Urban Competency Framework: Research Report

With the increasing growth and vulnerability of cities to natural and manmade disasters, there is a growing need to adapt humanitarian expertise to urban crises. One key factor that has challenged effective humanitarian response in urban contexts has been the lack of sufficient personnel with the appropriate knowledge and skill sets for working in urban settings.

This report was commissioned to inform the creation of the Urban Competency Framework for Humanitarian Action (UCF). It is part of a wider body of work for the Global Alliance for Urban Crises (GAUC) entitled ‘Developing the skills to meet the needs of urban populations in crises through the alliance of urban responders’. The Urban Competency Framework will help reduce the operational knowledge gap by providing the minimum standards of competency required for an effective humanitarian urban response. This includes both guidelines to soliciting the support of non-humanitarian professionals, as well as competency standards required of humanitarian actors deployed to urban crises settings. The Urban Competency Framework is produced through funding provided to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) from EU Humanitarian Aid (ECHO).