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Watch for an overview and key findings from Better Assistance in Crises (BASIC) Research, a five-year programme that has explored how international, national and local actors can work together to improve combined social protection and humanitarian responses to protracted crises.
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As an introduction to an international conference including the programme, the BASIC Research team will present key findings on politics, livelihoods and resilience, inclusion, and sustaining systems.
Protracted crises are increasingly common, involving multiple and compounding shocks, such as conflict, displacement, and climate-associated stresses, all intersecting with institutional fragility and contested public authority. Yet, fragmented humanitarian and government-led social protection systems struggle to meet the needs of affected populations. Humanitarian efforts frequently step in to aid populations with long-term needs during prolonged crises, often due to the perception that state systems are absent, unprepared, or unwilling to assist conflict-affected populations. Similarly, many social protection programmes fail to consider the impacts of conflict and are poorly coordinated with humanitarian efforts, leaving gaps in addressing acute vulnerabilities.
Sweeping cuts in development and humanitarian aid budgets this year threaten recent progress towards using and strengthening social protection channels as a starting point for designing and planning interventions in crises. Still, with the World Bank’s goal to reach 500 million people with social protection by 2030, including a focus on fragile and conflict settings, there’s a strong platform for progress.
As the opening of an international conference, this session will present critical insights from the BASIC Research programme around how to strengthen responses across the nexus of social protection and humanitarian assistance. Key questions to be explored include:
- What are the politics of social assistance, including the role of international actors in domestic politics and policy processes?
- With a focus on targeting and capacity, how can the design and delivery of social assistance be more resilient, sensitive and responsive in crises?
- In what ways can social assistance in the most challenging protracted crises effectively contribute to climate change adaptation and resilient livelihoods?
- How can social assistance in crises be more accountable and responsive to gender, age, disability, displacement and other intersecting vulnerabilities?
Speakers
- Paul Harvey, Humanitarian Outcomes, BASIC co-Director;
- Rachel Sabates-Wheeler, Institute of Development Studies, BASIC co-director;
- Jeremy Lind, Institute of Development Studies, BASIC co-Research Director;
- Rachel Slater, Independent Consultant, BASIC co-Research Director.
Chair
Peter Taylor, Director, IDS.
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