Home > The Project > Background and Context

• Background and Context
  • Phase I
  • Phase II
• ECB Project NGOs
• ECB Stakeholders
• Funding
• Partners
• ECB Project Newsletters

Pressures on the humanitarian system have intensified over the past few years, as the world has been hit by major disasters ranging from the floods in Pakistan, to continuing armed conflicts in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Somalia. Humanitarian organizations’ resources are often strained, as many organizations flood the scene of a humanitarian emergency with little or no collaboration between them. This strain is felt not only financially, but has an impact on the ability of staff to perform to their fullest capacity, as well as the ability of organizations to be held accountable to the communities that they are meant to serve.

In 2003, Emergency Directors from seven of the largest International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) active in emergency preparedness and response began to discuss the various challenges of humanitarian response. This led to a systematic analysis of their shared capacities, resulting in the publication of a Report on Emergency Capacity in 2004.

What did that research reveal? It identified key capacity gaps constraining the ability to provide timely, effective and high quality preparedness and response to emergencies. These included:

1. Staff Capacity – to respond faster in emergencies and raise the quality of response with better trained and more rapidly deployed staff
2. Accountability and Impact Measurement – to improve accountability to people affected by emergencies and improve the measurement of impact
3. Disaster Risk Reduction – to help communities reduce their vulnerability to disasters and to support cohesion within and beyond the IWG agencies on risk reduction issues

The Emergency Capacity Building (ECB) Project was divided into two phases. Phase I of the ECB project involved the development and publishing of more than 20 research findings, field tools and practical guides.

Phase II, which is ongoing, continues to work toward meeting the overarching project goal of improving the speed, quality and effectiveness of the humanitarian community.  Five years of additional funding support from  The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and new project grants from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) and ITT Watermark aids the Project in reaching its goal.

Phase II of the project spans three Objective areas and three Cross-cutting Themes which are each being developed through Consortia Engagement Plans (CEPs) and Agency Performance Improvement Plans (APIPs).

Contact us with your questions.

Post a Comment

Your comment will have to be approved by a site administrator before it is shown on the site so please be patient.

Comments