D R A F T :Background:A Sample Portfolio, a 23-page booklet of one-page descriptions of a variety of Victim Assistance programs and initiatives, was compiled by the ICBL WGVA for presentation and distribution at the September 99 meeting of the SCE-VA. The Sample Portfolio was intended to be a limited but concrete example of what a more comprehensive Global Portfolio might look like. The hope is that the Global Portfolio will be a joint and ongoing project of the SCE on Victim Assistance and the Working Group on Victim Assistance, as all of us seek to enhance the international community's response to people whose lives have been damaged by landmines. The response to the September presentation was to designate development of a Global Portfolio as the responsibility of one of the five Network Groups Objectives:The overall objective of the Global Portfolio of Victim Assistance is to encourage greater support from the international community for Victim Assistance programs of all kinds. In particular, the Portfolio will serve as: a tool to inform governments, donors, and program implementers of the range of programs needed for full rehabilitation of landmine survivors; and to dispel the idea that medical and prosthetics programs alone are sufficient a means of promoting transparency (disclosure of information about how funds and resources are being used) among all actors in Victim Assistance a way of highlighting specific needs which have not yet been addressed because of lack of resources a vehicle to facilitate contact and information sharing between actors in Victim Assistance Current activity:Two versions (printed and electronic) of the Sample Portfolio are being sent to all participants of the September Standing Committee of Experts –Victim Assistance (SCE-VA) meeting, to other persons associated with the Intersessional Work, and to all members of the WGVA. Steps forward:1) Comments and suggestions for improvement on the Sample Portfolio will be incorporated as appropriate by a joint WGVA/SCE-VA committee. 2) Decisions taken for the Sample Portfolio will need to be re-approved or modified for the Global Portfolio regarding: - criteria for inclusion of programs
- financial considerations
- format, organization and categories of information to be included
3) A new call for entries will go out on February 1 st, and a first edition of the Global Portfolio will be ready for distribution at the March SCE-VA meeting. Implications for other Network Groups: Victim Assistance Reporting: One criteria for inclusion is that program implementers must be willing to provide an annual financial report upon request. Information supplied by NGOs for the Portfolio can be used to cross-check information sent by governments when they report on their Treaty requirements. Strategic Use of Guidelines: Programs included in the Portfolio should adhere to the ICBL Guidelines for the Care and Rehabilitation of Survivors. For example, a program which distributes used prostheses when locally produced devices are available, or a program which removes amputees from their communities to live in an institution, would not be included in the Portfolio. In order to promote a range of programs, the hard copy of the Global Portfolio should be organized following the ICBL Guidelines for the Care and Rehabilitation of Survivors, with entries grouped the according to these types of assistance: Emergency Medical Care, Continuing Medical Care, Physical Rehabilitation, Prostheses, and Assistive Devices, Psychological and Social Support, Employment and Economic Integration, Capacity Building and Sustainability, Legislation and Public Awareness, and Other. Donor Criteria and Coordination: Inclusion in Portfolio will imply that a program falls within the ICBL Guidelines, but will not mean that a program has been judged or evaluated by the WGVA or the SCE-VA. Donors will be advised to do further research to learn more about organizations and programs that interest them. Donors will be able to see, simply by browsing through the Portfolio, that Victim Assistance programs often fit into broader schemes which include all persons with disabilities, all vulnerable groups, national health systems, and general development schemes. Information and Data Collection: The Portfolio will constitute a database of Victim Assistance programs and should be distributed in several formats so as to be available to a wide range of users. The hard copy will need to be updated annually, and an electronic version could be updated more often. Design of the Global Portfolio should incorporate the probability of publishing the information on one or more websites (ICBL, GICHD) with links to many related sites. |
