Author Archives: NRC

UK Shelter Forum 28: Low Impact Materials Workshop

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On Thursday 12th May, Arup hosted a side event prior to the UK Shelter Forum on the 13th May on scaling up the use of low-impact materials in humanitarian shelter response. The day included several presentations showcasing a series of case studies on a variety of ‘low-impact’ materials in the shelter sector, and workshop sessions to discuss how to scale up the use of low-impact materials, and the key barriers in using these materials in these contexts and brainstorming how these barriers could be overcome. Videos of the case study presentations are available on the UK Shelter Forum YouTube Channel.

Throughout the course of the day, a series of recommendations were collated for practitioners and policy makers to support future scaling up of low impact materials. The team is currently exploring how we can improve the use of low impact materials in the shelter sector moving forward. To join the mailing list for updates click here.

UK Shelter Forum 28: Climate Change

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The 28th UK Shelter Forum was held on the 13th of May 2022.  It was co-hosted by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and University College London’s Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction (UCL IRDR).  The theme was humanitarian shelter and climate change: Is the shelter sector ready?

The UK Shelter Forum was preceded by a workshop on scaling-up the use of low-impact materials in humanitarian response hosted by Arup and a UCL Humanitarian Institute Evening Conference on Shelter and Climate Change.

The 28th UK Shelter Forum was the first in person UK Shelter Forum after the Covid-19 pandemic and the first hybrid UK Shelter Forum.  More than 100 people attended in person with a similar number joining online.  Online speakers and participants included shelter specialists working in Australia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria, Madagascar, Switzerland, Italy, the US, Honduras and Chile.

Full details of the agenda are available here (in person) and here (online). Click here for a blog on the key messages of the forum and here for one on inclusion and intersectionality. Videos are available on the UK Shelter Forum YouTube Channel and below.

We look forward to seeing you in person and online at UK Shelter Forum 29!

28th UK Shelter Forum

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We are back!

The 28th UK Shelter Forum will be co-hosted by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and University College London’s Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction (UCL IRDR).

Theme: Humanitarian shelter and climate change: Is the shelter sector ready?

Date: Friday 13th May 2022, 09:00 – 17:00 BST
Location: University College London (and online) University College London, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL, UK

Make a proposal: If you’d like to contribute to the UK Shelter Forum please click here to tell us about your proposal as soon as possible.  Deadline 19 April 2022.

Attend: If you’d like to attend the UK Shelter Forum (in-person or online) please click here to reserve your place.

Evening event: The UK Shelter Forum will be preceded by a UCL Humanitarian Institute Evening Conference on Thursday 12th May on the same theme. Click here for details and registration.

Since its launch in May 2021 the Climate Charter has been signed by more than 200 organisations – including several members of the Strategic Advisory Group of the Global Shelter Cluster.  But is the shelter sector ready to be part of the solution?  Do we have the capacity to respond to rising humanitarian needs while reducing vulnerability to longer-term shocks and stresses?  Do we have the skills to understand and incorporate risk analyses into our programmes, alongside local and indigenous knowledge?  How can we minimise the damage we cause to the environment while providing timely and principled humanitarian assistance?

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