DOMESTIC HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

                                                               BANGLADESH REPORT 2010

Name of Author:

Published by: Research & Publication Cell, Shushilan, Plot-G3, KDA Jalil Sarony, Mujgunni R/A, Boyra, Khulna, Bangladesh.

ISBN: 978-984-33-2057-5                                                                                              

Executive Summary:

Individuals, organisations and governments of countries hit by humanitarian crises do a significant amount of help to those affected, yet this domestic response is often ignored, unreported and uncounted.  This prompted Development Initiatives to carry out a case study in one of the world’s most disaster prone countries, Bangladesh, to investigate how domestic response functions and its interplay with international response.  The work was conducted between January and May 2010 by a team of researchers comprising of Shushilan, a national non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in the disaster prone south-western region of the country, and three external researchers.

The Ministry of Food and Disaster Management (MoFDM) leads the Government of Banglashesh’s (GoB) response to emergencies and crises, through the Directorate General (DG) Food, the Disaster Management Bureau (DMB) and the Directorate of Relief and Rehabilitation (DRR).  Disaster response by the GoB is guided by a regulative framework (comprising of disaster management policy, plans, standing orders and best practices guidelines) and an implementation and coordination mechanism (comprising of a series of committees in the national and local levels).  The GoB budget provided to MoFDM increased over the last four years from BDT 16.6 billion (US$ 260 million) in 2005-06 to BDT 49.2 billion (US$ 724 million) in 2009-10.  During the period MoFDM’s share of the GoB budget increased from about 2% to 5%.

While the response by the private sector plays an important role, it is largely characterised by one-off contributions from individual business persons and philanthropists and employees contributing a day’s salary.  Large business corporations donate significant contributions after major events like the 2007 floods and cyclones Sidr and Aila.  Although private sector response is yet to adequately transform into organised Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), some organisations such as the banking sector, the multinational mobile phone companies and business associations like Bangladesh Garments Manufacturer and Exporter Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturer and Exporter Association (BKMEA) are already starting the process.

Civil society in Bangladesh is growing but it is the NGO community which is most well-known because of the number and size of NGOs that exist.  Many NGOs and community-based organisations (CBOs) respond during major disasters and several NGOs have established good linkages with the GoB and local government efforts.  Other components of civil society, such as journalists and lawyers, are less active in disaster response partly because of their small size, and the lack of capacity to work directly in the affected communities.  Instead their role is to inform and warn people and concerned organisations rather than direct involvement in disaster relief.  Religious institutions, such as mosques, play a crucial role in early-warning, provision of relief items and psychosocial support. 

In all four study sample areas immediate and prompt response contributed by the community itself - such as delivery of early warning messages, evacuation, rescue and shelter followed by provision of food and drinking water for immediate survival - was valued most.  Besides neighbours, relatives, the local elite, teachers, imam, local government and to some extent the local administration, local NGOs and CBOs provided such assistance.  While ranking the various types of assistance according to benefits and impacts varied depending on the needs of individuals, the assistance which came early, even if it was small, was valued the most. 

On the whole the findings show domestic response is increasing and diversifying by source and type. It is becoming more prompt, more efficient and reasonably well managed, despite all the limitations such as available resources and present institutional capacity. 

Recommendations

• There needs to be much better documentation of response from all domestic actors including activities and resource mobilisation. Data should be available down to the project level and should include in-kind donations.
• GoB, with the assistance of development partners, could develop a comprehensive database on domestic response including government and international responses and such information should be available on the website.
• There should be awareness-raising for the private sector on humanitarian principles, standards, structures and policies and co-ordination mechanisms.
• There should be further work to investigate the strengths and constraints of domestic actors - government, private sector, Diaspora, communities, individuals and civil society.
• Further study should be conducted on how local organisations can become self-reliant and independent.

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