ABSTRACT
Graham Saunders is Head of Shelter and Settlements for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Geneva. His roles include supporting the IFRC in building the shelter capacity of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, identifying and promoting best practices within the sector, assisting the emergency shelter interagency coordination role of the IFRC in natural disasters and promoting a broader shelter network. Graham has also been the global technical advisor on shelter and settlements for a leading NGO in the United States, where he was actively involved in post-disaster and post-conflict response and reconstruction activities in Africa, Central America, Central Asia, the Middle East and South and South-East Asia. The interviews and supporting essays show built environment professionals collaborating with post-disaster communities as facilitators, collaborators and negotiators of land, space and shelter, rather than as 'save the world' modernists, as often portrayed in the design media.
