Shelter Cluster Nepal
ShelterCluster.org
Coordinating Humanitarian Shelter
Nepal Shelter Cluster
Key Messages
1. It is critical to minimize displacement away from existing homes and prioritise sustainable
shelter assistance programmes where and when it is safe to do so. This requires a
coordinated, multi-cluster approach whereby the provision of humanitarian supplies and
services does not provide an incentive for continuing or new displacement of the affected
population.
2. Planned temporary settlement sites are necessary but are considered a last resort. Every
effort should be made to minimise the need for resettlement to planned temporary sites
that are located away from previous homes and communities. Planned settlements in a
relief context are usually very expensive to maintain and service and very hard to close.
3. People’s coping mechanisms need to be supported. Families often choose to take shelter
with friends and relatives or go back to their ancestral homes. The provision of assistance
that supports dispersed hosting choices is key to prevent secondary displacement. A focus of
support exclusively in camp-like situations can provide incentives for further displacement in
order to benefit from humanitarian aid. This must be avoided by providing assistance
wherever it is that affected populations choose to be.
4. Prioritize rubble clearance and assessments of damaged buildings and related infrastructure
in urban locations to free up safe sites for occupation and to facilitate safe return to
homesteads. Once rubble is removed, many people will build a transitional structure on the
old foundation and have it connected to existing sewage/septic systems.
5. Move from emergency shelter programming (tents, tarpaulins and shelter kits) to
transitional shelter (made of more durable construction material to at a minimum provide a
durable roof) as soon as possible and within the emergency response phase to effectively
mitigate against other risks (eg floods) and to allow sufficient time for the Government to
plan the reconstruction effort .
6. All population movement between settlements should be undertaken on a voluntary basis,
that those affected are consulted and are able to make informed choices.
7. To enable informed choices, a comprehensive information campaign should be employed
using formal and informal media and information dissemination mechanisms available to
convey the plans of the government and humanitarian agencies and available settlement
options.
8. A wide range of shelter and settlement programmes should be developed and implemented
simultaneously in a coordinated manner in order to provide the flexibility needed to
enhance the availability of shelter and settlement choices to the affected population and to
further allow for sustained dynamic population movement between settlement solutions.
This is particularly important to facilitate a return home when safe to do so.
9. Transitional shelter is sufficiently durable to last at least two years to allow enough time for
the reconstruction effort to be planned and underway. All emergency shelter should be
upgraded to transitional standards as part of the emergency shelter phase.
10. The strategy and funding for shelter and settlements assistance should be cognizant of the
continued fluidity of population movement and be adequately flexible to respond to needs.
Shelter Cluster Nepal
ShelterCluster.org
Coordinating Humanitarian Shelter
11. The monsoon season starts in May, ending in August, and colder weather starts in
September/October. We need to act quickly to ensure adequate shelter to protect against
the weather.
12. Greater attention is needed in areas outside Kathmandu, which are more difficult to access
and have suffered significant impact.
Shelter Cluster Nepal
ShelterCluster.org
Coordinating Humanitarian Shelter
Principles : All shelter and settlements programs should be designed to support:
Coordination: With local government, other actors and coordinating agencies to avoid overlapping
and gaps and ensure efficiency.
Transition: Ensuring a smooth transition to safe secure housing, avoiding households becoming
“stuck” on their pathway to recovery
Self-recovery: Supporting the self-recovery efforts of the affected population, utilising and
enhancing existing, skills, and capacities.
Build Back Safer: Ensuring that families and communities are supported to design, construct and
maintain their shelter and settlements in ways that reduce their vulnerability to future hazards.
Participation: Encouraging participation at all stages including assessments, procurement, design,
construction, monitoring and evaluation.
Engagement: Shelter assistance solutions should be negotiated with local government, addressing
specific vulnerabilities, hazards, local policies and capacities, actively engaging affected communities
in the discussion of their future.
Accountability & Transparency particularly to affected population should be mainstreamed in all
shelter programs.
Protection: Programs must ensure that human rights are respected.
Gender & Diversity: Women, men, girls and boys of different ages and backgrounds have distinct
needs and capacities and it is vital that shelter programmes incorporate them into the design and
implementation of projects.
Vulnerability: The most vulnerable members of society, through prioritisation of assistance
programs and through adjustment of programs to the specific needs of vulnerable groups.
HLP: Housing, land and property (HLP) rights including the right to an adequate house, protection
from eviction (security of tenure) and other HLP rights should be respected and supported. Shelter
programs should include assistance for vulnerable families to improve their HLP status and should
not discriminate on the basis of tenure.
Livelihoods: Ensuring that livelihoods are protected in all shelter program, and where possible and
appropriate shelter program should be supported by livelihood activities.
Specific needs of differing target groups of the affected populations, recognising that the needs of
renters, sharers, home owners, and those facing relocation all vary and will require differing
approaches. It is not expected that all agencies will address all target groups but rather programs are
clear about who they target to ensure appropriate assistance is provided.