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From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

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FROM POVERTY TO POWERdisaster-driven international response <strong>to</strong> a more comprehensiveapproach <strong>to</strong> reducing risk and building human security. The HyogoFramework’s key message is that disaster reduction should be made acentral part of the overall development agenda. Only time will tellwhether Hyogo makes a real difference, or whether it merely adds <strong>to</strong>the shelves full of worthy but ultimately ineffectual internationaldeclarations. Much will depend on sustained international scrutinyand pressure for change.MAKING DISASTER RESPONSE ACCOUNTABLEPlacing more emphasis on ‘downward accountability’ <strong>to</strong> the beneficiariesof emergency relief drastically changes the way in which aidorganisations respond <strong>to</strong> an emergency. A culture of consultation andlistening, treating people as citizens and holders of rights rather thanmere recipients of charity, leads <strong>to</strong> better aid. When an earthquakestruck the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta in 2006, <strong>Oxfam</strong>’s initial consultationswith the residents came up with the surprising result that themost urgent need was for plastic sandals: Yogyakarta is a modern city,with lots of concrete and glass. People forced <strong>to</strong> flee their homes in anearthquake in the middle of the night often did so without their shoes,leaving them <strong>to</strong> wander streets strewn with broken glass. The teamfound a supplier and within hours was handing out flip-flops.By asking survivors of the 2004 tsunami in Aceh one simplequestion –‘Do you prefer/traditionally use squat latrines or pour flushlatrines?’ – <strong>Oxfam</strong> was able <strong>to</strong> get its response right from the outset.Unfortunately, others failed <strong>to</strong> ask and as a result built thousands ofunpopular squat latrines, which remain unused all over the island.Responsiveness and accountability must be joined in any rightsbasedapproach <strong>to</strong> emergencies. This requires a number of practicalmechanisms, including:• Ensuring the appropriate level of participation by affectedcommunities in all aspects of an aid agency’s response, frominitial assessment <strong>to</strong> final evaluation;• Providing information relevant <strong>to</strong> communities’ needs inorder that they may claim their rights under internationalhumanitarian law;254

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