Humanitarian and International Development Panel

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The Humanitarian and International Development Panel seeks to help structural engineers confront the challenges faced by the poorest and most vulnerable people around the world.

The Panel identifies specific training and guidance needs for members who work or intend to work in the humanitarian and international development sector. Topics include:

  • Competencies for the HID sector
  • Disaster relief
  • Resilience planning

The Panel also maintains contact with relevant charities and UK Government agencies.

 

Panel structure:
  • Chair
  • Vice Chair
  • Up to 24 other members (including members of various grades and those based in different locations)
Related career profiles

 

Get involved:

We invite expressions of interest in Panel membership each September, contacting all members except Student Members.

Members of the Panel are expected to fully participate in supporting and driving the Panel's activities forward.

There are many ways that you can contribute to the activities of the group, and you will be expected to do some work outside the meetings, for example drafting or reviewing guidance and keeping up to date on the latest developments around the topics the Panel is involved with.

The Panel meet four times a year. A maximum of one meeting will be in person at Institution HQ, whilst all other meetings are held online. Online access to meetings is always available.

Contact the panel if you have questions about their work. 

Contact the panel

Looking for an event or training?

Explore our range of online training, recorded lectures and up and coming events.

Read more

Featured resources and events

Guidance
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Humanitarian and international development competencies framework

This framework, developed by the Institution’s Humanitarian and International Development Panel, is designed to illustrate the types of skills that structural engineers will require to be successful in the development sector.

Date – 12 July 2021
Price – Free
The Structural Engineer
<h4>RICA – climate-positive design using locally sourced materials</h4>

RICA – climate-positive design using locally sourced materials

This article describes the climate-positive design for the campus of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture. 

Date – 5 July 2021
Author – James Kitchin, Rosie Goldrick and Kelly Alvarez Doran
Price – £10
Report
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EEFIT Mission Report: Aegean 30 October 2020

This EEFIT Field Mission report details the effects of the Mw6.9 earthquake which struck the Aegean coasts of Greece and Turkey on 30 October 2020.

Date – 19 May 2021
Author – EEFIT
Price – Free
Guidance
Man brief local people following a natural disaster

Working in the humanitarian or development sectors

This article provides a realistic overview of the practical and ethical considerations when seeking to work in the sector.

 

Date – 5 May 2020
Author – Humanitarian and International Development Panel
Price – 0
Guidance
Non-engineered timber house

Humanitarian and international development: FAQs

This evolving series of FAQs provides guidance on considerations when acting in the humanitarian and international development sector.

Date – 5 May 2020
Author – Humanitarian and International Development Panel
Price – Free
Training
an image of the UN goals

A targeted approach to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

An introduction to the goals and how structural engineers can use them to tackle the climate crisis and create a better world.

Date – 23 September 2019
Author – Will Arnold
Price – Free
Case Study
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Is rigorous structural engineering possible in a humanitarian context?

This case study examines assessing and improving the wind resistance of bamboo emergency shelters in the Rohingya refugee camps.

Date – 7 July 2020
Author – Humanitarian and International Development Panel
Price – 0
Case Study
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Community engagement in disaster response: 2015 Gorkha, Nepal

This resource features two case studies. They describe how engineers engaged with the local community following the earthquake of 2015.

Date – 6 July 2020
Author – Humanitarian and International Development Panel
Price – Free
The Structural Engineer
<h4>Quality and standards in post-disaster shelter</h4>

Quality and standards in post-disaster shelter

Shelter plays an essential role in post-disaster situations both in saving lives and in promoting early recovery by helping to restore dignity, support livelihoods and re-establish communities. To be effective shelter must be of adequate quality, yet there is no commonly accepted definition of what this means. This shortfall is compounded by the lack of expertise or institutional knowledge within individual organisations, high staff turnover and the large number of new actors that enter the sector for the first time in post-disaster situations. To some extent this has been overcome by the introduction of standards and indicators in recent post-disaster responses combined with recent initiatives to reform co-ordination structures. However inconsistencies in terminology, approach and interpretation prevail and quality is often compromised due to post-disaster timescales and budgetary constraints. This paper proposes that quality should be considered from the shelter occupant&#8217;s perspective, and whilst this will vary in different scenarios, it can be defined by 12 standard characteristics under two key headings - habitability and durability - which provide a framework for designing and subsequently monitoring and evaluating shelter programmes. Jo da Silva, MA, CEng, MICE, MIStructE Associate Director, Arup

Date – 17 July 2007
Author – Jo da Silva
Price – £0

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Traversing the development sector - IABSE Journey to Success

On April 25 2022 the Institution’s Humanitarian and International Development (HID) Panel hosted “Journey to Success” in collaboration with IABSE (British Group): a panel discussion and mentoring event for early-years professionals interested in working in the development sector.

Date – 1 September 2022
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The development of a vernacular-improved affordable, sustainable, and seismically-resilient bamboo housing technology for Latin America and beyond.

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