CENDEP HERR and Shelter Report 2011

In March 2011 the Humanitarian Emergency Response Review (HERR) was released. This is an independent study commissioned by the UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID) to review how the UK government responds to humanitarian emergencies. The report found among other things that leadership, management and coordination within thehumanitarian community needed to improve to meet current and future humanitarian challenges. The shelter sector, described in the HERR as 'one of the most intractable problems in international humanitarian response', received particular attention, with criticism over weak coordination and the usage of transitional shelter. With this in mind, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC - the global shelter cluster convener for natural disasters) and the Centre for Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP) at Oxford Brookes University organised a one-day meeting in Oxford to explore implications for practice of the HERR within the shelter sector. Reflecting themes in the HERR, the day focused on three issues: leadership, professionalisation and innovation. The day comprised an opening session on the HERR report, DFID's response and the shelter cluster perspective; thematic discussions on leadership, professionalisation and innovation; and a closing plenary to share, explore and discuss outcomes from the breakout sessions.