1. Issues in Humanitarian Response in
Asia Pacific
Rebecca Barber
Humanitarian Policy Advisor
Save the Children

2. Outline
• Disaster Risk in Asia
Pacific
• Regional trends
• Requests for
international
assistance
• Case Studies: Thailand and Cambodia 2011
flood response; Philippines

3. Disaster risk in Asia Pacific
• The most disaster-prone region in the world.
• Greatest number of disasters: 45% of all
reported disasters between 1980-2009.
• Greatest number affected: Over the past
decade, accounted for 90% of people affected
annually by natural disasters globally
• Numbers increasing due to climate change

4. Regional Trends
• Economic growth
• But ↑ in economic & human disaster risk
exposure, outpacing economic growth.
• ↑ in national disaster management capacities
• But ↑ capacity not keeping pace with ↑ risk;
still a need for international assistance.
• Shift in regional attitudes: assertion of national
disaster management capacities; few formal
requests for international assistance

5. UN GA Res 46/182 on the Strengthening of the
Coordination of the Humanitarian Emergency
Assistance of the UN
“Humanitarian assistance should be provided
with the consent of the affected country and in
principle on the basis of an appeal by the
affected country.
…
The UN… should ensure the … delivery of relief
assistance in full respect of the above
mentioned principles…”

6. Thailand/Cambodia Floods 2011
• Assistance welcomed but not requested
• But this didn’t amount to an ‘appeal’ as
understood by Res 46/182:
“The Thai Government said that they
welcome assistance but many agencies do not
work that way.’
• Gave rise to frustration:
“There was a sense that our hands were tied,
that we could only do so much.”

7. Thailand/Cambodia Floods 2011
Thailand
•Informal activation of the HCT (‘purposefully
adopted a low-key approach’) and clusters.
•Useful, slow to get started.
Cambodia
•International actors looked to NCDM to take the
lead - NCDM declined due in part to absence of
formal appeal for assistance.
•Financing affected

8. Philippines: Tropical Storm Washi and
Typhoon Bopha
• Formal acceptance
of international
assistance
• Activation of HCT
and clusters
• Appeals launched
• Generally regarded as a well-coordinated
response with strong government leadership

9. What distinguishes the
Philippines?
• Humanitarian
infrastructure
already there, no
need to consider
‘trigger’ for
activation
• No issue made of the lack of an ‘appeal’
• National government familiarity and ownership
of the international humanitarian architecture

10. In summary:
• Disaster management capacities in Asia ↑, but so
is disaster risk; still a place for international
assistance
• Key components of the humanitarian system out
of date: assume a generalised appeal for
assistance, and that international actors will take
the lead
• Need for ‘localisation’ of the humanitarian toolkit
by recognising national government capacities
and leadership - Philippines a positive example

11. rebecca.barber@savethechildren.org.au