Phap: Learning Sessions And Webinars

Humanitarian protection is often the most needed in the very conflict zones where access is also the most restricted. Whether in areas controlled by armed groups or government forces, in situations when civilians have their basic rights and physical safety threatened, humanitarians carrying out protection work and advocacy are likely to face actors trying to restrict their access and ability to operate, or simply keep them out. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to sudden changes in how protection actors can access populations of concern, with additional restrictions on how they are able to operate in the short and medium term. What can we learn from the experience of protection actors operating in hard-to-reach areas that we can apply to the new challenges of the current operational environment?On 22 April, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), PHAP, and the Global Protection Cluster (GPC) organized the first of a series of webinars on access and humanitarian protection. The event provided an overview

As the novel coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, continues to spread globally, the risk it presents to populations living in camps and camp-like settings is growing. Camp managers are working quickly to adjust their programs to accommodate social distancing while continuing to communicate with communities and working with partners to improve communal sanitation. Sphere recently released guidance for how the Sphere Handbook can help guide humanitarian staff in the response to the COVID-19 outbreak. But how should camp managers apply those standards and strengthen the prevention measures recommended by technical sectors? During our webinar on 2 April, organized by the CCCM Cluster and PHAP, we learned about COVID-19 prevention measures critical to the work of Camp Managers and others working in displacement settings. We heard from WASH specialists, as well as experienced Camp program staff who have recently been involved in setting up special measures to prevent the spread of disease and develop key messages for

Through the Grand Bargain, humanitarian organizations and donors have committed to change the way humanitarian action is carried out and create a “Participation Revolution.” But how does including the people and communities affected by humanitarian crises look in practice? How are organizations ensuring that the voices of the most vulnerable groups considering gender, age, ethnicity, language, and special needs are heard and acted upon? How are they designing program activities and budgets to support the changes that affected people demand?In this webinar, organized on 26 March 2020 by PHAP and the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response, we took stock of the progress to date on workstream six of the Grand Bargain and heard success stories from the field that can help agencies achieve a sustained change in how they design and deliver their programs.Read more about the event on https://phap.org/26mar2020

In the first sessions of the conference, we had heard from NGOs and other humanitarian actors on the challenges and risks related to principled humanitarian action faced in their work. In the third and final session, we looked at relevant initiatives for mobilizing collaborative and collective action among NGOs, UN agencies and Member States, donors, and affected people.Read more about the session at https://phap.org/ICVA2020-Session3This session was part of ICVA's Virtual Annual Conference 2020. Read more about the conference on the event page https://phap.org/ICVA2020

With challenges to principled humanitarian action, NGOs are facing increased risks in their work. While NGOs accept risk as part of their work, many organizations are taking on more risk than they may be aware of and have the capacity to manage. In the second session of the Annual Conference, we explored the types of risks faced by NGOs linked to the humanitarian principles, how they can be managed, and how the gap between risk appetite and risk tolerance can be addressed in the sector.Read more about the session at https://phap.org/ICVA2020-Session2This session was part of ICVA's Virtual Annual Conference 2020. Read more about the conference on the event page https://phap.org/ICVA2020

Principled humanitarian action may be more important than ever for humanitarian actors managing risk in highly political and volatile operational contexts. However, humanitarian principles are being challenged on multiple fronts. This first session helped frame the discussions of the Annual Conference and explored the importance of protecting and promoting principled humanitarian action.Read more about the session at https://phap.org/ICVA2020-Session1This session was part of ICVA's Virtual Annual Conference 2020. Read more about the conference on the event page https://phap.org/ICVA2020

The IASC recently endorsed guidelines for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action. How can these guidelines help make humanitarian action more inclusive? On 26 February 2020, ICVA and PHAP organized a webinar together with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) secretariat and the Reference Group on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, which introduced the guidelines and discuss how they can be implemented in practice. The three interim co-chairs of the Reference Group, as well as one of the NGOs that has been implementing the IASC Guidelines in their organization, spoke about the guidelines, their development, structure, and how they can be used in practice.For more information about the event, please visit https://phap.org/26feb2020Persons with disabilities are among the most marginalized people in crisis-affected communities and disproportionately affected by conflict and disasters. In some contexts, their mortality rate is two to four times higher th

Coordination and collaboration are critical for humanitarian protection – just as it is for an effective overall humanitarian response. Recent crises have highlighted that there remains a need to reinforce protection programming with clear leadership and further articulation of roles and responsibilities. Research has shown that effective coordination during disaster response has been lacking to the extent that it has become the expected norm. How can the GPC ensure it leads on coordination and overcomes identified problems in its work over the next five years?On Tuesday, 26 November, PHAP organized a webinar in partnership with the Global Protection Cluster (GPC) on coordination and collaboration for humanitarian protection. We discussed current weaknesses in protection coordination and what role the GPC may have in ensuring protection programming is well-coordinated – avoiding gaps and duplication – and that responding to the needs of marginalized communities does not fall between different actors. Issues d

The discipline of risk management is not new, and there has already been a significant amount of work to translate risk management practice and tools for use in humanitarian operations. Despite this, humanitarian organizations continue to struggle with applying risk management in their decision-making process. On 21 November, ICVA and PHAP organized the first webinar in a series aimed at exploring the current state of risk management in the humanitarian sector. This webinar provided an introduction to the concept of risk management and an overview of the particular challenges to apply this in humanitarian work. As part of framing how these challenges can be overcome, we heard from Jeremy Rempel, Head of Humanitarian Financing at ICVA, and Patroba Otieno, Risk and Financial Specialist at World Vision Somalia.Participants in the webinar learned about the need to balance management of the risks inherent to the work with the desire to reach people in need in the most difficult contexts. They also learned about th

The effects of a warming climate will likely be far-reaching and profound. In addition to warming and changed weather patterns, climate change will increasingly spark extremes in weather – a greater frequency and intensity of storms, heat, and cold. Critically, the effects of climate change exacerbate the scarcity of key resources, and hence contribute to armed conflict and impoverishment. To respond to these effects, humanitarian action needs to focus more on climate preparedness and response to slow-onset disasters – but how does humanitarian protection work fit into this shift?On 19 November, PHAP and the Global Protection Cluster (GPC) organized a webinar organized on climate change preparedness and community-based protection. The discussion focused on how protection concerns can be better included in preparedness work and in slow-onset disasters to avoid protection gaps and include marginalized communities. What is the role of the Protection Cluster in this? Are structural changes for coordination and co

Humanitarian action is increasingly connected to development, peace, and security work. What does this mean for the future of humanitarian protection and the role of the Global Protection Cluster (GPC)?On 22 October, PHAP organized a webinar organized in partnership with GPC on the future of humanitarian protection in the nexus, discussing how humanitarian protection fits into the vision and concrete plans for humanitarian action in the coming decade.Humanitarian action has never been carried out in isolation from other sectors. Building on long-running initiatives, such as “linking relief rehabilitation and development” (LRRD) and disaster risk reduction (DRR), efforts to strengthen connections with other sectors have accelerated over the past few years, especially following the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. The UN and World Bank’s New Way of Working (NWoW), the EU’s Joint Humanitarian and Development Frameworks, and other initiatives have in common a focus on the “nexus” between humanitarian work and deve

How would you run a camp for displaced persons? Who would you hire to manage a site following a hurricane? If a conflict suddenly broke out and only your agency had access to a neighborhood where displaced people were staying, what would you do? What core activities would your team be responsible for? Where would you look for this information? And what standards would guide your interventions?National authorities have the responsibility to prevent displacement and protect IDPs and other populations affected within their own country. But in crisis situations, they often receive support from the international humanitarian community in the form of lifesaving assistance, including the management of temporary displacement sites.On 23 September, PHAP and the Global CCCM Cluster organized a webinar on the critical work of Camp Managers and the draft Camp Management Standards. This included experienced Camp Managers who have been involved in the standards development process and was an opportunity for practitioners w

On Wednesday, 3 July, PHAP in partnership with the Humanitarian Logistics Association (HLA) organized a webinar exploring the topic of protection in humanitarian logistics, aiming to clarify key protection issues that should be of direct concern with respect to humanitarian logistics and related functions.The event featured speakers representing a wide range of perspectives. Will Holden, Managing Director of the Emergency Logistics Team, provided an overview of protection issues faced by logistics practitioners. Tikhwi Muyundo, Castelbarco Capacity Building Consultants and Africa Regional Representative, Humanitarian Logistics Association (HLA), shared her perspectives on protection issues related to how logistics is carried out. Valerie Craigie, Supply Chain and Communications Consultant, described her findings from a study on protection issues and gender-based violence in logistics and camp management. Pierre Gentile, former Head of the Protection Division at the ICRC and currently working as a consultant,

On Thursday, 20 June, ICVA and PHAP organized the second session in the learning stream on the Navigating change. The discussion provided an overview of current challenges and trends regarding civil society space and how NGOs and other actors are working to counter initiatives that shrink this space.For more information about this event and further resources, please visit phap.org/20jun2019.

On Thursday, 8 November, ICVA and PHAP organized the first session in the learning stream on the Navigating change. The discussion provided an overview of the concept of localizationin the humanitarian sector, how it has evolved, and how it is currently used. Participants learned more about how governments, private donors, the business community, and diaspora actors see current opportunities, trends, and challenges. The potential impact of localization initiatives on principled and effective humanitarian action were also examined.This webinar is part of the “Navigating Change” Learning Stream which includes a total of six webinars, briefing papers, and other resources.For more information about this event and further resources, please visit https://phap.org/8nov2018

On 11 September, ICVA and PHAP organized the fifth and final session in the learning stream on the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. After having explored how the three main types of actors in this nexus view the current processes and discussions, it was discussed on how donors are approaching the issue.For more information about this event and further resources, please visit https://phap.org/11sep2018

For the past 12 years, the All In Diary has been providing humanitarian practitioners with essential, up-to-date, and succinct guidance for humanitarian workers in a convenient format. Following a revision process carried out on a voluntary basis by practitioners from across the sector over the past year, the sixth edition of the AID is now available. On 22 August, we learned more about this practical resource from its co-founders, as well as from practitioners who are using it and have been contributing to help ensure that the latest edition reflects recent developments in the sector. For more information about this event and further resources, please visit https://phap.org/22aug2018

On 19 July, PHAP and ICVA organized an online event exploring how peace actors see their role in the nexus – including both what humanitarian and development actors can learn from peacebuilding and how peacebuilding efforts can better work towards shared outcomes with other actors in the nexus.This fourth session of the learning stream on the "nexus," featured Scott Weber of Interpeace, who provided an overview of peacebuilding work in ongoing emergency contexts. Anna Chernova shared some of the experiences of Oxfam and how they have been integrating peacebuilding in their work as a multi-mandated organization. Rabia Nusrat of International Alert also shared her perspectives on how humanitarian organizations interact with peacebuilding in emergency contexts in Asia.For more information about this event and further resources, please visit https://phap.org/19jul2018

Since they were launched six years ago, the Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS) have become an important reference to help ensure that measures to protect children are a central component of all humanitarian action. As part of launching the next stage of the consultation and revision process to update the standards.On 19 June, PHAP organized an online session together with the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action on the standards and how they are being used in practice. This was an opportunity to learn more about the standards and how practitioners are using them, what is changing in the revision, and what the next steps are for contributing to the consultations. For more information about this event and further resources, please visit https://phap.org/19jun2018

The UN is currently undergoing reforms concerning its development, peace, and humanitarian work. On 8 June, PHAP and ICVA organized an online event exploring the various UN reforms that are currently being rolled out in relation to the humanitarian-development-peace nexus – including the repositioning of the UN development system to deliver on the 2030 Agenda, the restructuring of the UN peace and security pillar, and the shifting of the management paradigm in the UN.Read more and access the session resources at https://phap.org/8jun2018