Ben Ramalingam

Last updated
Ben Ramalingam
Alma mater London School of Economics
Known for Disaster management, Humanitarian aid, Complexity economics, Adaptive management
Scientific career
InstitutionsUnited Kingdom Humanitarian Innovation Hub

OECD
Institute of Development Studies

Overseas Development Institute

Ben Ramalingam (born April 1975) is a British researcher, strategist, innovator and author, [1] currently Director of Strategy at British Red Cross, [2] [3] senior research associate at the Overseas Development Institute Politics and Governance programme [4] and advisor to the OECD Development Assistance Committee on innovation investments for development, humanitarian and human rights issues. [5]

Contents

Ramalingam serves as a board member of the UK Global Grand Challenges Research Fund, a £1.5 billion fund to support cutting-edge research to address the challenges faced by low and middle-income countries. [6] As well as his work at the Overseas Development Institute and the Institute of Development Studies, Ramalingam has advised the Red Cross, [7] United Nations, [8] and many national governments and NGOs.

Early life

Ramalingam grew up in Sri Lanka during the outbreak of the Sri Lankan Civil War, before relocating to the United Kingdom. [9]

Career

From 2003 to 2007, Ramalingam was co-director of the Humanitarian Futures Programme, which worked to strengthen the anticipatory and adaptive capabilities of humanitarian organisations. [10] He was then head of research and development at ALNAP, the global learning network for humanitarian responders. [11] Ramalingam recommended, designed, fund-raised for, and co-founded the Humanitarian Innovation Fund, [12] [13] [14] the first ever mechanism for funding innovation in international disaster response, [15] based on his report [16] [17] on the topic published in 2009. [18] He was appointed the founding Chair of the Fund in 2010, a role he fulfilled until 2017 when he stepped down to allow for new leadership. [19]

In 2011 Ramalingam worked on the UK Government's Humanitarian Emergency Response Review [20] and follow-up [21] under the overall leadership of Lord Paddy Ashdown. [22] Ramalingam subsequently authored the UK government's first policy paper on resilience to international crises and disasters. [23] Ramalingam was one of the contributing authors of the IPCC 2012 Special Report on Extreme Events and Disasters, which set out the emerging scientific evidence base for the growing impact of climate change on natural disasters. [24] One of 220 scientists involved, Ramalingam authored the chapter on local adaptation and innovation. [25]

Ramalingam subsequently led a series of reform processes across donors and implementing agencies, emphasising adaptive management as a core competency for improved aid. [26]

Ramalingam was a contributor and editorial board member for both the 2014 UNICEF State of the World's Children on Innovation [27] and the 2016 Red Cross World Disasters Report on Resilience. [28]

In 2016 Ramalingam was lead author and research lead [29] of the UK government report on Frontier Technologies for International Development, [30] with the foreword written by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the World Wide Web. [31] Ramalingam recommended and subsequently co-designed the Frontier Technologies Livestreaming programme, [32] [33] which won the 2017 UK Civil Service award as the most innovative project in the UK government. [34]

In 2019 Ramalingam designed and implemented the first ever OECD peer learning exercise on innovation for development, leading a process of cross-country learning involving Austria, Australia, Canada, France, Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. [35] The process and final report [36] were praised by senior leaders from the participating countries for their contribution to improved innovation efforts. [37] This has led to the formation of a new programme of work on innovation within the Development Assistance Committee. [38]

Ramalingam has been involved in a number of initiatives in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. [39] This includes leading a multidisciplinary team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of Geneva and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to undertake frontline research and analysis to create operational guidance for humanitarian responses to COVID-19. [40] This work was referred to by Sir Mark Lowcock, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator as providing "the best available current knowledge on the implications of COVID-19 for humanitarian settings, and a crucial resource for our community." He has also worked with the WHO Special Envoy on COVID-19 Dr David Nabarro, CEO of NHS London Dame Ruth Carnall, Ethiopian Senior Minister Arkebe Oqubuy and other senior leaders on how to strengthen national and global leadership in the pandemic response. [41] Ramalingam was one of 5 authors of the resulting Harvard Business Review guide for decision-makers across public, private and not-for-profit sectors. [42]

Books

2013 saw the publication [44] and launch of Ramalingam's book Aid on the Edge of Chaos [45] by Oxford University Press [46] The book received endorsements from four Nobel laureates [47] and the heads of the UN and Red Cross, [48] as well as popular media coverage. [49] An Amazon bestseller,[ citation needed ] it has been used by global development and humanitarian organisations to improve how aid is conceptualised, [50] designed, [51] implemented, [52] and evaluated. [53]

In 2016 Ramalingam worked with the UK National Endowment of Science Technology and the Arts (Nesta (charity)) to produce a edited book on innovation in international development and humanitarian work, [54] bringing together experiences, insights and practical advice from more than 20 organisations and practitioners around the world. [55]

Awards

In 2020, Ramalingam was honoured as a Humanitarian Change Maker of the decade, as one of the ten people or organisations globally that has done most to change international humanitarian responses in the 2010s. [56]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Food Programme</span> Food-assistance branch of the United Nations

The World Food Programme (WFP) is an international organization within the United Nations that provides food assistance worldwide. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and the leading provider of school meals. Founded in 1961, WFP is headquartered in Rome and has offices in 80 countries. As of 2021, it supported over 128 million people across more than 120 countries and territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanitarian aid</span> Material or logistical assistance for people in need

Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and victims of natural disasters, wars, and famines. Humanitarian relief efforts are provided for humanitarian purposes and include natural disasters and human-made disasters. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity. It may, therefore, be distinguished from development aid, which seeks to address the underlying socioeconomic factors which may have led to a crisis or emergency. There is a debate on linking humanitarian aid and development efforts, which was reinforced by the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016. However, the conflation is viewed critically by practitioners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic Relief</span> International aid agency based in Birmingham, UK

Islamic Relief Worldwide is a faith-inspired humanitarian and development agency which is working to support and empower the world's most vulnerable people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs</span> United Nations body managing response to complex emergencies

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is a United Nations (UN) body established in December 1991 by the General Assembly to strengthen the international response to complex emergencies and natural disasters. It is the successor to the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator (UNDRO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aid</span> Voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another

In international relations, aid is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation</span>

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is an office-level agency in the federal administration of Switzerland, and a part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Together with other federal offices, SDC is responsible for overall coordination of Swiss international development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as humanitarian aid.

There are a number of meanings for the term humanitarian. Here, humanitarian pertains to the practice of saving lives and alleviating suffering. It is usually related to emergency response whether in the case of a natural disaster or a man-made disaster such as war or other armed conflict. Humanitarian principles govern the way humanitarian response is carried out.

DARA is an independent, international organization based in Madrid, Spain. DARA was established in 2003 by Silvia Hidalgo to assess the impact of humanitarian aid and to make specific recommendations for changes in policies and practices. DARA has carried out evaluations in more than 60 crises countries for a variety of organizations including United Nations agencies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the European Commission, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Télécoms Sans Frontières</span>

Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) is an emergency technology non-governmental organization, which intervenes in the context of humanitarian crises, conflict zones and areas hit by natural disasters to set up satellite communication for the affected populations and humanitarian organisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute of Development Studies</span> UK research institute

The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) is a research and learning organisation affiliated with the University of Sussex in Brighton, England, and based on its campus in Falmer, East Sussex. It delivers research and teaching in the area of development studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International</span> International non-profit organisation

Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International, established in 2003, was the humanitarian sector's first international self-regulatory body. A multi-agency initiative working to improve the accountability of humanitarian action to people affected by disasters and other crises, HAP members ranged from organisations with a mandate for emergency relief and development activities to institutional donors. The organisation aimed to strengthen accountability towards those affected by crisis situations and to facilitate improved performance within the humanitarian sector. The ultimate goal of the organisation was to uphold the rights and the dignity of crisis-affected populations across the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Humanitarian Summit</span> 2016 meeting

The United Nations World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) was held in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 23 and 24, 2016. The summit was an initiative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon and was organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All India Disaster Mitigation Institute</span>

The All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) is a NGO registered in India. Located at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, it works on disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and disaster mitigation. It is a community-based ; action planning, action research and advocacy organization, working towards bridging the gap between policy, practice and research related to disaster mitigation. AIDMI have been working on six pillars: (i) Awareness generation, (ii) Capacity building, (iii) Policy advocacy, (iv) Direct implementation, (v) Research and publications, and (vi) Networking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable Development Goal 13</span> UN goal to combat climate change

Sustainable Development Goal 13 is to limit and adapt to climate change. It is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The official mission statement of this goal is to "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts". SDG 13 and SDG 7 on clean energy are closely related and complementary.

Green recovery packages are proposed environmental, regulatory, and fiscal reforms to rebuild prosperity in the wake of an economic crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). They pertain to fiscal measures that intend to recover economic growth while also positively benefitting the environment, including measures for renewable energy, efficient energy use, nature-based solutions, sustainable transport, green innovation and green jobs, amongst others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CALP Network</span> Nonprofit humanitarian organisation

The CALP Network is an organisation originating in 2005 and officially launched in 2009 as The Cash Learning Partnership, with the objectives of increasing the scale and quality of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) employed by humanitarian agencies around the world to deliver aid. CVA encompasses aid delivered as cash, or vouchers exchangeable for goods and services, directly to recipients, and represents an increasingly significant aid modality amounting to 17.9% of total international humanitarian assistance expenditure in 2019. CALP works to build CVA capacity within aid organisations, especially by providing training and e-learning; coordinates the use of CVA by agencies; compiles and shares knowledge and research; and contributes to the development of policy environments encompassing CVA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Field Ready</span>

Field Ready is a non-profit, global humanitarian aid and development, non governmental organization that helps provide critical items and training to people when they are in need of them. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Localisation (humanitarian practice)</span> Practice of supporting aid organisations local to an emergency

Localisation is the practice, in humanitarian aid, to give more decision making power and funding to organizations and people that are based in countries affected by humanitarian emergencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Network for Empowered Aid Response</span> Network of local humanitarian organisations

The Network for Empowered Aid Response, often called the NEAR Network, is a group of humanitarian civil society organisations based in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

<i>The State of the Humanitarian System</i> Report about humanitarian aid

The State of the Humanitarian System is a recurring report that was first published by ALNAP in 2010 and is updated every two or three years.

References

  1. ↑ IDS Website Biography IDS. Retrieved 6 October 2020
  2. ↑ Twitter . Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  3. ↑ LinkedIn . Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  4. ↑ ODI Website Biography. ODI. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  5. ↑ OECD Website Report. OECD. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  6. ↑ UKRI Announcement New Board Members. UKRI. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Understanding Innovation at the ICRC Blog Meeting Report. ICRC Blog. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  8. ↑ Innovations for Equity State of the World's Children 2014. UN. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  9. ↑ A new kind of aid ethos IDS Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  10. ↑ Humanitarian Futures Programme HFP Website. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  11. ↑ ALNAP Website ALNAP Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  12. ↑ UK Investment in Humanitarian Innovation launched through new fund Accessed 8 October 2020
  13. ↑ Humanitarian Innovation Fund Retrieved 7 October 2020
  14. ↑ New fund to boost humanitarian innovation The New Humanitarian Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  15. ↑ Humanitarian Innovation Fund Devex Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  16. ↑ Disasters fund will link aid and research communities retrieved 8 October 2020
  17. ↑ Innovations in international humanitarian response Retrieved 6 October 2020
  18. ↑ New Ideas can Transform Aid Delivery Guardian Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  19. ↑ Humanitarian Innovation Fund Progress Report 2017 HIF Annual Report Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  20. ↑ HERR UK Government Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  21. ↑ UK Humanitarian Innovation and Evidence Strategy https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/67438/prom-innov-evi-bas-appr-build-res-resp-hum-cris.pdf
  22. ↑ Britain losing influence in global crises, Paddy Ashdown warns Guardian Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  23. ↑ Disaster Resilience A DFID Approach paper Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  24. ↑ IPCC Special Report on Extreme Weather IPCC Website Retrieved 6 October 2020
  25. ↑ National Systems for Managing the Risks from Climate Extremes and Disasters IPCC Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  26. ↑ Adaptive Rigour USAID website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  27. ↑ Reimagine the Future Accessed 8 October 2020
  28. ↑ World Disasters Report Accessed 8 October 2020
  29. ↑ British aid to fund tech hub Accessed 2 November 2020
  30. ↑ Frontier Technologies Report Frontier Technologies for International Development Report IDS Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  31. ↑ UK Government Coverage UK Government Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  32. ↑ Introducing Frontier Technologies Livestreaming Accessed 8 October 2020
  33. ↑ Frontier Technologies Livestreaming UK Government Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  34. ↑ Civil Service Awards 2017 winners revealed UK Civil Service World Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  35. ↑ Google Books Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  36. ↑ Final Peer Learning Report Synthesis Report retrieved 6 October 2020
  37. ↑ Senior Leader Endorsements Website OECD Report Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  38. ↑ Innovation for Development OECD Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  39. ↑ Covid-19 outbreak readiness and response IASC Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  40. ↑ Responding to Covid-19: Guidance for Humanitarian Agencies ALNAP Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  41. ↑ Adaptive leadership in the Covid-19 response ODI Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  42. ↑ 5 principles to guide adaptive leadership guidance Harvard Business Review Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  43. ↑ "Poor and benighted". The Economist. 2014-04-26. ISSN   0013-0613 . Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  44. ↑ Economist (2014-04-26). "The politics of foreign aid: Poor and benighted". The Economist. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
  45. ↑ Amy Kazmin (2014-01-05). "Aid on the Edge of Chaos, by Ben Ramalingam". FT.com. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
  46. ↑ Aid on the Edge of Chaos OUP Website Retrieved 6 October 2020
  47. ↑ Aid on the Edge of Chaos - review Guardian Website Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  48. ↑ Development and Change Journal 'one of the most lauded contributions to recent mainstream development thinking'
  49. ↑ Look to complexity theory popular media coverage New Scientist article Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  50. ↑ The complexity of being an aid worker in a brave new post-2015 world Oxfam America Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  51. ↑ The value and challenge of complexity science SciDev Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  52. ↑ Is this the science of delivery CGDev Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  53. ↑ Tackling the complex problems of aid DW Website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  54. ↑ Innovation in International development Accessed 7 October 2020
  55. ↑ Our international work Nesta website Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  56. ↑ Change Makers Change Makers Call. Start Network. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.