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Introduction One of the goals of the photographers hired by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) during the 1990s and 2000s was to create images for the education of children and youth. For twenty years, CIDA sent these reproductions of images to schools in a multitude of formats, from magazines to videos, slide shows, games, picture books, and maps, produced in collaboration with academic specialists in education and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The attention and resources the international agency invested in the dissemination
Introduction Substantial evidence across disciplines – from neuroscience to economics – indicates that the early years of a child’s life are critical for building the foundation for optimal development. In settings affected by crisis, conflict, disaster and displacement, children are at particular risk. Primary caregivers often have fewer resources and less time to provide children with attention and necessary socio-emotional and cognitive stimulation ( Masten and Narayan, 2012 ). Risk factors for children are often multiplied in crises and conflict
Introduction By its very nature – ostensibly, that of responding to natural and human-made crises – humanitarian, peacebuilding and (to a lesser extent) development work occurs in close proximity to potential danger. The degree of risk and danger to staff carrying out this kind of work in ‘the field’ has increased greatly over recent decades, due in part to the changing nature of conflict and in part to the rapidly increasing number of local and
Introduction This forum brings together a diverse group of scholars from political geography, international relations, critical organisation studies, global development, international studies and political sociology to explore the debates and dynamics of celebrity engagement with development and humanitarianism. The contributions here come from a series of roundtables organised in 2021, including one at the 6th World Conference on Humanitarian
Introduction The fast development of major countries in Asia, particularly China, has fuelled the imagination of many African countries and the expectations of their peoples. 1 Each of them has set its own deadline to become an emerging economy. To meet such a target, they all expect to attract more and more foreign direct investment (FDI). There
Introduction The UK government’s controversial decision to disband the Department for International Development (DfID) in June 2020 drew widespread condemnation ( UK Government Spending Review, 2020 ). However, two weeks prior to its merger with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, DfID published a new Theory of Change (ToC) on mental health for the international development sector – its last stand as a unitary body ( DfID, 2020 ). Despite the importance of the
opportunities around the world. Digital labour platforms and the online gig economy now promise access to work for anyone with an internet connection, a computer and the right skillset. Inspired by this promise, governments, civil society, social enterprises and international organisations in the humanitarian and development sectors, including the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Norwegian Refugee Council
Norwegian Refugee Council are development actors like the International Trade Centre and the International Labour Organization, and even private sector actors and supporters like Upwork and Tent ( Upwork, 2022 ). Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working to place refugees in remote digital work today find themselves in the peculiar position of acting as online market intermediaries between refugees and corporations in the digital economy. This ranges from helping refugees
Introduction How we understand violence is key to how we conceptualise every single political category. We know nothing of claims to democracy, security, rights, justice and human development without attending to its underwriting demands. But what if the ways this understanding was framed rested upon highly contestable assumptions and political claims? We know violence is a complex phenomenon that continues to defy neat description. And we know it is poorly understood if reduced to actual bodily assault. Violence is an attack upon a person’s dignity, sense
). Conjoining recent debates in feminist political economy and humanitarian governance in this paper we examine how prominent humanitarian actors such as corporations and celebrity activists construct gender-based problems and knowledge as part of entrepreneurial artisanal projects, aiming to empower women in the global South. Corporations have a long history of sponsoring and championing humanitarian as well as gender and development work to enhance the value of their brands and