Author: Pios Ncube (Ph.D.), Director
Abstract:
This paper is based on a practical Practitioner’s analysis of ethics and standards as demonstrated by International Organizations and Government authorities in humanitarian action in Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and South Sudan. The paper provides an in-depth comparative analysis, majoring on the intersection of issues in upholding standards and ethics in disaster situations. The results indicated that communities over the years have been sidelined in the whole disaster cycle architecture, even though such communities are in the front line of disaster impacts. Furthermore, donor funding has presented conditionalities that have further compromised upholding of standards and ethics in disaster situations. In some cases, there has been a clash between national ethical standards and international humanitarian standards, and this has brought serious political conflicts between international organizations and national Governments. Polarization and politicization of aid in the humanitarian response chain have been the centerpiece for the death of ethical and humanitarian standards, especially in Africa. Yet, despite communities’ tried and tested adaptation strategies, there is a lack of integration of community(s) scientific knowledge in mainstream development policies and external interventions by development partners. The study further revealed that participants, who are from the affected communities, were regarded as passive in the development of related policies and technology. Some of the adaptive coping strategies adopted by participants were adjustments to food consumption patterns, reliance on casual labour, dependence on remittances, and to some extent participants utilized their own production. About 70% of the community relied mostly on livestock production and remittances more than they relied on crop production. The area is suitable for small grain crop production, but preference for this is dwindling; with most people preferring to plant maize which naturally succumbs to moisture stress and drought.
The study used the case study method with a qualitative design informed by interpretivist philosophical paradigm. Data was generated through structured and non-structured questionnaires that were administered at the household level until data saturation was reached.
