Set of institutional elements and capacities needed to generate and disseminate timely and meaningful warning information, to enhance anticipatory actions that enable individuals, communities and organizations threatened by a hazard to prepare and to act appropriately and in sufficient time to reduce the impact, save lives and protect livelihoods from the immediate shocks as well as protecting longer term development gains.[1]
Early Recovery (ER) is an approach that addresses recovery needs that arise during the humanitarian phase of an emergency; using humanitarian mechanisms that align with development principles. It enables people to use the benefits of humanitarian action to seize development opportunities, build resilience, and establish a sustainable process of recovery from crisis.
Early Recovery is both an approach to humanitarian response which, through enhanced coordination, focuses on strengthening resilience, re-building or strengthening capacity, and contributing to solving rather than exacerbating long standing problems which have contributed to a crisis; and also a set of specific programmatic actions to help people to move from dependence on humanitarian relief towards development.[2]
During and immediately after a crisis or a disaster, urgent action is required to save lives and livelihoods; e.g. food and water distribution, fodder for livestock, etc. But at the start of the humanitarian crisis or disaster, time critical interventions which lay the foundations for sustainable recovery and a speedy return to longer term development are also imperative and contribute to enhance resilience of people and their livelihoods.[3]
An Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA) analyses the impact of a crisis or a disaster on the food security of households and communities. An EFSA is conducted when a natural disaster, a conflict or an economic shock causes food insecurity due, for instance, to population displacements or damage and loss of livelihood assets. An assessment can be triggered by a sudden event such as an earthquake or a flood or by a slow onset crisis, for example a progressive deterioration of the economic situation. The EFSA can be in the form of an initial (6 to 10 days after the crisis), rapid (3 to 6 weeks after the crisis) or an in-depth (6 to 12 weeks) assessment.[4]
The Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) is the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and leads the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC). The ERC is responsible for the oversight of all emergencies requiring United Nations humanitarian assistance. In a country affected by a disaster or conflict, the ERC may appoint a Humanitarian Coordinator (HC). The ERC ensures IASC endorsement of the HC proposal for Cluster activation and Cluster lead appointments.[5]
Emergency Response Funds (ERFs) are country-based pooled funds that provide NGOs and UN agencies with rapid and flexible funding to respond to unforeseen, sudden-onset humanitarian emergencies.Humanitarian Coordinators (HCs) oversee the ERFs, while OCHA oversees the day-to-day management and financial administration.ERFs complement existing funding channels, such as Common Humanitarian Funds (CHFs) or the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). ERFs are not intended to provide core funding to projects in protracted crises, although some ERFs may provide funding to high-priority projects, or bridge funding in the consolidated humanitarian appeals on an exceptional basis. [6]
The primary aim of the Emergency Response Preparedness (ERP) approach is to optimise the speed and volume of critical assistance delivered immediately after the onset of a humanitarian emergency. The ERP outlines how the international humanitarian community can organize itself to support and complement national action. The ERP approach serves as a guide for preparing for all crises and disasters (both slow and sudden onset), other than refugee crises and is part of the Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC) and also reflects the IASC aim to deliver effective relief and protection to affected people by strengthening humanitarian leadership, streamlining coordination, and enhancing accountability.[7]
The situation of people, infrastructure, housing, production capacities and other tangible human assets located in hazard-prone areas.[8]
[1]http://www.fao.org/emergencies/fao-in-action/ewea/en/
[2]https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/clusters/early-recovery
[3]http://earlyrecovery.global/
[4]https://www.wfp.org/food-security/assessments/emergency-food-security-assessment
[5]https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/about-clusters/who-does-what
[6]https://www.unocha.org/sites/dms/Documents/ERF%20Overview%20Sept12%20final.pdf