GC: n

S: UNWFP – https://bit.ly/2RIoFrI (last access: 6 February 2019); UNN – https://bit.ly/2TxUaGD (last access: 6 February 2019).

N: 1. – relief (n): Late 14c., “alleviation of distress, hunger, sickness, etc; state of being relieved; that which mitigates or removes” (pain, grief, evil, etc.),” from Anglo-French relif, from Old French relief “assistance,” literally “a raising, that which is lifted,” from stressed stem of relever (see relieve). Meaning “aid to impoverished persons” is attested from c. 1400; that of “deliverance of a besieged town” is from c. 1400. Earlier in English as “that which is left over or left behind,” also “feudal payment to an overlord made by an heir upon taking possession of an estate” (both c. 1200).
– operations (pln): Plural of “operation”, late 14c., “action, performance, work,” also “the performance of some science or art,” from Old French operacion “operation, working, proceedings,” from Latin operationem (nominative operatio) “a working, operation,” from past participle stem of operari “to work, labor” (in Late Latin “to have effect, be active, cause”), from opera “work, effort,” related to opus (genitive operis) “a work” (from PIE root *op- “to work, produce in abundance”). The surgical sense is first attested 1590s. Military sense of “series of movements and acts” is from 1749.
2. What is a Humanitarian Relief Operation? Due to its complex nature, it is difficult to provide one single definition for a humanitarian relief operation (HRO); however, a review of both military and civilian literature reveals some frequently used
terms and compatibilities/commonalities between them.

• Disaster Relief: The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence defines disaster relief as “the organized response to alleviate the results of a catastrophe. The aims are to: save life; relieve suffering; limit damage; restore essential services to a level that enables local authorities to cope; and set the conditions for recovery.”»
• Disaster Relief Operation (DRO): The UK Ministry of Defence defines a DRO “as a primary Military Task and contribution to a disaster relief response. It provides specific assistance to an afflicted overseas population. Disaster Relief is a specified Military Task categorized as a Contingent Operation Overseas in Defence Strategic Guidance (DSG).”
• Emergency Relief is “the immediate survival assistance to the victims of crisis and violent conflict. Most relief operations are initiated on short notice and have a short implementation period (project objectives are generally completed within a year). The main purpose of emergency relief is to save lives.”

3. The Department of Defense (DoD) relief operation prompted by Cyclone Nargis in Burma in May 2008 represents an extreme case of the challenges HA/DR providers encounter when the affected country has an autocratic regime wary of international interference.

S: 1. OED – https://bit.ly/2ShbhjH; https://bit.ly/2TzTII2 (last access: 6 February 2019). 2. POTI – https://bit.ly/2RKKlDu (last access: 6 February 2019). 3. Rand – https://bit.ly/1Y540gK (last access: 31 July 2015)

SYN: emergencies (depending on context)

S: FAO – https://bit.ly/2Sfakbg (last access: 31 July 2015)

CR: relief