In 2022, the World Risk Report ranked the Philippines as the most disaster-prone country in the world. As such, the country is highly vulnerable to climate change, under which both the frequency and intensity of disasters are projected to increase. Yet, more frequent typhoons, rising sea levels, and loss of biodiversity will have especially severe consequences for communities living in fragile contexts experiencing conflict and environmental degradation. With this in mind, HHI and MSU-IIT have established a joint research area of focus: to expand and strengthen knowledge on the intersection of climate change, conflict, and the environment. Through a collaborative research initiative that examines this intersection in the BARMM, HHI and MSU-IIT seek to better inform practice and policy across the humanitarian, development, and peace and security sectors and ultimately support community resilience in conflict affected areas.

To launch this research initiative, HHI and MSU-IIT welcomed representatives from academia, local, national, and international NGOs, and community and local government leaders to MSU-IIT’s Iligan City campus for a two-day workshop entitled “Understanding Climate, Conflict, and Environmental Impacts in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.”

This report documents the process of designing and implementing the workshop, summarizes its outputs, and discusses steps for continued engagement in research and practice at the intersection of climate change, environmental degradation, and conflict.

Nepal is a hotspot for natural hazards and has repeatedly experienced different geological, hydrological, meteorological, and biological hazards. The frequent changes in the type, magnitude, and frequency of these hazards exacerbated by changing phenomena of climatic extremes necessitate reviewing existing preparedness practices and suggesting more work on preparedness measures.

The HHI Program on Resilient Communities has undertaken a scoping study to review existing practices and identify opportunities for strengthening preparedness in Nepal. The scoping study is the first phase in a project that seeks to improve community resilience to disasters through applied research relevant to effective disaster preparedness and management.

The following report summarizes existing literature and highlights findings from a series of consultations with agencies working in disaster risk reduction and management in the country. These consultations found that despite significant progress in legislation and institutional arrangements for preparedness and risk reduction, there are still gaps in effective implementations of endorsed legislation, coordination among agencies, and resources (human, technical and financial).

The study highlights the need to capacitate government officials working at the local and national levels by enhancing understanding and knowledge of shifting patterns of hazards and its effective management techniques.

Similarly, the study also pinpoints the need for advanced trainings in search and rescue operations for key responders. The study concludes by highlighting the importance of coordination with academic and research institutions to project future scenarios of hazards for better management, indicating a need for national-level research and training programs and initiatives dedicated to disaster management.

This research sought to investigate the impact of conflict on various elements of the food system in Sudan to identify those with the biggest influence on food and nutrition security amongst people experiencing extreme poverty. This research systematically maps components of local and national food systems; identifies specific pressure points where conflict interacts with them; and proposes operational, policy and research actions tailored to supporting and strengthening food systems disrupted and transformed by conflict in Sudan.

This research sought to investigate the impact of conflict on various elements of the food system in Somalia to identify those with the biggest influence on food and nutrition security amongst people experiencing extreme poverty. This research systematically maps components of local and national food systems; identifies specific pressure points where conflict interacts with them; and propos operational, policy and research actions tailored to supporting and strengthening food systems disrupted and transformed by conflict in Somalia.

This research sought to investigate the impact of conflict on various elements of the food system in Haiti to identify those with the biggest influence on food and nutrition security amongst people experiencing extreme poverty. This research systematically maps components of local and national food systems; identifies specific pressure points where conflict interacts with them; and proposes operational, policy and research actions tailored to supporting and strengthening food systems disrupted and transformed by conflict in Haiti.

This research sought to investigate the impact of conflict on various elements of the food system to identify those with the biggest influence on food and nutrition security amongst people experiencing extreme poverty. Drawing on evidence from Somalia, Haiti and Sudan, this cross-country research systematically mapped components of local, national and international food systems; identified specific pressure points where conflict interacts with them; and proposed operational, policy and research actions tailored to supporting and strengthening food systems disrupted and transformed by conflict.

The research finds that across all three country contexts, conflict has a negative impact on the food system in ways that are Connected - complex interconnections between different nodes in the food system; Cumulative - successive, repeated exposure to specific distortions and disruptions in the food system that intensify impacts; and Compounding - combined impacts of co-occurring effects on the food system that act together to multiply impacts.

This paper outlines the psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as reported by 145 licensed mental health providers in the Philippines in an online survey. Respondents perceived an increase in observed mental health disorders in their beneficiaries and an overall decrease in stigma associated with receiving mental health care services during the pandemic. Respondents further identified specific stigma-related help-seeking barriers during the pandemic. Positive impacts of telehealth and importance of increased public education of mental health were highlighted, with implications for improving the landscape of mental health care for Philippines post-pandemic.