COVID-19 and the New Humanitarian Agenda

The COVID-19 pandemic has been described as the biggest challenge facing humankind. The pandemic and its fallout on health and economic systems across the world have precipitated an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. As the world navigates through the ‘new normal’ of the pandemic, it is important for the humanitarian systems to re-calibrate their priorities to serve the interests of the most vulnerable and at-risk populations. This issue of Southasiadisasters.net is titled ‘COVID-19 and the New Humanitarian Agenda’ and explores how the pandemic is influencing and shaping a new agenda for humanitarianism with special focus on response, relief and building back better. This issue touches on several important themes such as use of cash in complex emergencies like pandemics, disaster response during pandemics as well as a compendium of best responses by humanitarian agencies to the COVID-19 pandemic. This issue's contents includes: (i) COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan ; (ii) Why Public Transit is Low on Humanitarian and Disaster Risk Reduction Agenda?; (iii) Cash and COVID-19: Three Features; (iv) The Role of the International Humanitarian Studies (IHSA) Blog Posts Selection – Three Key Trends; (v) Tata Trusts’ Covid-19 Interventions; (vi) Cyclone Amphan in West Bengal and Bangladesh: Impact and Agenda; (vii) Accelerating Disaster Risk Reduction: Policy & Practice Change to Empower Local Community Partnerships; (viii) Academic Gold Rush and Positionality in Researching a Pandemic; (ix) Humanitarian Needs and Requirements; and (x) Knowledge Resources for COVID-19 and Humanitarian Agenda. Some of the best thinkers, researchers, experts, and activists, including Mihir R. Bhatt with AIDMI Team; Nicolás Caso, and Susanne Jaspars, IHSA, The Netharlands; Nayantara Dutta, Tata Trust, India; Richard Johnson (Bath Spa University, UK); JC Gaillard, The University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Theme: COVID-19, Pandemic, Humanitarian, DRR; Cyclone Amphan; Governance