Bush fire in Australia

World Humanitarian Day feature post by Priliantina Bebasari, Chris Northey and Jo-Hannah Lavey – Consultants with Alinea Whitelum, Alinea International’s development consultancy service in Australia.

We are not all in the same boat. We are in the same storm. Some are on super-yachts. Some have just one oar. – Damian Barr, Writer, Broadcaster and Host

Throughout 2020, this quote was posted and shared across social media networks as a comment on widening global inequities, and a response to some early thinking – or hoping – the COVID-19 pandemic would be an equalizer. This quote resonates today as fear and uncertainty unfold in Afghanistan with the Taliban taking control of the country, and in the compounding suffering seen around the world due to climate change – the 2021 World Humanitarian Day theme.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released in early August predicts we will exceed an 1.5°C global temperature rise in just two decades.

Flooding in Germany

The findings from this report come amid an increased frequency of disasters in many parts of the world, including bush and forest fires in Australia, North and South America, Turkey and Siberia; massive floods in Germany, Belgium, China and Turkey; intense tropical cyclones in the Pacific Island countries and Indonesia; locust invasions in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea and Yemen; and more. This report also affirms that human activity is the primary cause of climate change. No country, including the wealthiest, is immune to human-induced climate-related disasters.

What do these findings mean for the humanitarian world?

Climate change, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, are increasing humanitarian need and driving changes across the sector. Responses to conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan incorporate COVID-19 safe practices; further stretching limited resources. Lockdowns and travel restrictions limit the movement of international staff. Therefore, local civil society organisations increasingly deliver aid. While this brings more responsibility and influence to some local actors over humanitarian assistance provided, it can increase their exposure to risk. It may also be one of the reasons the percentage of national aid worker victims of violence was higher than usual in 2020 – another factor that requires attention from the international community amid changes underway.

However, these changes are not intentional or reforming the humanitarian sector. There have been advances to localisation since The Grand Bargain – a unique agreement signed in 2016 between major donors and humanitarian organisations working to close the humanitarian financing gap. However, these advances do not go far enough. While more crisis-affected people influence local and national responses to climate change impacts, we argue this is borne of necessity due to lack of access. It is not the result of the international community taking intentional action towards transferring power to local actors. As our colleagues Thomas Hehir and Leone Tupua so succinctly wrote in DevPolicy, “If a disruption the size of COVID-19 does not force us to change our approach, then it is clear the status-quo will be maintained indefinitely unless we choose otherwise.”

How humanitarian institutions, including donors, view “humanitarian response” needs a rethink. Far from being an equalizer, the COVID-19 pandemic deepened global inequities, already profoundly evident in poverty, injustice, conflict, as well as the impacts of human-induced climate change. It also forced humanitarian organisations to pivot their systems and processes from business-as-usual to local responses determined by crisis-affected people.

In many ways, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are forcing a reckoning across the humanitarian system and demanding urgent sector reform. As we call on governments to heed climate science and urgently address global warming, we must examine the role of the humanitarian ecosystem and unpack and transform the unequal power relationships that have defined it. Amid calls to act on human-induced climate change, calls that are more urgent than ever, now is the time to reflect on the changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and apply those learnings to how the humanitarian sector addresses climate action.

On World Humanitarian Day, we are reflecting on the importance of intentionality. If we do not move from rhetoric to action, we risk tokenism rather than transformation as the impacts of climate change increase our need for locally-led crisis and disaster response.

alinea’s whistleblower policy

1.1 Purpose

The following Whistleblower Policy has been established to provide guidance to Alinea International employees and sub-contractors on how to deal with known or suspected improper conduct within the organization. The objectives of this Policy are to:

Create awareness of the Policy and available whistleblower protections
Act as a reference guide to potential whistleblowers wishing to make a disclosure
Define the structure of the whistleblower system, including reporting and investigation procedures, whistleblower protections, and confidentiality, among others
Improve the communication and transparency in the processes associated with whistleblowing and assure protection against derogatory consequences, namely reprisals and detrimental action
Complement the current communication channels between employees, sub-contractors and immediate managers, and hierarchical channels flowing to the President and Senior Management team
Provide guidance to all parties involved in either whistleblowing or whistleblower protection.

1.2 Scope

Alinea requires all employees and sub-contractors to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. All employees and sub-contractors of Alinea are required to comply with applicable laws and regulations of Canada and the countries where we operate. Any allegations of known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources will be dealt with in accordance with this Policy, and reasonable steps will be taken to protect those who come forward with allegations. Alinea’s Whistleblower Policy covers both internal and external whistleblowing, and establishes the controls and procedures for dealing with allegations of malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is intended to encourage employees and sub-contractors to report known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources and to enable Alinea’s Senior Management team to address and correct inappropriate action. It is the responsibility of all Board of Directors’ members, the Senior Management team, employees and sub-contractors to report concerns about known or suspected malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is applicable to all employees and sub-contractors of Alinea International.

1.3 Reporting Procedures

Alinea recognizes the value of transparency and accountability in its administrative and management practices and supports the making of disclosures that reveal improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. Our internal controls and operating procedures are intended to detect and prevent malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. As detailed in Alinea’s Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals, employees and sub-contractors are encouraged to share complaints and/or concerns regarding ethical or legal violations with their immediate managers. If the employee or sub-contractor is not comfortable speaking with their immediate manager or is not satisfied with the response, they are encouraged to speak with the Gatineau or Calgary Office Managers, the Vice Presidents or, as required, the Chief Financial Officer. All members of the Senior Management team are required to report complaints and/or concerns about suspected ethical or legal violations in writing to Alinea’s Ethics Committee who has the responsibility to investigate all reported complaints and/or concerns. In the event that the complaint and/or concern is about the President, it should be raised by the employee or sub-contractor to their immediate manager or the Ethics Committee who will determine how the investigation will proceed. All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective measures will be taken if warranted by the investigation. Alinea’s Ethics Committee is responsible for acknowledging receipt of the suspected violation and notifying the whistleblower of the outcome of the investigation. Anyone filing a written complaint concerning suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation. Personal grievances or complaints related to employment are not covered under Alinea’s Whistleblowing Policy. For cases such as this, employees and sub-contractors are advised to first refer to Alineas Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals when considering a disclosure under the Whistleblowing Policy. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.

1.4 Confidentiality

Maintaining confidentiality is crucial to ensure reprisals are not made against the whistleblower. Alinea is committed to safeguarding the identity of the whistleblower and to protecting the whistleblower against detrimental action taken in reprisal for allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. The Ethics Committee is responsible for ensuring whistleblowers are protected from direct and indirect detrimental action, and that the culture of the workplace is supportive of suspected allegations being made. Any employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.

1.5 Review

Alinea is committed to implementing ‘best practice’ policies and procedures for dealing with allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources (as defined by this Policy) and the management and protection of whistleblowers making allegation(s). This Policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure it meets the objectives of relevant legislation and remains effective for Alinea, and may be changed at the discretion of the Board of Directors at any time. For allegations of fraud, securities law, or human rights concerns, or when you are not satisfied or uncomfortable with following the Company’s open door policy, individuals should contact the Company’s Ethics Committee directly.

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World Humanitarian Day: From tokenism to transformation in crisis response

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