Introduction to the Guide
This guide explains the rationale behind the creation of the Humanitarian Communications Unit and how timely, accurate and appropriately contextualized information reaches communities affected by disaster, as well as how feedback on such information is solicited to inform other stakeholders involved in a humanitarian response. It also features tools and lessons shaped from experiences gathered during the roll-out and expansion of the humanitarian communications initiative in Pakistan, which was a component of the response to the complex emergencies and floods. Lessons learned from the response to later crises, particularly those in Haiti and the Philippines, have also been integrated into the handbook.
Objectives of the guide
This guide aims to:
(a) Showcase good practices through case studies;
(b) Provide guidance to agencies, staff and other humanitarian stakeholders working in emergencies on how to strengthen communication with crisis affected communities;
(c) Highlight the importance of ensuring that an appropriate beneficiary communications strategy is created during the design of an overall humanitarian response or the individual activities within it.
Based on the efforts and practices specifically tested in Pakistan, as well as lessons learned from other contexts, this guide discusses the following matters:
(a) What humanitarian communications is;
(b) Who implements humanitarian communications;
(c) How to run humanitarian communications;
(d) Who the target audience(s) is/are;
(e) How to develop messages for affected and beneficiary populations;
(f) How to monitor and evaluate a campaign by measuring its impact on affected communities.
The guide is divided into four chapters, each described below, and features annexes. Case studies, tips and examples are provided throughout the handbook
