Science for Humanitarian Emergencies and Resilience (SHEAR) scoping study: Annex 3 - Early warning system and risk assessment case studies

This report provides case studies of Early Warning Systems (EWSs) and risk assessments encompassing three main hazard types: drought; flood and cyclone. The case studies are taken from ten countries across three continents (focusing on Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean). The case studies have been developed to assist the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to prioritise areas for Early Warning System (EWS) related research under their ‘Science for Humanitarian Emergencies and Resilience’ (SHEAR) programme. The aim of these case studies is to ensure that DFID SHEAR research is informed by the views of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and communities engaged with Early Warning Systems and risk assessments (including community-based Early Warning Systems). The case studies highlight a number of challenges facing Early Warning Systems (EWSs). These challenges relate to financing; integration; responsibilities; community interpretation; politics; dissemination; accuracy; capacity and focus. The case studies summarise a number of priority areas for EWS related research: • Priority 1: Contextualising and localising early warning information • Priority 2: Climate proofing current EWSs • Priority 3: How best to sustain effective EWSs between hazard events? • Priority 4: Optimising the dissemination of risk and warning information • Priority 5: Governance and financing of EWSs • Priority 6: How to support EWSs under challenging circumstances • Priority 7: Improving EWSs through monitoring and evaluating the impact and effectiveness of those systems

Transformation through translation: translation policies at Amnesty International

International non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are powerful political players who aim to influence global society. In order to be effective on a global scale, they must communicate their goals and achievements in different languages. Translation and translation policy play an essential role here. Despite NGOs’ important position in politics and society, not much is known about how these organisations, who often have limited funds available, organise their translation work. This study aims to contribute to Translation Studies, and more specifically to investigating institutional translation, by exploring translation policies at Amnesty International, one of the most successful and powerful human rights NGOs around the world. Translation policy is understood as comprising three components: translation management, translation practices, and translation beliefs, based on Spolsky’s study of language policy (2004). The thesis investigates how translation is organised and what kind of policies different Amnesty offices have in place, and how this is reflected in their translation products. The thesis thus also pursues how translation and translation policy impact on the organisation’s message and voice as it is spread around the world. An ethnographic approach is used for the analysis of various data sets that were collected during fieldwork. These include policy documents, guidelines on writing and translation, recorded interviews, e-mail correspondence, and fieldnotes. The thesis at first explores Amnesty’s global translation policy, and then presents the results of a comparative analysis of local translation policies at two concrete institutions: Amnesty International Language Resource Centre in Paris (AILRC-FR) and Amnesty International Vlaanderen (AIVL). A corpus of English source texts and Dutch (AIVL) and French (AILRC-FR) target texts are analysed. The findings of the analysis of translation policies and of the translation products are then combined to illustrate how translation impacts on Amnesty’s message and voice. The research results show that there are large differences in how translation is organised depending on the local office and the language(s), and that this also influences the way in which Amnesty’s message and voice are represented. For Dutch and French specifically, translation policies and translation products differ considerably. The thesis describes how these differences are often the result of different beliefs and assumptions relating to translation, and that staff members within Amnesty are not aware of the different conceptions of translation that exist within Amnesty International as a formal institution. Organising opportunities where translation can be discussed (meetings, workshops, online platforms) can help in reducing such differences. The thesis concludes by suggesting that an increased awareness of these issues will enable Amnesty to make more effective use of translation in its fight against human rights violations.

Institutional multilingualism in NGOs: Amnesty International’s strategic understanding of multilingualism

Institutional multilingualism is most often associated with large intergovernmental institutions such as the European Union and the United Nations. Multilingualism in non-governmental organisations (NGOs), however, has remained invisible to a large extent. Yet these organisations have been identified as very powerful in world politics in the globalised 21st century. Like international governmental organisations (IGOs), they operate across linguistic and language borders. This raises the questions if NGOs actually use language and translation in the same way as IGOs. This article examines Amnesty International as a case study and explores what official multilingualism means for this organisation, how it is reflected in its language policy, and how it is put into practice. By gaining insight into the particular case of Amnesty International, this article aims to make a contribution to institutional translation studies.

A global empirical system for probabilistic seasonal climate prediction

Preparing for episodes with risks of anomalous weather a month to a year ahead is an important challenge for governments, non-governmental organisations, and private companies and is dependent on the availability of reliable forecasts. The majority of operational seasonal forecasts are made using process-based dynamical models, which are complex, computationally challenging and prone to biases. Empirical forecast approaches built on statistical models to represent physical processes offer an alternative to dynamical systems and can provide either a benchmark for comparison or independent supplementary forecasts. Here, we present a simple empirical system based on multiple linear regression for producing probabilistic forecasts of seasonal surface air temperature and precipitation across the globe. The global CO2-equivalent concentration is taken as the primary predictor; subsequent predictors, including large-scale modes of variability in the climate system and local-scale information, are selected on the basis of their physical relationship with the predictand. The focus given to the climate change signal as a source of skill and the probabilistic nature of the forecasts produced constitute a novel approach to global empirical prediction. Hindcasts for the period 1961–2013 are validated against observations using deterministic (correlation of seasonal means) and probabilistic (continuous rank probability skill scores) metrics. Good skill is found in many regions, particularly for surface air temperature and most notably in much of Europe during the spring and summer seasons. For precipitation, skill is generally limited to regions with known El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnections. The system is used in a quasi-operational framework to generate empirical seasonal forecasts on a monthly basis.

Qual a importância do trabalho voluntário para sustentabilidade de organizações não-governamentais?

A presente dissertação trata do trabalho voluntário nas instituições privadas sem fins lucrativos de pequeno porte. O estudo tem como principal objetivo a investigação a respeito do impacto do trabalho voluntário na sustentabilidade dessas instituições por meio do estudo de caso da organização não-governamental Colcha de Retalhos. Como objetivo secundário buscou-se analisar as motivações, significados e benefícios do trabalho voluntário para o voluntariado. O estudo se caracteriza como descritivo-interpretativo, por uma abordagem predominantemente qualitativa, os dados foram coletados através de entrevistas estruturadas e pesquisa documental. Os dados revelam aspectos importantes para a pesquisa e fomentou o estudo de assuntos vinculados ao voluntariado trazido pelos próprios entrevistados, tais como: cidadania, tensões nas relações entre voluntários e famílias atendidas, voluntários e escolas e voluntários e voluntários. Questões próprias do voluntariado e do Terceiro Setor são abordadas com o intuito de embasar as análises e conclusões do estudo. Os resultados apontam para um impacto positivo do trabalho voluntário na sustentabilidade das instituições sem fins lucrativos de pequeno porte.

Segmentos populares, consumo e participação cultural

Esta pesquisa investigou como a cultura pode se tornar um recurso econômico, social e político para os segmentos menos favorecidos da população. Foram estudados três grupos de artesanato e três grupos de música, bem como entrevistou-se representantes de órgãos estatais, para-governamentais e do terceiro setor, que atuam na área da cultura. A conclusão é a de que a cultura pode ser um recurso econômico, social e político, quando se verifica a conjugação de alguns fatores-chave: os grupos de artistas conseguem se organizar coletivamente; suas lideranças agem de modo empreendedor e articulando-se a redes sociais diversificadas; parcerias são estabelecidas com organizações governamentais, para-governamentais e do terceiro setor, comprometidas com os objetivos desses grupos. Constatou-se que a sustentabilidade dos empreendimentos associativos na área cultural depende de políticas transversais, visando o desenvolvimento local integrado e sustentado.

A descentralização das políticas de desenvolvimento rural: uma análise da experiência do Rio Grande do Norte

MATOS FILHO, João. A descentralização das Políticas de desenvolvimento rural - uma análise da experiência do Rio Grande do Norte. 2002. 259f. Tese (Doutorado em Ciências Econômicas)– Instituto de Economia da Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, 2002.

A negação da autonomia universitária na política educacional do governo federal (2003-2008) e do governo do estado de São Paulo (2007)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Organizações não governamentais e políticas públicas de juventude: a atuação da Patrulha Juvenil de Garça

Pós-graduação em Educação - FFC

AIDS x vida: a doença como uma possibilidade de transformação para o sujeito

Pós-graduação em Psicologia - FCLAS

A prática do assistente social na Escola Municipal Adolfo Bezerra de Menezes: uma experiência do município de Uberaba/MG

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Empreendimentos de economia solidária e desenvolvimento local sustentável na Amazônia paraense: fatores que influenciam para o desempenho de cooperativas de produção

A pesquisa examina o cooperativismo sob as óticas da economia solidária e do desenvolvimento sustentável local. A pesquisa objetiva um entendimento sobre os fatores que influenciam no desempenho de cooperativas. Em particular, a pesquisa se concentra nos fatores político-institucionais, organizacionais e de gestão que influenciam no desempenho e resultados de cooperativas de produção. A pesquisa é um estudo de caso múltiplo baseado em duas cooperativas de produção localizadas no Estado do Pará, Brasil. O arcabouço teórico é baseado na economia solidária, no desenvolvimento sustentável local e nas transformações econômicas que podem resultar dessas perspectivas que usam o cooperativismo e a potencialidade local como uma forma de alcançar a gestão dos recursos naturais e o desenvolvimento sustentável local. Os dados obtidos nos casos selecionados mostram que o desempenho e os resultados das cooperativas são derivados de fatores internos e externos, tais como: apoio de organizações externas (organizações governamentais e não governamentais); construção de capacidade para trabalhar sob a ótica do cooperativismo; conhecimento sobre a filosofia do cooperativismo; participação em redes de relações sócio-produtivas; acesso a recursos financeiros externos; práticas produtivas integradas com a gestão dos recursos naturais; e, educação formal.

Examining the use of terms "Conservation" "Restoration" and "Preservation" between Natural Resource Professionals and Literature Reviews

ABSTRACT This thesis will determine if there is a discrepancy between how literature defines conservation, preservation, and restoration, and how natural resource professionals define these terms. Interviews were conducted with six professionals from six different agencies that deal with natural resources. These agencies consisted of both government and non-government groups. In addition to interviewing these professionals regarding how they define the terms, they were asked where their work fits into the context of these terms. The interviewees’ responses were then compared with the literature to determine inconsistencies with the use of these terms in the literature and real world settings. The literature and the interviewees have agreed on the term conservation. There are some different points of view about preservation, some see it as ‘no management’ and some others see it as keeping things the same or ‘static.’ Restoration was the term where both the literature and professionals thought of moving an ecosystem from one point of succession or community, to another point on a continuum. The only thing in which they disagree on is the final goal of a restoration project. The literature would suggest restoring the ecosystem to a past historic condition, where the interviewees said to restore it to the best of their abilities and to a functioning ecosystem.

Das Ehrenamt im Technischen Hilfswerk

Das Ehrenamt hat sowohl in der Forschung als auch in der Politik seit Ende der 1980er Jahre zunehmend an Bedeutung gewonnen. Durch ökonomische und soziale Veränderungen, insbesondere die Reduktion staatlicher Leistungen, rückten Wohlfahrts- und Interessenverbände, Bürger- und Umweltinitiativen, Stiftungen und nichtstaatliche Organisationen verstärkt ins öffentliche Interesse. Damit einher ging die Diskussion um freiwillige, unentgeltliche Tätigkeit und die Personen, die diese Tätigkeiten ausüben. Offensichtlich sind nicht alle Menschen bereit, sich ehrenamtlich zu engagieren. Je nach Datenmaterial wird von einer bürgerschaftlichen Beteiligung am ehrenamtlichen Engagement zwischen 13% und 38% ausgegangen (vgl. Rauschenbach 1999: 400). Deshalb stellt sich neben Fragen nach der Funktion des Ehrenamts für die Ausgestaltung der modernen Gesellschaft und der Stabilisationsfunktion für Non-Profit-Organisationen u.a. auch die Frage danach, wie Bürgerinnen und Bürger für ehrenamtliche Dienste rekrutiert werden können. Es interessieren die Gründe dafür, dass sich manche Menschen freiwillig engagieren, während dies andere nicht tun. In der vorliegenden Arbeit soll das Augenmerk auf Personen gerichtet werden, die bereits freiwillig und unentgeltlich tätig sind. Dies schließt auch jene ein, die sich als Freigestellte in den entsprechenden Organisationen engagieren. Gefragt wird nach der Bedingung für die Motivation freiwillig tätiger Menschen, ihr Engagement aufrechtzuerhalten. Die langfristige Bindung Ehrenamtlicher an die Organisation steht damit im Vordergrund. Hiermit wird ein Beitrag zur Diskussion um die Aufrechterhaltung der Effizienzfähigkeit von Freiwilligenorganisationen geleistet, deren Ziel- und Zweckerreichung, so die These, durch die Motivation der Mitglieder maßgeblich getragen wird. Arbeits- und organisationstheoretische Arbeiten messen der Zufriedenheit von Personen dabei entscheidende Bedeutung zu. Die Besonderheit dieser Arbeit liegt in der Auseinandersetzung damit, Ansätze, die in der Forschung auf die Motivation von Angestellten in Unternehmen angewendet werden, auf die Motivation ehrenamtlich Tätiger theoretisch zu übertragen und diese Übertragung empirisch zu überprüfen. Am Beispiel des THW soll untersucht werden, ob die Motivation ehrenamtlicher Mitglieder von der Zufriedenheit mit dem Engagement abhängt.