Construction guidelines launched to underpin humanitarian aid
August 2009
The humanitarian aid community could benefit from enhanced understanding of the roles that the built environment professions play in disaster management
A new guide advising third sector bodies on how to best utilise local and international civil engineers has been launched to support humanitarian and development agencies in disaster management.
The built environment professions in disaster risk reduction and response for the humanitarian sector – a guide for humanitarian agencies has been compiled by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Its main thrust is to demonstrate the value and expertise that built environment professionals can offer at all stages of the disaster management process. This ranges from prevention, relief and longer term reconstruction and aims to alleviate the devastation caused by disasters, both human and natural.
The guide forms part of RICS’s contribution to work carried out by the United Nation’s Global Shelter and Recovery Clusters – geared towards enhancing the capacity and quality of the humanitarian sector’s assistance to disaster-hit communities.
Brendan Gormley, chief executive of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), advocated developing a ‘legacy archive of “lessons learned”’ for humanitarian professionals. ‘The guide supports humanitarian agencies in the process of ensuring that the best use is made of available finance and reconstruction, whilst also enabling local people to learn new skills,’ he said.
In depth discussions between disaster management professionals and the humanitarian aid community after the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster of 2004, and Hurricane Katrina, revealed a crucial need for better understanding of the parts each individual built environment discipline play in disaster risk management and response. The guide particularly focuses on what exactly the built environment professions do, as well as how the skills of architects, engineers, planners and surveyors can be harnessed in a local context.
‘Civil engineers play a very important role in disaster management,’ said Tom Foulkes, director general at ICE. He outlined the importance of understanding ‘how local and civil engineers can be best utilised, whether contributing to preventative risk assessment prior to an event or offering technological advice for reconstructing vital infrastructure once disaster has struck.’
The full guide is downloadable here
Author: Claire Shropshall
Claire Shropshall is the editorial assistant for Charity Funding Report, Caritas, and Codicil magazines. Claire has a BA in English Literature and Philosophy from Birmingham University and a Postgraduate Certificate in Periodical Journalism from London College of Communication. She previously worked in Central America as a voluntary reporter for an English-language newspaper.
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