Responding to the displaced in an unstable context
Political unrest and change are sweeping North Africa and the Middle East. Tunisia – a country still recovering from a recent revolution initiated by its youth – has significant flows of redundant migrant workers, resulting from the uprising and civil war in Libya. Faced with this complex emergency, the Tunisian authorities called for the support of Tunisian Red Crescent Society and the international community to assist in response to the needs. The International Federation deployed a FACT Team to assist the Tunisian Red Crescent in providing temporary shelter and essential services in Al Hayet, a newly installed transit camp.
This RedTalk will touch upon interrelated issues beyond this specific deployment: what makes an emergency 'complex?' How does it affect humanitarian action? Are there choices to be made that are typical for the response to any complex crisis? Are there special concerns and risks for the beneficiaries and the humanitarian actors? How protective is the Red Cross Red Crescent emblem? Is a crisis like this 'business as usual' or does it impose changes to our standard planning and implementation habits?
The talk aims to serve as a refresher of critical concepts which guide planners, managers and practitioners of sensitive operations responding to complex emergencies. Our speaker, Roger Bracke, Head of the Performance Development Department, will share key lessons from his role in the deployment and reflect on his experience of dealing with disasters and complex emergencies in many parts of the world over the course of 20 years.