© Disasters Emergency Committee
The Disasters Emergency Committee brings together the leading UK aid agencies to
raise money at times of humanitarian crisis in poorer countries. By working together
we can raise more money to save lives and rebuild shattered communities.
The 2009 DEC AGM gave an opportunity for the humanitarian sector to reflect on two of the major challenges it is facing. It considered how to go about ‘Fostering self reliance through local capacity building to reduce the risk of dependency in disaster prone communities’ using examples from Myanmar and Bangladesh. It also looked at ‘The challenge of reaching displaced populations in conflict environments which may compromise relief effort’ with examples from Gaza and Congo.
These discussions highlighted how Member Agencies have increasingly built on local capacity and embedded skills in the local population. This is a change that shows what we have learnt about the delivery of humanitarian relief over the last 10 years and the challenges we still face. The AGM was generously sponsored by the Co-operative Bank.
The DEC gained membership of the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) in 2009-10 and improved the recording and monitoring of queries and complaints. Our membership of the FRSB will provide donors and commentators with confidence that we achieve a high standard in our fundraising activities and give donors a way to escalate any complaints they feel have not been dealt with properly.
The Trustee Accountability subcommittee worked closely with staff to assess the way members report the progress they have made and the challenges faced in delivering aid. One of the benefits of good reporting by members is that it enables the Board to review whether learning from earlier disasters has been incorporated into the latest responses.
We also continued working with broadcasters and other stakeholders to define responsibilities and expectations for appeals.
The learning resource ‘Lessons from Aceh: Key Considerations in Post-Disaster Reconstruction’ was published with Arup and Practical Action in December 2009, five years after the Boxing Day tsunami. This report was the result of an earlier evaluation carried out by the DEC and aimed to inform future post-disaster construction work by both the humanitarian and construction sectors.
Plans for the future
In 2010-11 the delivery of our new fundraising database will change many Secretariat processes. We aim to ensure that current levels of donor care are maintained during the changeover period and that we monitor the subsequent planned improvements, such as thanking donors more quickly.
Trustees and Member Agencies believe that the DEC Accountability Framework (DECAF) has driven improvements in our work. A review of DECAF is now underway to consider how we can sustain momentum and link into sector wide accountability and learning initiatives, while minimising the burden on the Secretariat and our members. See page 26 for more on accountability.
The DEC wishes to ensure its communications in the four nations of the UK are nationally relevant. Our approach will be reviewed and enhanced through closer work with those members that have representation in the individual nations.