Emergency Appeal n° MDRMN005 Glide n° CW-2016-000004-MNG

Date of issue: 29 February 2016

Operation manager:

Baktiar Mambetov,

Acting Head of IFRC CCST in Beijing

Point of contact:

Davaajargal Baasansuren,

Disaster Management team leader of the MRCS

Operation start date: 15 January 2015 Expected timeframe: 12 months (28 February 2017)

Operation budget: CHF 833,945 DREF allocation: CHF 158,459

Total number of people affected: 400,0001 Number of people to be assisted: 25,500 (5,100 families)

Host National Society(ies) presence (n° of volunteers, staff, branches): Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) has 33 mid-level and 609 primary level branches working in all provinces of Mongolia, it has 12,500 volunteers and 75,000 members including 15,000 youth members. MRCS has six established regional disaster preparedness centres with 240 emergency response team members. Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners actively involved in the operation: The National Society works with International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in this operations well as current Partner National Societies: Japanese Red Cross Society, Finnish Red Cross, British Red Cross, Australian Red Cross, The Republic of Korea National Red Cross, the Macao branch of Red Cross Society of China (RCSC). Other partner organizations actively involved in the operation: Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), local governments, Ministry of Health and Sports, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of food and Agriculture, UN and its agencies, ADB, International World Vision, Save the Children, ADRA, Caritas Czech, People in Need, G-Mobile, World Animal Protection Organisation.

A. Situation analysis

Description of the disaster

Mongolia has been experiencing very low temperatures and heavy snowfall since November 2015. The local term for these conditions is dzud

2. According to the National

Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), 10 - 40 cm thick snow (density 0.12 – 0.24 g/c.cm) covers 90 per cent of the country and conditions are becoming more severe. Based on the assessments conducted by the Mongolian NEMA since 20 January, 211 out of a total of 339 districts in Mongolia are affected by dzud (combination of summer drought followed by an extremely cold and snowy winter) or near- dzud conditions. An estimated 225,800 people (62,719 herder households or 41 per cent of the total herder population) are in a high-risk zone. This includes 28,290 children under five and 3,340 expectant mothers. As of 20 February, some 250,000 animals perished as a result of the heavy snow fall, severe storms and cold

1NEMA official statement released on 2

nd HCT meeting in Mongolia

2Dzud is a cyclical slow onset disaster unique to Mongolia. It consists of a summer drought, resulting in insufficient production of hay, followed by

very heavy winter snow (10 to 350 cm), winds and lower than normal temperatures (-40° C to -50° C) during which an excessive number of livestock die causing basic services, and in the longer term, livelihoods to collapse in vulnerable herder communities.

Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA)

Mongolia: Extreme Winter Condition

World Animal Protection Mongolia assessment team visited Dzud affected herder’s household in Dundgobiaimag, Feb, 2016.

Photo: WAP Mongolia

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weather conditions. Exacerbated effects of dzud situation usually lead to exponential growth of lost animals in months of March through May due to starvation. Local authorities report increased number of cases of female sheep aborting their pregnancies and then dying due to higher vulnerability of pregnant animals and to their newborns. Herders are removing dead animals’ hide to trade for whatever feed that they can get for surviving animals. According to forecasts from the Mongolian Information and Research Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment, the heavy snowfalls and snowstorms are expected to continue through March. Average temperatures below -25 degrees Celsius during daytime and below -38 degrees during night are still expected in the coming weeks. More than 80,000 herder families in the northern and western part of the country are significantly affected by the extreme winter with nighttime temperatures below -49 degrees Celsius and daytime temperatures below -38 degrees Celsius. In this type of conditions poor and vulnerable households are likely to be most affected. As of 2 February, there are 5,019 expectant mothers, 20,874 children under the age of five, 6,117 people with disabilities and 4,173 households living under national poverty line, increasing vulnerability among the affected population

3.

According to NEMA, herders in many provinces are already losing their livestock because of low temperatures and insufficient feed. A layer of hard ice covers pastures in many areas which make it difficult for animals to scratch down to the grass. Long periods of extreme cold put additional stress on herders and their animals, and large scale loss of livestock is expected. A serious drought last summer and autumn greatly reduced grass yields in pastures. Because of the drought in summer, herders harvested less hay for feeding animals during the winter months. Ministry of Food and Agriculture made a comparative analysis between the dzud conditions of 2009- 2010 and 2015 -2016, which shows that both the drought of last summer and the severity of this winter exceed what was experienced in 2009-2010 (shown in table #1). The government conducted comprehensive field assessments in late December, 2015 and it showed that the current hard winter situation was exacerbated by last year’s drought which resulted in reduced growth of vegetation and a poor hay harvest. There is now a high demand for hay and fodder because excessive snowfall and formation of ice crust has prevented animals from grazing effectively. The harsh winter conditions also isolate the herder families who are living in remote areas and block their access to the nearest settlements where the essential public services (clinics, grocery stores, hygiene facilities and etc) are located. Table 1: Comparative analysis of dzud in Mongolia between 2009/2010 and 2015/2016 Serious oversupply has resulted in a steep decline in prices of meat and other animal products. However, many herders are in acute need of cash to be able to buy food, hay and other basic necessities, and when they are at all able to find buyers they are forced to sell at very low prices. Because of the continuing severe winter conditions and

3 NEMA report presented during the HCT meeting on 2 Feb, 2016.

Indicator 2009-2010 2015-2016

Drought in previous summer 34 soums of 5 provinces 66 soums in 12 provinces (until now)

Lowest temperatures Minus 43-45 Celsius Minus 40-50 Celsius

Number of days with extremely low temperatures

13-30 17-25 registered so far

Average deviation from average temperatures

Minus 1.2-4.8 Celsius Minus 5.0-7.0 Celsius

Area experiencing dzud conditions

80 soums of 15 provinces 98 soums of 18 provinces (until now)

Area experiencing pre-dzud conditions

86 soums of 14 provinces 111 soums of 20 provinces (until now)

Livestock death toll (in sheep head count units)

9,7 million 250,000 (as of 20.02.2016)

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growing shortages of hay and fodder, herders are losing their livestock at accelerating rates. The prospect of losing their livestock drives them to put even more livestock on the already severely saturated market, putting further downward pressure on prices. This combination of negative forces is resulting in serious shortage of cash that is critically needed for immediate household needs. . Ambulance services in the country cannot meet the need for emergency transportation, and because of heavy snowfall it has become extremely difficult to provide ambulance services in the mountainous western aimags. According to the government of Mongolia there is now a shortage of essential medicines in public health facilities in the affected areas. To cover the gap in funding for essential medicines among the affected population, an additional MNT 315 million (CHF 157,000) is needed. Maternal and child health in this disaster has been identified as an important priority. The MRCS assessment has shown higher rates of preterm births. There are confirmed cases where newborn babies have died in clinics because of the lack of medical supplies. The shortage of medicines is gradually becoming worse. On 4 January 2016, the Mongolian National State Emergency Committee (NSEC) held its second meeting on the severe winter situation in the country. Participants discussed the findings of government assessments that were conducted in 21 provinces at the end of December 2015. The Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia who is also head of the NSEC announced the allocation of MNT 5 billion (CHF 2.5 million) to the dzud response. MNT 4.4 billion (CHF 2.2 million) will be used to purchase hay and fodder from the state reserves, which will be donated to herders or sold at 50 per cent discount. MNT 1.8 billion (CHF 900,000) was allocated to 20 soums in 17 provinces to maintain public services and law and order, partly in response to clashes over access to pasture lands between local and migrating herdsmen. In an appeal to the Humanitarian Country Team (HTC) on 2 February, the Mongolian deputy prime minister requested the mobilization of international resources in response to dzud. Local response efforts are led by provincial emergency commissions. Among other tasks, they make lists of expectant mothers, children under five years of age, elderly people and persons with disabilities, and provide transportation for expectant mothers to go to medical clinics. The government appealed to MRCS on 8 January to complement its nation-wide by mobilizing essential resources to aid vulnerable herders in the affected area and ensure their survival. And Following this request and results of the NDRT assessments, MRCS/IFRC have launched DREF operation to address the crisis faced by herders. This DREF funded response is now being extended in time and scale through the launching of this emergency appeal.

Summary of the current response

Overview of Host National Society Under the new MRCS law passed by the Mongolian Parliament in late 2015 and approved by the President of the country in January 2016, the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) is an auxiliary to the government with a special role in disasters and emergencies. The secretary general of the MRCS is a member of the National Emergency Commission and is actively involved in the planning and design of the national response to the emerging crisis. The secretary general of the MRCS took part in the National Emergency Commission meeting on 4 January 2016, during which the government presented updates on the current situation and response plan. MRCS’s response is being planned in close cooperation with NEMA. NEMA will be providing transportation and logistical support to MRCS during the distribution phase of the operation. In December 2015, members of the MRCS’s national disaster response team (NDRT) conducted a rapid assessment and cash transfer programming feasibility study in the most-affected areas of Tuv, Arkhangai, Bulgan and Khuvsgul provinces. Local branches gather data from the local authorities and participate in local emergency commission meetings. They have received requests from local authorities to assist in providing what is needed to ensure that herders survive through the extreme cold conditions. The ongoing DREF operation is providing emergency assistance to the most vulnerable groups of population to ensure that the immediate humanitarian needs are met in the affected areas. MRCS is monitoring the situation closely through its network of and around 1,500 beneficiary households who were identified for the DREF operation have been registered and are receiving aid. 1,200 households will be assisted with a two months ration of basic food (wheat flour, rice, sugar, salt, cooking oil and tea), and MNT 64,000 (CHF 32) in cash. Combined value of both food items and cash supplement are the equivalent of the national minimum monthly wage in Mongolia. Small cash supplement will

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allow affected people to utilize it based on their priorities. Around 300 households will receive MNT 192,000 (CHF 96)

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in cash. Food parcels will be distributed to households who have significant difficulties to accessing local markets. Cash will allow herders to purchase necessities such as coal and firewood for heating and cooking or hay and fodder for animals. In addition to food and cash, some targeted households will receive second hand warm clothes donated by the Finnish Red Cross. Beneficiaries living in areas with better access to markets will receive only unconditional cash grants. Deteriorating winter conditions necessitate a scale-up of the ongoing DREF operation through an emergency appeal operation. Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and recovery components have been integrated into the overall response operation. Some technical partnerships have been developed with government institutions, such as Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Food and Agriculture, as well asother humanitarian organizations such as World Vision International, Save the Children and World Animal Protection Organization. With funding support from the Japanese Red Cross Society, MRCS has launched its domestic public campaign in an attempt to raise funds to help the victims of the dzud. Due to the current economic situation in Mongolia, domestic fundraising is not expected to generate significant income. Operation will assist the most vulnerable affected households in 20 provinces: Arkhangai, Bayan-Ulgii, Govi-Altai, Govisumber, Dundgovi, Dornogovi,Umnugovi, Dornod, Sukhbaatar, Khentii, Tuv, Selenge, Darkhanuul, Bulgan, Khuvsgul, Uvurkhangai, Bayankhongor, Uvs, Zavkhan and Khovd. Overview of Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in country The Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) is the largest humanitarian organization in the country and plays a leading role in providing relief, health and welfare assistance to the most vulnerable groups in the Mongolian population. It aims to serve the most vulnerable through a volunteer-based network, providing key services to targeted populations while promoting the values of humanitarianism and volunteerism. With 33 mid-level branches and over 800 primary level branches working all over Mongolia, the MRCS network extends to communities nationwide. MRCS has a strong human resource base, including 310,000 supporters, 93,000 paying members, 2,400 special members, 12,500 volunteers, 70,000 youth members, and 605 member organizations. In addition, MRCS operates 7 regional disaster preparedness centres across the country for relief kits and locally mobilized stocks storage at all provincial branches. MRCS works in partnership with many government and non-government agencies. It works closely with a number of partner national societies in various programmes, such as community-based disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction, relief and social care, community-based health and first aid, HIV prevention programmes and youth and organizational development. MRCS, in partnership with the Finnish Red Cross, has been implementing a Social Care programme for more than 10 years. MRCS has also a previous experience in water and sanitation programmes supported by the Netherlands Red Cross. The MRCS also cooperates with the British Red Cross on a bilateral DRR project in five provinces and one urban settlement. IFRC has a well-established country office in Mongolia. It comprises of a national programme coordinator, finance and administration manager and programme assistant, backed up technically and administratively by the Country Cluster Support Team (CCST) in Beijing. A regional disaster management and livelihoods coordinator is based in Beijing and will provide technical support to the operation both distantly and through regular field visits. IFRC supports MRCS in the implementation of various projects such as National Society Development (NSD), Community Based DRR and Climate Change Adaption (CCA), which are funded by the Australian Red Cross, Japanese Red Cross and IFRC. In accordance with Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs), the IFRC Disaster and Crises, Prevention, Response and Recovery (DCPRR) Team in the IFRC Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO) coordinates the operation. In November 2015, IFRC provided funding to MRCS to replenish stocks of non-food items for 100 households in each of the six regional disaster preparedness centres (RDPCs). The Macao branch of Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) is in the process of delivering of 30,000 pieces of new clothing to the MRCS. MRCS and IFRC previously identified around 1,500 households who will receive food and cash through the ongoing DREF operation. The cash will be delivered to dzud victims through Khan Bank

5.

Movement Coordination

4 Amount equals the official minimum monthly wage in Mongolia

5 Khan Bank is the largest financial banking institution in Mongolia with more than 1,000 branches and outlets scattered

throughout the country.

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Two information bulletins were published (7 December 2015 and 8 January 2016) prior to the DREF operation. MRCS/IFRC will produce beneficiary stories and cooperate with both local and international media to raise awareness among partners and the general public about the dzud situation in Mongolia. A WebEx meeting was arranged for partners in early February 2016 to update them on the situation related to dzud and intended response operation. MRCS has established an operations coordination centre at its national headquarters to coordinate the response both internally and externally. Overview of non-RCRC actors in country In January 2016, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that a severe dzud is very likely this winter. Herders had been unable to adequately prepare for winter because of the severe drop (50-75 per cent) in market value of meat and other animal products and because pastures and livestock are in a poor condition after the drought of last summer. This made it difficultfor many to raise sufficient cash from the sale of livestock. NEMA is the main disaster response coordinator and responder in the country. The agency holds limited stocks of hay from the state reserves to be distributed based on government decision. There is enough hay to feed livestock in the affected areas for three days which is not enough to make an impact on the present situation, as the need for feed is much more than during a normal year. NEMA also provides logistics support to government services, such as ambulances and the police. It also supports the logistics of humanitarian organizations in the affected areas and the evacuation of severely affected herders from remote locations. As part of their response, Local Emergency Management Agencies (LEMAs) are responsible for clearing major roads and rescuing people in stranded vehicles. IFRC is an active member of the Mongolian Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and leads the shelter cluster. HCT holds regular meetings to coordinate response actions planned by its members. Humanitarian NGOs, such as People in Need and Caritas Czech, plan to provide relief assistance in the eastern provinces through MRCS branches. World Vision International and Save the Children are planning to provide relief assistance in areas where they operate. World Animal Protection organization (WAPO) and IFRC have a global partnership and through this partnership WAPO has supported IFRC/MRCS to conduct technical assessments for livestock needs. One of the major needs for the livestock is shelter materials. WAPO will procure tarpaulins locally and provide them to MRCS who will provide the logistics to distribute the materials to beneficiaries targeted by the NS. The tarpaulins will be used to provide temporary winter shelter to livestock. WAPO and IFRC have worked together in the previous operations to improve livestock management in emergencies and are engaged in long-term training and resource mobilisation for NS activities in livestock management. Both UN and Asian Development Bank (ADB) are preparing to launch their response operations. MRCS, supported by IFRC, has started its relief work ahead of the government appeal and with the DREF operation it is the first among humanitarian actors to provide aid to dzud victims. It will continue this assistance and scale it up through the launching of this current EPoA and emergency appeal.

Needs analysis, beneficiary selection, risk assessment and scenario planning

Needs Analysis Immediate household needs Field assessments and surveys carried out by the National Society using the Trilogy Emergency Response Application (TERA)

6 have confirmed that cash, food, warm clothes and fuel (in this order of priority) are the items most needed.

Findings of the assessments are in line with reports from NEMA shared in late 2015. Vulnerable herder families have insufficient cash to be able to meet their immediate needs. Many herders are heavily indebted as they have taken loans with high interest rates, making their financial situation even worse. MRCS assessment reveals that an average household spends in average MNT 70,000 (CHF 35) per month to buy monthly

6 TERA – is a two way beneficiary communication tool utilizing the G-Mobile network. It allows the MRCS to send instant

messages to G-mobile subscribers and receive feedback from recipients. G Mobile has around 600,000 subscribers, and is the service provider that is used by most migrating herdsmen.

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essential foodstuff. The cash transfer service agreement with Khan Bank includes a provision ensuring that cash grants in this operation will not be seized in attempt to recover loans previously issued to herders. MRCS has initiated the cash disbursement and food parcels for the affected herder families for two months via the DREF allocation and this will further be up-scaled through this Appeal to reach 5,100 vulnerable families. The target households will be assisted with a basic food ration of cereal, wheat flour, rice, sugar, salt, cooking oil and tea, and vulnerable households will receive MNT 64,000 (CHF 32) in cash. Food parcels will be distributed to households who have significant difficulties to accessing local markets, while the cash will allow herders to purchase necessities such as coal and firewood for heating and cooking or hay and fodder for animals. Those receiving only cash, will receive MNT 192,000 (CHF 96)

7.

Health and Care Ambulance services have been disrupted in the affected areas and, in some areas, there is a deficit of essential medicines. The threat posed to herders by dzud has negative impact on their psychological condition resulting in breakup of families, domestic violence and psychological depression. Vulnerable groups such as women, children, disabled and the elderly are in need of psychosocial assistance. An outbreak of sheep-pox makes the situation worse, and herders who are desperate to move their livestock to better pastures break government quarantine rules as they migrate from one location to another, thereby spreading the disease further. Based on the assessment carried out by the Save the Children in middle January 2016, psychosocial first aid support (PSS/FA) is needed for school children who are from the dzud affected families. Through the emergency appeal MRCS and IFRC have established partnership with Save the Children to deliver the PSS/FA to 5,000 school children from affected households and will support school social workers to continue this work throughout the year. Livelihoods Herders are now experiencing a chronic shortage of cash. The economic difficulties faced by Mongolia and the oversupply of meat in the market make it impossible for poor herders to generate enough income to self-sustain. The effects of dzud will further exacerbate the misery in which many herder families already find themselves. The only practical and well-known way that herders can use to ensure the survival of their livestock in dzud condition is to prepare during the summer by building sufficient hay stock and winter shelter for livestock. Serious drought last summer and extreme overgrazing have made it impossible for many poor herders to make adequate preparations. Traditional nomadic herding is presently resulting in uncontrolled growth in livestock numbers. The depletion of grass for winter grazing is likely to cause large numbers of animals to die from starvation. Desperate competition for the remaining winter pastures creates conflicts among migrant herders. Based on the previous experience and outcomes from consultations with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Labour, international World Vision and Asian Development Bank, there is a need to address the main risk factors leading to a dzud to reduce future implications. Two methods were included into this plan of action: first is to support herders to prepare adequate hay, fodder to overcome future extreme winter situation; and the second is to diversify the income generation of herder households. But these methods will vary based on geography, need of households and capacity of local markets. Diversification of income will also be supported through the provision of vocational and business skills training and transfer to around 100 herdsmen through cooperation with financial institutions, World Vision and the Ministry of Labour. The Ministry will also facilitate employment opportunities for trained beneficiaries through its network of local employment service centres. This builds on learning from evaluations of previous dzud operations that stress the need to look at longer-term recovery components. World Animal Protection Organization (WAPO) also has a partnership with IFRC/MRCS and through this WAPO will provide locally procured tarpaulins to be delivered by MRCS to selected households. These will be used to provide temporary winter shelter for livestock. This will not be funded under this appeal but is part of the MRCS’s support to vulnerable herders. Community preparedness and disaster risk reduction Based on the vulnerability and capacity assessment in 2013, the various methods mitigating the effects of dzud conditions have been recommended. This includes the creation of herders associations to collect hay and provide the necessary agricultural tools and machinery. The practicality of such measures depends to a greater extent on geographical location as not all areas are suitable for hay production.

7 Amount equals the official minimum monthly wage in Mongolia

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Construction of winter shelter is an effective but expensive way of protecting the animals and its practicality depends much on the availability of inexpensive local construction materials. The negative environmental impact of constructing animal shelters also has to be taken into consideration. NEMA has very limited resources and capacity to provide the relief necessary to ensure the survival of vulnerable herder families in the country. Currently NEMA is focusing on the maintenance of roads and basic public services such as schools, hospitals in the affected areas. In this operation, the local emergency management agencies will support the transportation and distribution of relief items. Local MRCS volunteers will support distribution of relief items, monitor the distribution and provide basic psychosocial support (PSS) and first aid (FA) to targeted beneficiaries. January and February are the coldest months of the year. In this situation, the total number of soums experiencing dzud conditions will further increase as worsening weather makes herders’ access to the nearest settlements more difficult. On average, February and March have the heaviest snowfalls and the highest frequency of snowstorms. More snowfalls are expected in the coming weeks and temperatures below minus 30°C are likely to persist. This is expected to further accelerate the already alarming rate of livestock deaths. MRCS, IFRC and other humanitarian organizations have setup a working group to better coordinate, maximize and complement the efforts of humanitarian responders. This operation plans to provide MRCS branches with hand portable grass harvesters, with the intention to lend these to vulnerable herdsmen on a rotational basis to increase their productivity in making hey stocks for future winters. Beneficiary Selection MRCS, in coordination with Local Emergency Management Agencies and the social welfare department, has identified around 5,100 vulnerable herder households across the country in need of assistance. Only poor and vulnerable herder households (poverty stricken families, families with disabled persons, single headed families or those with multiple-children, elderly people living alone, households with those in ill health) will be targeted with the Red Cross’s assistance. One of the important criteria will be the number of livestock per household. There are on average five people per herder household in Mongolia. Households with less than 200 livestock (this is the vulnerability criteria established by the government) will also be targeted with the Red Cross’s assistance. Beneficiary registration will be done by the MRCS and will be facilitated by a network of local government social workers. MRCS will establish both local and national hotlines to collect information from stakeholders. TERA will complement the beneficiary communication aspect of the operation. Those vulnerable families with limited access to markets or with particular needs will receive food supplies and a small amount of cash, while those with access or capacity will receive only the cash element. Access to markets for vulnerable families varies greatly from location to location, as many herders live in remote, sparsely inhabited areas. Distance and cost of access to markets is considered when planning the assistance but cannot be generalised as situations are very variable. Herders themselves will look at shared transport options with neighbours for access to markets and for transporting supplies home. This targeting will be done with a strong focus on issues of vulnerability, capacity and access. The operation will assist the most vulnerable affected households in 20 provinces: Arkhangai, Bayan-Ulgii, Govi-Altai, Govisumber, Dundgovi, Dornogovi,Umnugovi, Dornod, Sukhbaatar, Khentii, Tuv, Selenge, Darkhanuul, Bulgan, Khuvsgul, Uvurkhangai, Bayankhongor, Uvs, Zavkhan and Khovd. MRCS/IFRC will be regularly monitoring operation both remotely and through field visits. Risk Assessment Mongolia is a relatively calm and peaceful country and there are no significant security risks related to dzud operation. Parliamentary elections will be held in 2016 and many members of parliament are already campaigning in the provinces. It is imperative that the RCRC operation and its visibility strategy are clearly distinguished from any politically motivated activities. Severe winter conditions may slow down the relief operation. Harsh weather and limited access by road to remote areas might pose increased safety risks and other challenges to logistics but these are adequately addressed in IFRC fleet regulations. Cross Cutting Issues When planning the emergency operation, gender issues have been taken into particular consideration. Mongolian culture and social structure have few special implications with regard to gender issues but any related concerns will be addressed during implementation of the appeal. MRCS staff and volunteers will be instructed to give their special attention to cross cutting issues such as the needs of the elderly, marginalized groups, people with disabilities and children.

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MRCS/IFRC will be constantly monitoring the operation to ensure that these issues are properly addressed. Climate change adaptation will be taken into consideration during the recovery phase of the operation through awareness raising among the targeted beneficiaries and sharing best practices on climate-smart DRR. MRCS has recently compiled a report based on its climate change adaptation research and it is currently piloting CCA approaches with support from the IFRC. MRCS volunteers and staff will be instructed to properly document any cases of domestic violence and refer these to the local authorities. The most vulnerable beneficiaries assisted through DREF will receive additional assistance through this appeal.

B. Operational strategy and plan

MRCS has established an operational coordination center at its headquarters. The MRCS coordination center is led by head of DM and supported by other departments. MRCS has sufficient technical and HR capacity to handle the emergency phase of the operation. This emergency plan of action has been developed by MRCS/IFRC in consultation with government and international responders. The operation will scale up ongoing DREF operation and substantially increase the number of targeted beneficiaries. Based on evaluations of previous dzud operation, MRCS/IFRC will strengthen the longer-term recovery component of the operation. This will be done through approaches aiming at providing herder households with necessary skills, knowledge and confidence to build more diverse livelihoods. Technical partnership with Ministry of Labor and World Vision will allow capitalizing on the technical expertise of these two partners. Ministry of Food and Agriculture will assist MRCS to reduce herdsmen vulnerability to future dzuds through optimized hay and fodder collection and preservation. Through this operation, MRCS will further strengthen its capacity in disaster management, especially at the local and branch levels. MRCS staff and volunteers will receive refresher trainings in PSS, rapid situation analysis and assessments, including rapid market assessments

8. This operation will allow MRCS to learn and adopt long term

economic development approaches in support of vulnerable herders. MRCS/IFRC will further sensitize and train RC staff and volunteers who are participating in the operation on the principlesand rules of RCRC for Humanitarian Assistance, Code of Conduct, SHPERE standards and other relevant policies and guidelines.

Overall objective

The overall objective of the operation is to ensure that immediate humanitarian needs of up to 5,100 families affected by dzud are met in an effective and efficient way.

Proposed strategy

The operation consists of closely integrated sectors aiming to provide:

1. Immediate household needs assistance (food items and cash grants), including distribution of essential household food items and unconditional cash grants;

Item Quantity Number of households

Food Parcels: 1. Wheat Flower 25kg 2. White rice 10kg 3. Cooking oil 1ltr 4. Salt 500g 5. Tea block 1kg 6. Sugar 2kg

1 1,600

8 Technical training will be provided by the World Vision International. It is a largest international NGO operating in Mongolia

now, employing over 1,000 people and supporting thousands of herdsmen families though livelihoods support interventions.

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Partial cash disbursement to supplement food parcels

MNT 64,000 (approx. CHF 32) 1,600

Full cash disbursement MNT 192,000 (approx. Chf 96) 3,500

2. Health: Psychosocial support, in cooperation with Save the Children, will be provided to affected herders and

to 5,000 children at schools.

3. Livelihoods support in a form of diversification of income through vocational and business skills transfer and facilitating linkages with financial institutions will be provided to around 100 herdsmen with strong willingness and capacity to change their life style. Local training needs assessments will be carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour to support the design of local vocational and/or business training plans. Ministry of Labour will also be facilitating the employment opportunities for trained beneficiaries through its network of local employment service centres.

4. Community preparedness and disaster risk reduction, including preparedness against snow storms, high winds and extreme winter situation. Portable grass harvesters distributed to MRCS branches will be rented to herder teams for hay collection in exchange of some hay. Tools will have to be returned to branches with hay can further assist 100 of the most vulnerable households.

5. MRCS institutional preparedness and disaster response capacity. The emergency operation will further

strengthen the capacity of the MRCS at all levels. Four key aspects have been factored into the strategy for this operation:

Movement-wide approach: MRCS is responsible for the overall coordination and implementation of the disaster response operation. IFRC is the primary operational partner of MRCS.

Cash transfers: It has been determined that on of the best response approach is through unconditional cash grants to empower the affected herders, preserve their dignity and allow them to prioritize their diverse needs on their own.

Integrated programming and resilience-building: Cash grants and livelihood support will fulfil the needs of the affected people and thereby contribute to their resilience.

Lessons learned from the previous operation: MRCS has gained valuable experience from the 2010 dzud operation, which was taken into consideration when planning this operation. Soum level coordination was not integrated into previous dzud operation. In this operation, the local working groups comprising local authorities, LEMA, MRCS and members of the community will be set-up to ensure that only those who meet the selection criteria are assisted in an accountable and transparent manner.

Cash transfer component MRCS gained strong experience in cash transfer programme during the past dzud operation of 2010 and a risk assessment based on previous dzud operations in 2010 has been carried out, the learning from which will inform this operation. Additionally the operation will be closely monitored and supported by the IFRC. Cash support has been identified as one of the best way to support vulnerable herding families. Some 5,100 herder households will be reached through Khan Bank money transfer. The amount of cash grant has been determined in consultation between MRCS and the affected people, with the aim of covering the needs that they prioritize. The amount also reflects the average amount spent on food by herder families, as well as the national minimum monthly wage. Cash grants will allow the beneficiaries to prioritize their immediate needs and, to a certain degree, revitalize local markets.

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C. DETAILEDOPERATIONAL PLAN

Food security, nutrition and livelihoods

Needs analysis: Based on the NDRT assessments, herder families are in desperate need of cash and food. Because of the current market situation and also because of

frequent snowstorms vulnerable herders are facing starvation, lack of heating fuel to cope with freezing temperatures and a high risk of significant livestock losses. Vulnerable herders have very limited cash and with horses as their only means of transportation they are not able to reach nearest market to buy food, warm clothes, hay for their livestock or coal and firewood to heat their gers.

Population to be assisted: 1,600 families in 20 provinces will be assisted through provision of food parcels and unconditional cash grants. A further 3,500 families in 20

provinces will be assisted through unconditional cash grants. Overall, MRCS will assist 5,100 households (25,500 people) with livelihoods support. In addition, 100 herders will receive vocational/ business trainings.

Outcome 1: Immediate food and other priority needs of the targeted families are met.

Output 1.1: 1,600 households in 20 provinces are provided with food parcels and unconditional cash transfers (CHF 32 per family to supplement food assistance).

Activities planned Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Remark

Identification of soums in 20 provinces across the country for provision of food parcels and unconditional cash grants

In cooperation with local governments

Beneficiary selection and registration

Orientation and mobilization of volunteers at district levels

Local procurement of food parcels (cereals, rice, wheat flour, cooking oil, salt and tea)

To be carried out centrally in Ulaanbaatar

Distribution of food parcels and provision of unconditional cash grants through bank transfer (Khan Bank)

NEMA (LEMA) and Khan Bank

Onsite monitoring during the distribution Output 1.2: 3,500 households in 20 provinces are provided with unconditional cash transfers for meeting other priority needs (CHF 92 per family for those not receiving food assistance)

Activities planned Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Remark

Identification of beneficiaries in 20 affected provinces for provision of unconditional cash grants

Beneficiary registration and cash form preparation Provision of unconditional cash grants through bank transfer Post distribution monitoring and reporting Outcome 2: Livelihoods are protected and negative coping strategies reduced among affected population and households.

Output 2.1: Affected households have restored or diversified livelihoods after receiving trainings and livelihood assets to resume activities.

Selection of 100 beneficiary households for livelihood intervention

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Market assessments/ training needs assessments With WVI and Ministry of Labour

Vocational/ business trainings, skills transfer (for income diversification for targeted number of herders)

With Ministry of Labour

Monitoring and reporting

Health & care

Needs analysis: Based on the assessment carried out by the Save the Children in middle January 2016, the psychosocial first aid support (PSS/FA) is needed for school

children who are from the dzud affected families.

Population to be assisted: Approximately 5,000 school-going children will be supported with PSS/FA through partnership with Save the Children

Outcome 3: The immediate and medium-term risks to the health of affected populations are reduced.

Output 3.1: School-going children affected by the dzud are provided with psychosocial first aid support (PSS/FA)

Activities planned Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Remark

Mobilize volunteers for school-based PSS/FA in collaboration with Save the Children (provision of PSS/FA will be delivered at same time as food distributions)

With Save the Children

Community preparedness and risk reduction

Needs analysis: Financial and technical support is truly needed for disaster preparation and disaster risk reduction among herders. It was cleared during previous

assessments. Financially and socially capable herders prepare for winter enough or close to enough and the most vulnerable groups have no capacity to prepare and putting them at the most risky position.

Population to be assisted: 100 households in 20 provinces are needed to be supported by emergency appeal to decrease their risks for future dzuds and harsh winters.

Outcome 4: Communities’ resilience to disasters is protected.

Output 4.1: Risk reduction measures are incorporated in disaster recovery programmes.

Activities planned Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Remark

Selection of beneficiaries for community preparedness and risk reduction activities

Procurement and distribution of 100 portable grass harvesters

Recovery and DRR component

Climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness training among herders

Monitoring and reporting

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Quality programming / Areas common to all sectors

Outcome 5: Continuous and detailed assessment and analysis is used to inform the design and implementation of the operation.

Output 5.1: Needs assessments are conducted and response plans updated according to findings.

Activities planned Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Remark

Mobilize MRCS staff and volunteers for assessments Mobilize/deploy regional tools (an RDRT) to support MRCS in conducting assessments

Undertake assessments to determine specific needs of beneficiaries

Develop detailed response plans with activities that will meet identified beneficiary needs

Continued information collection from local branches Monitoring visits by joint teams of MRCS headquarters and IFRC

Beneficiary satisfaction survey Internal final evaluation

Operational support services

Human resources MRCS has mobilized 200 local volunteers and 13 NDRTs in support of the operation. MRCS will recruit staff in support of the operation at both national HQ and branch levels. Four MRCS staff members at headquarters will support the operation and 10 emergency operation officers will be recruited at branch level. An IFRC delegate will be recruited for 12-month period to oversee and provide technical support for the operation and the appeal will support an IFRC national staff project officer, project assistant and finance officer, each for six months. A regional disaster response team (RDRT) member will be deployed in support of the cash transfer component of the operation. Deployment of a surge capacity delegate from one of the partner national societies is under consideration. The specific duties of the delegate will depend on the operational needs and technical capacity already available to MRCS in the region, but is likely to have a link to cash transfer programming and livelihoods. The IFRC CCST in Beijing and AP regional office in Kuala Lumpur will provide a wide range of technical, administrative and logistical support to the operation.

Logistics and supply chain

Procurement of food items will be done in Mongolia by MRCS with support from IFRC. Sourcing and procurement of relief items (food) will be carried out in compliance with the IFRC standard procedures to ensure quality and timely delivery. Transportation of relief goods (food) will be provided by NEMA in accordance with an MoU between MRCS and NEMA. Local emergency management agencies (LEMAs) will provide logistics and transportation support to the relief operation. In some areas, the services of local transportation companies will also be needed.

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Local emergency management agencies (LEMAs) will provide logistics and transportation support to the relief operation. In some areas, the services of local transportation companies will also be needed. The operation will support efforts by the World Animal Protection Organization to deliver and distribute temporary winter shelter for livestock together (not funded under this appeal). Cash transfer component will be implemented through Khan Bank, which has been selected as a CTP service provider. Khan Bank has also been cooperated with during the past dzud operation in 2010.

Information technologies (IT)

The cost of communication will be low and consist of mobile phone and mobile internet usage. Mobile cellular networks operate normally in the targeted areas. The MRCS’s 13 NDRT have portable radios and Iridium satellite phones as a backup emergency communication means.

Beneficiary communication

MRCS has an access to a two-way SMS communication with almost 600,000 G-mobile subscribers through TERA. TERA is free of charge for both the Red Cross and the G-Mobile subscribers who receive or send messages. MRCS will also be using traditional beneficiary communication methods such as face-to-face communication, leaflets and bill boards.

Communications

With support from the regional communications unit in Kuala Lumpur, the IFRC CCST communications delegate in Beijing will support the development of stories, articles and documentary films. Partner National Societies will be provided with information on the response through Newswire operation updates. MRCS will also develop beneficiary stories, documentaries and articles to be published locally. IFRC will collaborate with Associated Press and other international media to cover MRCS and IFRC activities in the field.

Security

Security management is a vital element of the operation to ensure security of personnel, assets and programmes. The MRCS’s operational coordination centre will ensure that volunteers and staff follow security rules when working in affected areas. MRCS will continuously monitor the security environment and respond to changes in the threat and risk situation, if any, by implementing adequate security risk reduction measures. This includes measures related to safety-related threats and risks, e.g. road traffic accidents, fire safety, and health and weather -related concerns. All MRC personnel are encouraged to complete the respective IFRC Stay Safe courses; Stay Safe Personal security, Stay Safe Security Management and Volunteer Stay Safe. IFRC is a member of various inter-agency groups including the HCT and Mongolia International NGO forum, which allows monitoring any changes of security situation. MRCS, with its wide network of branches and volunteers will be aware of any possible security threats and/or volatile situation.

Planning, monitoring, evaluation, & reporting (PMER)

NDRT members will continuously monitor the implementation of the emergency operation. IFRC will provide team members with refresher training on PMER. MRCS headquarters will receive weekly updates from operating branches. Weekly/monthly update formats will be developed and introduced to responding branches. Regular monthly updates on the operation will be developed and shared during the emergency phase. A special telephone line will be established at MRCS headquarters. The telephone number will be communicated to beneficiaries through TERA. Similarly, messages to provide information on the distribution and cash disbursements, post distribution monitoring and a beneficiary satisfaction review will be conducted through TERA and through household visits. A final evaluation will be carried shortly before the end of the operation. A final report will be available 90 days after the end of the operation.

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Administration and Finance

MRCS has a well-established finance and administration team consisting of six specialists. IFRC has a finance and administration manager based in Mongolia. IFRC teams at AP regional office and CCST in Beijing have the capacity to provide a wide range of support services to the operations, including finance, administration and logistics. Technical support related to cash transfer programming will be provided by IFRC (through RDRT and IFRC technical staff).

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Budget

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Contact information For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:

Mongolian Red Cross Society:

Nordov Bolormaa, Secretary General of Mongolian Red Cross Society; mobile: +976 99119395; email: nordovbolormaa@yahoo.com

Davaajargal Baasansuren, Disaster Management team leader of the MRCS,

mobile: +976 9999 1223, email: davaamn2005@yahoo.com

IFRC Country Cluster Support Team in Beijing:

Baktiar Mambetov, Acting Head of Regional Delegation; mobile: +86 135 110 6515; email: baktiar.mambetov@ifrc.org

IFRC Asia Pacific zone office in Kuala Lumpur; phone: +603 9207 5700; fax: +603 2161 0670:

Martin Faller, Deputy Regional Director; email: martin.faller@ifrc.org

Alice Ho, Operations Coordinator; mobile: +60 13 360 0366; email: alice.ho@ifrc.org

Riku Assamaki, Logistic Coordinator; mobile +60 12 298 9752; email: riku.assamaki@ifrc.org

Patrick Fuller, Communications Manager; email: patrick.fuller@ifrc.org

IFRC Geneva:

Christine South, Operations Quality Assurance Senior Officer; email: christine.south@ifrc.org

For Resource Mobilization and Pledges:

Diana Ongiti, Relationship Manager, Emergencies; email: diana.ongiti@ifrc.org

For Performance and Accountability (planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting enquiries)

Peter Ophoff, Head of PMER; email: peter.ophoff@ifrc.org

Click here

1. Emergency Appeal budget above

2. Click here to return to the title page

How we work All IFRC assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red

Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) in Disaster Relief and the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable. The IFRC’s vision is to inspire, encourage, facilitate and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies, with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering, and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of

human dignity and peace in the world.

ANNEX 1: ASSUMPTIONS AND RISKS TABLE

ASSUMPTIONS & RISKS

LIST IF

SPECIFIC

AFFECTED

SECTORS OR

STATE ‘ALL’

Lik

elih

oo

d

Imp

act

CAN CONTROL; MITIGATE / INFLUENCE; OR ONLY

FACTOR-IN

1. Misunderstanding on beneficiary selection among herders in affected areas: Internal migrants may have impact on the beneficiary selection process at soum level and influence local social care workers and local emergency management agency staff with their requests for humanitarian assistance.

L L

MRCS’s beneficiary selection criteria for affected people will create mutual understanding of who are the Red Cross beneficiaries in the affected areas.

2. Parliament election campaigns: Campaigning candidatesmay use this operation against their competing parliament members by stating that they are distributing free items in their constituencies. This may have a negative impact on the public image of the Red Cross in the affected areas.This relates specifically to the President of the MRCS, as he is one of the candidates in the upcoming elections to the Parliament.

M M

Red Cross visibility and proper selection of beneficiaries will reduce the potential negative impact from such negative publicity. Working groups on beneficiary selection, distribution and procurementwill create more transparency among the public and will reduce the potential risk.

Access to herder families is significantly complicated.

M L

Heavy snowfall and snowstorms block roads in the affected areas and limit access to vulnerable herders. Logistics support from LEMAand utilization of local trucks and drivers will increase access to herder families. Local drivers know the roads better than drivers from the city and LEMA will clear roads if snow is preventing the transportation of relief goods.