OVERVIEW

Objectives

/ By the end of the session, participants should be able to:
  • Define the elements that guide UNICEF’s humanitarian action, including the human rights based approach to programming and the CCCs
  • Describe the characteristics and challenges posed by complex emergencies
  • Explain UNICEF and the inter-agency approach to protection
  • Identify the link between protection, assistance, and advocacy, and the need to integrate and apply these concepts in humanitarian action

Time

/ 2 hours 40 minutes

KEY MESSAGES

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  • UNICEF has an important role in protecting children’s rights in emergencies.
  • Complex emergencies pose specific challenges to humanitarian actors, including the denial of humanitarian access, presence of NSEs, and human rights abuses.
  • Protection includes all activities aimed at ensuring respect and fulfillment of human rights. For UNICEF, child protection means protection from violence, abuse and exploitation.
  • Protection, assistance, and advocacy are the key components of rights-based humanitarian action.
  • UNICEF’s humanitarian action is guided by its Core Commitments for Children.

cONTENTS

/ Activities
PowerPoint Presentation
Participant Manual
Handouts

Session Plan

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Activities
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Duration
Introduction / 3 minutes
Activity 1: Working in Emergencies and Complex Emergencies / 30 minutes
Activity 2: Humanitarian Action Kit / 40 minutes
Activity 3: The Role of Protection and the Protection Egg / 15 minutes
Activity 4: Knowing the Core Commitments for Children in Emergencies / 50 minutes
Activity 5: Obtaining Humanitarian Access / 20 minutes
Review of Key Messages for Session 1 / 2 minutes
Total Time / 2 hours 40 minutes

Materials

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Item
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Ready
PowerPoint Overhead Projector and Screen
Power Point slides: Session 1
Flip charts and markers
Tri-coloured VIPP cards and VIPP board or large
wall space
Humanitarian Action Kit
Participant Manual
1.1 UNICEF Mission Statement
1.2 Convention on the Rights of the Child
1.3 Core Commitments for Children (use booklet if available)
1.4 Characteristics of Complex Emergencies
1.5 A Human Rights-based Approach to Programming in Humanitarian Crises: Is UNICEF Up for the Challenge? (Draft)
1.6 Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Glossary (Prepared by OCHA)
Handouts
1.7 CCC Statements
1.8Inter-agency Standing Committee (IASC) Frequently Asked Questions on International, Humanitarian and Refugee Law in the context of Armed Conflict
Other Resources
Growing the Sheltering Tree: Protecting Rights Through Humanitarian Action, Inter-agency Standing Committee (IASC) (For display, if available)
Pocketbook of Emergency Resources, UNICEF (For display, if available)
Emergency Field Handbook (available early 2005)
PATH E-Learning Course (available early 2005)

KEY TO ICONs

/ These icons will help guide you through the session.
Tips for the Trainer
Show Slides
See Trainer Resources Materials
Refer to Participant Manual
Distribute Handouts

Activities

introduction

Time: 3 minutes
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Slide 2: Presentation of Session Objectives
Explain that the purpose of this session is for participants to understand that UNICEF’s humanitarian action is grounded in core UN and UNICEF mandates. The session focuses on the challenges of working in complex emergencies, and the multi-faceted approach needed to address these challenges through a combination of protection, assistance, and advocacy efforts at all levels.

activity 1:working in emergencies and complex emergencies

Time: 30 minutes












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Introduction
Ask participants the question: ‘WHY does UNICEF work in Crises Situations’?
Quickly note participant responses on a flipchart.
Ask participants the question: ‘WHY’ does this question need to be asked—since it seems to be obvious?
  • While this may seem so obvious, it establishes the context for the work to follow—which has significant implications for UNICEF’s approach to its work in crises or situations of armed conflict.
Slide 3: Why does UNICEF Work in Crisis Situations?
The UN Charter
Through the UN Charter, the UN works in many areas. Five of the most important are 1) Peacekeeping and Peacemaking; 2) Economic and Social Development; 3) International Law; 4) Human Rights; and 5) Humanitarian Affairs.
As a result of the UN Charter to work in these keys areas, UNICEF was created—but with its own special focus –children. Founded on 11 December 1946, UNICEF was named the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. Although the E for Emergency was dropped from the full name (but not from the acronym) in 1953, this was only to broaden UNICEF’s mandate to address all children in all circumstances, including emergencies. In a sense, it was realised that the spiral of poverty, disease and hunger was the ‘silent emergency’.
UNICEF Mission Statement
Refer to 1.1 in the participant manual (UNICEF’s Mission Statement).
Draw participant attention to the first paragraph and ask a participant to read:
‘UNICEF was created and mandated by the UN General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential’.
Ask participants to find the next most applicable statement and to read it (If a participant should choose the 2nd paragraph on the Mission Statement, let the participant read it—and then state that we will return to that statement because of its importance.)
Other applicable paragraphs include:
‘UNICEF is committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children—victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation and those with disabilities’.
‘UNICEF responds in emergencies to protect the rights of children. In coordination with United Nations partners and humanitarian agencies, UNICEF makes its unique facilities for rapid response available to its partners to relieve the suffering of children and those who provide their care’.
In fact, the mandate of UNICEF calls on the organisation to collaborate closely with national Governments, other humanitarian actors within the UN system, and non-governmental organizations to ensure the protection of, and special assistance to, children in crises and unstable situations.
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Refer to 1.2 in the participant manual. (Convention on the Rights of the Child)
Draw (or return) participant attention to the second paragraph of the mission statement and ask a participant to read:
“UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children’s rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour toward children.”
This statement enables UNICEF to fully use the CRC. Most importantly, in situations of crisis, Article 38 of the CRC:
Ask another participant or participants to read CRC, article 38 each reading one element:
Article 38
  1. States Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for rules of international humanitarian law applicable to them in armed conflicts which are relevant to the child.
  2. States Parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure that persons who have not attained the age of fifteen years do not take a direct part in hostilities.
  3. States Parties shall refrain from recruiting any person who has not attained the age of fifteen years into their armed forces. In recruiting among those persons who have attained the age of fifteen years but who have not attained the age of eighteen years, States Parties shall endeavor to give priority to those who are oldest.
  4. In accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect the civilian population in armed conflicts, States Parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure protection and care of children who are affected by an armed conflict.
Core Commitments for Children in Emergencies
Refer to 1.3 in the participant manual (Core Commitments for Children) or the CCC booklet.
Ask if any participant would care to elaborate—briefly--on the Core Commitments for Children and why these are important to how UNICEF views and works in unstable situations.
In 2000, UNICEF elaborated its approach to ensuring an effective response to the needs of children and women affected by unstable situations through mutually reinforcing actions in the area of humanitarian policy, global advocacy and humanitarian response. The Core Commitments for Children (CCCs) were updated in 2004.
CCCs constitute the organization’s emergency response to protection and care of children and women in unstable situations in the first 6-to-8 weeks of any crisis situation, and then includes strategies that go beyond the initial response. The CCCs fall into four principal areas: rapid assessment, coordination, programme commitments, and operational commitments. One of the programme commitments is child protection. The CCCs also refer to monitoring and advocating on the situation of children.
Training on international standards and guiding principles for humanitarian action are vital components of child protection. Knowledge of these rights and standards forms the basis for advocacy on behalf of children and women in armed conflict, as well as providing baselines by which children’s vulnerability can be measured, monitored, and reported on to promote protection. This training programme is therefore essential to the implementation of the CCCs.
UNICEF’s Anti War Agenda
UNICEF’s Anti War Agenda is guided by the Graca Machel report & by UNICEF’s Peace & Security Agenda. It consists of these seven key points.
Ask participants for the seven key points.
Slide 4: UNICEF’s Anti War Agenda – 7 points
Ask participants to take a moment and think of an image or word that comes to mind when they hear “complex emergency”.

Slide 5: A picture that illustrates a complex emergency

Prepare to do a ‘board blast’.
  1. Write the words ‘complex emergency’ on a VIPP card and put in the centre of a blank VIPP board or write ‘complex emergency’ in the centre of a flipchart sheet.
  2. Then pass the marking pen to a participant and request that s/he add criteria on a VIPP card or write a descriptive word on the flipchart radiating out from the word ‘emergency.’
  3. This participant passes the marking pen to the next person, using either the flipchart or VIPP cards, until there are a variety of different words displayed.

Slide 6: Definition of Complex Emergency

“A humanitarian crisis in a country, region or society where there is a significant or total breakdown of authority resulting from internal or external conflict and which requires an international response that extends beyond the mandate or capacity of any single agency. In complex emergencies, children and women may also need legal and physical protection to prevent harm and ensure their access to humanitarian assistance.” (Trainer note: emphasize last part here as it is particularly relevant for this course.)
Ask participants: What specific characteristics tend to define complex emergencies today?

Slide 7: Characteristics of Complex Emergencies

  • based on civil conflicts
  • lack of authority and security
  • flagrant violations of human rights and massive displacement
  • disruption of infra-structure and economic system
  • conflict is prolonged and protracted
  • conflict stems from a complex interaction of social, economic and political factors, such that it requires a multi-sectoral response
The definition of a ‘complex emergency’ differs in a few key ways from UNICEF’s definition of an ‘emergency’ that is not classified as ‘complex’. It is important to simply note the distinction and the criteria. Other emergencies such as natural disasters have their own levels of complexity of course, but for the most part, they do not share the same characteristics as described above.

Slide8: Picture that illustrates an emergency

Ask participants how this picture differs from the one for complex emergencies.

Slide 9: Definition of Emergency

Generally, a complex emergency involves armed conflict whereas a regular emergency does not.

Slide10: The Normative Framework

Guiding UNICEF’s response to any crisis is the Normative Framework, which in programmatic terms is translated into our Human Rights Based Approach to Programming.
The Normative Framework is a comprehensive body of standards, from international human rights and humanitarian law to regional human rights instruments to Security Council Resolutions to the humanitarian principles. This framework encourages UNICEF to be more universal, consistent, and principled in its approach to humanitarian action.
Slide11:UNICEF’s HRBAP
For UNICEF, a human rights based approach whether in ‘normal or crises’ situations means that:
  • All UNICEF Programmes of Cooperation are focused on the realization of the rights of children and women;
  • Human rights and child rights principles guide programming in all sectors at all phases of the programme process; and
  • Programmes of Cooperation focus on the development of the capacities of duty bearers, at all levels, to meet their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil rights; as well as the development of the capacities of rights holders to claim their rights.
The human rights based approach (HRBAP) has been adopted by UNICEF in all its work.
Slide 12: Misconception

Trainer Guidance

You will not be able to cover all the content below. Choose the content which seems most relevant to you.
In practice, however, this approach has tended to be seen as applicable or relevant primarily in development (or stable) contexts. Some humanitarian workers have not seen the HRBAP as relevant to their work, i.e. “I can’t talk about human rights now; I have an emergency to deal with!”
This belief stems from a tendency to understand the HRBAP as limited to civil and political rights, and to discount the collapse of the (even limited) enjoyment of social and economic rights which also tends to happen in crisis situations. Believing that the safeguard of human rights should wait until the armed conflict or emergency is over is counter-productive. Another reason that humanitarian workers may be less keen to take on a rights-based approach is that they are concerned with losing access to affected populations, i.e. in many cases, even quiet advocacy around human rights violations may result in access being cut off if the government is the one committing the violations.
In the face of the deliberate targeting of the very people we are trying to assist, humanitarian organizations cannot simply provide life-saving assistance. When human rights violations become a strategy of war, humanitarian organizations are compelled to respond.
And if we are not prepared to implement a HRBAP in the context of some of the most extreme violations of human rights that are taking place, when are we prepared to adopt such an approach? To be a credible actor in both human rights and humanitarian work, UNICEF must be consistent in all of its work on behalf of children and women. A human rights approach is thus an imperative if we are to remain relevant and effective.
One of the advantages of the HRBAP in humanitarian crises is that it can strengthen UNICEF’s position as an impartial, neutral actor in very complex contexts.
While life saving must come first, it is essential that basic education and learning opportunities, recreation, the monitoring of child rights violations and advocacy for the safeguard of children’s rights follows.

ACTIVITY 2: humanitarian action kit

Time: 40 minutes /

Purpose

The goal of this exercise is to enable participants to understand how to shift their thinking to encompass the broader goal of linking assistance, protection, and advocacy and how these can be integrated into all activities.

Suggested Materials

For each kit: box or large envelope to contain materials
Photograph of a family in a war situation [represents family; protection +assistance]
Pencil/pen [represents monitoring and reporting OR education; protection+advocacy, or protection+assistance]
Photograph of child soldiers [represents recruitment of children, demobilisation, etc.; protection+assistance+advocacy]
Compass [represents location; protection+assistance]
Landmine [represents landmines; protection+assistance+advocacy]
Blue Plastic Sheeting [represents shelter; protection+assistance]
Toy gun [represents small arms; protection+advocacy]
Water bottle [represents water; assistance+protection]
Condom [represents reproductive healthcare; assistance+protection]
Flute/toy/instrument [represents play/recreation; assistance+protection]
Copy of the Convention on the Rights of the Child [represents legal protections; protection+advocacy]
Press release [represents public advocacy; advocacy]
Telephone [represents quiet diplomacy; advocacy]
Symbol/photo of handshake [represents the privileged relationship UNICEF has with governments, quiet diplomacy, partnership; advocacy]
Text book [represents education/learning; assistance+protection]
Syringe/band aid [represents health care; assistance]
Protein biscuits [represents food; assistance+protection]
Birth registration Certificate [represents right to identity; protection]
Copy of Geneva Conventions [represents legal protections in times of war; protection+advocacy]
A card stating simply ’Courage’ [represents courage/strength of will/resilience; protection]

Instructions

Part I: 20 minutes
Divide participants into 3-5 groups and give each group a 'Humanitarian Action Kit’ with the suggested items mentioned above (other items can be added or removed as desired).
The box should be covered with a piece of cloth or a lid. Each participant is to take an item and tell the group how s/he thinks the item could be used to reflect a HRBAP action, assistance, protection, or advocacy, in a crisis situation. Encourage group members to assist each other if someone feels 'stuck' on his or her item.
Part II: 20 minutes
Prepare a flipchart with three columns: Protection, assistance and advocacy. Bring the group back to plenary.
Ask participants to identify and classify how they primarily used their object—whether for protection, assistance or an advocacy action. Take a quick hand count for each. Put those totals under the respective headings. Make a neutral observation on the totals under each and begin the discussion.
Facilitate a 15 minute discussion on how participants 'used' their items and the links between protection, assistance and advocacy, indicating that one person’s protection (e.g. a gun) can be another person’s threat.
It should become clear from the discussion, that while some of the items are not legalistic or protection-specific, they do contribute to the overall protection of the child, some items more than others.
For example, for the text book, the possible response could include reference to the important role that education can play in protecting children. When children are in school, they are less likely to be exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation than if they were on the streets or working in hazardous conditions. Education can also have a "normalizing" effect during times of conflict, by restoring a sense of stability, routine and safety to children whose lives have been disrupted by conflict and by helping in the psycho-social recovery of children. On the other hand, schools can be targets of violence, for example when children are abducted from schools, or while on their way to school. Another example is that biscuits represent food, and lack of food can forcewomen and girls to sell sex for food or money, hencethe provision of food has a protection element. The same applies for water – whenwomen and girls fetch water, they may be at risk ofsexual violence if the water is far away, hence there
is a protection element.
Refer back to the flipchart categories. Was one area more preferred than another, for example, protection over advocacy? Is protection and assistance a more 'comfortable' area in which to work, than advocacy? Or, is it simply that the 'mind frame' is different and takes more thought?

Trainer Summary