SERVICES: National Platforms
Philippines
Context: As part of post-typhoon Haiyan preparedness initiatives in 2014, a Community of Practice on Community Engagement (CoPCE) was established by OCHA to support the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) and others to mainstream two-way communication in crises. Services provided include improvement of two-way communication platforms, feedback avenues, accountability pathways, closing-the-loop mechanisms, common service partnerships and innovations in the use of technologies for engaging with affected populations. The CoP also provides recommendations, updates and technical assistance to the HCT, ICCG, government agencies and other thematic working groups in preparedness and response.
The group was active during Armed-conflict in Zamboanga City (2014-2017), Armed-conflict in Marawi (2017—Present), Typhoon Hagupit (2015) & Typhoon Koppu (2016), Typhoon Knockten (2017) and Mayon Volcano Eruption (2018), Typhoons Mangkhut and Yutu (2018) and the measles outbreak of 2019. Its activities across these different emergencies have been different per context and have included: Rapid Information Communication and Accountability Assessment (RICAA); initiating regular dialogue/listening exercises between government and the affected population; Learning Reviews; community consultations; use of drone to assist local communities; frontline SMS/Infoboard systems for feedback channels; humanitarian radio programming; social media (through Rappler’s partnership) and ham radio; integration of questions into the ICCG’s 72-hour assessment template pertaining to the information needs and preferred communication channels; infoblast to WHO and UNICEF (part of overall support to the Department of Health (DOH) campaign drive to eradicate measles and improve vaccination rates). In preparedness, activities have included flagship pre-crisis information mapping and consultation (2017) to ensure that aside from each household, the voices of the most vulnerable and disadvantageous groups (women, children, indigenous groups, persons with disability and elderly) are reflected in national and local contingency plans.
Government links: The platform, linked to the Ministry of Information, acts as a service to national and local government.
Leads/Chairs/Co-Chairs: OCHA. Contact: Gil Arevalo arevalog@un.org
National and international actors involved: With more than 50 members, the CoPCE provides strategic direction and technical support to any field level working group. Members include UN agencies, international non- government organizations, faith-based groups, private sector, civil society organizations, media networks, academe, government agencies and the in-country Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities Network (CDAC).
Donors: N/A. In 2017-2018 small Flexible Funding package from CDAC DEPP Programme.
Opportunities and challenges: The Philippines is an increasingly connected society, presenting many opportunities for tech-based systems to engage people en masse. It is also however a country struck by multiple emergencies (both natural and human-made disasters) in different places, and is populated by many different types of communities, meaning nationally-led communications platforms require a significant degree of work and resources to continually support disaster-affected communities. Despite this, the platform remains one of the most successful examples globally and was an early pioneer of a national platform model that has served to inspire the inception and improvement of many others.
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