How can value chains include and support populations affected by conflict, natural disaster, or HIV/AIDS? USAID’s microLINKS is hosting an online discussion, facilitated by Ben Fowler (MEDA), Luis Osorio (Practical Action) and Christian Pennotti (AED) from April 28-30 on this question. Explore how value chain development programs can effectively include vulnerable populations, discuss how use and abuse of power during a crisis can impact value chain programs, and learn how to adjust your activities to the particular position and population you are working with.

Each day, participants are invited to share their own experiences, questions and comments in the discussion forum:

• Day 1: Involving vulnerable populations. What barriers participation are faced by more vulnerable populations? Are demand-driven approaches always sufficient to ensure their participation?
• Day 2: The politics of crisis. How does the use or abuse of power in a crisis affect the impacts of value chain programs for vulnerable populations?
• Day 3: Adjusting practice to context. A look at the practical experiences of people working on value chain development programs for vulnerable populations. What can we learn from those experiences?

The objective of these guidelines is to explain the importance of a gender perspective in emergency operations and assist emergency specialists in gender-sensitive planning

The guide offers a set of basic guidelines on how to be accountable to local people and measure programme impact in emergency situations and contains a variety of tools on needs assessment and profiling. Its 'good enough' approach emphasises simple and practical solutions and encourages the user to choose tools that are safe, quick, and easy to implement.

This paper explores the nature of the violence that characterises complex humanitarian emergencies and the related implications for modelling livelihoods systems. While noting the importance of livelihoods approaches in complex humanitarian emergencies, it deliberates the limitations of sustainable livelihoods frameworks when applied in environments marked by protracted instability. Adaptations to the model are discussed, with a particular focus on the relationships among violence, assets and liabilities within livelihoods systems. Political economy of violence theories intimate that the assets on which livelihoods systems are constructed in peaceful times may instead become life-and livelihood-threatening liabilities in periods of conflict. Adaptations to livelihood systems in violent settings require that analysts consider violence from policy, institutional and process perspectives. It is suggested that vulnerability should be re-conceptualised as endogenous to livelihoods systems in violent settings. Building on the work of others, a livelihoods model adapted for complex humanitarian emergencies is presented.