Humanitarian Information Centres
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article is orphaned as few or no other articles link to it. Please help introduce links in articles on related topics. (May 2008) |
[edit] Humanitarian Information Centres
[1]
The Humanitarian Information Centre is a United Nations Humanitarian Common Service and is mandated by the IASC as a resource for the entire humanitarian community and is not to service the needs of any single individual, agency, or other entity. The IASC has designated the Emergency Relief Coordinator as the steward of the HIC, with OCHA [1] tasked with its functional management.
The mission of the HIC is to support the humanitarian community in the systematic and standardized collection, processing and dissemination of information with the aim of improving coordination, situational understanding and decision making. In undertaking this mission, the HIC will complement the information management capabilities of the national authorities, as well as in-country development and humanitarian actors, in order to optimize the response and meet the needs of the affected population. The HIC will only be deployed in new complex emergencies or disasters where IM demands exceed the capacity of the Member State(s) and the IASC. In fulfilling its mission, the HIC will be guided by the principles of humanitarian information management and exchange in emergencies: accessibility, inclusiveness, inter-operability, accountability, verifiability, relevance objectivity, humanity, timeliness and sustainability.
Background
Responses to major sudden onset disasters or new complex emergencies invariably involve a large and sudden influx of a diverse range of response actors (including UN Agencies, international organizations, local and international NGOs, Government, donors, military, media) with differing mandates and capacities, many of whom arrive with little or no prior in-country experience or capacity. At the same time as the influx of new actors is taking place, the humanitarian situation is rapidly changing, with accurate and up-to-date information often scarce and difficult to locate. Humanitarian actors, undertaking activities in a chaotic fast-changing environment, often lack even the most basic shared information, often leading to duplication of effort and non-optimal use of resources.
This coordination challenge can be mitigated through the provision of predictable information management products and services to humanitarian actors in the field by a HIC. Based on previous evaluations and reviews, there is evidence that a HIC can have a positive impact on the humanitarian response, particularly if deployed at the beginning of large, multi-actor responses to complex emergencies. The HIC has been uniquely positioned in the response to contribute to partnerships among these diverse actors and encourage proactive information exchange. Notwithstanding the above, the effectiveness of the HIC has not always been fully realized. This is due, in part, to the absence of predictable and accountable guidance for sectors and OCHA in information management in emergencies.
By strategically and operationally integrating a HIC into the humanitarian response, information management (IM) within and between cluster/sectors will be enhanced. While the ultimate responsibility for ensuring appropriate information management within a cluster/sector is the cluster/sector lead, with OCHA having the responsibility for inter-cluster/sector information exchange, the HIC provides a clear added value as an emergency response tool through the provision of information products and services in a large-scale emergency.
Products and Services
As a client oriented entity, the HIC provides a range of information products and services for the humanitarian community with the aim of improving coordination, situational understanding and decision making. These products and services should be appropriate to the phase and needs of an emergency. In providing such products and services, the HIC is to ensure that they meet a clearly defined need and are user focused. In addition, all products and services are to be prioritised based on the information needs of decision makers.
Products The major role of a HIC is to facilitate access to information products (i.e. act as a ‘knowledge broker’). Whilst in some cases, such as thematic map production, the HIC is the sole creator of a product; the HIC will usually facilitate access to products produced by other organizations, or compile information into a single product based on inputs from multiple organizations. In order to provide access to such products, the HIC will make them available in electronic and printed media tailored to specific field conditions, with particular consideration given to humanitarian communities’ access to the internet. The following specific products are produced or made available by a HIC:
Who Does What Where (3W) /Contact Directory Information;
meeting schedules, inter-cluster situation monitoring matrices and similar coordination products provided by OCHA and collaborative partners;
ad hoc products that support work within clusters/sectors and across clusters/sectors such as: gap location and trend reports, survey of surveys, situation reports, media reports, and service/product catalogs based on stakeholder information needs;
baseline standards such as p-codes, naming conventions and forms are maintained and proactively promoted to insure sharing and collation of information within and between cluster/sectors;
mapping products such as; general orientation maps and atlases, thematic maps, satellite image maps, and custom cartographic products;
Geographic Information System (GIS) data and spatial data derived from satellite imagery and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) (as provided by partners); and
Website to support dissemination of partner and HIC products.
Services The HIC will provide both a physical and virtual space for the exchange of information and interaction among humanitarian responders. Specific services that will be undertaken by a HIC are highlighted below.
Facilitation of the interoperability of information between and within cluster/sectors through the adoption, maintenance and promotion of standards for “Minimum Common Operational Datasets” and the use of metadata for sharing information, while proactively liaising with multi-cluster/sector organizations.
Distribution, maintenance and promotion of OCHA’s “Minimum Common Operational Datasets” . These datasets are not intended to be the only datasets needed or used in a response; rather they are common datasets which will be found in a HIC by humanitarian partners if such data is available.
Maintenance of a data repository for the humanitarian response, with the responsibility of organizing and disseminating information and raw data if provided by partners.
Provision of technical information management advice on survey design for needs assessments and surveys if requested by a cluster/sector.
Provision of custom advice and solutions for cluster/sector-specific systems.
Provision of technical information management training as requested by humanitarian partners, including national authorities.
Provision of limited large format printing to support group coordination and planning.
Provision of electronic dissemination means, such as ListServs (email groups) and Web portal/collaborative spaces, where clusters can post, modify and delete their own data.
In consultation with the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster, if required and where appropriately feasible, provide internet access to the humanitarian community. This service, if provided, should do no-harm to local internet service providers.
[edit] History of Humanitarian Information Centres
Humanitarian Information Centres and Partners
Humanitarian Information Centre for Myanmar [2] Opened May 2008 The Myanmar HIC, deployed in May 2008, provides information to the humanitarian community responding to the impact of Cyclone Nargis on the people of Myanmar. The site aggregates information from the IASC Clusters and their members, as well as providing operationally focused documents, maps, contact information and meeting details. Myanmar HIC is currently based in Bangkok providing support to the Humanitarian Partnership Team and other humanitarian partners in Yangon, as well as those based in Bangkok. Click here to access the HIC-Myanmar website
Humanitarian Information Centre for Lebanon [3] August 2006 - October 2006 In consideration of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Lebanon and in the interests of providing immediate information management (IM) products and services, OCHA established a Humanitarian Information Centre to respond to immediate information needs. Click here to access the Lebanon HIC website
Humanitarian Information Centre for Sumatra [4] January 2005 - September 2005 HIC Sumatra was deployed to Banda Aceh in January 2005 immediately following the tsunami as a common service to the humanitarian community working in Sumatra and the surrounding countries. As the relief efforts transitioned into recovery and development, the focus of the HIC shifted as well. In September 2005 the HIC was re-named the United Nations Information Management System (UNIMS), concurrent with the establishment of the Office of the United Nations Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias (UNORC) to support the Government of Indonesia in its reconstruction efforts. In June 2006 UNIMS merged with UNORC and became an internal unit (IAS) within the UNORC office. Click here to access the HIC-Sumatra website
Humanitarian Information Centre for Sri Lanka [5] January 2005 - March 2006 HIC Sri Lanka was established in early January 2005 in response to the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. As the initial emergency phase subsided and additional HIC staff were in place on the ground, the HIC expanded its available products and services and established field offices in five districts to better service implementing partners information needs. The HIC as a common humanitarian service tried to ensure that ownership of products belonged to the broader humanitarian community and to this effect partnered with various UN agencies, INGOs and the Government of Sri Lanka. In mid 2006 the HIC closed but its core functions transitioned into the OCHA Sri Lanka office with the establishment of an Information Management Unit (IMU). Click here to access the HIC-Sri Lanka website
Humanitarian Information Centre for Pakistan [6] October 2005 - June 2006 In the days following the earthquake that shook Southeast Asia on 8 October 2005, an HIC was established in Islamabad to support relief efforts in Pakistan, the country hardest hit by the disaster. Working from the inter-agency Emergency Response Center, the HIC provided standard information products for the humanitarian community in Islamabad and regional humanitarian hubs as well as support to thematic coordination groups in need and response tracking. The relief response quickly transitioned to longer-term recovery and reconstruction efforts, and government capacity to manage information and data was also restored. HIC Pakistan closed June 2006. Click here for more information...
Humanitarian Information Centre for Niger [7] October 2005 - December 2005 In response to the crisis in Niger, the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) formally requested OCHA to deploy a Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC) on 8 August 2005. This HIC was intended as a limited-duration intervention to meet immediate humanitarian crisis information management needs. As such it was operational for only five months. In January 2006 the data, information and assets were transferred to UNDP and the national government. From the outset, the HIC engaged development actors to ensure that all activities, where possible, would be compatible with the future development needs of Niger. HIC Niger worked closely with IM practitioners and national authorities on the ground to avoid duplication of effort. Click here to access the HIC-Niger website
Humanitarian Information Centre for Darfur [8] July 2004 - May 2006 A Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC) for Darfur was established July 2004. The HIC served as a common service to the humanitarian community, providing timely, accurate and operationally targeted technical assistance and products to this community to maximize the effectiveness of the relief efforts. HIC Darfur officially ceased to exist as an independent entity in March 2006, when it became part of the OCHA Sudan office. Click here to access the HIC-Darfur website
Humanitarian Information Centre for Liberia [9] August 2003 - June 2006 An HIC (Humanitarian Information Centre) was deployed to Liberia in August 2003 in response to the ongoing crisis caused by civil war. The HIC acted as a central location for data and information resources, with the aim of reinforcing coordination and humanitarian response activities. HIC Liberia was managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA). As part of the national recovery strategy, in July 2006 the HIC formally transitioned into the National Information Management Centre (NIMAC) Project. NIMAC is jointly administered by the Government of Liberia and UNDP. Click here to access the HIC-Liberia website
Humanitarian Information Centre for Iraq March 2003 - May 2004 The HIC (Humanitarian Information Centre) for Iraq was an OCHA initiative, operational from March 2003 to May 2004. By June of that year, the HIC’s data repository had been handed over to the Iraqi Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) and HIC products and services that supported humanitarian coordination were transferred to UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). Click here to access the HIC-Iraq website
Sierra Leone Information System March 2001 - January 2004 The Sierra Leone Information System (SLIS) was established in March 2001 in order to implement a simple and robust Management Information System (MIS) that could draw primarily on data already collected by the humanitarian community and the Government. Click here to access the SLIS website. Click here to access the SLIS website
Afghanistan Information Management Service 2002 - ongoing Afghanistan Information Management Service (AIMS) is building information management capacity in government and delivers information management services to organisations across Afghanistan. Click here to access the AIMS website
Southern Africa Humanitarian Information Management System 2002 - ongoing The Southern Africa Humanitarian Information Management initiative aims at improving and widening the knowledge base of the humanitarian operations in the region. SAHIMS serves humanitarian clients through the provision of understanding and quality information products. Click here to access the SAHIMS website.
Data Exchange Platform for the Horn of Africa The data exchange platform for the Horn of Africa (DEPHA) was established to provids data and information management services to existing humanitarian and developmental information systems and operational organizations in the Horn. Click here to access the DEPHA website.
United Nations Humanitarian Information Centre for the occupied Palestinian territory May 2002 - December 2004 The oPt-HIC was deployed to support the humanitarian coordination and response after prolonged Israeli military operations into the West Bank. The HIC served as a focal point for timely, relevant information on curfews and the changing humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory - West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It's main services were maps, a web site and database support to decision-makers and operational organisations. The HIC was always co-located with OCHA and formally transitioned into the office structure in December 2004. Click here to access the oPt-OCHA website.
|
|
This article is uncategorized. Please categorize this article to list it with similar articles. (May 2008) |
