oder Epidemien in Not geraten. Ein Chirurg teilt seine persönlichen Erfahrungen im internationalen Hilfseinsatz und ermöglicht so einen Einblick in die schönen wie auch herausfordernden Seiten der Projektarbeit.

The Impact of Post-War Transnational Consultants in Housing and Planning Development Narratives: The Case of Otto Koenigsberger

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the progressive dismantling of previous power-nations and the independence of many countries have contributed to new political, economic, and technical processes and highly mobile flows of people and ideas. Yet, research has overlooked knowledge channels outside of mainstream geopolitical frameworks. In particular, the role and power of international aid organizations, their development assistance programs, and the impact of the emergent new actor of this phenomenon—the consultant—in housing and planning narratives deserve to be examined. This article proposes to do so by exploring the historical contribution of Otto Koenigsberger (1908–1999) as part of the first generation of CIAM-UN experts. His view of “housing as a problem of numbers” engaged him on a lifelong pedagogical and transnational political project of decolonizing architectural education and the redefinition of both the profession and the professional. By emphasizing the importance of (a new) training, it raises questions on what sort of knowledge housing may require, by whom knowledge competencies may be conveyed, and how that knowledge should be instrumentalized. The article draws on extensive archival research, findings on the protagonists and institutions involved, and the author’s interviews with key players that shed light on evolving conceptualizations of “development,” built environment, educational programs, and knowledge production. Ultimately, examining the terminology underlying the expertise delivered through consultancy reports vis à vis the education and skills needs contributes to a better understanding of the foundations of housing as a problematized field of architectural education.

(Mis)communication? Social listening and the exclusion of marginalised voices

This article aims to contribute to the growing scholarship on the use of social media by humanitarian organisations in a crisis. Although social media’s role in times of crisis has been rigorously studied, much of this work looks at the distribution or collection of information by first-responders or relief organisations. However, there is a growing interest in the analysis of social media content to understand community perceptions and to guide public health and risk communication interventions. This article aims to explore some key limitations of data collected using Social Media Analytics (SMA) tools in fairly representing community-wide perceptions. Through a review of ‘social listening reports’ produced by UN bodies and international aid organisations, this article will explore whether these data deficiencies are fairly represented. This article concludes that while there are many well documented limitations in the use of social media discourse to holistically represent community perceptions, these limitations are not adequately discussed in the reporting produced from this data. Consequentially, users of this analysis cannot adequately weigh the quality of the data when using it to influence policy decisions.