Do no harm principle humanitarian

The principle of do no harm requires humanitarians to place the wellbeing of the people they are trying to. Without methods to gauge success and failure, and without appropriate ethical frameworks, humanitarian tech may do more harm than good. A brief description of seven steps the do no harm analytical framework was developed from the programming experience of many assistance workers. Providing assistance can never be a neutral act and in understanding that, contributors to ngos must understand how their money will be used. Campaigns that take place in a situation of armed conflict e.

Do no harm dnh is now used widely by many aid organisations, including governments and multilateral organisations. May 27, 2015 if humanitarian and disaster response organizations continue to embrace the core humanitarian standards, and the principle do no harm to those they serve, it must be equally important to these organizations to avoid deleterious internal treatment and harmful practice to those who volunteer their time, intellect, and heart. The do no harm dnh concepts are widely used in the humanitarian and development communities and it is one of the best known tools for peace and conflict impact analysis. This module uses case studies to illustrate the principle of do no harm, that is, in a refugee situation, humanitarian actors should be keenly aware that their refugee protection activities could have positive and negative effects. The principle is typically interpreted to mean that your actions should not cause injury or injustice to people. The do no harm project explored the relationship between humanitarian and development aid because so many people in the field and at headquarters and among the donors saw negative impacts day after day. The changes in practice and policy from the early days are immense. Humanitarian principles center for excellence in disaster. World vision uses the do no harm approach also known as local capacities for peace or lcp to integrate conflictsensitivity wherever it is relevant. The do no harm principle and its application in north korea.

The do no harm principle is a key ethical guidance post across fields of development, humanitarianism and global health. Do no harm has been circulating around the ngo and international communities for 20 years. In the example, an aid agency responds to a factional split by building. Conflict sensitivity recognizes that aid, whether development, peacebuilding, or humanitarian assistance, has the potential to. It states that any unintentional consequences of humanitarian assistance should be critically examined and any potential negative consequences negated. The do no harm project explored the relationship between humanitarian and development aid because so many people in the field and at headquarters and among the. Andersons 1999 book of the same name where the author cites an example of a situation where aid may have caused harm taking place in sudan.

A brief description of seven steps the do no harm framework for analyzing the impact of assistance on conflict 3 the do no harm framework. Do no harm information on conflictsensitive programming. Conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding in unicef technical. First, do no harm harvard health blog harvard health. This book exists only because tens of thousands of people have taken up and contributed to the concepts, ideas, techniques, and tools of do no harm. In order to necessarily give greater priority to discussions about ethics and the do no harm principle, humanitarian innovation should give more prominence to considering these experimental tendencies. A taxonomy of the challenges of humanitarian experimentation volume 99 issue 904 kristin bergtora sandvik, katja lindskov jacobsen, sean martin mcdonald. They must balance the imperative to save lives with the commitment to do no harm. Do no harm norwegian centre for humanitarian studies. Andersons 1999 book of the same name where the author cites an example of a situation.

A brief introduction from cda do no harm is a leading tool for the application of conflict sensitivity. The do no harm dnh concept is borrowed from medical practice and traces its origins to the hippocratic oath. Andersons 1999 book of the same name where the author cites an example of a situation where aid may have caused harm taking place in. You will find below information on the different measures that dg echo is taking to cope with these exceptional circumstances. There are multiple pressures on humanitarian actors to compromise humanitarian principles, such as providing humanitarian aid as part of efforts to achieve political ends. The do no harm principle is ascribed to the hippocratic oath, and has been adapted by development and humanitarian actors.

World vision is a founding member of the project that developed this tool. The do no harm handbook the framework for analyzing the. A principled approach to conflict sensitive do no harm. Rhetoric must be matched by leadership and practice. A brief history of the do no harm project principle to practice.

In rohingya camps, covid19 challenges humanitarian effort to. It requires humanitarian it requires humanitarian organisations to strive to minimize the harm they may inadvertently. Its no wonder that new technologies that promise to do more with less are so appealing. In germany, for example, a large group of ngos has committed themselves to mainstreaming do no harm within their operations. The principle of do no harm, for instance, obliges unhcr to prevent and mitigate any negative impact of its actions on affected populations. The principle, in its strictest sense, can also be applied to inactions. The safe and effective development in conflict sedc approach, developed by dfid and giz risk management office combines do no harm, risk management van brabants operational security management tool and good development practice with the aim of helping aid workers to conduct programmes safely and effectively in conflict. Do no harm is a concept in humanitarian action that encourages aid deliverers to examine how their aid might reinforce and support conflict. Although not a fundamental principle, the principle or concept of do no harm is important for both humanitarian actors and foreign militaries. Prominent issues include contextual insensitivity to issues such as security, humanitarian coordination, and the inappropriate use of. This paper will argue that there are contradictions in the way do no harm is understood, partially stemming from a misunderstanding of the do no harm project and more deeply from a poor reading of the concept of do.

As the reflections at eu and global level on possible. The examples above illustrate the need for investment in ethics and evidence on the impact of development and application of new technologies in low resource and fragile settings. They perform this balancing act amidst chaos, with incredibly high stakes and far fewer resources than they need. September 2018do no harm as part of a qualification course for the german civil peace service once again, conflictsensitive programming has been part of the annual course for future peace professionals. This concern led to the do no harm principle and the concept of conflict sensitivity. Dg echo response plan to the impact of covid19 on the. Developed by humanitarians, do no harm principles state that aid is not neutral. Do no harm is a very honest accounts of how aid has helped and hindered the peace process. The do no harm framework can be combined with other tools. They perform this balancing act amidst chaos, with incredibly high stakes and far. Gibbs in first do no harm, david gibbs raises basic questions about the humanitarian interventions that have played a key role in u. Several case studies are supplied, and it is intended that only one or two of these will be used. Dec 21, 2017 humanitarian organizations have an almost impossible task.

Nov 07, 20 but the insistence that aid should do no harm, which has become something of a mantra in the humanitarian community, too often obscures the fact that conflicts are also fueled by the lack of. Humanitarian intervention and the destruction of yugoslavia david n. When the resources they deliver or the reforms they advocate weaken rather than strengthen the states decision and policymaking functions, their efforts can do more harm than good. September 2018 do no harm as part of a qualification course for the german civil peace service once again, conflictsensitive programming has been part of the annual course for future peace professionals. Humanitarian organizations have an almost impossible task. Kristin bergtora sandvik, katja lindskov jacobsen, sean martin mcdonald 9 min read note on migration and the principle of nonrefoulement, icrc, 2018 author. Do no harm is a tool first developed by mary anderson and published by the organisation cda. Basically, this means that disaster response actions must not have negative impacts on affected population. In other words, humanitarian actors must walk the talk. Equally important is unhcrs commitment to rightsbased and communitybased approaches that include efforts to engage and empower persons of concern in decisions that affect their lives.

In a spirit of prevention and wanting to support critical selfre. Dec 21, 2015 this is a recorded version of a conflict sensitivity webinar focussing on the do no harm tool in humanitarian assistance casted live on october 12, 2015. It includes humanitarian assistance and protection principle iv. Assistance is often misused by people in conflicts to pursue a political or military agenda. Operating under an established do no harm principle that encourages no further damage or suffering as a result of their actions, humanitarian organizations find themselves in an.

Another batch of trainers, coming from rwanda, burundi, kenya, ethiopia, syria and germany, has joined the do no harm family. Jan 15, 2016 do no harm is a principle of bioethics that is also commonly used in areas such as sustainability. The do no harm principle and its application in north. Biometrically registering refugees helps improve accountability, by generating more reliable data. Do no harm international support for statebuilding despite the best of intentions, donors can inadvertently undermine statebuilding processes. Drones can help expand access by delivering medical aid.