About me
My research and work focuses on humanitarian action, disaster response and risk reduction, and fieldwork research safety and security.
Before joining ISS as Assistant Professor of Disasters and Humanitarian Studies, I worked as a researcher, project manager, and consultant with local and international NGOs, the United Nations, Governmental organisations, and in the private sector. I have also led humanitarian aid groups; and researched in-situ the occurrence of several conflicts, crises, and natural hazard-related disasters, mostly in conflict-affected and vulnerable settings. As a researcher and practitioner, my work has taken me to multiple complex and disaster-prone places, such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Chile, Jordan, Peru, South Sudan, Uganda, and Yemen.
At the moment I am part of the project ‘Humanitarian governance: accountability, advocacy, alternatives’, which has a special focus on how civil society actors and crisis-affected people shape humanitarian governance by using accountability and advocacy. The project also seeks to develop models of alternative humanitarian ethics and humanitarian studies. Finally, there is a component researching how humanitarian actors conceptualize and deal with climate-related displacement. This project works with partner institutes in Colombia, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where case studies take place.
In addition to my academic work, I often take research, monitoring and evaluation, and advisory consultancy work. This work allows me to develop action research on a regular basis, so I can stay close to the experiences and processes taking place in my fields of study.
Publications of articles
- D.J.M. Hilhorst, M.J. Vervest, I. Desportes, S. Melis, R. Mena & R. Van Voorst (2021). Strengthening community resilience in conflict. (Extern Research report), Partners for Resilience
- R. Mena & D. Hilhorst (2020). The (im)possibilities of disaster risk reduction in the context of high-intensity conflict: the case of Afghanistan. Environmental Hazards.
- R. Mena (2020). Disaster response and DRR in high-intensity conflict settings.Opens external (Preprints, Research Brief). The Hague: International Institute of Social Studies [go to publisher’s site]
- R. Mena (2020). Technology and Humanitarian Aid in Afghanistan: Using technology for data collection and communication in the context of conflict. (Extern rapport). Kabul, Afghanistan: Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)
- D.J.M. Hilhorst, M.J. Vervest, I. Desportes, S. Melis, R.A. Mena Fluhmann & R. Van Voorst (2020). Strengthening community resilience in conflict: learnings from the Partners for Resilience programme. (Preprints, ISS Working Papers – General Series, no 666). The Hague: International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam
- D.J.M. Hilhorst, I. Desportes, S. Melis, R. Mena & R.S. van Voorst (2020). When Disaster Meets Conflict: A scenario-based approach to the politics of disaster governance in conflict settings.l (Preprints). : VICI-ISS [go to publisher’s site]
- R. Mena, D.J.M. Hilhorst & K. Peters (2019). Disaster risk reduction and protracted violent conflict: the case of Afghanistan. (Extern rapport). : Overseas Development Institute (ODI), International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) [go to publisher’s site]
- R. Mena (2019). Prioritizing disaster response in a context of high-intensity conflict: the case of South Sudan. (Intern rapport, Research Brief #3). : International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- D.J.M. Hilhorst, R.A. Mena Fluhmann, R.S. van Voorst, I. Desportes & S. Melis (2019). Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Response in Different Conflict Scenarios. In Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) 2019. Geneva: United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
- R. Mena (2018). Responding to Socio-environmental Disasters in High-Intensity Conflict Scenarios: Challenges and Legitimation Strategie. In HG Brauch, U Oswald Spring, A Collins & SE Serrano Oswald (Eds.), Climate Change, Disasters, Sustainability Transition and Peace in the Anthropocene (The Anthropocene: Politik, Economics, Society, Science) (pp. 27-66). Switzerland: Springer
- R. Mena (2018). Understanding and Preventing Social Conflict while Implementing Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction in Afghanistan. (Extern rapport). Kabul, Afghanistan: Afghanistan Resilience Consortium (ARC)
- R. Mena (2018). Disaster Risk Reduction in Afghanistan. (Intern rapport, Research Brief, no 6). The Hague: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- R. Mena (2018). Manual on Conflict Analysis Tools: Preventing, mitigating and reducing the risk of social conflict in Civil DRR Projects. (Extern rapport). Kabul, Afghanistan: Afghanistan Resilience Consortium (ARC)
- F. Carcamo & R. Mena (2017). Conflictos socio-ambientales en la sociedad moderna: aportes de la ecología política Latinoamericana y la teoría de la acción comunicativa. Journal of Political Ecology, 24, 1077-1093.
- A. Pelfini & R. Mena (2016). Oligarquización y extractivismo. Cerrojos a la democratización de la política ambiental en Chile. Revista Perfiles Latinoamericanos (FLACSO), 49 (1), 251-276.
- R. Mena (2015). Agricultura Urbana, reducción de la pobreza y seguridad alimentaria: Una relación compleja. In Tierra: Paisajes, suelos y biodiversidad: Desafíos para un buen vivir. Santiago, Chile: IPTCentral
- R. Mena (2014). Heritage, Youth and sustainability. (Preprints). : ONG Ambientarte
- R. Mena (2013). Urban Agriculture and Australian Food Supply Scenarios (Working Paper). (Preprints). : Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL)
- R. Mena & J. Carbonell (2013). Estudio de Satiafaccion Usuaria. (Preprints). Santiago de Chile: Corporacion de Asistencia Judicial; Ministerio de Justicia
- R. Mena (2012). From Rural to Ruralities: A transformation to a Territorial and Sustainable Development. In M.F. Meyer & J. Lüder (Eds.), Políticas Públicas y Economía Social de Mercado (pp. 52-65). Chile: Ed. Fundación Konrad Adenauer
- M.J. Lemaitre & R. Mena (2012). Aseguramiento de la calidad en América Latina: tendencias y desafíos. In Educación Superior en Iberoamérica: Informe 2012 (pp. 21-72). Chile: CINDA; Universia
- R. Márquez, D. Flores, P. Güell, P. González, S. Godoy, R. Mena & F. Gonzalez (2008). Informe sobre Desarrollo Humano Rural en Chile. In UNDP Rural Development Report. Chile: United Nations Development Programe (UNDP)
- R. Mena (2011). Estudio Perfil Postulantes y Sistema Judicial. (Preprints). Chile: Corporacion de Asistencia Judicial; Ministerio de Justicia
- R. Mena & F. Gonzalez (2009). Lo rural como construcción sociopolítica. Revista Latinoamericana de Desarrollo Humano, 2 (57).
- R. Mena, F. Gonzalez & C. Concha (2008). Ruralidad y Medioambiente. Revista de Antropología Rural, 3 (3):2.