Building back better – why humanitarian engineering is critical in a post-COVID world

THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOUR SKILLS COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN HELPING HUMANITY. WITH COVID-19 AND CLIMATE-BASED EMERGENCIES GRIPPING OUR WORLD, THE NEED FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE IS ON THE RISE.

At the end of 2019, the United Nations predicted that more than 168 million people would need humanitarian assistance from crisis spanning more than fifty countries. That is one in forty five people on the planet. COVID-19 will only exacerbate these figures.

At RedR Australia, we provide international humanitarian assistance, deploying skilled technical specialists to provide support when crisis or disaster strikes. Although we deploy people across a range of professions, a group of engineering professionals first established our organisation in 1973, with a vision for engineers to use their skill to help those in need.

Many years later, it has never been a better time to reflect on the importance of building for humanity. Our collective goal being, to effect positive change for marginalised and disadvantaged communities – often called ‘humanitarian engineering’.

We spoke to three people to find out why humanitarian engineering is important as we forge ahead in a fast changing world.

Fifty years ago, Arup set out principles for the firm - to have a humanitarian approach by joining with others to do socially useful work in the built environment. Arup assists those in need through humanitarian, international development and local engagement projects. The link between our activities as ‘humanitarian engineers’ on these projects and the social outcomes they create are very tangible as we often work directly with affected communities and supporting organisations. I have experienced this myself in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, helping to improve peoples’ living conditions through safer and more resilient shelter and infrastructure that reduces vulnerability to natural Community Engagement Programme and a RedR

hazards. As we reach a developmental tipping point, the impacts of climate change and other global challenges are becoming increasingly obvious. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights that no We all need to improve our ability to adapt to and recover from these rapidly changing circumstances. Now more than ever, there is a need for ‘humanitarian engineering’ in all aspects of the built environment to tackle the issue of sustainable development. By partnering with organisations like RedR Australia, we expand our reach and the effectiveness of our contributions and in turn, we support and amplify the work they do, creating further impact. The need for, and value of, deep and trusted partnerships like this has never been so important. Tom is the Disaster and Recovery Coordinator for Arup's

place or community is immune to these impacts. Australia Humanitarian Standby Roster member.

At GHD, our enduring partnership with RedR Australia has supported our employees to respond to global emergencies when needed most. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the need to support our local communities even more sharply into focus. The pandemic also highlights the need for humanitarian engineering solutions that are affordable, sustainable, utilise local resources and driven by the local community. Through closer partnerships between engineering and technology companies like GHD and humanitarian organisations like RedR, we must continue to evolve how we deliver humanitarian engineering solutions. These solutions need to be founded on capacity building, genuine collaboration and embracing the transformational technologies that are emerging. At GHD, we are proud of the work we do in collaboration with RedR Australia as we strive to fulfil our purpose of, “Together with our clients, creating lasting community benefit.”

If there is one thing that we have learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that no matter where you live, our lives are interconnected. The time is now for us to work together at a global level to prepare for humanitarian disasters and conflicts ahead and set communities up to respond. We have a role in providing communities with specialist skills and expertise so they are able to respond during a disaster. For those engineers who have offered their skills and deployed into a humanitarian crisis, they come away with a valuable experience. Whether they do it for a short or long period, the skills gained will pay off in the future – both personally and professionally.