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Self Report 2018

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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  • 4B
    Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

    Joint Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Start Network commits to investing in both national and international systems to improve preparedness capacities at all levels of the humanitarian system. Start Network will continue working with others to identify core humanitarian skills, including sector specific skills, and to promote related capacity strengthening programmes, accreditation and certification, and platforms for national and international surge capacity.
    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Partners: The Start Network is comprised of the following 27 humanitarian organisations: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid, Adeso, CAFOD, Catholic Relief Services, CARE International, Christian Aid, Community World Service Asia, Concern Worldwide, GOAL, Handicap International, HelpAge International, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Mercy Corps, Muslim Aid, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Plan, Qatar Charity, Relief International, Save the Children, Tearfund, War Child, Welthungerhilfe, World Vision

    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    • In 2017 the Start Fund’s Anticipation Window supported the raising of 7 anticipatory alerts, 3 of which were activated (funded). These were in anticipation of flooding in Tajikistan, election violence in Kenya, and drought in Timor-Leste. These forecast-based interventions consisted of activities including, but not limited to, community level preparedness activities, hazard and vulnerability mapping and early warning systems analyses. For further information on the Anticipation Window see: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Start%20Fund%20Anticipation%20Window%20Annual%20Report%202017.pdf
    • The Disasters and Emergencies Preparedness Programme (DEPP) Innovation Labs programme has established and launched 4 Innovation Labs in 2017, run by a variety of traditional (both INGOs and NNGOs) and non-traditional actors (e.g. local trust, private sector, academia). The labs are located in vulnerable communities in Bangladesh, Jordan, Kenya and Philippines with two out of the four labs led by national and local organisations. This programme seeks to develop social innovation in disaster preparedness through a community-centred innovation process. Communities identify the critical issues and innovative solutions for development to scale.
    • In July 2017, the Start Network became the official Replica Partner for Africa Risk Capacity (ARC) in Senegal - a parametric insurance policy for drought. Start’s ARC Replica programme will mirror the parameters and triggers of the ARC policy, working with the Senegalese government to design a policy that will enable faster response to severe drought events, 6 months before humanitarian impacts are realised.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    • Ongoing monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning of programme development, performance and network-level impact.
    • Refinement and operationalisation of the Theory-Based Impact Assessment methodology presented in the ‘How to assess the impact of a Drought Risk Financing facility: A guide’ paper.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    • Human resources/capacity
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    • The capacity to grasp technical content and confidence to embrace new ways of working both limit progress.
    • The lack of familiarity and understanding of risk-based financing mechanisms and forecast-based action contributes to a low risk appetite to fund new mechanisms of early action.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    • 2018 will see the development, piloting and scaling of the DEPP Innovation Labs’ community-driven innovations.
    • The Start Network will be completing its first risk transfer this year by signing the first ARC Replica policy for Senegal in 2018.
    • In 2018, the Start Network will publish research into Scaling Early Action, conducted in partnership with the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the Red Cross Climate Centre.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    • Perspectives across the sector of failure must be challenged whereby willingness to take risks and being driven to learn are reinforced in the pursuit of enhanced performance.
    • Increased experience and technical capacity will ensure that forecast-based action becomes more widespread throughout the sector.
    • The development of frameworks and tools to test the validity of scientific models to predict disasters will ensure more accurate predictions and great sectoral confidence in forecast-based financing.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    • The agile-inspired approach to the DEPP Innovation Labs, both as a programme and within each Lab, has ensured that clear outcomes are driven by decentralised decision-making.
    • Following feedback from project implementers, November 2017 saw the adaptation of the Anticipation Window’s timelines, making anticipation more accessible and adapted to operational reality.

    Keywords

    Community resilience, Disaster Risk Reduction, People-centred approach

  • 4C
    Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides

    Joint Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Promoting social innovation, Start Network recognises locally-led, sustainable, social innovation is strengthening capacities already, and commits to promoting and facilitating such initiatives across the Network and partners.


    • Financial
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Partners: The Start Network is comprised of the following 27 humanitarian organisations: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid, Adeso, CAFOD, Catholic Relief Services, CARE International, Christian Aid, Community World Service Asia, Concern Worldwide, GOAL, Handicap International, HelpAge International, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Mercy Corps, Muslim Aid, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Plan, Qatar Charity, Relief International, Save the Children, Tearfund, War Child, Welthungerhilfe, World Vision

    • Start Labs will continue to support the development and piloting of new solutions to enable earlier, faster and more effective response to humanitarian crises.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Partners: The Start Network is comprised of the following 27 humanitarian organisations: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid, Adeso, CAFOD, Catholic Relief Services, CARE International, Christian Aid, Community World Service Asia, Concern Worldwide, GOAL, Handicap International, HelpAge International, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Mercy Corps, Muslim Aid, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Plan, Qatar Charity, Relief International, Save the Children, Tearfund, War Child, Welthungerhilfe, World Vision

    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Other-4C

    The Disasters and Emergencies Preparedness Programme (DEPP) Innovation Labs programme has established and launched 4 Innovation Labs in 2017, run by a variety of traditional (both INGOs and NNGOs) and non-traditional actors (e.g. local trust, private sector, academia). The labs are located in vulnerable communities in Bangladesh, Jordan, Kenya and Philippines with two out of the four labs led by national and local organisations. This programme seeks to develop social innovation in disaster preparedness through a community-centred innovation process. Communities identify the critical issues and innovative solutions for development to scale.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    • 2018 will see the development, piloting and scaling of the DEPP Innovation Labs’ community-driven innovations.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    The agile-inspired approach to the DEPP Innovation Labs, both as a programme and within each Lab, has ensured that clear outcomes are driven by decentralised decision-making.

    Keywords

    Innovation, Local action, People-centred approach

  • 5B
    Invest according to risk

    Joint Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • By the end of 2016 the Start Network will have launched the Start Fund Anticipation Window in order to anticipate crises more proactively. This mechanism will share early warning information collective risk analysis of forecasted events across the Network's member agencies.
    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    Partners: The Start Network is comprised of the following 27 humanitarian organisations: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid, Adeso, CAFOD, Catholic Relief Services, CARE International, Christian Aid, Community World Service Asia, Concern Worldwide, GOAL, Handicap International, HelpAge International, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Mercy Corps, Muslim Aid, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Plan, Qatar Charity, Relief International, Save the Children, Tearfund, War Child, Welthungerhilfe, World Vision

    • Start Networks pledges to launch insurance products that transfer risk for NGOs and protect the most vulnerable people from climate and health shocks.
    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    Partners: The Start Network is comprised of the following 27 humanitarian organisations: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid, Adeso, CAFOD, Catholic Relief Services, CARE International, Christian Aid, Community World Service Asia, Concern Worldwide, GOAL, Handicap International, HelpAge International, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Mercy Corps, Muslim Aid, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Plan, Qatar Charity, Relief International, Save the Children, Tearfund, War Child, Welthungerhilfe, World Vision

    • Start Networks pledges to launch other advantageous financial mechanisms for civil society that plug the gaps in humanitarian response and shift the humanitarian economy from response to anticipation, shifting the humanitarian economy from response to anticipation.
    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    Partners: The Start Network is comprised of the following 27 humanitarian organisations: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid, Adeso, CAFOD, Catholic Relief Services, CARE International, Christian Aid, Community World Service Asia, Concern Worldwide, GOAL, Handicap International, HelpAge International, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Mercy Corps, Muslim Aid, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Plan, Qatar Charity, Relief International, Save the Children, Tearfund, War Child, Welthungerhilfe, World Vision

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to invest in risk management, preparedness and crisis prevention capacity to build the resilience of vulnerable and affected people.
    • Invest in Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    • The Start Fund Anticipation Window launched in October 2016. In 2017, forthcoming risks were collectively analysed on a monthly basis through the FOREWARN group (anticipation specialists within Start members), assessing the suitability of anticipatory actions. In 2017, the Anticipation Window launched the Analysis for Action grant, providing additional funding for inter-agency risk analysis.
    • In 2017 the Anticipation Window supported the raising of 7 anticipatory alerts, 3 of which were activated (funded). These were in anticipation of flooding in Tajikistan, election violence in Kenya, and drought in Timor-Leste. These forecast-based interventions consisted of activities including, but not limited to, community level preparedness activities, hazard and vulnerability mapping and early warning systems analyses.
    • In July 2017 the Start Network became the official Replica Partner for Africa Risk Capacity (ARC) in Senegal - a parametric insurance policy for drought. Start’s ARC Replica programme will mirror the parameters and triggers of the ARC policy, working with the Senegalese government to design a policy that will enable faster response to severe drought events.
    • The Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF) was launched in January 2017. Built upon the foundations of the global Start Fund mechanism and adapted for heightened appropriateness with the migration crisis, it has since had 13 alerts, responding to 7 of them across 4 countries and awarding £2m in 2017. The MERF was adapted further still to develop different time parameters for European and North African responses to meet the differing contextual demands.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    • Ongoing monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning of programme development, performance and network-level impact.
    • Refinement and operationalisation of the Theory-Based Impact Assessment methodology presented in the ‘How to assess the impact of a Drought Risk Financing facility: A guide’ paper.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Data and analysis
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    • Forecasting data collection and analysis remain rare capacities across organisations and locations.
    • Low confidence levels in early action (in practical terms) continue to slow progress.
    • The lack of familiarity and understanding of risk-based financing mechanisms and forecast-based action contributes to a low risk appetite to fund them.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    • 2018 will see the development of national FOREWARN groups, building capacity at local level so that local forecasts are used to anticipate disasters.
    • The Start Network will be completing its first risk transfer in 2018 by signing the first ARC Replica policy for Senegal in 2018.
    • In 2018, the second iteration of the Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF) is to be launched using migration-specific anticipation guidelines and risk briefings.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    • A collectively enhanced evidence base, offering diverse research, tools and methodologies will enhance the ongoing adaptation of financing mechanisms, ensuring their continued appropriateness to crisis-affected people.
    • Increased experience and technical capacity will ensure that forecast-based action becomes more widespread throughout the sector.
    • The development of frameworks and tools to test the validity of scientific models to predict disasters will ensure more accurate predictions and great sectoral confidence in forecast-based financing.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    • November 2017 saw the adaptation (and enhanced flexibility) of the Anticipation Window’s timelines following project feedback.
    • The differing complexity of context and needs in North Africa compared to Europe led to the adaptation of the Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF) mechanism from one set of decision-making and implementation timeframes to two.

    Keywords

    Disaster Risk Reduction, Innovation

Attachments

  • WHS Commitments Attachments
    Transformation - 4B, 5B | Community resilience, Disaster Risk Reduction