Early Recovery is defined as recovery that begins early in a humanitarian setting.  It is a multi-dimensional process, guided by development principles. It aims to generate self-sustaining nationally owned and resilient processes for post-crisis recovery.  Early recovery encompasses the restoration of basic services, livelihoods, shelter, governance, security and the rule of law, environment and social dimensions, including the reintegration of displaced populations. It stabilizes human security and addresses underlying risks that contributed to the crisis.

The populations affected by the crisis require life saving support; their communities, institutions and livelihoods have often been physically destroyed and weakened.  Recovery programming works to restore services, livelihood opportunities and governance capacity. This must start as soon as possible in the humanitarian or emergency phase. While most attention initially will be given to life saving interventions, the sooner the planning and work on recovery begins, the sooner the affected areas are stabilized and the shorter and more effective the recovery process is likely to be, as national and regional institutions progress with providing basic services and assuming governance functions such as security, local administration and justice.

Early recovery occurs in parallel with humanitarian activities, but its objectives, mechanisms and expertise are different.  Early recovery aims to:

• augment on-going humanitarian assistance operations;
• support spontaneous recovery initiatives by affected communities; and
• establish the foundations of longer-term recovery. 

CWGER News Updates: June/July 2008, May 2008, April 2008, March 2008, February 2008, January 2008, December 2007, November 2007

CWGER Country Updates: Myanmar (13 April 2008, 6 June 2008), Georgia (October 2008), Haiti (9 Oct 2008, 15 Oct 2008), Yemen (21 Nov 2008), Gaza (13 Jan 2009, 8 Feb 2009, 5 March 2009), Namibia (20 April 2009, 5 May 2009, 8 June 2009), Pakistan (22 June 2009)

Snapshot of inter-agency ER support: last updated 2 March 2009

CWGER Deployment Updates: February 2009, March 2009, April 2009, June 2009, July 2009

Briefing Pack for ER Advisors/Coordinators