News from the field

Global | 16. May 2022

A focus on emergency response to achieve clean energy for all by 2030

At the Humanitarian Energy Conference, 16 May, NORCAP promotes cross-sectoral collaboration and a focus on lessons learned and recommendations forward to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 7 – a transition to clean, reliable and affordable energy for all.

Africa|Burkina Faso|Niger|Sudan | 21. Apr 2022

Improving early warning to enable early action

This year’s World Meteorological Day, emphasised the importance of early action and early warning systems for impact-based forecasting – a focal point for NORCAP’s climate services experts.

Global | 14. Jan 2022

Welcome to our green shift reports launch!

Interested in clean energy solutions in urban displacement? Blended finance solutions to include the private sector in the humanitarian work? Or, what about ensuring green and clean electronic waste management in humanitarian settings?

One man interviewing four community members while two other men sit in the background observing.

Kenya | 17. Dec 2021

The weather conversation that saves lives

The weather is equally beloved and dreaded as a topic of conversation. But the important conversations on weather – making sure people are warned about extremities and know what to do when they arrive – is still a challenge. NORCAP climate expert Collison Lore knows the urgency of getting people to talk about the weather – in the right way.

A radio in front of a group of men gathered under a tree in a rural village in Niger.

Niger | 16. Dec 2021

Rain gauges and radios - why climate information is crucial for communities in Niger

Climate change causes an increasing number of exceptional dry periods, heat waves or sudden, heavy rainfalls in many regions in Niger. Thus, farmers and smallholders depend on weather forecasts to be able to adapt and save their yields. The Niger national meteorological department (Niger MET) runs programmes to improve climate communication in rural areas – with the support of NORCAP.

Dry, cracked ground due to drought, with patches of green shrubbery in between. (Photo: Tareq Mnadili/NRC)

Africa | 02. Nov 2021

“Climate change is a massive speed bump to the development of Africa”

NORCAP expert Romeo Nkurunziza has taken a substantial part in the recently released State of the Climate in Africa 2020 report, published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Now, he hopes the report will be a central document during the most important climate summit of the year, COP26 in Glasgow.

Education in emergencies expert Emile Ntampera talking to students in a school where South Sudanese refugee children learn together with Ugandan children. Imvepi refugee settlement. (Photo: NORCAP/Ida Sem Fossvik)

07. Sep 2021

The Global Education Cluster and the EU are working with partners to strengthen rapid education responses

Every child has the right to develop their talents and competencies to unlock their potential, starting from early childhood and throughout their schooling and vocational training. This right does not cease in humanitarian emergencies.

Asia and Oceania | 02. Jul 2021

Strengthening Protection of Children in the Maldives

The island paradise has been hard hit by the pandemic, resulting in a significant set-back for the important progress made to protect children, NORCAP expert Kate Halvorsen reports.

Woman and man wearing NORCAP-branded vests, backs towards camera, looking out at a site for asylum seekers in Thessaloniki, with the Greek flag waving in background.

Greece | 30. Jun 2021

Greece: The important hidden impact

Having the right policies or procedures in place can have a life-changing impact on people’s lives. Read on to find out how NORCAP’s capacity building project contributes to improving conditions for refugees in Greece.

A woman and a man walking down a busy Beirut city street, with their backs to the camera.

Lebanon | 03. Jun 2021

NORCAP expertise vital to Beirut urban response

NORCAP’s rapid support and coordination expertise ensured a critical and timely contribution to the urban response to the Beirut Port explosion, according to partner organisation UN-Habitat.

DR Congo|Cameroon | 01. Jun 2021

Meet two NORCAP experts working in the world's most neglected crises

Every year, NRC publishes the list of the ten most neglected displacement crises in the world, to shine the spotlight on these forgotten emergencies. How much do we know about the worlds most neglected crises? Meet two NORCAP experts working in Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cameroon and learn more about their experiences in the crises that never make the news.

Woman walking in a compound in a rural village in Cameroon. Back turned to the camera. (Photo: Ingebjørg Kaarstad/NRC)

Cameroon | 28. May 2021

Cameroon’s underfunded crisis hampers action for gender equality

When humanitarian crises don’t receive the level of funding allowing to meet distinct needs, attention to gender equality is far more likely to fall through the cracks, writes Delphine Brun, GenCap adviser to the humanitarian community in Cameroon.

Cameroon | 30. Mar 2021

A failure to address the vulnerability of men and boys

The patchy attention given to adolescent boys and men has not allowed for understanding the gendered impact that crisis has on them. We need to expand our vision of who persons of concern should be, writes Delphine Brun, senior GenCap adviser at United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Cameroon.

Europe | 11. Mar 2021

Pandemic prompts new initiatives for election observation

Covid-19 has affected democratic processes all over the world, making it more important than ever to ensure that elections are up to international standards. NORCAP’s experienced election observers usually travel around the world to observe elections, but many experts have had to work remotely or adjust their methodology to the new reality.

Global|Africa|Middle East | 08. Mar 2021

Women in power: Why the clean energy shift needs a female perspective

As part of NORCAP's Accelerator Program, our five female junior energy experts are pushing for a clean energy transition. To them, women are the most important pieces of the puzzle.

Devastated buildings and cars after the explosions in Beirut, August 2020. (Photo: Racha El Daoi/NRC)

Lebanon | 05. Feb 2021

Beirut: Securing property and coordination

In the aftermath of the devastating Beirut explosion last year, Lebanon continues to struggle with a number of crises. Since the blast, NORCAP experts have supported the coordination of humanitarian efforts and securing housing, land and property rights in affected neighbourhoods.

Global | 05. Jan 2021

Five green NORCAP initiatives from 2020

NORCAP has continued to expand work on clean energy and climate issues this year, knowing how vital this is to both present and future livelihoods. Here are five green highlights from 2020.

Building women's climate resilience

When droughts, floods and hurricanes strike, women are disproportionately affected. Four female NORCAP climate experts are working to counteract that, providing crucial climate information to women in rural communities in Africa.

Global|Cameroon | 11. Dec 2020

Gender-based violence beyond the crises

As seen with the covid-19 pandemic, gender-based violence is often exacerbated by crises. But in order to combat violence towards women and girls, we need to address the underlying causes that were already in place before emergency struck, writes Delphine Brun, senior GenCap adviser at OCHA Cameroon.

NORCAP Head office staff, Elise Luhr Dietrichson, Helen Kape Peters and Eirin Ulleberg visiting a refugee camp in northern Uganda, 2018. (Photo: Emile Ntempera/NORCAP)

South Sudan | 10. Dec 2020

Nobel Peace Prize to WFP: "Giving people emergency food is only the beginning"

“We must work to make people less dependent on food aid and more self-sufficient”, says Helen Kape Peters in NORCAP. Helen, who herself has experienced food insecurity as a refugee, believes this is one of the most important issues facing Nobel Peace Prize winner World Food Programme (WFP), and partners such as NORCAP, in the coming years.

Mali | 10. Nov 2020

Teachers and peace promotion in Mali

Despite the various challenges they face, teachers are showing an incredible dedication to their profession, writes Leandro Salazar-Lievano, our education expert deployed to UNHCR Mali.

Local staff at NRC Regional office in Mankien now have access to solar power 24/7.

South Sudan | 24. Sep 2020

Greening humanitarian operations – one solar panel at the time

NRC South Sudan is replacing their old diesel generators with renewable energy assisted by NORCAP. They encourage the humanitarian sector to follow their example.