INTRODUCTION
By Dr. Jennifer Doherty, ALNAP, UK
I was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Delhi launch of the Strengthening the Humanitarian System in India (SHSI) report in April. As described in that report, the conception of the Strengthening the Humanitarian System arose from discussions between the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) and the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP) at the launch of the 4th edition of ALNAP’s State of the Humanitarian System (SOHS) report in 2018. As an author of the 5th edition of the SOHS exploring global aggregated trends in humanitarian action, I’d been eagerly anticipating this new publication created by AIDMI,
Sphere India and WFP as a useful deep dive into a national system in a country that has strong experience of responding to multiple types of humanitarian threats.
This issue of Southasiadisasters.net is titled “Strengthening the Humanitarian System: From India to South Asia” provides a series of useful reflections on the content of the SHSI report as a detailed overview of India’s humanitarian structures and policies, while also providing forward-looking options for implementing some of its recommendations. It is a useful compilation of perspectives from different types of humanitarian actors focused both on the national and state level, with contributions focused on Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu. The articles cover some topics of clear importance for India but also for humanitarian actors in other countries to consider, particularly issues of migration, disaster risk reduction and preparedness that are of growing importance globally given the increasing threats of climate-related disasters.
I look forward to seeing how the SHSI report is used in India and in other contexts that face similar humanitarian challenges. The first edition of this India report is a useful baseline for ongoing review and the clear set of recommendations that it provides will enable future assessments of progress. I will watch with interest how the SHSI evolves and what practical and policy actions it inspires.