Mission Clarification Notes:
a) Structural Vulnerability
Structural vulnerability refers to a condition where individuals or groups are systematically exposed to risk, exclusion, and deprivation due to social, economic, political, or institutional structures—rather than temporary events or personal choices.
b) Crisis-driven vulnerabilities
Crisis-driven vulnerabilities refer to the temporary but acute risks faced by individuals or households as a result of disasters, climate-related events, health emergencies, economic shocks, or other sudden crises. These vulnerabilities may affect people who were not previously poor or marginalized, but whose lives, livelihoods, and personal security become significantly disrupted due to such crises.
c) Persons with disabilities
Persons with disabilities refer to individuals who have long-term or permanent physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with societal, environmental, informational, and institutional barriers, hinder their full and equal participation in services, decision-making processes, and community life.
d) Those in climate-vulnerable contexts
Those in climate-vulnerable contexts refer to people living in areas exposed to climate change–related risks such as cyclones, floods, storm surges, droughts, salinity intrusion, river erosion, and other environmental hazards. This also includes climate-displaced populations and individuals or families who have lost their livelihoods or been forced to change occupations due to the impacts of climate change.
e) Strengthen livelihoods
Strengthening livelihoods refers to improving the income, employment opportunities, skills, assets, and access to markets of individuals and households in ways that enable them to meet their basic needs sustainably and enhance their capacity to cope with and recover from shocks and crises.
f) Meaningful fundamental rights
Meaningful fundamental rights refer to the effective, dignified, and quality realisation of fundamental rights—such as the rights to food, clothing, shelter, education, healthcare, and personal safety—not only in legal terms but also in people’s lived realities.
g) Promote gender equality
Promoting gender equality means ensuring equal rights, opportunities, and dignity for women, men, and people of diverse gender identities, and actively addressing and eliminating gender-based discrimination and inequality.
h) Ensure equitable access
Ensuring equitable access refers to creating fair opportunities for all people to access services and opportunities by recognising differences in social, economic, geographic, and identity-based realities, and by providing differentiated levels of support and inclusive measures according to need.
i) Services and opportunities
Services and opportunities refer to essential services such as education, healthcare, social protection, housing, water and sanitation, as well as opportunities related to employment, skills development, entrepreneurship, safety, justice, good governance, and participation in decision-making processes.
j) Enhance accountability
Enhancing accountability means ensuring that decision-makers, service providers, and authorities are transparent and answerable to the public for their responsibilities, commitments, and use of resources, while also empowering people to claim their rights and hold institutions to account.
k) Uphold dignity
Upholding dignity means recognising people not as passive recipients of assistance but as rights-holders, and ensuring that access to and delivery of services and support occur without harassment, abuse, exploitation, physical or psychological harm, humiliation, discrimination, or devaluation, in a respectful and dignified manner.
l) Participatory approach
A participatory approach refers to ensuring the meaningful involvement of affected communities in planning, implementation, and evaluation processes by strengthening their capacities, so that they can actively and effectively influence decisions that affect their own lives.
m) Collaborative approach
A collaborative approach refers to working collectively through partnerships and coordination among government institutions, local authorities, civil society organisations, the private sector, and communities to achieve shared goals and sustainable outcomes.
Vision Clarification Notes:
• Environment- and Technology-Friendly:
Prioritizing environmental protection, climate resilience, and the use of appropriate, ethical, and responsible technologies in development and humanitarian actions.• Gender-Sensitive:
Recognizing and respecting the diverse realities, roles, and needs of women, men, and people of diverse gender identities, and ensuring equal opportunities and empowerment for all.• Fair:
Ensuring fairness by addressing social, economic and structural inequalities, and promoting equitable access to rights, resources, and opportunities.
• Self-Reliant:
Strengthening the capacities of individuals, organizations and communities to make informed decisions and build sustainable livelihoods.• Inclusive:
Ensuring equal dignity, participation and rights for all people, regardless of religion, ethnicity, caste, gender, age, ability or social status.• Harmonious:
Promoting peaceful coexistence, mutual trust, and social cohesion while respecting diversity.