Search

The Chaplaincy Ministry is practised in most closed communities, such as uniformed forces, medical institutions, funeral homes, educational institutions and orphan and vulnerable communities. Its relevance in Zimbabwe has been critiqued as it has not been able to demonstrate itself as God’s presence during disasters such as cyclones. The displacement of people in Chimanimani and Chipinge communities in the Eastern side of Zimbabwe, the death of their relatives and the destruction of their properties brought some traumatic experiences that the Church was not able to deal with. Churches in Zimbabwe joined the government and civic organisations to provide humanitarian aid to the distressed communities but unfortunately missed the primary aim of the church journeying along with the distressed. This qualitative research paper argued that, unlike the government and civic organisations that give humanitarian aid and leave the devasted areas, the role of chaplaincy ministry was for the church to commit itself to the daily struggles of the traumatised populace. The paper challenged the churches in Zimbabwe to be like a Christwoven nest that protects, provides, and prays for communities grappling with the omnipotence of God in times of disaster. The paper concluded by proffering a challenge to the church in Zimbabwe to either function as a centre of God’s presence in the shattered communities or be like a charity organisation in humanitarian aid alongside the non-governmental organisations and the government which is not her call. This paper contributes significantly to scholarship as there is limited literature on chaplaincy from an African genre and more importantly resources that define the role of the church in troubled communities. This paper provides a solution for churches struggling with the approach to take when disasters loom and people are questioning the omnipotence of God during a crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the leadership development needs of so-called 'Global South' humanitarian professionals? The humanitarian professionalisation agenda begun in the 1990s has evolved to include short courses and accredited programmes specifically aiming to build leadership skills. This paper explores how humanitarian professionals from the Global South understand the current context of leadership development, including its barriers of access, and potential for change to be more relevant to their lives and work. Using thematic analysis of eleven key informant interviews, the paper finds three levels of consideration: global politics and inequality, personal and professional enrichment, and practical support. The findings suggest that while humanitarian leadership training can be better tailored and made available to Global South leaders at all career stages, there is a wider, more crucial need to address systemic imbalances. This paper contributes to wider discussion on localisation and inequality in the humanitarian aid sector, and more specifically contributes to the literature on how systemic factors shape the limits of both professionalisation and expansion of humanitarian education initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Trump administration's attacks on immigrant communities, especially undocumented people, produced major policy reversals on temporary humanitarian relief programs, such as the termination of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). While these policies have had wide-reaching impacts across communities of color, within the broader immigration debate, the experiences of Black migrants have often been overlooked. This paper asks the following questions: How did extremist policies impact Black migrants under the Trump administration? What vulnerabilities did these policies produce or exacerbate? What do these efforts tell us about the "turn" toward authoritarianism in U.S. politics? Applying antiblackness as a theoretical framework, this paper conducts a content analysis of media outlets to examine the impact of extremist policies on Liberian DED beneficiaries. The ramifications of these policies intensified pre-existing antiblack dynamics of belonging and exclusion within the state by reinforcing racial hierarchies, producing social exclusion and vulnerability to state violence, and maintaining constrained access to citizenship. In assessing the many ways that antiblack racism manifests for citizens and non-citizens alike, we can extend our understanding of migrant justice, racial justice, and anti-imperialism as interdependent struggles in the face of rising authoritarianism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This interdisciplinary paper blends knowledge from computer science and economics in proposing a complex dynamic system subpopulation model for a blockchain form of local complementary currency, generic to the Grassroots Economics Foundation's Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) implemented in Kenya. Our contribution to the emerging economics literature is five-fold: (i) we take a novel meso-economic approach to elicit utility from actual transactions data and reveal an 'optimal' disaggregation number of typical community subgroups; (ii) we relate the local CIC functioning to a nation-wide currency board monetary regime to argue that such a credible CIC implementation ensures trust in the CIC and makes it a valuable market-based channel to alleviate poverty, in addition to humanitarian or government aid channels. However, (iii) we also find evidence in our data that substitutes for real-world money such as CICs are perceived as inferior, and hence CIC systems can only be transitional. Then, (iv) we reveal that, for a poor population, saving dominates as a use of a cluster's CIC balance, accounting for 47%, followed by purchase of food and water, 25%. Despite these dominant patterns, (v) we uncover a considerable heterogeneity in CIC spending behavior. Our contribution to the related computer-science and Tokenomics literature is two-fold: (i) we provide an open-source scaffold for modeling CIC viability and net flows; (ii) to simulate a subpopulation mixing process, we employ a network-based dynamical system modeling approach that is better grounded in economic principles and monetary theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In humanitarian aid scenarios, the model of cumulative capacitated vehicle routing problem can be used in vehicle scheduling, aiming at delivering materials to recipients as quickly as possible, thus minimizing their wait time. Traditional approaches focus on this metric, but practical implementations must also consider factors such as driver labor intensity and the capacity for on-site decision-making. To evaluate driver workload, the operation times of relief vehicles are typically used, and multi-objective modeling is employed to facilitate on-site decision-making. This paper introduces a multi-objective cumulative capacitated vehicle routing problem considering operation time (MO-CCVRP-OT). Our model is bi-objective, aiming to minimize both the cumulative wait time of disaster-affected areas and the extra expenditures incurred by the excess operation time of rescue vehicles. Based on the traditional grey wolf optimizer algorithm, this paper proposes a dynamic grey wolf optimizer algorithm with floating 2-opt (DGWO-F2OPT), which combines real number encoding with an equal-division random key and ROV rules for decoding; in addition, a dynamic non-dominated solution set update strategy is introduced. To solve MO-CCVRP-OT efficiently and increase the algorithm's convergence speed, a multi-objective improved floating 2-opt (F2OPT) local search strategy is proposed. The utopia optimum solution of DGWO-F2OPT has an average value of two fitness values that is 6.22% lower than that of DGWO-2OPT. DGWO-F2OPT's average fitness value in the algorithm comparison trials is 16.49% less than that of NS-2OPT. In the model comparison studies, MO-CCVRP-OT is 18.72% closer to the utopian point in Euclidean distance than CVRP-OT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical cyclones (TCs) displace millions every year. While TCs pose hardships and threaten lives, their negative impacts can be reduced by anticipatory actions like evacuation and humanitarian aid coordination. In addition to weather forecasts, impact forecast enables more effective response by providing richer information on the numbers and locations of people at risk of displacement. We introduce a fully open-source implementation of a globally consistent and regionally calibrated TC-related displacement forecast at low computational costs, combining meteorological forecast with population exposure and respective vulnerability. We present a case study of TC Yasa which hit Fiji in December 2020. We emphasise the importance of considering the uncertainties associated with hazard, exposure, and vulnerability in a global uncertainty analysis, which reveals a considerable spread of possible outcomes. Additionally, we perform a sensitivity analysis on all recorded TC displacement events from 2017 to 2020 to understand how the forecast outcomes depend on these uncertain inputs. Our findings suggest that for longer forecast lead times, decision-making should focus more on meteorological uncertainty, while greater emphasis should be placed on the vulnerability of the local community shortly before TC landfall. Our open-source codes and implementations are readily transferable to other users, hazards, and impact types. This paper proposes an open-source, impact-based forecast for tropical cyclone population displacement using both cyclone forecasts and population settlements and vulnerabilities. This is applied to Tropical Cyclone Yasa, striking Fiji in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ample scholarship thoroughly documents how modern humanitarian aid enacts legacies of colonialism and processes of Westernization through the imposition of foreign values and promotion of 'universal' norms. Extensive research has also explored processes of socio-cultural-moral transformation due to crisis and displacement. This paper extends this work by demonstrating an explicit connection between the two. Drawing on 10 months of ethnographic research that examined how Burundian refugees in Tanzania experience humanitarian social emotional learning (SEL), findings reveal various intersecting lines of crisis in the Nduta refugee camp. This research illuminates how SEL interacts with these lines of crisis to exacerbate intergenerational tensions. The self-centric values promoted through SEL and the pedagogies it employs conflict with the collectivist ethos of the Nduta community, thus breaking the Burundian generational contract of reciprocity, solidarity, and moral responsibility. In this context, SEL operates on conflicting narratives of crisis that clash with generational hopes for the prevention of future crisis in Burundi. These generational fractures are resulting in fears across the Nduta community that the decline of traditional Burundian values and communitarian ethos will not only perpetuate intergenerational experiences of crisis but has also initiated the perceived erasure of their culture and the essence of their humanity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Relaciones Internacionales (1699-3950) is the property of Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain, International Relations Studies Group (GERI) Law Faculty and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper explores the intersection of the impacts of COVID-19 on women and girls in humanitarian settings with the necessity of incorporating female perspectives in decision-making roles within multilateral institutions delivering humanitarian aid. Women remain underrepresented in leadership positions in these multilateral institutions. However, increased female participation in leadership roles is linked to greater consideration of women's needs in humanitarian response plans, thereby promoting gender-sensitive recovery efforts. Given COVID-19's exacerbation of preexisting gender disparities in fragile settings, gender-responsive relief measures are crucial in humanitarian contexts. With the rising demand for humanitarian aid, prioritizing gender-sensitive and inclusive responses is essential for fostering an equitable and resilient post-COVID-19 future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Norwegian parliament has agreed to fund the Nansen Support Program for Ukraine, promising to deliver a total of NOK 75 billion (EUR 6.7 billion) in military and civilian aid to Ukraine over the period 2023–2027. In 2023, half of the aid was delivered in the form of military support, the other half constituted civilian support, including humanitarian relief and direct support to the Government of Ukraine. Over the next four years, the distribution between military and civilian aid through the Nansen Support Program will be decided on an annual basis. To achieve the long-term goal of making Ukraine ‘well-functioning, democratic and safe’, and supporting the country’s ambitions for European integration, the Norwegian aid is intended to strengthen democratic institutions, the rule of law and civil society in Ukraine. This paper examines the debate on Norway’s assistance to Ukraine and discusses the competing, or even conflicting, goals of helping Ukraine win the war and strengthening Ukrainian civil society, looking for answers to several difficult questions: How will the Norwegian government ensure that funding to Ukraine is in fact spent ‘in line with Ukraine’s needs’ and does not enrich criminals or facilitate unlawful activities? How will the funding help strengthen Ukraine’s democratic institutions and civil society? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The promise of innovation in humanitarian contexts has generated an expanding literature, from academics as well as practitioners. However, the field has become characterised by conceptual ambiguity and insular approaches, inhibiting the integration of findings and best practices. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the key concepts, definitions, and themes in humanitarian innovation (HI) research by applying a systematic literature review and content analysis. Based on data from 301 publications, we analyse scholarly and practitioner articles addressing the topic of humanitarian innovation. Our analysis suggests that efforts to reform the humanitarian system by leveraging innovation have been primarily ad hoc, fragmented, and serving miscellaneous separate objectives. This results in the implementation of incremental improvements, rather than transformative change throughout the sector. To bridge the gap between the various conceptualisations of HI, we propose a conceptual framework that provides a system perspective on HI, which includes the institutions, actors, contextual factors, and outputs of the system. The implications of our finding for further research and policy are discussed as well. Points for practitioners • Ensure active participation and inclusion of affected populations in innovation agendas and processes. • Strengthen collaborative efforts among actors (donors, practitioners, private sector, intermediaries, NGOs) in humanitarian sector to increase coordination, knowledge exchange, and bundling of resources for innovation. • Facilitate evidence-based approaches and data-driven decision-making, for the operationalisation of appropriate innovations. • Increase the quality and quantity of funding going to innovation actors, and steer funding towards innovations explicitly catering to the needs of affected populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pasado y Memoria. Revista de Historia Contemporánea is the property of Pasado y Memoria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Pasado y Memoria. Revista de Historia Contemporánea is the property of Pasado y Memoria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article discusses Indonesia’s involvement in addressing the plight of the Rohingya refugees, who have been deprived of citizenship, leading to the erosion of their basic human rights. This deprivation has resulted in widespread social exclusion and displacement, forcing many to seek asylum in countries like Indonesia. Therefore, this study aims to: firstly, analyze the legal framework within which international law enables the Indonesian government to responsibly manage refugee situation; and secondly, evaluate the collective efforts of the Indonesian government and the global community in seeking a comprehensive resolution to this crisis. The paper focuses on the legal dimensions of the Rohingya refugee situation in Indonesia, employing a normative approach. It offers a descriptive analysis from the perspective of governance and international law. The findings emphasize the need for the Indonesian government to adopt a proactive stance. Key measures include advocating for the Rohingya’s right to citizenship, urging the Myanmar government to halt its violence, and calling for active intervention from the United Nations (UN) and the international community. Furthermore, it is recommended that Indonesia continues to offer temporary refuge on humanitarian grounds, ensuring the provision of aid and adhering to the principle of non-refoulement. Effective coordination among local and central governments, as well as international partners, is essential for the strategic management of refugee issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Humanitarian crises and disasters affect millions of people worldwide. Humanitarian aid workers are civilians or professionals who respond to disasters and provide humanitarian assistance. In doing so, they face several stressors and traumatic exposures. Humanitarian aid workers also face unique challenges associated with working in unfamiliar settings. Objective: To determine the occurrence of and factors associated with mental ill-health among humanitarian aid workers. Search strategy: CINAHL plus, Cochrane library, Global Health, Medline, PubMed, Web of Science were searched from 2005–2020. Grey literature was searched on Google Scholar. Selection criteria: PRISMA guidelines were followed and after double screening, studies reporting occurrence of mental ill-health were included. Individual narratives and case studies were excluded, as were studies that reported outcomes in non-humanitarian aid workers. Data analysis: Data on occurrence of mental ill-health and associated factors were independently extracted and combined in a narrative summary. A random effects logistic regression model was used for the meta-analysis. Main results: Nine studies were included with a total of 3619 participants, reporting on five types of mental ill-health (% occurrence) including psychological distress (6.5%-52.8%); burnout (8.5%-32%); anxiety (3.8%-38.5%); depression (10.4%-39.0%) and post-traumatic stress disorder (0% to 25%). Hazardous drinking of alcohol ranged from 16.2%-50.0%. Meta-analysis reporting OR (95% CI) among humanitarian aid workers, for psychological distress was 0.45 (0.12–1.64); burnout 0.34 (0.27–0.44); anxiety 0.22 (0.10–0.51); depression 0.32 (0.18–0.57) and PTSD 0.11 (0.03–0.39). Associated factors included young age, being female and pre-existing mental ill-health. Conclusions: Mental ill-health is common among humanitarian aid workers, has a negative impact on personal well-being, and on a larger scale reduces the efficacy of humanitarian organisations with delivery of aid and retention of staff. It is imperative that mental ill-health is screened for, detected and treated in humanitarian aid workers, before, during and after their placements. It is essential to implement psychologically protective measures for individuals working in stressful and traumatic crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the experiences of the refugee population in India and Myanmar with identification documents and digitization. In India, the digital identification system has brought advantages but also economic and social exclusion for refugee communities. In Myanmar, an attempt has been made to implement a digital identification system that could further limit the rights of minorities and opposition groups. The article also narrates the experience of a Rohingya refugee in India and how the Aadhaar card provided him with some protection and access to basic services. However, the situation changed when the Indian government considered Rohingya refugees as "illegal" and made it difficult for them to access essential services. The article discusses the negative consequences of the digital identification system in India and Myanmar. In India, the Aadhaar card has become a mandatory requirement to access services such as education, financial services, and driver's licenses. This has led to the exclusion of refugee communities and other marginalized groups. In Myanmar, the military regime has used identification systems to restrict the movement of the population and persecute opposition and minorities. The digitization of identification systems can be harmful when used by state authorities to discriminate against and exclude certain groups. The article discusses the use of paper and digitized identification systems to restrict freedom of movement and segregate the Rohingya community in Myanmar. These systems are used to block access to food, income, funds, and humanitarian assistance, as well as to prevent the dissemination of information about atrocities committed. While the digitization of identification systems can improve the efficiency of aid and services delivery for refugees, it can also generate additional risks and vulnerabilities. Furthermore, digitization can support states' ability to strip minorities of their rights and impose statelessness on them. [Extracted from the article]

At the start of this review, 168 million individuals required humanitarian assistance, at the conclusion of the research, the number had risen to 235 million. Humanitarian aid is critical not just for dealing with a pandemic that occurs once every century, but more for assisting amid civil conflicts, surging natural disasters, as well as other kinds of emergencies. Technology's dependability to support humanitarian and disaster operations has never been more pertinent and significant than it is right now. The ever-increasing volume of data, as well as innovations in the field of data analytics, present an incentive for the humanitarian sector. Given that the interaction between big data and humanitarian and disaster operations is crucial in the coming days, this systematic literature review offers a comprehensive overview of big data analytics in a humanitarian and disaster setting. In addition to presenting the descriptive aspects of the literature reviewed, the results explain review of existent reviews, the current state of research by disaster categories, disaster phases, disaster locations, and the big data sources used. A framework is also created to understand why researchers employ various big data sources in different crisis situations. The study, in particular, uncovered a considerable research disparity in the disaster group, disaster phase, and disaster regions, emphasising how the focus is on reactionary interventions rather than preventative approaches. These measures will merely compound the crisis, and so is the reality in many COVID-19-affected countries. Implications for practice and policy-making are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanitarian assistance is not carried out in a vacuum. As urban warfare historically complicates humanitarian aid's access to civilians in war zones, Ukraine, having suffered and still facing highly publicized violence in civilian-dense areas, has encountered dire obstacles in acquiring necessary resources for civilians' survival, including both direct and incidental attacks on humanitarian access. Thus, it is vital the international legal community take measures to mitigate current and future dangers of urban warfare, as well as design new solutions, such as strengthening current international law under which obstructing humanitarian access constitutes a violation of jus cogens principles, attempting to induce countries to move away from conflict in civilian-populated areas, supporting previously attempted alleviations such as "safe zones" and humanitarian corridors, and boosting the concrete legal status of NGOs' and other organizations' neutrality, to ensure easier access to humanitarian aid in present and future war zones. In Part II (Part I being an introduction), this paper will first lay a foundation of the history of humanitarian assistance in armed conflict and civilians' rights to humanitarian assistance in armed conflict. Part III will introduce the history of urban warfare, then discuss common obstacles to humanitarian assistance (whether intentionally or unintentionally caused by States), specifically in situations of urban warfare. Part IV will examine how Ukraine has experienced and is currently experiencing humanitarian access issues, and the applicable obligations which involved States have failed to uphold. Finally, Part V will discuss potential solutions to the difficulty facing aid workers in Ukraine and other urban armed conflict situations where civilians are impacted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to analyze the Turkish foreign policy towards the African continent in the 21st century. With the end of the Cold War and the world order centered on a bipolar logic, Turkey has had greater autonomy to manage its international relations, maintaining a more active foreign policy by expanding its economic, diplomatic, and security affairs beyond the West. In this context, under the leadership of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the African continent has come to occupy an increasingly prominent place in Turkish foreign relations. Thus, since the early 2000s, there has been a substantial increase in Turkey's presence on the continent, characterized, among other aspects, by the intensification of bilateral trade flows, the expansion of the diplomatic network on the continent, its participation in the mediation of conflicts and the offer of humanitarian assistance to African actors. In this context, and based on the literature on Middle Powers and Regional Powers, this paper discusses the intensification of Turkey's ties with African countries since the beginning of the 21st century, comprehending it as part of a broader international projection strategy. To this end, the study adopts a hermeneutic approach, relying on the literature review on Turkish-African relations and the analysis, supported by quantitative data, of the developments of these relations in the political, economic, and security axes throughout the period in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text discusses the increasing humanitarian crisis of forced displacement and the rise of refugee crises around the world. It highlights the various factors that contribute to unsafe living conditions, such as civil wars, violence, persecution, poverty, and climate change. The text emphasizes the need for business and society scholarship to understand how businesses should respond to refugee crises and the challenges they face in doing so. The special issue mentioned in the text focuses on cross-sector partnerships and their role in supporting refugee integration, highlighting the importance of partnerships and the complexities involved in managing them effectively. The papers in the special issue explore topics such as the different types of value creation activities for refugees, the impact of trust breaches in cross-sector partnerships, and the factors influencing the effective functioning of these partnerships. The text also discusses the involvement of business organizations in supporting refugees through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. The authors analyze why organizations declare their engagement in refugee issues and examine the alignment between reported CSR policy and CSR activity. They find that few multinational business organizations offer programs specifically targeted at refugees, and even fewer feature refugee-specific programs that are "coupled" with either CSR policies or impacts. The text also highlights the importance of individual agency, identity, and social factors in the integration process for refugees seeking employment and engaging in entrepreneurship in their host countries. The authors suggest that more research is needed to understand the consequences of refugee flows for businesses, the barriers to business actions related to refugee crises, and the process of refugee integration into host countries. They [Extracted from the article]

Disaster relief presents many unique logistics challenges, including damaged transportation infrastructure, multiple conflicting goals, and secondary disasters caused by spontaneous disaster relief. The delivery and distribution of humanitarian relief materials faced by nonprofit organizations (NPOs) poses a critical challenge due to the highly unpredictable nature of disasters, conflicting missions, and the need to navigate government regulations in disaster management. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-objective disaster relief modeling system for NPOs, considering (1) prioritization (providing medical services to seriously injured victims), (2) effectiveness (degree of satisfaction), (3) efficiency (operational costs), and (4) equity (cost of maintaining order). To incorporate the practical constraints of disaster relief operations, we include factors such as road damage, transportation capacity limitations, and route flow saturation as part of the model formulation. We then utilize fuzzy multi-objective programming to optimize the proposed disaster relief model, considering two relief distribution schemes: a common NPOs' spontaneous relief scheme and a newly designed traffic control scheme with government regulation. Based on the real-world scenario of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, we demonstrate that the designed traffic control scheme exhibited remarkable improvement among the NPOs' four objectives compared to the spontaneous relief scheme. Moreover, in the process of solving fuzzy multi-objective programming problems, artificial intelligence technology is employed to handle the fuzziness in multi-objective and automatically adjust parameters, making the solution results better and in line with practical situations. And we also validate the proposed model can be solved in polynomial time, meeting the engineering practice requirements, and can be easily extend to most disaster relief distribution scenarios. [Display omitted] • Fuzzy multi-objective programming model for humanitarian relief materials' delivery and distribution was built. • Prioritization, effectiveness, efficiency and equity were considered as the NPOs objectives. • Roadway capacity is considered as a constraint condition. • The NPOs' spontaneous relief scheme and traffic control scheme were discussed specially. • Delivery and distribution of humanitarian relief materials was analyzed based on 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main security challenges when federating separate Internet of Things (IoT) administrative domains is effective Identity and Access Management, which is required to establish trust and secure communication between federated IoT devices. The primary goal of the work is to develop a "lightweight" protocol to enable authentication and authorization of IoT devices in federated environments and ensure the secure communication of IoT devices. We propose a novel Lightweight Authentication and Authorization Framework for Federated IoT (LAAFFI) which takes advantage of the unique fingerprint of IoT devices based on their configuration and additional hardware modules, such as Physical Unclonable Function, to provide flexible authentication and authorization based on Distributed Ledger technology. Moreover, LAAFFI supports IoT devices with limited computing resources and devices not equipped with secure storage space. We implemented a prototype of LAAFFI and evaluated its performance in the Hyperledger Fabric-based IoT framework. Three main metrics were evaluated: latency, throughput (number of operations or transactions per second), and network resource utilization rate (transmission overhead introduced by the LAAFFI protocol). The performance tests conducted confirmed the high efficiency and suitability of the protocol for federated IoT environments. Also, all LAAFFI components are scalable as confirmed by tests. We formally evaluated LAAFFI security using Verifpal as a formal verification tool. Based on the models developed for Verifpal, we validated their security properties, such as message secrecy, authenticity, and freshness. Our results show that the proposed solution can improve the security of federated IoT environments while providing zero-day interoperability and high scalability. Compared to existing solutions, LAAFFI is more efficient due to the use of symmetric cryptography and algorithms adapted for operations involving IoT devices. LAAFFI supports multiple authorization mechanisms, and since it also offers authentication and accountability, it meets the requirements of Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA). It uses Distributed Ledger (DL) and smart contracts to ensure that the request complies with the policies agreed between the organizations. LAAFFI offers authentication of devices belonging to a single organization and different organizations, with the assurance that the encryption key will be shared with another device only if the appropriate security policy is met. The proposed protocol is particularly useful for ensuring the security of federated IoT environments created ad hoc for special missions, e.g., operations conducted by NATO countries and disaster relief operations Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) involving military forces and civilian services, where immediate interoperability is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides are one of the major disasters that exist worldwide, posing a serious threat to human life and property safety. Rapid and accurate detection and mapping of landslides are crucial for risk assessment and humanitarian assistance in affected areas. To achieve this goal, this study proposes a landslide recognition method based on machine learning (ML) and terrain feature fusion. Taking the Dawan River Basin in Detuo Township and Tianwan Yi Ethnic Township as the research area, firstly, landslide-related data were compiled, including a landslide inventory based on field surveys, satellite images, historical data, high-resolution remote sensing images, and terrain data. Then, different training datasets for landslide recognition are constructed, including full feature datasets that fusion terrain features and remote sensing features and datasets that only contain remote sensing features. At the same time, different ratios of landslide to non-landslide (or positive/negative, P/N) samples are set in the training data. Subsequently, five ML algorithms, including Extreme Gradient Boost (XGBoost), Adaptive Boost (AdaBoost), Light Gradient Boost (LightGBM), Random Forest (RF), and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), were used to train each training dataset, and landslide recognition was performed on the validation area. Finally, accuracy (A), precision (P), recall (R), F1 score (F1), and intersection over union (IOU) were selected to evaluate the landslide recognition ability of different models. The research results indicate that selecting ML models suitable for the study area and the ratio of the P/N samples can improve the A, R, F1, and IOU of landslide identification results, resulting in more accurate and reasonable landslide identification results; Fusion terrain features can make the model recognize landslides more comprehensively and align better with the actual conditions. The best-performing model in the study is LightGBM. When the input data includes all features and the P/N sample ratio is optimal, the A, P, R, F1, and IOU of landslide recognition results for this model are 97.47%, 85.40%, 76.95%, 80.95%, and 71.28%, respectively. Compared to the landslide recognition results using only remote sensing features, this model shows improvements of 4.51%, 35.66%, 5.41%, 22.27%, and 29.16% in A, P, R, F1, and IOU, respectively. This study serves as a valuable reference for the precise and comprehensive identification of landslide areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, South Pacific leaders have advocated a “zone of peace” for the region, with their national security forces focusing on civil security to protect exclusive economic zones, conduct outreach, perform aeromedical evacuations, and deliver humanitarian aid. However, protecting a vast archipelago requires air capabilities that can reach remote islands quickly and are protected against threats. Developing a sovereign air capability depends on the country’s aviation industry, which can be technically restrictive. This article examines the absorptive capacity of South Pacific nations to develop sovereign air capabilities to shape actionable air-advising plans. The analysis is framed around three pillars essential for building such capabilities: infrastructure, capability, and a sustainable indigenous workforce. While capabilities and infrastructure can be quickly established, maturing a skilled domestic workforce hinges on the strength of the educational foundation in recipient nations. Thus, the success of air-advising efforts depends on the recipient nations’ educational attainment levels. We analyze demographic data to quantify workforce capacity for establishing a sovereign air force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online social media platforms, such as Twitter, are one of the most valuable sources of information during disaster events. Humanitarian organizations, government agencies, and volunteers rely on a concise compilation of such information for effective disaster management. Existing methods to make such compilations are mostly generic summarization approaches that do not exploit domain knowledge. In this paper, we propose a disaster-specific tweet summarization framework, IKDSumm , which initially identifies the crucial and important information from each tweet related to a disaster through key-phrases of that tweet. We identify these key-phrases by utilizing the domain knowledge (using existing ontology) of disasters without any human intervention. Further, we utilize these key-phrases to automatically generate a summary of the tweets. Therefore, given tweets related to a disaster, IKDSumm ensures fulfillment of the summarization key objectives, such as information coverage, relevance, and diversity in summary without any human intervention. We evaluate the performance of IKDSumm with 8 state-of-the-art techniques on 12 disaster datasets. The evaluation results show that IKDSumm outperforms existing techniques by approximately 2 − 79 % in terms of ROUGE-N F1-score. • Proposed IKDSumm uses tweets' key-phrase in a BERT-based model to generate summary. • We propose DRAKE for key-phrase extraction of disaster-specific tweets. • DRAKE outperform existing key-phrase extraction methods for disaster-specific tweets. • We release annotated key-phrase for 7 disaster events of various locations and types. • A comparison of 8 SOTA approaches across 12 datasets confirms superiority of IKDSumm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Conflict has become a global reality, particularly impacting millions of children, with the majority of conflicts occurring in developing nations, where 90% of the world's children reside. The Horn of Africa, especially Sudan, has faced severe conflicts, with the year 2023 witnessing one of the toughest conflicts in the region, resulting in a high number of internally displaced persons and refugees. Children, especially in areas like Darfur, Khartoum, Gezira, and Kordofan, bear the brunt of ongoing large-scale conflicts, facing widespread human rights violations and resource damage. Before the conflict that began in April 2023, Khartoum was home to numerous children's hospitals, but now only Elbuluk Hospital remains operational, facing a surge in admissions due to displacement and subsequent returns of civilians seeking medical care. Although malnutrition cases have increased, the case fatality rate associated with severe acute malnutrition has doubled from approximately 6% to 12% by March 2024, possibly due to uneven food distribution amid sporadic peace efforts. Recommendations: Investing in grassroots organizations is crucial for facilitating effective humanitarian aid delivery, as they are uniquely positioned to identify and address local needs promptly and efficiently. Strengthening these organizations enhances their capacity to coordinate aid distribution and provide essential services tailored to regional conditions. Persistent violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in conflict zones impede humanitarian efforts. Robust collaboration between international and local stakeholders is necessary to uphold and enforce IHL, with a focus on protecting civilian lives and ensuring safe, unhindered access for humanitarian aid while respecting the dignity of all affected individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of COVID-19 on refugees and migrants in South Africa has been profound and multifaceted. Refugees, that is, people who are vulnerable due to displacement, have faced a series of challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. These challenges include health risks, limited healthcare access, economic hardships, food insecurity, disruptions in education, mental health concerns, stigmatization, and xenophobia. The pandemic disrupted asylum procedures and hindered the delivery of humanitarian assistance. While there were efforts to address these issues, the highlighting the need for targeted support and policies to protect and assist this vulnerable population during and after the pandemic. Refugees and migrant communities are among the most vulnerable groups during disasters and humanitarian responses. This vulnerability could be exacerbated by their presence in foreign lands, where they are legitimately discriminated against due to illegality, unrecognized documents/permits, or simply being foreign. Additionally, when new arrivals or immigrant groups are perceived as poorly integrated or as rivaling locals for limited resources, declining public support might occasionally limit the scope for robust humanitarian protection measures. To minimize the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the South African government implemented a financial stimulus package that supported complimentary monitoring measures for the citizens. However, the government's response to refugees and migrants focused mainly on closing the land border, with limited social protection for refugees and asylum seekers. Perhaps the most significant benefit of COVID-19 was global solidarity to curb its spread and humanitarian assistance in the areas of health, finance, and other relief items such as food. One can assume that the collective self of the global community exhibited high levels of solidarity despite some discrimination being observed in the areas of vaccines. Indeed, disaster-stricken communities need solidarity, not charity, as observed during the pandemic. This article theorizes how the existing structure of solidarity scholarship purposefully incorporates both the necessity of tangible responses to people's needs and the alternative conceptions of participation and self- organization. This study utilized a qualitative approach, collecting data from selected migrant and refugee communities in urban centers of Cape Town, including participants from Bellville central business district (CBD), Parow Centre, Goodwood Centre, and Cape Town CBD, who provided humanitarian support during the pandemic. In total, seven interviews were carried out, and participants were selected depending on their availability using a combination of purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Data were analyzed thematically based on the research question. The study drew on the pragmatic realities of refugees and migrants' solidarity initiatives and explored how they contributed to the COVID-19 humanitarian response in Cape Town, South Africa. This research aimed to investigate how solidarity initiatives led by refugees and migrants have functioned as interventions for disaster and humanitarian response in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cape Town, South Africa. The study findings from participants revealed that members of refugee and migrant communities relied on a vital solidarity initiative as coping strategy in order to deal with the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the humanitarian landscape, especially post-COVID-19, there has been a notable pivot towards inclusivity and participatory methodologies, emphasizing the pivotal role of refugee-led organizations (RLOs). In Lebanon, amidst persistent economic and political turmoil, RLOs serve as crucial support systems for Syrian and Palestinian refugees within an environment plagued by inconsistent refugee policies and heightened vulnerabilities. Academic discourse underscores the increasing significance of RLOs in humanitarian assistance, yet systemic hurdles such as power differentials and tokenistic inclusion have emerged, constraining their effectiveness and integration within the humanitarian sphere. This study critically examines the application of inclusivity within humanitarian operations, aligned with the principles outlined in the Agenda for Humanity, specifically scrutinizing how prevailing narratives and operational dynamics may marginalize RLOs in Lebanon, thereby impeding their efficacy. It endeavors to evaluate how RLOs can assert themselves as principal stakeholders in humanitarian endeavors, striving for a more equitable and pragmatic approach to power dynamics and strategic planning for refugee communities. Utilizing a qualitative and participatory methodology, this research engages with diverse RLOs in Lebanon, conducting interviews to realistically and practically frame their experiences, obstacles, and contributions within the humanitarian landscape across entrenched and often rigid hierarchies, power dynamics, and tokenism within Lebanon's broader humanitarian landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Alternative Politics / Alternatif Politika is the property of Alternatif Politika and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: A humanitarian crisis means any event or series of events that are harmful to the health or security of the general population. The Niger Republic is currently facing a serious crisis amid the military coup of July 26, 2023. We fear that if nothing is done about it quickly, there could be a civil war in Niger and other neighboring countries. Aim: This present article aims to provide comprehensive knowledge about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Niger, highlighting the factors that caused it and providing possible solutions for them. Methodology: A literature search was conducted on the recent humanitarian crisis caused by the military coup in Niger Republic using databases such as PubMed, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, World Health Organization, United Nations, online newspapers, and reports from 2013 to 2023. Result: We found that the humanitarian crisis amid the military coup in Niger Republic has further amplified the vulnerability of millions of Nigeriens to more problems in the Niger Republic. The number of Nigeriens in need of humanitarian assistance has reportedly increased by 65%, from 2.3 million in 2019 to 3.8 million in 2021. More than two million children in Niger have been impacted by the crisis in the country and need humanitarian assistance. Furthermore, other causes of the humanitarian crisis in the Niger Republic include sociodemographic factors, climate change, and other natural disasters. Conclusion: The humanitarian crisis in Niger, caused by different factors such as socioeconomic stagnation, environmental causes, food insecurity, terrorist activities, and internal displacement, is an alarming situation that requires an urgent solution and a response from the international community. There is a need to analyze all the underlying causes of humanitarian crises and find long‐lasting solutions for them. Key points: Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa that has been facing a humanitarian crisis for ages.The number of Nigeriens in need of humanitarian assistance has reportedly increased by 65% from 2.3 million in 2019 to 3.8 million in 2021, with a probability of geometric increase to date.There are quite a lot of direct and indirect consequences that could result from the humanitarian crisis, especially amid the military coup in Niger.To tackle this complicated situation in Niger, a more humanitarian approach is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importation of rescue dogs has become an increasingly common occurrence in recent years, often involving industrialized countries as the ultimate destination. However, international dog rescue activities have attracted considerable criticism from the veterinary community and the public due to the associated zoonotic disease and public health risks, as well as the potential poor behaviour of international rescue dogs. The Government of Canada has also recently placed a temporary suspension on all commercial dog imports from non-rabies free countries due to the growing concerns of the zoonotic disease risks. To understand the perspectives and experiences of stakeholders involved in dog import activities in Canada, we interviewed nine members in leadership positions of Canadian-based international dog rescue organizations. Thematic analysis of interview dialogue yielded three themes: 1) Motive, which described the reason behind participants' involvement in international dog rescue; 2) Challenge, which described the major difficulties faced in participants' dog rescue work; 3) Duty, which described participants' beliefs on responsible dog rescue practices. Members of international dog rescue organizations described being driven by strong desires to provide animal and humanitarian aid. However, local dog rescue efforts were constrained by logistical and societal barriers unique to the Canadian context. Additionally, the current study revealed both similarities and differences in occupational experiences between international dog rescue organizations and other animal care professions. Specifically, difficulties with the emotional burden associated with caregiving professions was also present within dog rescue work. However, international dog rescue members also experienced additional challenges due to the stigma surrounding international dog rescue operations. Further research on attitudes held by other stakeholders involved in dog import activities, as well as members of Canadian communities needing dog rescue aid may provide meaningful inputs on how to better support and facilitate local and international dog rescue efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanitarian assistance is hindered by a lack of strategies to optimize care delivery through research and organized networks. Distinct from global health, humanitarian assistance struggles to address its multifaceted challenges, including duplicative resources, uncoordinated communication, unregulated staff expertise and safety, financial waste, and poor-quality metrics and care delivery. Implementation science provides an exciting and underutilized approach that can be applied to address these challenges, by studying how to effectively design, implement, optimize, and scale evidence-based interventions. Though successful in well-resourced and global health systems, implementation science approaches are rare in humanitarian assistance. Adopting implementation science approaches including identifying determinants, creating accessible evidence-based intervention bundles, adapting study methodologies for the humanitarian context, and partnering with implementation experts could make these promising approaches more accessible for thousands of humanitarian actors delivering healthcare for millions of vulnerable patients worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite sufficient global food supplies, food insecurity remains a persistent problem in many countries. In recent years, conflict has emerged as one of the key drivers of acute food insecurity, affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The situation has worsened since 2022, as the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war are felt worldwide. This Article investigates food security challenges arising from armed conflicts and proposes potential solutions to tackle these challenges. It first examines the right to food as enshrined in both international and national laws. These legal frameworks set out the rules that govern the responsibilities of States and conflicting parties as well as relief actions during armed conflicts. Through the case studies of Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Ethiopia, and Ukraine, this Article identifies two key impediments to upholding the right to food in conflict-affected areas: a state's failure to perform its obligations and inadequate international humanitarian aid. In response, the Article proposes two solutions to mitigate conflict-induced food insecurity: strengthening accountability and justice for serious violations of international law and improving the efficiency as well as the effectiveness of international food aid programs. A long road remains ahead, but with commitment, the world can collaborate to support the realization of the right to food during armed conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Identifying healthcare services and also strengthening the healthcare systems to effectively deliver them in the aftermath of large-scale disasters like the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes, especially for vulnerable groups cannot be emphasized enough. This study aimed at identifying the interventions undertaken or proposed for addressing the health needs or challenges of vulnerable groups immediately after the occurrence of the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes, as well as for prioritizing their healthcare service delivery in the post-Turkey-Syria earthquake. Methods: In this scoping review compiled with the five steps of the Arksey and O'Malley framework, five databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, OVID, and Google Scholar, were searched for studies published between March and April 2023 in line with the eligibility criteria. Interventions for enhancing post-earthquake healthcare services (PEHS) were grouped into seven (7) categories, adopted from previous guidelines and studies. Each one was assigned a default score of a value equal to one (1), which, in the end, was summed up. Results: Of the 115 total records initially screened, 29 articles were eligible for review. Different interventions they reported either undertaken or proposed to address the healthcare needs and challenges, especially faced by the most vulnerable groups in the aftermath of the Turkey-Syria earthquakes, were categorized into 7 PEHS. They were ranked with their scores as follows: humanitarian health relief (25); medical care (17); mental health and psychosocial support (10); health promotion, education, and awareness (9); disease surveillance and prevention (7); disability rehabilitation (7); and sexual and reproductive health (5). Conclusion: Since there are no proper guidelines or recommendations about the specific or most significant PEHS to prioritize for vulnerable groups after the occurrence of large-scale earthquakes, this scoping review provides some insights that can help inform healthcare service delivery and prioritization for vulnerable groups in the post-2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes and other similar disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate Change will increase the frequency and intensity of disasters necessitating United States Department of Defense (DoD) intervention. The US Congress and DoD have produced reports and demanded action for climate change-related security concerns, but have largely left foreign disaster relief capacity unaddressed. The DoD does not have dedicated force structure for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR), potentially compromising mission readiness and operational effectiveness as well as jeopardizing U.S. foreign interests. Proposed mitigations for the status quo include bolstering international organizations, expanding the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) capacity to respond to disasters, and creating dedicated DoD HA/DR force structure. Adopting one or more of the mitigation strategies bolsters the DoD’s ability to respond to crises, secure national interests, and prevent malign states from subverting the international system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the context of humanitarian logistics, efficiently evacuating people from disaster-stricken areas is a complex challenge. This study focuses on the Tula River region in Hidalgo, Mexico, exploring the evacuation and support of individuals in temporary shelters. Despite the fact that the topic has been addressed in the literature, it is necessary to have quick response methods that can be used by decision-makers to adapt and utilize existing spaces as temporary shelters, in addition to knowing how to evacuate people. Methods: Addressing this void, a methodology to minimize evacuation and aid distribution costs is introduced. Leveraging existing algorithms, particularly Integer Linear Programming, the model determines shelter activation and utilizes the Vehicle Routing Problem to assess aid delivery strategies. Results: The research identifies optimal evacuation routes from 13 affected areas to 34 shelters and analyzes aid distribution costs under various demand scenarios: original, increased, and decreased by 10%, based on the number of transport units allocated and Google Maps distances. It also evaluates the costs associated with humanitarian aid distribution under varying collection strategies, involving state and municipal governments. Conclusion: This approach provides a decision-making foundation and can be adapted for similar analyses in other communities during extreme events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, Yemen, a country facing years of conflict had only one laboratory with PCR testing capacity. In this article, we describe the outcome of the implementation of molecular based diagnostics platform in Yemen and highlight the key milestones the country went through to increase access to testing for its populations residing in a geographically vast and politically divided country. Methods: A retrospective assessment of COVID-19 laboratory response activities was done detailing the needs assessment process, timelines, geographical coverage, and outcomes of the activities. Laboratory data was analyzed to construct the geographical locations of COVID-19 testing laboratories and the numbers of tests performed in each facility to highlight the demands of testing for travelers. Finally, we discuss the impact these activities had in enabling the movement of people across international borders for economic gains and in delivery of critical humanitarian aid. Outcome: PCR testing capacities in Yemen significantly improved, from one laboratory in Sanaa in April 2020 to 18 facilities across the country by June 2022. In addition, the number of functional Real-Time PCR thermocyclers increased from one to 32, the PCR tests output per day improved from 192 to 6144 tests per day. Results from analysis of laboratory data showed there were four peaks of COVID-19 in Yemen as October 2022. The majority of laboratory tests were performed for travelers than for medical or public health reasons. Demand for laboratory testing in Yemen was generally low and waned over time as the perceived risk of COVID-19 declined, in parallel with rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines. Discussion/Conclusion: The successful expansion of laboratory testing capacity was instrumental in the control and management of COVID-19 cases and critical in the implementation of public response strategies, including restrictions on gathering. Laboratory testing also facilitated the movement of humanitarian agencies and delivery of aid and enabled hundreds of thousands of Yemeni nationals to travel internationally. By virtue of these outcomes, the impact of laboratory strengthening activities was thus felt in the health sector and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International policy and humanitarian guidance emphasize the need for precise, subnational malaria risk assessments with cross-regional comparability. Spatially explicit indicator-based assessments can support humanitarian aid organizations in identifying and localizing vulnerable populations for scaling resources and prioritizing aid delivery. However, the reliability of these assessments is often uncertain due to data quality issues. This article introduces a data evaluation framework to assist risk modelers in evaluating data adequacy. We operationalize the concept of "data adequacy" by considering "quality by design" (suitability) and "quality of conformance" (reliability). Based on a use case we developed in collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières, we assessed data sources popular in spatial malaria risk assessments and related domains, including data from the Malaria Atlas Project, a healthcare facility database, WorldPop population counts, Climate Hazards group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) precipitation estimates, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) precipitation forecast, and Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) conflict events data. Our findings indicate that data availability is generally not a bottleneck, and data producers effectively communicate contextual information pertaining to sources, methodology, limitations and uncertainties. However, determining such data's adequacy definitively for supporting humanitarian intervention planning remains challenging due to potential inaccuracies, incompleteness or outdatedness that are difficult to quantify. Nevertheless, the data hold value for awareness raising, advocacy and recognizing trends and patterns valuable for humanitarian contexts. We contribute a domain-agnostic, systematic approach to geodata adequacy evaluation, with the aim of enhancing geospatial risk assessments, facilitating evidence-based decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al-Muntaqa: New Perspectives on Arab Studies is the property of Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To develop a public policy, it is important to understand the experiences of forced migrants. This study reveals the effects of forced migration on public finances in countries hosting displaced people. In this context, public policy support for access to basic humanitarian needs such as education and health, which are semi-public goods, will be evaluated through a quantitative analysis. Interviews with refugees within the scope of this research draw a picture of the current situation. Thus, evaluating the effectiveness and shortcomings of existing policies and determining the policy support needed are among the unique values of this research. Since migration is a dynamic process, it is also aimed to provide a basis for future studies in this field and to reveal the current situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Full-scale hostilities have had a significant impact on the budget system due to increased spending on defense, reconstruction, and humanitarian assistance to vulnerable groups, which has affected the accumulation of budgetary resources. The article examines the impact of extraordinary challenges and threats on the national budget system, in particular, on the structure and volume of budget revenues and expenditures, the growth of the budget deficit and public debt, changes in regulation in the field of public finance, and the potential of financial capabilities of the regions. The purpose of the article is to make a scientific and practical assessment of the problematic aspects related to the transformation of the budget system, to outline the ways of attracting financial resources that can be used for the purpose of distribution and redistribution to perform the functions of the State, to identify the main areas of influence of emergency challenges and threats on the budget system of Ukraine and the priority areas and measures of budget policy in wartime. The authors conclude that the strategic and main directions of Ukraine's development need to be improved in the strategy of public finance management and financial and economic security as part of the implementation of the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies by the IMF. At the same time, the relevant legislative changes to the state budget for 2023 that meet the needs of Ukraine are studied, and the implementation of the first preparatory stage for the development of the National Revenue Strategy is analyzed. The authors emphasize the positive impact of decentralization on local self-government and the financial sustainability of local budgets. It is proposed to empower communities through monitoring the implementation of local budgets. In the context of defense needs, the possibility of including defense expenditures during martial law in local budgets is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2019, the Court of Justice issued a judgment in Case C-418/18 P. Puppinck and Others v. European Commission, ending a long-standing dispute between the organizers of the European Citizens' Initiative "One of Us" and the European Commission. Ruling in the appeal proceedings, the CJEU dismissed in its entirety the application to set aside the judgment of the General Court of the European Union of 23 April 2018 in case T 561/14 One of Us and Others v. Commission. The "One of Us" organizing committee requested the repeal of the European Commission's communication following the public initiative on the grounds that it lacked follow- up. The aim of the "One of Us" initiative was to strengthen the protection of dignity, the right to life and the integrity of every human being from conception in the EU's areas of competence. The initiative proposed amendments to three legislative acts on research, humanitarian cooperation and their funding. The judgment under discussion is important for the interpretation of EU law in two areas. First, this is the first judgment that interprets the systemic position of the European Citizens' Initiative in such a comprehensive manner. The case confirms that the ECI is an autonomous institution of EU law, whose systemic position is shaped by the principle of institutional balance and participatory democracy. The ECI is a form of emanation of deliberative democracy. Second, the judgment may be considered as confirming the exclusive competence of the Member States in the area of protecting human life at the prenatal stage. On the one hand, this means that EU law cannot impose its own standards on the right to life on Member States. On the other hand, in the area of its competences, it seems that the EU can have its own ethical position, allowing, while respecting the triple lock system, research involving the use of human embryonic stem cells and financing abortions as part of the package of medical assistance offered to the developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines Türkiye’s and the EU’s reactions to the Syrian civil war by using the concept of normative power. This conceptual framework is preferred to explain and evaluate whether Türkiye’s and the EU’s reactions to the Syrian crisis matched the value-based approach. The study argues that Türkiye and the EU have differences and similarities in their policies toward the Syrian crisis. It further posits that rather than taking an ally or value-based approach, Türkiye and the EU have decided to put their national interests in their reactions regarding the Syrian conflict in certain areas of war and some regions. Türkiye and the EU have suffered especially on security issues resulting from the Syrian crisis. Furthermore, the Syrian crisis led to economic difficulties, humanitarian traumas, and challenges for Türkiye and the EU in the social and political spheres. As a result, in certain areas of conflict and some issues, both Türkiye and the EU have attempted to prioritize their interest first. Therefore, these actors have not taken a value-based stance on some matters. Nonetheless, Türkiye and the EU offered massive humanitarian aid several times and desired the Syrian crisis to end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]