Aakash Jha

 Topic: Project Name of the student Name of the university Table of Contents 1.Introduction2 2.Emirates red crescent authority2 3.Analysis of the operation4 4.Description of operations Issue and Academic literature related to the issue5 5.Possible solutions to tackle the issues8 6.Recommendation(s) how to solve the issues using information from academic articles9 7.Summary and conclusion10 8.Reference12 1. Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has hindered the process of humanitarian work in the UAE. Emirates Red Crescent is one of the leading organizations for humanitarian work in the UAE. The organization has taken many operations management during the pandemic situation. During covid-19 ERC announced it will work as a patron for the families whose family member died due to the covid-19 pandemic irrespective of the nationality. There have been issues that had hindered the process of operations management. They are facing issues like traffic restrictions, monitoring, and evaluation, lack of manpower, funding, etc. Through effective solutions, these problems can be mitigated. 2. Emirates red crescent authority Emirates red crescent is a volunteered humanitarian organization that supports the official authorities in the time of peace as well as war. This organization was established and started in 1983. It was declared itself as a member of the international federation of the red cross and the red crescent societies in 1986. The main goal of the organization is To educate the people in international humanitarian law. To spread awareness for health and education. To establish the projects regarding those who are in need especially for orphans, widows, and elders. To rescue from the disasters. To attract the talents for volunteer work. In the meantime, in a while, Emirates red crescent authority is working on awareness programs that are beneficial for the society of UAE people. From this Emirates red crescent tool, a position of chairman of the authority in 1993 which gave the motivation to the effort to humanitarian authority. In 2001, the UAE red crescent got the selection as the second-best humanitarian authority in the level of the Asian continent. Figure 1: Emirates Red Crescent Source: [ CITATION Krz20 \l 1033 ] The role of the authority The authority of Emirates Red Crescent works to support the official activities in peacetime as well as in wartime. In peacetime, they take action towards the vulnerability by assisting needy people and victims of disease and disaster along with first aid, protection, organize awareness programs, and controlling the epidemic. Whereas in wartime, provide first aid and relief from the victims. In wartime, it also protects civilians and shelters the homeless and those who are displaced. They also search for the missing peoples and reunite the separate families. During wartime, it also treats and transfers the wounded person and also assists prisoners. 3. Analysis of the operation This report is fully based on humanitarian activities and efforts. During covid-19, the govt. of UAE paid for the stem cell therapy of many critical patients. In that case, Emirates Red Crescent authority played a vital role like a patron and it also provided care to the families whose member dies due to covid-19. At the time of Covid-19, the government of UAE set up the fund called ‘Homeland to Humanity’ which is also known as the fund of United Arab Emirates to unify the efforts of the combat nationally for the UAE societies. According to [ CITATION Gök20 \l 1033 ], Emirates Red Crescent(ERC) organized itself as patronage for the society of UAE which is very essential for the society for the humanitarian effort. During covid-19 ERC announced it will work as a patron for the families whose family member died due to the covid-19 pandemic irrespective of the nationality. Figure 2: Help with the food in covid-19 Source: [ CITATION Gök20 \l 1033 ] ERC says that for humanity it brings to the society is the basic theme for serving humanity. ERC initiated keenness in expressing the comforts of the families whose one of the members died due to covid-19. ERC mitigates its humanitarian consequences and the negative impact on their lives. ERC announced they will provide everything the families need and it will contribute to enhancing their ability to overcome the unpleasant memory of losing the loved one of the family. On 25th March 2020, a fund named the fund of UAE homeland to humanity was established. In that fund, the people of UAE like individuals and organizations can fund the people for a pandemic in Emirates red crescent. That fund was in collaboration between the National emergency crisis and disaster management authorities and Emirates Red Crescent authority and also the other humanitarian charities and the organizations in UAE. According to [CITATION rec20 \l 1033 ], the Emirates Red Crescent Society has taken effective action as they served 5000 food parcels amongst several society segments which is also a part of the contribution to the fund of the UAE- ‘Homeland to Humanity’. ERC is the first one to respond when a disaster strikes in the society and they have the greatest motivation for the recovery of the society. Thus, the major activities in ERC are very helpful in the disasters with the activities they are operating in the manner to provide help in the survival of humanity. 4. Description of operations Issue and Academic literature related to the issue Emirates red crescent is an organization that serves humanity with its level best. It is one of the best organization which serves as a platform for the human needs and for tackling the issues related to the society. ERC deals with the different issues in the pandemic for serving in the UAE society. It deals with the exact issue which is the core foundation of the disaster. In this study of the operation issue, 5 case studies have to be discussed for the vital issue of the pandemic disaster which has been addressed by the society and nation. According to [ CITATION AlM20 \l 1033 ], there was an issue of manpower. Manpower is the soul of the organization by which an organization can operate from the source. This issue has to be addressed by the govt. so that they can use the way to proceed further for the help of society. In a critical situation like covid-19, the people of the society of UAE, the rule of isolation to be followed accordingly. In this article of [ CITATION AlM20 \l 1033 ] this issue of manpower will be addressed in the form of solidarity which has been implemented in covid-19. In the opinion of [ CITATION Fur20 \l 1033 ], Emirates red crescent is an organization that serves the best of society. In covid-19, there is another issue of travel restrictions. Travel restriction which has been implemented by the govt. authority to address. It is an issue which is a vital and wide term for the country specifically for the transportation of goods and services. In this study of the literature of [ CITATION Fur20 \l 1033 ] the issue has been addressed as the emergency as well as opportunities which have been solved by the author given in this article. It is mandatory for the individual or for the organization to follow the set of rules and regulations according to the specific body structure. There is another issue regarding the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic is the government regulatory issues which is the major cause for detaching from the organizational rules. In the pandemic, the organizations have to follow the set of rules and regulations which are mandatory to follow for all the people of the country. In the given article of [ CITATION Krz20 \l 1033 ], this issue has been addressed as it can be resolved as it can only be addressed with the specific set of rules and regulations which have been addressed by the govt. also for the private as well as govt. organizations itself. Monitoring and evaluation play an important role while implementing a project, especially during a pandemic. The process of monitoring and evaluation might get hindered due to the lockdown, restrictions in travel, and health concerns [ CITATION Mon20 \l 1033 ]. Emirates Red Crescent can't conduct the function of monitoring and evaluation the same way as before. During the pandemic, there is a need for procuring reliable data for the operations to be successful. Also, the data that is being gathered should have timeliness[ CITATION Mon20 \l 1033 ]. Otherwise, it is of no use as it would not help in any of the evaluation of the decision-making process. The data collection process may also get affected due to the lack of volunteers and workers during the pandemic. The incoming revenue of NGOs has been negatively affected by the economic downturn[ CITATION May20 \l 1033 ]. The donations through charity have reduced significantly. The NGOs situated in the MENA region are going through a rough patch as they are struggling to reduce the possible humanitarian disasters[ CITATION May20 \l 1033 ]. The funding of the projects of ERC has been affected due to the pandemic situation. Due to this, charity drives, events for fundraising have been badly affected. The critical programming and fundamental operations of the ERC have faced problems. It is becoming a problem to retain the staff of the NGO. What ERC needs right now is a new source of funding that is sustainable that will bolster their projects. 5. Possible solutions to tackle the issues Downsizing in ERC cannot be an option as the NGO is already facing a lack of manpower but the problem lies in the reduced funding. Budget cutting becomes imperative in these scenarios. The employees should be employed on a part-time schedule as of now. Also, shift in working hours or reducing the work hours might help to reduce the intensity of the situation. The salary and compensation, for the time being, should be reduced. If downsizing is unavoidable, volunteering should be promoted through social media and other multi-media. ERC can also furlough if the situation seems bleak. Travel restriction can pose monstrous threats to the projects implemented by the ERC. ERC should apply for an emergency travel visa for their staff so that they can provide relief work. Risk assessment should be done on both government and ERC’s part as to how much risk is associated with the travel. Precautionary measures should be taken so that the risk of disease transmission gets reduced. Measures like putting the staff of ERC into quarantine if they go to some location where extensive traveling is involved should be followed. Also, ERC should promote remote working in cases that are not time-sensitive. The government and ERC should work collaboratively so that ERC can cater to the needs of the people in distress. They should help to promote each other’s work. ERC should promote the COVID-19 related healthcare apps of the government so that more people are aware of the applications. The government should loosen the regulations of the travel ban on ERC. They should also provide funds to the NGOs so that ERC can overcome their budget problems during the pandemic. ERC should share the knowledge and information on the rules and regulations that are implemented by the UAE government so that people are more aware and get constant information. For proper monitoring and evaluation, practices of gathering data safely, modifying verification methods are needed. The data should be procured and stored virtually. The data that is going to be procured would be in real-time. ERC should shift to devices that collect data virtually. There should be mechanisms for feedback in the phone itself. ERC should adopt remote sensing, and platforms that provide data flow and data source monitoring remotely. GIS imaging should be promoted. Monitoring and evaluation in-person should be replaced by verification and reporting remotely. Virtual Focus Group Discussion (FGD) should be promoted by ERC for communicating and coordinating among the stakeholders. As the funding gets reduced, ERC should opt for alternate strategies or contingency plans to run their projects. Low-cost strategies should be adopted for budget management. They might have to contact and communicate with all possible donors on how they are making changes in the lives of needy people. Virtual events should be hosted which may become the cornerstone of the plan to funding a charity. ERC should connect to the people through social media so that more people are aware and the organization gets more funding. Also, online crowdfunding events should be held. 6. Recommendation(s) how to solve the issues using information from academic articles The problems of downsizing can be reduced by reducing the compensation of the staff [ CITATION Kaw20 \l 1033 ]. Bonuses and incentives should be ceased during the time of the pandemic. There should be clear communication and cooperation on both the side of staff and employer for avoiding claims of salary payment[ CITATION Kaw20 \l 1033 ]. There should be risk assessment while traveling as mentioned. If the risk seems to be big, then the number of staff should be reduced who are traveling and more local help should be considered and taken[ CITATION Fur20 \l 1033 ]. While monitoring and evaluation, there might be a problem that every location might not be technically advanced and it can hamper the process of virtual data collection and evaluation[ CITATION Con201 \l 1033 ]. For these situations, a review of after-action or project performance can be done. Also, every individual may not be engaged while the virtual meetings of stakeholders are going on. So the host should involve every stakeholder in the conversation. Participation will lead to more engagement[ CITATION Con201 \l 1033 ]. ERC should integrate and synchronize their social media handle with their website. This will help the people to understand what work they are providing. They can also review their work and recommend new ideas and concepts that may ameliorate the performance of the company’s project[ CITATION FuJ17 \l 1033 ]. 7. Summary and conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has hindered the process of humanitarian work in the UAE. Emirates Red Crescent is one of the leading organizations for humanitarian work in the UAE. The main goal of the organization is to educate the people in international humanitarian law, spread awareness for health and education, rescue from disasters, etc. The authority of Emirates red crescent works to support the official activities in peacetime as well as in wartime. During covid-19, the govt. of UAE paid for the stem cell therapy of many critical patients and Emirates Red Crescent authority played a vital role like a patron and also provided care to the families whose member dies due to covid-19. Emirates Red Crescent society has taken effective action as they served 5000 food parcels amongst several society segments which is also a part of the contribution to the fund of the UAE- ‘Homeland to Humanity’. There have been issues that had hindered the process of operations management. They are facing issues like traffic restrictions, monitoring, and evaluation, lack of manpower, funding, etc. The salary and compensation, for the time being, should be reduced. If downsizing is unavoidable, volunteering should be promoted through social media. ERC should apply for an emergency travel visa for their staff so that they can provide relief work. Risk assessment should be done. ERC should shift to devices that collect data virtually. Virtual events should be hosted which may become the cornerstone of the plan to funding a charity. ERC should connect to the people through social media so that more people are aware and the organization gets more funding. It was seen that through effective solutions these problems can be mitigated. 8. Reference Al-Mandhari, A., Kodama, C., Abubakar, A., & Brennan, R. (2020). Solidarity in response to COVID-19 outbreak in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 26(5), 492-494. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/332704/--eng.pdf#page=6 Alterri, D. H., AlMarar, R., & & Shubair, R. M. (2020, 12 3). Transition to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: Efforts within the Higher Education sector in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching,, 3(2). Retrieved from www.ummat.ac.id: https://journals.sfu.ca/jalt/index.php/jalt/issue/download/15/19#page=31 (2020). Continuity of Monitoring and Evaluation Interventions. IOM UN MIGRATION. Retrieved from https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/evaluation/me-continuity-in-covid-08-april-20-version1.pdf Fu, J. S., & Shumate, M. (2017). 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Retrieved from The National News: https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comment/for-aid-to-reach-those-who-need-it-most-during-this-crisis-ngos-need-help- Kawohl, W., & Nordt, C. (2020). COVID-19, unemployment, and suicide. The Lancet Psychiatry, 389-390. Retrieved from The Lancet Psychiatry: https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanpsy/PIIS-.pdf Krzymowski, A. (2020). The European Union and the United Arab Emirates as civilian and soft powers engaged in Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable development. Retrieved from https://depot.ceon.pl/bitstream/handle/-/18900/Krzymowski.pdf?sequence=1 (2020). Monitoring and Evaluation. WHO. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/USER-3/Downloads/who-ncov-me-framework-web.pdf