Humanitarian Aid Research Articles

Female, Deserving, and European? The Changing EUropean Migration Discourse in the Face of the Russia–Ukraine War

AbstractThe initial response of the European Union (EU) to people fleeing Ukraine was unusually univocal and welcoming, culminating in the swift activation of the Temporary Protection Directive. This predominantly humanitarian response represents a special case and an outlier in terms of how the EU and its member states have responded to previous displacements. This paper explores the discursive construction that made this response possible, by looking at how forced migration from Ukraine has been characterised in the EUropean political discourses. Drawing on discourse theory and critical migration studies, we assume that the discourse is marked by differences drawn along the lines of “race,” “gender,” and “distance,” which are linked to ideas about national identity and European values. In order to reflect the multilevel European discourse, we reconstruct the political discourse on the EU level as well as in two diverse cases, Poland and Germany. Our findings suggest that despite national differences and the presence of well-established tropes of deservingness, the EUropean discourse is not only based on ideas surrounding vulnerability of the Ukrainian Other and the European Self but is also influenced by the perception of the threatening Russian Other. Especially in Poland, welcoming refugees from Ukraine is linked to security concerns, while the EU and German discourses stress the role of European values and solidarity. Thus, the acceptance of Ukrainian refugees should be seen as part of the overall European response to Russian aggression and not as a departure from its previous stance on migration.

“Het zijn onze armen”

Since its inception in 1824, the Western Cape Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) has played a key socio-economic role as provider of a range of poor relief strategies. However, the purpose of these charitable efforts was not solely rooted in theological principles. In the nineteenth and twentieth century South African context, poor relief work carried distinct political undertones, particularly surrounding the so-called “poor white problem”. A substantial body of literature has emerged surrounding “poor whites” and the political efforts employed to “save” them in the decades before the implementation of apartheid. While the Church’s poor relief schemes are often mentioned as significant in these studies, the Church’s poor relief systems and their development over time remain understudied. This article identifies and discusses five distinct phases of development of DRC poor relief strategies over the past two centuries (1824-1860s; c. 1860-1900s; 1910-1940; c. 1940-1980s; and 1990-present) and argues that these stages and the practical implementation of the Church’s poor relief efforts have been notably shaped by the contemporary socio-economic and socio-political zeitgeist in which it was embedded.

IKEA Foundation announces major funding commitment for Sudan humanitarian relief.

IKEA Foundation announces major funding commitment for Sudan humanitarian relief.

The unsustainability of humanitarian aid in internally displaced people (IDP) camps in Nigeria

The unsustainability of humanitarian aid in internally displaced people (IDP) camps in Nigeria

‘Homes for Ukraine’ and the politics of private humanitarian hospitality

Abstract Within weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, millions of people had fled to neighbouring countries and across Europe. People throughout Europe were mobilised into action, and from the outset, the response to the unfolding humanitarian emergency in Ukraine was a complex and often messy web of private and public initiatives. In this article, we focus on the unique British humanitarian response to the greatest movement of refugees in Europe since the Second World War, known as ‘Homes for Ukraine’ (HfU). We develop our argument in three steps. First, we situate HfU within existing scholarship on ‘everyday humanitarianism’ and private refugee hosting in Europe, locating these within longer histories of private humanitarian action. Secondly, we show how HfU shifts the humanitarian space into the private and domestic sphere, a move reliant on particular conceptions of the ‘home’ as a space of sanctuary and safety. Finally, we unpack the gendered and racialised conceptions of the home and humanitarian hospitality more broadly, and how HfU sits within and outside of the broader bordering practices of the United Kingdom’s refugee response.

Optimization of emergency material distribution routes in flood disaster with truck‐speedboat‐drone coordination

AbstractTo improve the effectiveness of flood disaster relief operations, by ensuring timely and accurate delivery of urgently needed supplies to affected areas, this study focuses on the problem of emergency material distribution during floods. With the objective of minimizing the overall delivery time of emergency materials, we propose a coordinated optimization model that integrates trucks, speedboats, and drones for effective distribution of emergency supplies in flood‐affected areas. To solve this optimization problem, we introduce an improved adaptive large neighborhood search (IALNS) algorithm, which builds on the traditional ALNS framework through refined tuning of deletion and insertion operators. Comparative analyses are conducted with a genetic algorithm, simulated annealing algorithm, and tabu search algorithm. The results reveal that the average performance gap of IALNS compared to these methods is 91.13%, 152.72%, and 16.92%, respectively. The experimental results demonstrate that the efficiency of the proposed model and algorithm in addressing the emergency supply distribution problem during flood disasters, highlighting the superior performance of IALNS. This research contributes to enhancing disaster response strategies, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for flood‐affected communities.

Construction of a Joint Newmark–Runout Model for Seismic Landslide Risk Identification: A Case Study in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau

The key to seismic landslide risk identification resides in the accurate evaluation of seismic landslide hazards. The traditional evaluation models for seismic landslide hazard seldom consider the landslide dynamic runout process, leading to an underestimation of seismic landslide hazard. Therefore, a joint Newmark–Runout model based on landslide dynamic runout is proposed. According to the evaluation results of static seismic landslide hazard, the landslide source points can be extracted, and the landslide dynamic runout process is simulated to obtain the dynamic seismic landslide hazard. Finally, the static and dynamic seismic landslide hazards are fused to obtain an optimized seismic landslide hazard. In September 2022, a strong Ms6.8 earthquake occurred in the eastern Tibetan Plateau, triggering thousands of landslides. Taking the 2022 Luding earthquake-induced landslide as a sample, the function relationship between seismic slope displacement and landslide occurrence probability is statistically modeled, which partly improves the traditional Newmark model. The optimized seismic landslide hazard evaluation of the Luding earthquake area is conducted, and then, the seismic landslide risk identification is completed by taking roads and buildings as hazard-affected bodies. The results show that the length of the roads facing very high and high seismic landslide risks are 3.36 km and 15.66 km, respectively, and the buildings on the Moxi platform near the epicenter are less vulnerable to seismic landslides. The research findings can furnish critical scientific and technological support for swift earthquake relief operations.

Experiences of Turkish nurses volunteering in the disaster zone following the 2023 Türkiye-Syria earthquake.

The study aimed to determine the experiences of Turkish nurses who volunteered in the disaster zone following the 2023 Türkiye-Syria earthquake. The earthquake devastated 11 cities in Türkiye, which required a comprehensive humanitarian response. Despite the crucial role of nurses in crisis management, limited research exists on their experiences in earthquake zones. Nurses experience difficulties in disaster areas, such as physical conditions, lack of disaster plans, and inadequate disaster training before being deployed to earthquake areas. This study used a qualitative research model and case study design. Data were collected through in-depth qualitative interviews. Nine participants who had worked in earthquake zones for at least 5 days were included in the study. The discussions were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically. The purposive sampling method was used, and the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines were followed. As a result, 4 themes, namely physical conditions, psychosocial conditions, professional conditions, and organization, and their 14 subthemes were determined. This study revealed that nurses encountered difficulties related to physical conditions in earthquake zones. Moreover, the emotional burden expressed by the nurses highlighted the profound psychological impact of disaster response. This study determines that disaster preparedness and support for nurses should be enhanced to improve the arrangement of health services in future calamities. The results of this study can be used by nurse managers and healthcare policymakers to create nursing training programs that focus on disaster-related competencies.

The flow of humanitarian aids is the urgency to address food security and health safety in the Gaza Strip: an open call

The flow of humanitarian aids is the urgency to address food security and health safety in the Gaza Strip: an open call

Непряма благотворительная помощь американских и российских организаций и частных лиц в пользу России в годы Первой мировой войны

In the article has been attempted to consider the history of distant relief from the American and Russian organizations and individuals in favor of Russian disadvantaged children and orphans, sick and wounded Russian soldiers during the World War I. At the moment, in the Russian and American historiography, humanitarian cooperation between Russia and the United States is presented very fragmentally and haphazardly, and this topic has not received the deserved attention of researchers at all. Consequently, the author has identified the following purpose of this article – to summarize and expand the available material about the American and Russian relief and humanitarian assistance, to identify the features, forms and instruments of its activities, as well as to draw a general conclusion about the scale and benefits of the aforementioned assistance to Russia during the European war. The article was written on the basis of materials from the American and Russian periodicals, published documents and archive sources stored in the funds of The Russian State Historical Archive, the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Archive of the Navy. As a result, the author concluded that this assistance was of a national coverage and was expressed by both temporary and permanent American relief organizations. Russian organizations, which were under the auspices of Russian diplomatic authorities in the United States, set goal to collect funds through various entertainment events. Nevertheless, these donations took a small part in solving the problem of shortage of sanitary property. In general, both sides engaged in charitable activities not only out of a sense of compassion and a sincere desire to provide all possible assistance, but also within the framework of public diplomacy aimed at creating a favorable image of their country and stimulating friendly relations between Russia and the United States.

Violations Committed by Israel in Armed Conflicts Under International Humanitarian Law

Introductioan: War has various aims and objectives, including under the pretext of self-defense to defend life, family, honor or to defend one's nation, to ideological issues. The wars that occur also often violate international humanitarian law. One of them is between Israel and Hamas.Purposes of the Research: To find out violations of international humanitarian law committed by IsraelMethods of the Research: This research uses an normative juridical research method. Normative Juridical Research is research on Norms, Principles, Rules and Principles based on statutory regulations related to the problem being studied. The approaches used are the statutory approach, the conceptual approach, and case aprroach.Results of the Research: The results of the research show that according to international humanitarian law, violations committed by Israel in armed conflict involve actions that violate the principles of protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. Humanitarian law, as set out in the Geneva Conventions, prohibits attacks on non-combatants and requires protection of vital facilities such as hospitals and schools, as well as access to humanitarian aid.

Первая мировая. Екатеринбургский комитет Красного Креста в тылу и на фронте

On May 16, 2024, the Sverdlovsk regional branch of the Russian Red Cross turned 147 years old, whose main goal has always been to prevent and alleviate the suffering of people in various situations, both at the front and in the rear, selflessly and sparing no effort in responding to any challenges of the time. This publication presents materials revealing the activities of the Yekaterinburg Committee of the Russian Red Cross Society during the First World War (1914–1918). During the war, both at the front and in the rear, the Yekaterinburg Committee of the Red Cross held many events to assist various groups of the population affected by the hostilities: opening hospitals for the wounded, raising funds for their maintenance, providing humanitarian assistance to families of soldiers and forced refugees. One of the most important directions in the work of the Yekaterinburg Committee of the Red Cross was the mass training of nurses.Ural medical workers, who were members of the Russian Red Cross Society, went to the front, among whom were German Sokratovich Myshkin, Claudia Andreevna Myshkina-Beloborodova, Vasily Konstantinovich Shamarin, Valentina Nikolaevna Diomidovskaya, Dmitry Vasilyevich Hirin and others. Of particular interest is the work of the Ural doctor K. A. Beloborodova in the floating typhoid hospital of the Russian Red Cross "Petrograd".

When Liberalism Fails: An Examination of U.S. Governmental Responses to Refugee Crisis

This paper examines the responses of the United States (U.S.) to the refugee crises of Syria and Venezuela respectively and compares how the immigration policies have hindered effective humanitarian settlement. While the paper takes into consideration the differences in political climates that have led to dissimilar responses among the two governments in the early stages, the study examines the consistent mismatch between the humanitarian claims and the restrictive policies enacted, highlighting their negative impact on both the population of displaced persons and the resolution of the crisis-at-large. The paper argues that the incoherency between claims and actual deeds as well as conflicts between levels of governance have rendered humanitarian responses ineffectual and even detrimental to the humanitarian conditions for the refugees. Furthermore, the paper critiques the preferential attitude held towards humanitarian aid and reveals how in both cases, such aid has crafted self-perpetuating cycles of marginalization, exploitation, and violence.

Disability-Related Risks Among Women and Girls Who Are Forcibly Displaced from Venezuela

Our study aimed to explore the lived experiences of Venezuelan refugee/migrant women and girls with disabilities to guide humanitarian assistance. The data analysed was part of a larger cross-sectional study whereby refugees and migrants in Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil were asked to share the migration experiences of a Venezuelan woman or girl. The sample for this analysis was drawn from one of the survey questions that asked participants whether the woman/girl in the narrative identified as a person with a disability. Thematic analysis using inductive coding was performed. A total of 126 narratives were included in the final analysis, of which four major themes were identified. Venezuelan refugees and migrants with disabilities described experiences of discrimination, violence, and physical challenges, such as exacerbation of symptoms while in transit. In host countries, refugees and migrants experienced a lack of disability-related accommodations in the workplace and long wait times when trying to obtain healthcare. Since discrimination is a cross-cutting issue, human rights awareness highlighting the dignity of persons with disabilities is imperative. Resources and support for Venezuelan refugee and migrant women and girls with disabilities should aim to create accessible employment opportunities, safe and timely access to medical care, and prioritise violence prevention.

Linking Social Protection and Humanitarian Systems to Respond to Forced Displacement

With displacement occurring at record levels and often on a protracted basis, there is increasing interest in the potential to link humanitarian displacement responses with social protection systems. This article discusses how social protection and humanitarian systems can work together to meet the needs of displacement-affected populations, based on the findings of a three-year research project that drew on global literature alongside mixed-methods data collected in 2021 in Cameroon, Colombia, and Greece. The article discusses five lessons: (1) displaced populations’ distinct needs and implications for social protection design and delivery; (2) inadequate social protection for host communities and implications for social cohesion; (3) the priority basis for evaluating linkage approaches; (4) the need for sustained international financing; and (5) the general importance of greater transparency and collaboration. It concludes with recommendations for further research to build the nascent evidence base on this topic.

How effective crowdsourced data during crisis emergency? A case of the 2018 Palu-Donggala earthquake

In disaster situations, updated geographic data is crucial for disaster relief efforts. OpenStreetMap (OSM) has demonstrated significant value in disaster response scenarios due to its capacity for rapid data collection and dissemination, since the 2010 Haiti earthquake. This study investigates the quality of OSM data during the 2018 Palu-Donggala earthquake, focusing on how contributor expertise affects data reliability and how effectively OSM data supports decision-making in emergencies. The research highlights the critical role of OSM in providing timely geospatial information, with 205 contributors mapping roads and buildings in Palu City and Donggala Regency within just three days of the earthquake. Our findings show that while road data exhibited substantial topological errors—7,085 errors primarily due to overshoots—building data had considerably fewer errors, with only 76 recorded. This disparity suggests that OSM data for buildings was of higher quality during the crisis. The preference of eight out of nine mapper types for building data over road data further underscores the value of OSM in emergencies, as experienced mappers tended to focus on features that were less error-prone. The study also evaluates contributor behavior, revealing that while a significant portion of contributors were inactive, a majority of experienced contributors remained engaged. This finding indicates the potential for inactive expert mappers to return and contribute in future crises. Additionally, the study assesses the rapid collection of data by OSM and its impact on decision-making. The National Disaster Management Agency of Indonesia (BNPB) and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) effectively utilized the data to provide updates on fatalities, injuries, and displacement, facilitating a swift and equitable distribution of aid.

THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY: MAIN DIRECTIONS, PROBLEMS AND SOME LESSONS OF WESTERN SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE

Despite the heroic resistance of Ukrainians, in particular the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the current Russian-Ukrainian war, without effective assistance, especially military, from the Western democratic world, Ukraine would hardly have withstood the Russian aggressor's more than two-year-long large-scale armed invasion and would have been able to preserve national statehood and the Ukrainian nation from genocide and destruction in the event of a protracted war of attrition. For such a war, Ukraine will need at least $150 billion a year, which can only be provided by its Western partners. And the World Bank estimates that over the next 10 years, about $500 billion will be needed to rebuild Ukraine's war-torn infrastructure, which is more than Ukraine's GDP, so without investment and financial assistance from our partners, we will not be able to find these resources in the country either. The purpose of the article is to systematise the huge amount of information available in accessible/open sources about the central, fateful event of modern international relations - Russia's war against Ukraine and the international community's attitude to it, in particular, to highlight the main directions, problems and some preliminary lessons of Western support for Ukraine in its resistance to Russian aggression, which can already be outlined in the third year of the large-scale war. Russia's unprovoked and brutal large-scale armed attack on Ukraine in February 2022 left no choice but to recognise this aggression as an attack on European and Euro-Atlantic democratic values and the fundamental principles on which the United Nations is built. This was a manifestation of the next stage of Russia's global hybrid war against the West. Unprecedented international support for Ukraine and powerful pressure on the aggressor country - Russia - is manifested in active political, financial, military, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine from EU and NATO member states and other countries. In total, more than 50 countries provide such assistance to Ukraine during the war. However, our Western partners do not yet have a common strategic plan for the Russian-Ukrainian war and its victorious conclusion, and in the third year of the war, they are increasingly talking about different options for peace talks with the aggressor, so Ukraine must develop its own grand strategy, which should be based on the fact that war and peace coexist and that Russia poses a long-term threat to it and the entire democratic world.

The Political Economy of Shock-Responsive Social Protection: Analysis from Malawi

Using social assistance systems to address acute needs arising from wide-scale shocks – commonly known as ‘shock-responsive social protection’ (SRSP) – raises significant political economy questions. Previously, acute needs caused by disasters across sub-Saharan Africa have primarily been met by humanitarian actors alone. SRSP disrupts the status quo by reducing humanitarian actors’ access to and control over humanitarian funding. This raises significant political questions; likewise, the introduction by SRSP of greater accountability and transparency into the implementation of humanitarian responses. This article addresses a current gap in the literature: the politics of SRSP. Referencing the concept of political settlements, the article asks what explains the evolution of SRSP in Malawi by examining the actions of domestic and international actors. It finds that there is scant evidence of national ownership of SRSP and that lack of consensus among international actors is a key obstacle to the concept becoming embedded within the political settlement.

Who are the Palestinian Children Against Which Israel Has Launched a Genocide?

In this essay, Heidi Morrison's goal is to bring much needed attention to the Palestinians children of Gaza who are the object of a genocide, despite the International Court of Justice declaring in 2024 that Israel should take steps to prevent genocide. Morrison makes three points. First, the reigning narrative on Palestinian children dehumanizes them, fueling the war on Palestinian children. Second, while humanitarian aid is much needed, it is not the long-term solution for Palestinian children’s trauma, which is caused by a structural and ongoing process of settler colonialism. Third, Palestinian children know and express resistance daily, despite their lack of formal citizenship.

The Impact of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict on Global Economic Stability and Political Security

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has emerged as a significant geopolitical tension, with far-reaching implications for global stability and security. This paper intends to study the impact of the war on the worlds and regional economic development and political stability, and achieve some findings that may trigger further policy considerations in mitigating challenges and issues imposed by the war. Through literature reviews and comparison analysis, the findings reveal economic, political, and security consequences of the conflict. The disruption of trade flows, economic sanctions, and uncertainty have impacted both Russia and Ukraine, as well as the wider region and the world. Energy security concerns and shifts in military alliances have added to the complexity of the conflict. The expansion of NATO and increased rivalries between Russia and Western countries have further heightened tensions. Based on the findings, the paper concludes that the Russia-Ukraine conflict poses a significant threat to global economic stability and political security. It emphasizes the need for a multilateral approach to address the conflict and promote peace and stability in the region. Ceasefire agreements, humanitarian assistance, and reconstruction efforts are crucial steps towards long-term peace and development. The paper highlights the importance of prioritizing diplomatic solutions over short-term gains from the conflict. In summary, this paper intends to explore the implications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on global stability and security, with findings that underscore the need for international cooperation and concerted efforts to mitigate the consequences of the conflict and foster a peaceful resolution.