Community infrastructure catalogue
Infrastructure is a critical part of UNHCR’s support provided in refugee settlements. Various types of infrastructure support provision of shelter and services for displaced people and host communities. Community infrastructure encompasses a diverse range of simple, small-scale infrastructure that is often an essential component of camp environment. The simplicity and scale of community infrastructure promote cost-effective service delivery and support sustainability by relying on materials and techniques that enable community engagement in infrastructure construction and maintenance.
This Community infrastructure catalogue from UNHCR’s Technical support section presents a range of examples of community infrastructure commonly used in camp settings. The presentation of community infrastructure designs includes the following to support decision-making and implementation in relation to camp infrastructure:
- basic environmental impact assessments
- comparative assessments
- bills of quantities
- drawings and specifications.
These designs are drawn from operations and publications of UNHCR and partner organizations. We provide variations and alternatives for different types of community infrastructure, considering different conditions across UNHCR operations and reflecting priorities defined by the UNHCR Shelter community of practice.
As leader of the EPFL EssentialTech’s Humanitarian Division, Greg works at the interface of research and humanitarian action. He is leading several large-scale partnerships between EPFL and the ICRC (Engineering for Humanitarian Action), the UNHCR (The Geneva Technical Hub) and the Graduate Institute (The Future of Humanitarian Design). He is also developing executive trainings for humanitarian practitioners on the responsible use of technology in humanitarian setting, as well as about cybersecurity in the sector. Prior to working at EssentialTech, he led the Innovation Coordination at MSF (Doctors Without Borders) Switzerland, aimed at harnessing the power of medical, humanitarian and digital innovations to meet the needs of patients and others affected by disasters. He previously worked several years as a manager for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in various regions affected by armed conflicts (Afghanistan, Colombia, Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire) and later as Deputy Director for the Antenna Foundation, an NGO that incubates innovative solutions to meet the basic needs of people living in poverty. He is the co-founder and current President of the Board of Watalux SA, a social startup developing innovation for safe water and better hygiene in hospitals, and Board Member of SwissSolidarity, a leading Swiss philanthropic foundation. He holds a PhD in Life Science from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland).
Integrated Settlement Planning