- Title
- Approaches to reduce the disaster vulnerability of forcibly displaced people: humanitarian practitioners and the Rohingya
- Creator
- Johnson, Thomas
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2024
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Displaced people living in temporary shelter are often more vulnerable to disasters than those with secure tenure. Displaced people, whether internally displaced within their country or refugees across international borders, are generally unable to address the emergent vulnerabilities due to a lack of access to resources, support networks and fundamental rights. In many instances, humanitarian organisations lack the knowledge or capacity to best reduce disaster vulnerability in displaced settlements. Research on the vulnerability of displaced populations, their unique challenges in the disaster context, and how humanitarian organisations can assist in this context is limited. Moreover, the limited understanding of how displacement exacerbates pre-existing vulnerabilities (e.g., poverty and lack of access to healthcare) and affects the ability to prepare for and recover from disasters, poses significant challenges to practitioners in this field. In this context, a knowledge gap exists in the discourse of disaster risk reduction concerning understanding of the disaster vulnerability of displaced people, their specific needs, and potential interventions. Furthermore, the knowledge gap extends to the long-term impacts of displacement on disaster risk and how displacement may impact access to housing, employment, and other resources needed for recovery. Addressing this knowledge gap can inform displaced populations' disaster preparedness and response strategies. Therefore, this research aims to explore the effects of humanitarian operations on the drivers of disaster vulnerability for forcibly displaced populations. The conceptual framework for this study was developed using the Pressure and Release model and the literature on forced displacement, humanitarian response operations, and disaster vulnerability. Using abductive reasoning, the study develops propositions from the literature and further explores the propositions through a single phenomenological case study, utilising semi-structured interviews with thirty-two humanitarian practitioners. The data collected from these interviews were provisionally and structurally coded through Lumivero's NVivo software and explored through thematic analysis. The research findings identify five key aspects. First, the disconnect between 'what is known about reducing disaster vulnerability' and 'what is implemented in practice by the humanitarian sector' contributes to significant levels of vulnerability in displaced populations. Second, among displaced populations, improving access to resources is not adequately utilised as a means to reduce vulnerability. Third, these shortcomings are negatively impacted by external influences from governments and donors that limit the ability of organisations to reduce vulnerability effectively. Fourth, intra-organisation coordination issues affect the outcomes of humanitarian programmes. The limitations of the cluster approach, lack of institutional knowledge, and difficulties in monitoring and evaluation impede the ability of organisations to reduce vulnerability effectively. Fifth, the humanitarian sector negatively affects outcomes by not adequately addressing social cohesion and aid equity. The lack of localisation of the NGO labour force, the increased strain on local resources, and unequal aid delivery lead to increased tensions between displaced populations and the host community which negatively impacts the drivers of vulnerability. Overall, this thesis contributes to an understanding of how humanitarian operations can impact the disaster vulnerability of displaced populations and provides recommendations for improving the effectiveness of these operations in the future. This culminates in two key contributions. Firstly, a conceptual model based on the Pressure and Release model is produced specifically for the context of forced displacement crises. Secondly, the vulnerability headway model is proposed for focusing activities designed to reduce the disaster vulnerability of forcibly displaced people.
- Subject
- disaster vulnerability; forced displacement; Rohingya refugee crisis; humanitarian response; progression of vulnerability
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1496038
- Identifier
- uon:54117
- Rights
- Copyright 2024 Thomas Johnson
- Language
- eng
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 3 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 263 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |