Humanitarian Assistance and Health

• • Humanitarianism and humanitarian assistance
  • - Humanitarian principles, theory, definitions and context
  • - History of humanitarianism: significant events in the evolution of modern humanitarian assistance
  • - Global humanitarian relief system; roles/responsibilities of key actors
  • - Forms of humanitarian assistance: aid types, logistic and other support, security/military intervention
  • Legal frameworks for humanitarian assistance
  • - Key international legal frameworks relevant to humanitarian action
  • - Underpinning concepts: international law and treaties/conventions, customary law, obligations, incorporation into Australian domestic law
  • = Associated legal frameworks, processes and situations: refugee law, human rights law, special protections and roles (e.g. peace-keeping), domestic migration law
  • Assistance and relief operations
  • - Types, phases and contexts of humanitarian crises and responses
  • - Relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction: overview of humanitarian crisis principles
  • - Risk identification and needs assessment: use of evidence and field data to inform responses based on multiple factors (e.g. political, cultural, social, demographic, logistic, geographic, security)
  • - Management and logistics of responses/interventions: collaboration, community aspects and recipient viewpoints and preferences
  • - Program management in the humanitarian assistance context: special considerations
  • - Health issues in humanitarian crises: types of hazards to health and their effects (e.g. natural, biological, technological, societal); disruption to health systems and services; health impacts of disruption to critical infrastructure (e.g. water); post-crisis exposure or vulnerability (e.g. infestation, population displacement)
  • - Disaster resilience and risk reduction: long-term strategies for prevention of crises or reduction of risk
  • Current issues in humanitarian assistance
  • - Humanitarianism as a profession: workforce issues, personal risk, safety and security issues for humanitarian workers; resilience and stress/trauma management for humanitarian workers
  • - Confidence in humanitarian organisations: neutrality and impartiality; probity, fraud and disclosure; the humanitarian “industry” and costs of generating donation income
  • - Emergent issues: slow-motion humanitarian crises (e.g. climate change and population displacement)
  • - Politics of humanitarian assistance: national contributions to “foreign aid”, humanitarian aid as foreign policy, recipient “dependency” on humanitarian assistance
  • - Humanitarian assistance and sustainable development: long-term approaches to reduce need for humanitarian assistance, or to meet ongoing need after a crisis (e.g. damage mitigation)

In order to enrol in this subject, you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:

Core

• ACU-GHE-GCE-2022

Elective

• ACU-MPH-MAS-2022
• ACU-GHA-MAS-2022
• ACU-GHA-MAS-2022

Additional requirements

No additional requirements

Humanitarian assistance is intended to “save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity during and after man-made crises and disasters caused by natural hazards, as well as to prevent and strengthen preparedness for when such situations occur”. It is governed by the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. In 2016, it was estimated that over 164 million people living in 47 countries were in need of humanitarian assistance. Over a quarter of these people were in Yemen, Syria and Iraq. Situations requiring humanitarian assistance are frequently complex emergencies, in which disaster, conflict and refugee displacement occur simultaneously. Such complex emergencies have profound effects of health. This unit will enable students to gain an understanding of humanitarian principles, theory and definitions, as well as an appreciation of the history of humanitarianism and significant events that have shaped modern humanitarian efforts. Student will build their understanding of the global infrastructure for humanitarian assistance, such as international relief systems, roles and responsibilities of relevant actors (government and non-government) and the principles of international humanitarian law. Students will explore the health-related dimensions of humanitarian assistance, with emphasis on prevention and management of acute health risks during a humanitarian emergency. Students will conclude the unit by exploring other critical issues of humanitarian assistance, including relief operations, planning and needs assessment, disaster resilience and risk reduction, security issues, the humanitarian workforce, relationship to long-term development and emergent humanitarian needs.. The aim of the unit is to give students a deep understanding of the continuing relevance of humanitarian assistance to public health.

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. In order to successfully complete this unit, students need to submit and pass three graded assessment tasks and obtain an aggregate mark of greater than 50%. ACU-PUBH641 assessment task 1 is a written task designed to enable students to acquire advanced knowledge of humanitarian principles, theory, definitions and law. Assessment task 2 is also a written task in which students evaluate the roles of actors, and critique current controversies of humanitarian assistance using a current humanitarian scenario. In assessment 3 students deepen their knowledge by critically analysing an evaluation of a humanitarian response. All assessment tasks will be submitted electronically.

• Written Task - Enable students to acquire advanced knowledge of humanitarian principles, theory, definitions and law. (20%)
• Short Answer task - Enable students to evaluate the roles of actors, and critique current controversies of humanitarian assistance (40%)
• Written Task - Enable students to assimilate knowledge and deepen their understanding by writing a critical analysis of an evaluation of a humanitarian response. (40%)