Vanessa Bonsignore | University of Cambridge (original) (raw)

Papers by Vanessa Bonsignore

WFP Indonesia External Situation Report, 2018

The second global Food Security Cluster (gFSC) meeting of partners was held from 17 to 18 April 2... more The second global Food Security Cluster (gFSC) meeting of partners was held from 17 to 18 April 2012 at the International Confederation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting brought together approximately 50 participants representing 27 partner agencies, observers and concerned agencies. The meeting reviewed the global Food Security Cluster operations in 2011 and determined priority focus areas for 2012 which reflect the aim of providing and improving support to food security response at country level.
The meeting coincided with the first anniversary of the global Food Security Cluster that came into operation in April 2010. The considerable achievements of the gFSC throughout the first year - linked to the five strategic pillars - were highlighted. On-going challenges were identified with specific actions proposed to meet those challenges.
Reports were received and next steps agreed for the working groups established by the Cluster: the Working Group on Urban and Non-Agricultural Based Livelihoods (after detailed analysis, this was changed to the Working Group on Food Security and Livelihoods in Urban Settings); the Inter-cluster Nutrition and Food Security Working Group; the Assessment Working Group- with a newly established sub-component focussing on market analysis and drawing from existing assessment tools; the Working Group on Advocacy whichprovides technical direction to the gFSC on key areas of advocacy in humanitarian food security responses.
Representatives at the meeting considered current IASC initiatives of the Transformative Agenda and Accountability to Affected Populations in relation to the role and actions of the gFSC at global and country level. The meeting included a technical focus and addressed issues, such as mainstreaming gender into Food Security, ensuring better inter-cluster coordination at global and national level and how best to implement a Level 3 Emergency Roster.
As all of the gFSC partners are involved in more than one cluster at both the global and country levels, panel discussions were held to consider the importance of - and identified gaps in - inter-cluster coordination at both the Global and country levels. Global Coordinators and representatives from the Food Security, Health, WASH clusters and OCHA analysed joint cluster actions at the global level to increase the effectiveness of the food security humanitarian response at country level during sudden onset and protracted crises. Four gFSC NGO implementing agencies considered how agency involvement in several global clusters and country clusters could affect the food security response at the country level. The meeting stressed importance of strong inter-cluster coordination and collaboration. Overall, the meeting built a common understanding of global cluster issues and challenges and provided direction to the Global Support Team on priority areas for the remainder of 2012. It is essential that the Food Security Clusters at global, national and sub-national level remain conducive to continued partner involvement in leadership and development of tools and guidance, training, capacity building, information management and advocacy. Partners re-affirmed the existence and structure of the cluster and agreed future action plans and desired outcomes.
The meeting was officially opened by Mohammed Mukhier, Head of the Community Preparedness and Disaster Risk Reduction Department, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Welcoming remarks were given by Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Liaison Office in Geneva and David Kaatrud, Director of Emergencies, World Food Programme (WFP), Rome.
The meeting was chaired by Rosie Jackson from Save the Children and Meagan McGlinchy from Catholic Relief Services.

The formal three week learning process was designed for experienced humanitarians who have the po... more The formal three week learning process was designed for experienced humanitarians who have the potential of becoming Food Security Cluster Coordinators (CC), and for those who are already in CC positions. This Training presented participants with an opportunity to better understand their CC roles and responsibilities before, during and after a Level 3 emergency. The learning process also allowed participants to practice key CC roles and responsibilities and to use experiential learning to explore what attitudes, knowledge and skills are most helpful to best undertake these expected CC duties in a real Level 3 emergency or disaster situation.
In conjunction with these learning objectives, a “Level of Readiness Assessment” component was also introduced in the Training. The purpose of this Assessment was to inform the gFSC about participant’s readiness for deployment to a L3 emergency, identifying high potential staff that could join the gFSC roster of deployable people for L2 and L3 emergencies.

Over the past eight years the humanitarian community in Somalia has responded to three major cris... more Over the past eight years the humanitarian community in Somalia has responded to three major crises (2005-2006, 2008-2009 and 2011) with the most severe emergency leading to the declaration of Famine in July 2011. However, over the past ten years, the agro-pastoral and agricultural livelihoods within Somalia have fluctuated between Famine/Emergency/Crisis and Food Secure/Stressed.
3.2 As a result of a combination of shocks such as poor rainfall, global price fluctuations and eruption of resourced-based or regional inter-state conflict, between 3.4 and 6.5 million people of Somalia have, to some degree, lost their assets and remained food-insecure.
3.3 As of July 2011, 3.2 million people required life-saving assistance in Somalia. The country raised 1.3billion,ofwhichonly1.3 billion, of which only 1.3billion,ofwhichonly800 million went through the CAP system. An estimated 2.8 million people in need were located in the south, with displacement serving as a catalyst in people’s survival choices. Approximately 253,000 people fled as refugees to Kenya and Ethiopia, while 167,000 became internally displaced mostly in and around Mogadishu. The Somali Government’s leadership and response were limited. Aid policy and distribution were shaped largely by the IASC cluster system, ICRC, Somali NGOs and a large humanitarian initiative by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). UN, Red Cross and NGO operations were mostly led remotely from Nairobi.
3.4 With the support of the global Food Security Cluster (gFSC), the former Somalia Food Assistance Cluster and Somalia Agricultural Livelihoods Cluster, under the leadership of WFP and FAO, merged to form a single Somalia Food Security Cluster in March 2012.

Exercise conducted by the global Food Security Cluster Synthesis Report By: gFSC and FSAC Philipp... more Exercise conducted by the global Food Security Cluster Synthesis Report By: gFSC and FSAC Philippines Cluster Leads and Partners

On 9 November 2013, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines welcomed international assistance in response to the devastating impact of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). A level 3 Corporate Emergency was declared by FAO and WFP on 12 November, 2013 and the IASC Principles declared a Level 3 System-Wide Emergency Response on the same day. To ensure efficient coordination of humanitarian action, the Humanitarian Country Team in the Philippines confirmed that FAO and WFP as Cluster Co-Lead Agencies of the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC), should continue to work jointly through the cluster system. A national hub was first established in Manila and two sub-national teams have been deployed in Tacloban and Roxas City all consisting of a Cluster Coordinator and an Information Management Officer.
Some of the main lessons learned that transpired from this intervention include the importance of adequate preparedness mechanisms to ensure efficient and timely rapid response deployments at both national and sub-national levels. Strong government relations and effective support of existing coordination structures has also proved to be crucial and impacting the efficiency of the response.
Suggestions on improved inter-cluster collaboration as well as Information Management functions have been explored to ensure a well-coordinated, timely and informed response to food security emergencies.
The food security response was further complemented by a number of related cross-cutting programmes that centered on increasing community consultations to ensure greater accountability to the affected populations; restoring urban livelihoods and existing assets through cash interventions among others.
Similarly the quality of the response provided was the result of an innovative and interactive communications strategy that involved a number of proactive humanitarian actors accustomed to new-school social media communication tools.

Exercise Conducted by WFP/FAO co-led Global Food Security Cluster in 2013 To address the critica... more Exercise Conducted by WFP/FAO co-led Global Food Security Cluster in 2013

To address the critical needs of the affected populations in Syria (especially in the Northern governorates), a number of agencies are providing food and livelihood related assistance from Southern Turkey through cross border operations mostly facilitated by the Turkish authorities. These activities started in late 2012 and have escalated rapidly over the months. Food assistance remains the largest single sector of the response from South Turkey with 70%1 of relief items being food baskets and wheat flour. However, there is a growing interest for Cash and Vouchers, livelihoods and agriculture related interventions as reflected by smaller projects within the sector.
In January 2013, an NGO Forum was established in Southern Turkey for NGOs with operations in Northern Syria. The Forum was originally comprised of 10 Working Groups, including a Food Security and Livelihoods Working Group, that followed the Cluster model. Apart from the NGO forum members, there are several other actors including the Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU), Turkish Red Crescent (TRC), Syrian diaspora agencies and other international, national and local actors. In early 2013, OCHA set up an office in Gaziantep to facilitate coordination for all humanitarian actors.

Synthesis Report By: gFSC and the FSC Bangladesh Cluster Leads In Bangladesh, the aim of the coo... more Synthesis Report By: gFSC and the FSC Bangladesh Cluster Leads

In Bangladesh, the aim of the coordination approach is to support the existing Government structure to ensure a more coherent and effective response by mobilizing groups of agencies, organizations and NGOs to respond in a strategic manner across all key sectors and areas of activity, with each sector having a clearly designated lead.
The FSC supports the Government-led, Local Consultative Working Group on Disaster and Emergency Response (LCG-DER) through the Humanitarian Coordination Task Team (HCTT) both lead by the Ministry of Disaster Management (MoDM) and the Resident Coordinator’s (RC) office, in responding to the evolving humanitarian context in Bangladesh, keeping in mind the needs of the people at risk. The FSC coordinates humanitarian responses ensuring that adequate preparedness mechanisms are in place before a disaster strikes, as well as in the early recovery phases.

Exercise completed by: gFSC and FSAC Afghanistan in 2013. The Food Security and Agriculture Clus... more Exercise completed by: gFSC and FSAC Afghanistan in 2013.

The Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) in Afghanistan was established in 2008 and is co-led by WFP and FAO, with Islamic Relief currently serving as the NGO co-chair. The main aim of the cluster is to provide an action-oriented forum for bringing together national and international humanitarian partners to improve the timeliness and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance in the lives of crisis-affected populations in Afghanistan. FSAC is also operational at sub-national level in all six regions of Afghanistan.

The purpose of this paper is to argue in favor of the possibility for equal and proportional land... more The purpose of this paper is to argue in favor of the possibility for equal and proportional land privatization along ethnic lines in Northern Kosovo, and will attempt to prove that securing both Albanian and Serb property rights shall guarantee greater inter-ethnic cooperation and integration. The latter, indeed will become increasingly possible as soon as the various Kosovar ethnicities understand that potential international profits could be achieved through the exportation of coal abroad to countries such as Indonesia, Japan and the People’s Republic of China, which particularly necessitate these natural resources.

In addition, this paper will also explore possibilities for interim land distribution or privatization arrangements to be put in place in the Serbian-populated Mitrovice by the Kosovar Government as well as by third party entities, with a view to receiving World Bank/EU/UN/IMF and private-sector investment/funding in restructuring and revamping these crucial resource sectors for the benefit of Kosovo’s developmental efforts as a whole.

The methodology of the research will be mainly qualitative, involving a collection of textual data, including policy documents, Balkan literature reviews, planning studies and reports, as well as interviews conducted by humanitarian organizations, such as Amnesty International, with stakeholder communities. A further interview will also be conducted with the Serbian Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Dejan Popovic, in an endeavor to highlight the extremism of the Serbian perspective and their belief in the possibility for future economic negotiations with Kosovar authorities only if under a specific Serbian diplomatic framework. The research methodology will also in some instances be quantitative, including collections of population censuses containing information regarding the extent of ethnic minority participation in Kosovar economic, political and business affairs.

Moreover, special attention will be devoted to Kosovo’s historical background and how it created the framework for Serb-Albanian inter-ethnic conflict and contention especially in the realm of property rights. The Kosovar legal system, especially as concerns property rights, and its evolution from the Former Yugoslav Republic, will also be examined. Special attention will also be devoted to the displacement of Kosovo Serbs and Albanians and the importance of integrating them into the Republic of Kosovo especially through housing compensations and retributions.

Third party involvement in the fair allocation of property rights will also be examined together with the Kosovar Government’s privatization policies. A comparative analysis with also be drawn with contested property rights in Turkey and Northern Cyprus, in an endeavor to learn from the past mistakes of these territories. An overall assessment as to Kosovo’s and Serbia’s potential for entrance into the EU will also be provided. The dissertation will conclude with an analysis of the benefits which could be achieved for all Kosovar ethnicities were greater foreign investments in property industries and coal mine complexes implemented.

Drafts by Vanessa Bonsignore

The Cash-Based Interventions Technical Working Group is part of a broader effort to coordinate th... more The Cash-Based Interventions Technical Working Group is part of a broader effort to coordinate the humanitarian response for refugees in Turkey through the provision of life-saving and basic needs. The need for this TWG, as an action-oriented forum at the sub-national level in Gaziantep, Turkey, was identified by CBI actors in November 2015. With regards to its geographical focus, the CBI TWG will aim to address the needs of the most vulnerable refugees inside all of Turkey, with a focus on both camps and non-camp communities.

The CBI TWG, at an operational and technical level, is intended to be a mechanism of targeted information sharing, appropriate harmonization of approaches, determining and coordinating joint advocacy efforts, agreeing relevant minimum standards and planning to improve targeting of the most vulnerable households and increase their resilience to future shocks and stresses.

Its work is to capitalize on existing cash and voucher-based programming efforts from Government actors, the Turkish Red Crescent, UN and NGOs in order to ensure a more coordinated and effective response with minimal gaps and duplications and increased quality and accountability of programming.

WFP Indonesia External Situation Report, 2018

The second global Food Security Cluster (gFSC) meeting of partners was held from 17 to 18 April 2... more The second global Food Security Cluster (gFSC) meeting of partners was held from 17 to 18 April 2012 at the International Confederation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting brought together approximately 50 participants representing 27 partner agencies, observers and concerned agencies. The meeting reviewed the global Food Security Cluster operations in 2011 and determined priority focus areas for 2012 which reflect the aim of providing and improving support to food security response at country level.
The meeting coincided with the first anniversary of the global Food Security Cluster that came into operation in April 2010. The considerable achievements of the gFSC throughout the first year - linked to the five strategic pillars - were highlighted. On-going challenges were identified with specific actions proposed to meet those challenges.
Reports were received and next steps agreed for the working groups established by the Cluster: the Working Group on Urban and Non-Agricultural Based Livelihoods (after detailed analysis, this was changed to the Working Group on Food Security and Livelihoods in Urban Settings); the Inter-cluster Nutrition and Food Security Working Group; the Assessment Working Group- with a newly established sub-component focussing on market analysis and drawing from existing assessment tools; the Working Group on Advocacy whichprovides technical direction to the gFSC on key areas of advocacy in humanitarian food security responses.
Representatives at the meeting considered current IASC initiatives of the Transformative Agenda and Accountability to Affected Populations in relation to the role and actions of the gFSC at global and country level. The meeting included a technical focus and addressed issues, such as mainstreaming gender into Food Security, ensuring better inter-cluster coordination at global and national level and how best to implement a Level 3 Emergency Roster.
As all of the gFSC partners are involved in more than one cluster at both the global and country levels, panel discussions were held to consider the importance of - and identified gaps in - inter-cluster coordination at both the Global and country levels. Global Coordinators and representatives from the Food Security, Health, WASH clusters and OCHA analysed joint cluster actions at the global level to increase the effectiveness of the food security humanitarian response at country level during sudden onset and protracted crises. Four gFSC NGO implementing agencies considered how agency involvement in several global clusters and country clusters could affect the food security response at the country level. The meeting stressed importance of strong inter-cluster coordination and collaboration. Overall, the meeting built a common understanding of global cluster issues and challenges and provided direction to the Global Support Team on priority areas for the remainder of 2012. It is essential that the Food Security Clusters at global, national and sub-national level remain conducive to continued partner involvement in leadership and development of tools and guidance, training, capacity building, information management and advocacy. Partners re-affirmed the existence and structure of the cluster and agreed future action plans and desired outcomes.
The meeting was officially opened by Mohammed Mukhier, Head of the Community Preparedness and Disaster Risk Reduction Department, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Welcoming remarks were given by Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Liaison Office in Geneva and David Kaatrud, Director of Emergencies, World Food Programme (WFP), Rome.
The meeting was chaired by Rosie Jackson from Save the Children and Meagan McGlinchy from Catholic Relief Services.

The formal three week learning process was designed for experienced humanitarians who have the po... more The formal three week learning process was designed for experienced humanitarians who have the potential of becoming Food Security Cluster Coordinators (CC), and for those who are already in CC positions. This Training presented participants with an opportunity to better understand their CC roles and responsibilities before, during and after a Level 3 emergency. The learning process also allowed participants to practice key CC roles and responsibilities and to use experiential learning to explore what attitudes, knowledge and skills are most helpful to best undertake these expected CC duties in a real Level 3 emergency or disaster situation.
In conjunction with these learning objectives, a “Level of Readiness Assessment” component was also introduced in the Training. The purpose of this Assessment was to inform the gFSC about participant’s readiness for deployment to a L3 emergency, identifying high potential staff that could join the gFSC roster of deployable people for L2 and L3 emergencies.

Over the past eight years the humanitarian community in Somalia has responded to three major cris... more Over the past eight years the humanitarian community in Somalia has responded to three major crises (2005-2006, 2008-2009 and 2011) with the most severe emergency leading to the declaration of Famine in July 2011. However, over the past ten years, the agro-pastoral and agricultural livelihoods within Somalia have fluctuated between Famine/Emergency/Crisis and Food Secure/Stressed.
3.2 As a result of a combination of shocks such as poor rainfall, global price fluctuations and eruption of resourced-based or regional inter-state conflict, between 3.4 and 6.5 million people of Somalia have, to some degree, lost their assets and remained food-insecure.
3.3 As of July 2011, 3.2 million people required life-saving assistance in Somalia. The country raised 1.3billion,ofwhichonly1.3 billion, of which only 1.3billion,ofwhichonly800 million went through the CAP system. An estimated 2.8 million people in need were located in the south, with displacement serving as a catalyst in people’s survival choices. Approximately 253,000 people fled as refugees to Kenya and Ethiopia, while 167,000 became internally displaced mostly in and around Mogadishu. The Somali Government’s leadership and response were limited. Aid policy and distribution were shaped largely by the IASC cluster system, ICRC, Somali NGOs and a large humanitarian initiative by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). UN, Red Cross and NGO operations were mostly led remotely from Nairobi.
3.4 With the support of the global Food Security Cluster (gFSC), the former Somalia Food Assistance Cluster and Somalia Agricultural Livelihoods Cluster, under the leadership of WFP and FAO, merged to form a single Somalia Food Security Cluster in March 2012.

Exercise conducted by the global Food Security Cluster Synthesis Report By: gFSC and FSAC Philipp... more Exercise conducted by the global Food Security Cluster Synthesis Report By: gFSC and FSAC Philippines Cluster Leads and Partners

On 9 November 2013, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines welcomed international assistance in response to the devastating impact of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). A level 3 Corporate Emergency was declared by FAO and WFP on 12 November, 2013 and the IASC Principles declared a Level 3 System-Wide Emergency Response on the same day. To ensure efficient coordination of humanitarian action, the Humanitarian Country Team in the Philippines confirmed that FAO and WFP as Cluster Co-Lead Agencies of the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC), should continue to work jointly through the cluster system. A national hub was first established in Manila and two sub-national teams have been deployed in Tacloban and Roxas City all consisting of a Cluster Coordinator and an Information Management Officer.
Some of the main lessons learned that transpired from this intervention include the importance of adequate preparedness mechanisms to ensure efficient and timely rapid response deployments at both national and sub-national levels. Strong government relations and effective support of existing coordination structures has also proved to be crucial and impacting the efficiency of the response.
Suggestions on improved inter-cluster collaboration as well as Information Management functions have been explored to ensure a well-coordinated, timely and informed response to food security emergencies.
The food security response was further complemented by a number of related cross-cutting programmes that centered on increasing community consultations to ensure greater accountability to the affected populations; restoring urban livelihoods and existing assets through cash interventions among others.
Similarly the quality of the response provided was the result of an innovative and interactive communications strategy that involved a number of proactive humanitarian actors accustomed to new-school social media communication tools.

Exercise Conducted by WFP/FAO co-led Global Food Security Cluster in 2013 To address the critica... more Exercise Conducted by WFP/FAO co-led Global Food Security Cluster in 2013

To address the critical needs of the affected populations in Syria (especially in the Northern governorates), a number of agencies are providing food and livelihood related assistance from Southern Turkey through cross border operations mostly facilitated by the Turkish authorities. These activities started in late 2012 and have escalated rapidly over the months. Food assistance remains the largest single sector of the response from South Turkey with 70%1 of relief items being food baskets and wheat flour. However, there is a growing interest for Cash and Vouchers, livelihoods and agriculture related interventions as reflected by smaller projects within the sector.
In January 2013, an NGO Forum was established in Southern Turkey for NGOs with operations in Northern Syria. The Forum was originally comprised of 10 Working Groups, including a Food Security and Livelihoods Working Group, that followed the Cluster model. Apart from the NGO forum members, there are several other actors including the Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU), Turkish Red Crescent (TRC), Syrian diaspora agencies and other international, national and local actors. In early 2013, OCHA set up an office in Gaziantep to facilitate coordination for all humanitarian actors.

Synthesis Report By: gFSC and the FSC Bangladesh Cluster Leads In Bangladesh, the aim of the coo... more Synthesis Report By: gFSC and the FSC Bangladesh Cluster Leads

In Bangladesh, the aim of the coordination approach is to support the existing Government structure to ensure a more coherent and effective response by mobilizing groups of agencies, organizations and NGOs to respond in a strategic manner across all key sectors and areas of activity, with each sector having a clearly designated lead.
The FSC supports the Government-led, Local Consultative Working Group on Disaster and Emergency Response (LCG-DER) through the Humanitarian Coordination Task Team (HCTT) both lead by the Ministry of Disaster Management (MoDM) and the Resident Coordinator’s (RC) office, in responding to the evolving humanitarian context in Bangladesh, keeping in mind the needs of the people at risk. The FSC coordinates humanitarian responses ensuring that adequate preparedness mechanisms are in place before a disaster strikes, as well as in the early recovery phases.

Exercise completed by: gFSC and FSAC Afghanistan in 2013. The Food Security and Agriculture Clus... more Exercise completed by: gFSC and FSAC Afghanistan in 2013.

The Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) in Afghanistan was established in 2008 and is co-led by WFP and FAO, with Islamic Relief currently serving as the NGO co-chair. The main aim of the cluster is to provide an action-oriented forum for bringing together national and international humanitarian partners to improve the timeliness and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance in the lives of crisis-affected populations in Afghanistan. FSAC is also operational at sub-national level in all six regions of Afghanistan.

The purpose of this paper is to argue in favor of the possibility for equal and proportional land... more The purpose of this paper is to argue in favor of the possibility for equal and proportional land privatization along ethnic lines in Northern Kosovo, and will attempt to prove that securing both Albanian and Serb property rights shall guarantee greater inter-ethnic cooperation and integration. The latter, indeed will become increasingly possible as soon as the various Kosovar ethnicities understand that potential international profits could be achieved through the exportation of coal abroad to countries such as Indonesia, Japan and the People’s Republic of China, which particularly necessitate these natural resources.

In addition, this paper will also explore possibilities for interim land distribution or privatization arrangements to be put in place in the Serbian-populated Mitrovice by the Kosovar Government as well as by third party entities, with a view to receiving World Bank/EU/UN/IMF and private-sector investment/funding in restructuring and revamping these crucial resource sectors for the benefit of Kosovo’s developmental efforts as a whole.

The methodology of the research will be mainly qualitative, involving a collection of textual data, including policy documents, Balkan literature reviews, planning studies and reports, as well as interviews conducted by humanitarian organizations, such as Amnesty International, with stakeholder communities. A further interview will also be conducted with the Serbian Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Dejan Popovic, in an endeavor to highlight the extremism of the Serbian perspective and their belief in the possibility for future economic negotiations with Kosovar authorities only if under a specific Serbian diplomatic framework. The research methodology will also in some instances be quantitative, including collections of population censuses containing information regarding the extent of ethnic minority participation in Kosovar economic, political and business affairs.

Moreover, special attention will be devoted to Kosovo’s historical background and how it created the framework for Serb-Albanian inter-ethnic conflict and contention especially in the realm of property rights. The Kosovar legal system, especially as concerns property rights, and its evolution from the Former Yugoslav Republic, will also be examined. Special attention will also be devoted to the displacement of Kosovo Serbs and Albanians and the importance of integrating them into the Republic of Kosovo especially through housing compensations and retributions.

Third party involvement in the fair allocation of property rights will also be examined together with the Kosovar Government’s privatization policies. A comparative analysis with also be drawn with contested property rights in Turkey and Northern Cyprus, in an endeavor to learn from the past mistakes of these territories. An overall assessment as to Kosovo’s and Serbia’s potential for entrance into the EU will also be provided. The dissertation will conclude with an analysis of the benefits which could be achieved for all Kosovar ethnicities were greater foreign investments in property industries and coal mine complexes implemented.

The Cash-Based Interventions Technical Working Group is part of a broader effort to coordinate th... more The Cash-Based Interventions Technical Working Group is part of a broader effort to coordinate the humanitarian response for refugees in Turkey through the provision of life-saving and basic needs. The need for this TWG, as an action-oriented forum at the sub-national level in Gaziantep, Turkey, was identified by CBI actors in November 2015. With regards to its geographical focus, the CBI TWG will aim to address the needs of the most vulnerable refugees inside all of Turkey, with a focus on both camps and non-camp communities.

The CBI TWG, at an operational and technical level, is intended to be a mechanism of targeted information sharing, appropriate harmonization of approaches, determining and coordinating joint advocacy efforts, agreeing relevant minimum standards and planning to improve targeting of the most vulnerable households and increase their resilience to future shocks and stresses.

Its work is to capitalize on existing cash and voucher-based programming efforts from Government actors, the Turkish Red Crescent, UN and NGOs in order to ensure a more coordinated and effective response with minimal gaps and duplications and increased quality and accountability of programming.