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The Disaster Risk Financing (DRF) systems being piloted by Start Network offer the opportunity for improved accountability to populations at risk because of their pre-arranged nature. A recent piece of research has explored what this means in practice, using experience from Start Networks DRF work in Senegal, Pakistan, Kenya and Madagascar. This is being shared with our members and the wider humanitarian community through a learning paper which delves into the opportunities and challenges this presents, (insert link) and a short guide with some practical tips for ensuring accountability in DRF systems (insert link).https://startnetwork.org/anticipation-and-risk-financing

Aunque la sequía se puede predecir con meses de anticipación, la asistencia humanitaria a menudo se retrasa porque se necesita tiempo para recaudar fondos después de que ocurre la crisis.

Bien qu'il soit possible de prévoir une sécheresse plusieurs mois à l'avance, l'aide humanitaire est souvent retardée, car une fois la crise survenue, il faut du temps pour collecter des fonds.

Although drought can be predicted months in advance, humanitarian assistance is often delayed – because it takes time to raise funds after the crisis has happened.

The DEPP Innovation Labs programme was a two and a half year initiative from 2016-2019 that supported the creation of four community-centred innovation labs in disaster-affected countries (Bangladesh, Jordan, Kenya and the Philippines) to strengthen disaster preparedness and response.

The new Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Martin Griffiths, has officially started his role as the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, the most senior humanitarian role at the United Nations. He will be leading the policies and strategic decisions of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) which will have an impact across the humanitarian sector and the way the sector responds to crises.

As part of our move toward becoming a locally led network of networks, we've incubated and supported five Start Network hubs. Bhavya Srinivasan, Interim Head of Network Development, shares what she's learned in the two years she's worked to support them.

The quarterly FOREWARN meeting in May 2021 focussed on epidemics in a deliberate effort to share recently-acquired learning on anticipating disease outbreaks and to apply them beyond the current pandemic. When considering which disease outbreak or epidemic the Start Fund could represent, cholera was the obvious choice for a few reasons.

Start Network is pleased to welcome Sanjayan Srikanthan, CEO of Shelterbox, as the new chair of the board of trustees. Sanj previously worked for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) during which time he served as Senior Vice President IRC Europe and Executive Director of IRC UK. As part of his role at IRC, Sanj served as an assembly representative and as the chair of the Start Fund Committee.

In 2020, Start Network undertook a number of consultations with communities that were supported by its funding. This included a large household survey in Senegal evaluating the quality and impact of assistance in anticipation of drought through ARC Replica, as well as the perceptions of people assited in Pakistan, India and DRC as part of our due diligence pilot. Central to the planning of these evaluations was an intention to be as inclusive as possible by amplifying marginalised voices, and to ensure that the people interviewed were able to express themselves in their local language by hiring local consultants to conduct interviews.