An increase in occurences of complex disasters has been documented in Southeast Asia since the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was experienced in the region. While natural hazards like typhoons and flooding have consistently generated emergencies, the compounding threat of health hazards brought by the pandemic has affected the processes involved in responses to the affected populations. This multi-sited study will explore the forms of negotiations and policy adaptations that were implemented by key stakeholders in humanitarian initiatives during complex disasters in Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It aims to answer the question: how did humanitarian coordination during complex disasters shape the lived experiences of the key stakeholders? Using qualitative research methods like interviews and focus group discussions, this study will explore three key objectives: 1. Document the protocols that humanitarian actors (civil society organizations and government units) implemented during complex disasters; 2. Collect the perceptions of the affected communities towards the management of complex disasters; and 3. Determine policy strengths and challenges that shaped their experiences. Using thematic analysis, this project will conclude with the generation of locally-relevant models on humanitarian coordination during complex disasters which could contribute to policy-making for agencies working on disaster management and risk reduction.
Funding: Seed Grant for Research Training from Brown University Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies
Call for Papers!
Drawing from case studies of communities, civil society organizations, and state actors, this special issue envisions an avenue for research in the Southeast Asian Region that explores how specific policies shape the management and experience of complex disasters from various levels of governance. This could be within the range of village-level ordinances up to the level of international policy frameworks (UN Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination, The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, The Paris Agreement, The UN Sustainable Development Goals, and so forth). The key questions that contributors will address are:
- How are complex disaster experiences involving COVID-19 managed across the region?
- Which policies facilitate or complicate disaster risk reduction and management?
- What are the implications for researching and governing complex disasters?
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Read more about the International Seminar Workshop:
Maria Carinnes P. Alejandria 
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