When Disaster Meets Conflict

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/whendisastermeetsconflict

Introduction

### Course Review: When Disaster Meets Conflict **Overview:** The Coursera course titled **"When Disaster Meets Conflict"** offers a vital insight into the complexities of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and humanitarian aid amid conflicts. Geared towards practitioners, students, and anyone interested in the intersections of disaster response and conflict, this MOOC provides a comprehensive education about how to deliver effective and ethical responses in the most challenging environments. ### Course Structure & Syllabus: The course is structured over five weeks, each addressing different aspects of disaster response and risk reduction in diverse conflict contexts: 1. **Disasters, Conflict, and Aid:** The introductory week sets the stage by exploring key research related to disaster, conflict, and aid. Learners are immersed in an analytical framework that helps to navigate the intricate relationships between these elements, essential for building a foundational understanding of the course material. 2. **Disaster Risk Reduction in High-Conflict Scenarios (HIC):** Week two delves into high-intensity conflict settings, utilizing a case study from South Sudan to highlight the unique challenges and characteristics of disaster response in such environments. This week equips participants with the ability to identify common problems and effective strategies specific to HIC scenarios. 3. **DRR in Low-Conflict Scenarios (LIC):** Building on previous knowledge, the course transitions to low-intensity conflict situations in week three. Through case studies from Myanmar, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe, learners gain a nuanced understanding of disaster response tailored to LIC contexts. 4. **Disaster Response in Post-Conflict Scenarios (PC):** Continuing the journey into post-conflict recovery, week four emphasizes understanding disaster response in environments recovering from conflict, using Sierra Leone as a case study. Participants analyze the challenges of rebuilding and aiding communities, emphasizing the long-term strategies necessary for sustainable recovery. 5. **Hard Decision-Making & Ethical Dilemmas:** The fifth week shifts into a practical application phase, where learners confront real-world ethical dilemmas often faced by humanitarian workers. Engaging in reflective exercises, participants explore the balance between action and consequence, deepening their understanding of ethical decision-making frameworks in disaster response. 6. **Conflict-Sensitive Policy:** Rounding out the course, the final week emphasizes the importance of developing conflict-sensitive disaster response programs. Participants learn to implement tools designed to enhance the effectiveness of their interventions while minimizing the risk of exacerbating existing conflicts. ### Key Takeaways: - **Comprehensive Learning:** The course offers a holistic view of disaster management in conflict zones, with a balance between theory and practical application. - **Diverse Case Studies:** Real-world examples from various conflict settings provide concrete insights into the complexities faced by humanitarian responders. - **Ethical Framework Awareness:** By addressing ethical dilemmas, the course prepares participants to navigate the moral challenges that arise in high-stakes environments. ### Recommendations: **Who Should Enroll:** This course is ideal for humanitarian practitioners, students of social sciences, and individuals passionate about international development, conflict resolution, and disaster management. **Why Enroll:** With its rigorous content and expert-led guidance, "When Disaster Meets Conflict" is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to understand the nexus of disaster and conflict. It not only equips you with theoretical knowledge but also provides frameworks that can be applied in real-life scenarios, making it a must-take for those serious about making a difference in the humanitarian field. ### Conclusion: "When Disaster Meets Conflict" on Coursera is a forward-thinking course that addresses a critical area in global humanitarian efforts. By interweaving disaster risk reduction with conflict sensitivity, it prepares participants to respond effectively and ethically in some of the most challenging circumstances. I highly recommend this course to anyone eager to deepen their understanding of this essential field and aspire to contribute positively to humanitarian efforts around the world.

Syllabus

Disasters, conflict and aid

In this first week, you will learn more about the research that this MOOC was based on, and about the researchers that conducted it. You will learn what the current state of our understanding is when it regards the interconnections between disaster, conflict and aid, and get to know a useful analytical tool that can help you navigate in this complex terrain.

The goal of this week is to make you familiar with High-conflict scenarios (HIC). You’ll learn to understand the common characteristics of disaster in a HIC-setting, and develop a sense of common problems and lessons for disaster response and disaster risk reduction. To start off with, in the first lesson we’ll introduce a case study of a high-conflict scenario where disaster strikes: South Sudan.

Welcome to Week 3. The goal of this week is to make you familiar with Low-intensity conflict scenarios, or LIC for short. You’ll learn to understand the common characteristics of disaster in a LIC-setting, and develop a sense of common problems and challenges for disaster response and disaster risk reduction. This week we’ll provide you with examples from several LIC settings, such as Myanmar, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.

Welcome to week 4. The goal of this week is to make you familiar with Post-conflict scenarios, or PC. You’ll learn to understand the common characteristics of disaster in a LIC-setting, and develop a sense of common problems and lessons for disaster response and disaster risk reduction. To start off with, in the first lesson we’ll introduce a case study of a post-conflict scenario where disaster strikes: SIERRA LEONE.

Week 5 of this MOOC is more practical. Here, we ask you as participant to reflect on several examples of realistic, common dilemmas that you may encounter in the field - or perhaps you have already have had similar experiences. The main aim of this exercise is to train you to become sensitive the possible consequences of future decisions. Moreover, you will learn how to balance and reflect upon the pros and cons of each decision. By practicing with hard decisions in operations, it also becomes more clear how principles and accountability standards can help you to do no harm, and hopefully, some good. At the end of this Module, you should feel better informed and prepared when encountering future ethical dilemmas in the field.

The goal of this week is to help you practice with developing and reflecting on conflict-sensitive disaster response programs. The past weeks, you have learned how complex it can be to off disaster response in a conflict setting. However good our intentions may be; we always run the risk of stirring conflict, worsening it – or even starting it. Therefore, this week, we’ll be sharing with you five tools that can help you become more conflict-sensitive in the way you work and think. We won’t focus on conflict risk reduction or peace building, but more on conflict sensitivity and ‘do no harm’ in emergency settings. We’ll also implement some of the knowledge through a realistic assignment.