Finished another Sphere Arabic ToT

Just arrived back in the UK after being lead trainer on Sphere Arabic Training of Trainers hosted by IFRC N-Africa.

To have an idea about Sphere and the need for standards:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s12aOrkZub4

And to get a little flavour of the training, thanks to Hameed Kareem from Iraq: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibjOAGktWi0

Blog Action Day - Because the poorest deserve it

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s leading independent body on climate change set up by the UN, is convinced that human activities are already affecting some natural systems. Their reports state that unmitigated climate change would, in the long term, be likely to exceed the capacity of natural, managed and human systems to adapt. Though the climate is constantly changing, scientists are concerned that global warming caused by humans has overtaken natural fluctuations in climate... with serious consequences for people and the planet.

Thus poverty and climate changed are intrinsically linked and one cannot be tackled without the other. People living in the poorest countries of the world, such as Bangladesh and Niger/Mali will be, and are already, significantly affected by flooding, deforestation and desertification. In coastal areas, a rapid rise in sea levels is already endangering people’s livelihoods and homes (and warmer oceans also make for stronger hurricanes, like we've seen with Katrina in the south of the US).

Climate change will further affect the income-generating capacity of vulnerable populations potentially increasing the number of people experiencing hunger (and this year we've passed a sad mileston of 1 billion being hungry).

Humanitarian aid/ disaster response is needed, long-term development too, but working on the causes of the need for aid is most important: that's not charity, but justice.

This post was posted at the occasion of Blog Action Day with Climate Change as theme.

SPHERE ToT Arabic

The Sphere Project and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Regional Office for North Africa are organising a Sphere Training of Trainers course in Arabic to be held in Tunis, Tunisia, from the 13 to 21 November 2009. The language of the course is Arabic.

For a call for applications and application form for submission (only available in Arabic), e-mail Veronica Foubert [veronica.foubert@ifrc.org].

Deadline for submissions: 20 October 2009 to be sent to mahfoud.bessah@ifrc.org

Kindly tell your Arabic-speaking colleagues you think may be interested.

Moustafa Osman now on LinkedIn

Moustafa Osman, initiator of Osman Consulting, now has a profile on LinkedIn. To get in touch: http://www.linkedin.com/in/moustafaosman

Humanitarian aid training in the Arab world

There are some interesting opportunities coming up on this. If you're looking at organising humanitarian aid training in the Middle-East and would like support, do get in touch.

BTW: did you know that 19 August was the first World Humanitarian Day? The General Assembly of the UN adopted on 11th December 2008, the Swedish sponsored Omnibus Resolution on “Strengthening of the Coordination of Emergency Humanitarian Assistance of the United Nations”, that carried the historic decision by the world body, to designate the 19th August as World Humanitarian Day to honour all humanitarian and the UN and associated personnel who have lost their lives in the cause of duty and those who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause. The Resolution invites all Member States, the UN system, within existing resources, as well as other international organisations and NGOs to observe the day annually in an appropriate manner. This is a major historic landmark for the Humanitarian Sphere and a great gain for all victims of armed conflict.

Moustafa meets David Miliband in disaster-affected area of Pakistan

While visiting the disaster-affected area of Pakistan (Yar Hussein Camp), Moustafa met the UK Foreign Secretary, Mr David Miliband MP.



Photos Shabbir Hussain Imam, Peshawar - Pakistan

Tsunami Aftermath: Development of an indigenous homegarden in Banda Aceh

Moustafa Osman is co-author of an article published in Urban Agriculture (UA) Magazine no. 21 - Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development: A role for urban agriculture?

On 26 December 2004, a major underwater earthquake to the west of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered an extensive and devastating tsunami that impacted the entire South East Asia region and reached as far as the East African coastline. The Banda Aceh region located in the north of Sumatra bore the brunt of the tsunami, which resulted in catastrophic damage along the coastline, killing thousands of people and leaving an estimated 400,000 people homeless.

A copy of the full article is available here.

DIHAD 2009

Moustafa attended DIHAD (Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference & Exhibition) 2009, held from 7-9 April 2009 in Dubai, UAE. He was invited to give a presentation at the panel discussion 'Case Studies of Mitigation, Preparedness and Response to Disasters and other emergencies at the Community Level Urban and Rural Environments'. He used the case of Bangladesh, a country regularly and increasingly affected by disasters (esp. floods and cyclones).

INEE Global Consultation

Moustafa will be in Istanbul, Turkey, to attend the INEE Global Consultation. The Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) is a global, open network of non-governmental organisations, UN agencies, donors, practitioners, researchers and individuals from affected populations working together within a humanitarian and development framework to ensure the right to education in emergencies and post-crisis reconstruction.

For more info on the event, click here.

Tsunami Aftermath: Development of an indigenous homegarden in Banda Aceh

Moustafa co-authored the following article:

Adam-Bradford, A. and Osman, M. (2009) Tsunami Aftermath: Development of an indigenous homegarden in Banda Aceh. Urban Agriculture Magazine, 21: 29-30

It's just been published! For access:
http://www.ruaf.org/index.php?q=node/101

Start of Disaster Management course at IDD

Today, Moustafa started teaching the module 'Introduction to Disaster Management' at the International Development Department of Birmingham University in England, UK. It will last 6 full days on Saturdays.

As per the description on the IDD website: "This module introduces participants to the main principles of disaster management, with a focus on disaster response in the developing world. The course will promote the sharing of relevant technical skills and knowledge, and will equip participants with adequate analytical skills through developing key understanding of disaster management procedures, needs assessment methods, Humanitarian principles and values, Introduction to the Humanitarian law Sphere standards, civil / military relations during emergencies, working with refugees and IDPs, and adhering to agreed international standards."

MBR hosts successful Sphere Arabic ToT

From 20-29 December, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Charity and Humanitarian Establishment (MBR) hosted the first Sphere Arabic Training of Trainers in the Gulf. 24 participants, MBR staff and partners from countries including Afghanistan, Indonesia and Oman as well as different Emirates of the UAE, enjoyed nine days of intensive exposure to the international humanitarian principles and tools, including international humanitarian law, education in emergencies and how to deal with the media. Trainees both learned about the theory of humanitarian aid, as well as the practical aspects by setting up a camp site for example.

Moustafa Osman, lead trainer, stated: "This training is yet another sign of the interest and efforts of Middle East based organisations in building their capacity in disaster preparedness and response, in professionalising their humanitarian aid".

Formed in 1997, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Charity and Humanitarian Establishment aims to promote charity and humanitarian work by helping the poor and the needy among nationals and expatriates living in the UAE. The foundation also actively contributes towards developing other communities outside the UAE by working to improve their educational, health and economic conditions.

The Sphere Project was launched in 1997 by a group of humanitarian NGOs and the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement. Sphere is based on two core beliefs: first, that all possible steps should be taken to alleviate human suffering arising out of calamity and conflict, and second, that those affected by disaster have a right to life with dignity and therefore a right to assistance. Sphere is three things: a handbook, a broad process of collaboration and an expression of commitment to quality and accountability. The project has developed several tools, the key one being the handbook. For more information: www.sphereproject.org

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation hosted a Sphere Arabic Training of Trainers (ToT). The training was organised as part of its desire to improve effective and accountable service provision and to institutionalise Sphere.

Training graduates photo gallery

Moustafa Osman has trained aspiring and experienced humanitarian aidworkers around the world:From Birmingham University's International Development Department, for example (see IDD), to Saudi Arabia:
With an intense desire to support capacity building of disaster response capacity, Moustafa has trained in Jordan (INEE ToT in Amman):


and Yemen:


in Qatar...:
... and Kosova: