Phap: Learning Sessions And Webinars

The United Nations and its partners are scaling up their response to the recent earthquake in Nepal. A needs assessement is being rapidly undertaken and the resulting Flash Appeal was launched on Wednesday 29 April.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) together with PHAP hosted a webinar on Thursday 30 April at 14:00 (CEST) specifically for private sector entities wishing to engage. Colleagues in Nepal presented the current situation, priority needs identified in the Flash Appeal, and provided guidance on how to contribute or collaborate in the coordinated relief efforts.Read more at https://phap.org/30Apr2015

On 2 April 2015, PHAP hosted a live online discussion event as part of its current Exchange Hub on measuring success in protection programming.The humanitarian community has come under increased pressure to achieve more meaningful results and demonstrate impact through protection programming. Protection programs need to be accountable for the funds they receive and the activities they implement. However, measuring results in protection programming is not straightforward – while traditional results-based management techniques are useful, we must be more creative in the development of further tools and methods that meet the particular challenges faced in protection.The event focused on clarifying the overarching goals of protection programming, which is often not sufficiently addressed in more technical discussions about measurement and evaluation. The event featured a panel discussion with a panel of experts from ECHO, UNHCR, UNICEF, and World Vision International.This Exchange Hub is organized in collaboratio

Speakers: Jasveen Ahluwalia, Erin Kenny, Adama Moussa, Allison Peters, The UN Secretary-General has called violence against women and girls a global “pandemic.” The creation of the UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, as well as recent concern over increasing rates of child marriage amongst Syrian refugees and trafficking of girls after the earthquake in Nepal, are all examples of how this has become a priority area for improving response to humanitarian crises. But has this increasing attention so far translated into any changes on the ground?This consultation event will be an opportunity to take stock of what has been done to date, to highlight good practices, and to help clarify the recommendations that should be submitted to the World Humanitarian Summit.Read more at https://phap.org/WHS-6Aug2015

On 4 August 2015, PHAP hosted an online briefing and Q&A session with Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC) Stephen O'Brien regarding his perspectives on the World Humanitarian Summit.We are currently facing humanitarian needs on a massive scale. In our rapidly changing world, we must continually seek better ways to protect and assist the millions of people affected by conflicts and disasters.An initiative of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, managed by UN OCHA, the first World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) will be held in Istanbul on 23 and 24 May 2016 and will bring together governments, humanitarian organizations, people affected by humanitarian crises, and new partners including the private sector to propose solutions to our most pressing challenges and set an agenda to keep humanitarian action fit for the future.Stephen O'Brien began in the role of USG/ERC on 1 June 2015, succeeding Valerie Amos. Apart from leading the organization that is managing the WHS and the consultatio

Speakers: Alastair Ager, Nilawaty Bahar, Anne Willem Bijleveld, Christoph Hensch, Brendan McDonald, Alessandra Pigni, Zehra Rizvi, Winnifred SimonHumanitarian effectiveness and accountability in humanitarian response has received a great deal of attention in recent years. However, despite considerable research underlining its importance, what is often missing or underplayed in discussions and initiatives relating to both these topics is that of the safety, security, and wellness of humanitarian staff and volunteers.The number of aid workers who are victims of attacks have almost tripled over the past ten years and research has repeatedly demonstrated a strong relationship between deployment to humanitarian crises and conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Apart from being of grave concern in itself, this also seriously affects the effectiveness of humanitarian response.In this consultation event, the focus was on the following questions: What is the relationshi

Speakers: Priya Marwah, Amjad Mohamed-Saleem, Abdullah Al Razwan (Nabin), Sema Genel Karaosmanoğlu, Graeme Smith, Amar NayakLocalizing humanitarian preparedness and response has emerged as an important cross-cutting theme for the regional consultation for South and Central Asia. The WHS regional consultations to date have called for more discipline and predictability in triggering regional and international humanitarian support, and have emphasized that international humanitarian action should be driven by the concept of subsidiarity – ensuring that it supports local decisions and systems instead of supplanting them. To achieve this, the capacity of first line responders at local and national level needs strengthening.Recommendations to date have included increasing the level of finance going directly to local and national responders; making national coordination and response mechanisms the default in disasters; and building a strong network of deployable capacities, especially in the Global South.However, di

On 8 July 2015, PHAP hosted a combined online learning session on Humanitarian Innovation and a live online consultation event on the draft Principles for Ethical Humanitarian Innovation, organized in support of the World Humanitarian Summit.The consultation event featured: - A brief presentation of the draft Principles for Ethical Humanitarian Innovation by Alexander Betts, Director of the Refugee Studies Centre, and Leopold Muller, Associate Professor in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, University of Oxford. - A panel discussion focusing in turn on each of the seven draft principles. - An opportunity for participants to provide their input and perspectives on the draft principles. - The possibility for registrants to submit input on the draft principles in writing prior to the event.Read more at https://phap.org/WHS-8Jul2015

On 25 February 2015, PHAP hosted an online introductory briefing on the topic of its Third Exchange Hub: Measuring success in protection programming. Participants learned more about the current status of two key initiatives in this area: InterAction’s Results-Based Protection Program and ALNAP’s program on Evaluating protection in humanitarian action.The event included short briefings from Francesca Bonino, Research Fellow at ALNAP and head of their program on evaluating protection, and Jessica Lenz, Senior Program Manager with InterAction who leads the Results-Based Protection program.Read more at https://phap.org/25Feb2015

On 17 September 2014, PHAP hosted an online event discussing the new IASC Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC) from an NGO perspective. As part of the Transformative Agenda, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) revised its Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC) – a replacement for the previous Consolidated Appeals Processes (CAPs) – so that it could be more useful for HCTs, NGOs and other responders in-country. This webinar provided a briefing on the process of devising this new HPC, what this process was trying to achieve, and what NGOs should expect from this revised approach. The event featured Joel Charny, Vice President of Humanitarian Policy and Practice at InterAction, and Gareth Price Jones, Humanitarian Affairs Representative from Oxfam International, and is organized together with the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA).Spurred by the large-scale crises in Haiti and Pakistan in 2010, the Humanitarian Programme Cycle was created to guide humanitarian coordination, leadership and accou

On 29 June 2015, PHAP hosted a live online briefing and consultation event on the topic of “Migrants in Crisis." Supporting the World Humanitarian Summit consultations, the event is organized in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the NGO Committee on Migration.In crisis situations around the world, we need to more effectively prepare for and respond to the particular circumstances of migrants affected by or trapped in crises – leveraging their resourcefulness and networks while preserving their rights. The World Humanitarian Summit consultation process and associated initiatives provide a timely and inclusive platform to understand and address this phenomenon in a holistic manner. This event aims to stimulate discussion, raise awareness, and provide an impetus for action in this area.This event featured presentations by IOM’s Director of Operations and Emergencies, Mr. Mohammed Abdiker, and the International Catholic Migration Commission’s (ICMC) Head of Policy, Mr. John

On 18 June 2015, PHAP hosted an online briefing and consultation in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Caritas Internationalis on "Trafficking in persons in times of crisis" in support of the World Humanitarian Summit.This event featured: - A discussion and Q&A with Dr. Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children - A presentation of the findings of the research carried out by IOM on the manifestations and responses to trafficking in persons in times of crises in the MENA region, with a focus on Iraq and Libya - A presentation of the action research on trafficking in persons in conflict and post-conflict situations carried out by Caritas - The possibility for participants to provide their views on how humanitarian action can better meet the challenges related to trafficking in persons in emergency contextsRead more at https://phap.org/WHS-18Jun2015

Speakers: Michel Veuthey, Amjad Mohamed-Saleem, Alastair Ager, Beris GwynneReligious discourse has long been characterised by a concern for the immediate welfare of humankind, and faith-based organization play an important role in mobilizing the support of millions of people for whom religious values underpin their concern for their neighbours in the global village. Faith-based organizations can play a particular role where overt conflicts or less overt inter-group grievances are exacerbated by religious tensions, especially in bridging social or political divides with distinct religious dimensions.Many humanitarian actors, defend their religious neutrality claiming that they can gain better access and offer unconditional help to people in need whoever and wherever they are. On the other hand, a majority of faith-based organizations do not see any incompatibility between their actions and the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality. They highlight that they provide humanitarian assistance witho

Speakers: Louise Searle, Alan Ryan, Simon Lambert, Chris Piper, Finau Heuifanga LimuloaOn 2 June 2015, PHAP hosted a live online consultation event in support of the the World Humanitarian Summit regional process for the Pacific region. The event happened in anticipation of the regional meeting on 30 June to 2 July 2015 in Auckland, New Zealand.The Pacific region is one of the most disaster-prone in the world. Five of its countries are among the top 15 most at risk of disasters globally and eight out of 20 countries in the world with the highest average annual disaster losses by GDP are Pacific island countries.Read more at https://phap.org/WHS-2Jun2015

On 8 January 2015, PHAP hosted a special online consultation event on the principle of neutrality in humanitarian action as part of the World Humanitarian Summit consultations. Over 200 participants joined us for a high level discussion with constant interaction from the audience, which contributed with important questions and comments.The principle of neutrality, included for example in the Statutes of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and in UN General Assembly Resolution 46/182, is concerned with not taking sides in hostilities and not engaging at any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious, or ideological nature. Such neutral action is generally considered as a crucial means for humanitarian organizations to be able to pursue their humanitarian work in an impartial manner – on the basis of need.The event was introduced with a special briefing by Dustin Lewis, Senior Researcher at the Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict (PILAC), on the prin

Part of the World Humanitarian Summit consultations on “The Power of Business in Emergencies”, on 26 November we hosted an the online event that took place on the lead up to the Asia Regional Business Consultation in Bangkok, in 2 December 2014. The online event explored and captured private sector perspectives on how the business community can coordinate itself to engage more systematically in support of emergency preparedness and response, in complement to and in partnership with governments and humanitarian organizations. Key points from the online discussion were brought to the table at the Asia Regional Business Consultation in Bangkok, which was co-hosted by PDRF, ADP, and OCHA, and which supported the Summit consultative process. The guest speakers discussed the importance of partnership across sectors to support preparedness, response, and recovery. They looked at various models and leading practices in the Philippines, in the Asia-Pacific region, and globally. The interactive discussion looked both

On 21 November 2014, PHAP hosted the first regional consultation event for the Europe and Others Group. Speakers for the event included Tímea Huber, Head of the Department for International Development of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary and Co-Chair of the Regional Steering Group for Europe and Others; Yulia Gusynina Paroz, Special Advisor to the Director of the Europe Zone, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); Patricia McIlreavy, Senior Director of Humanitarian Policy of InterAction; Randolph Kent, Discussion Chair of the online discussion forum for the region; and Rob Smith, Head of the Geneva office of the World Humanitarian Summit secretariat.Read more on https://phap.org/WHS-21Nov2014

On 23 October 2014, the third in a series of live online events leading up to the World Humanitarian Summit Eastern and Southern Africa regional consultation was hosted by PHAP. Leading up to the regional consultation event, which took place in Pretoria, South Africa, at the end of October, this live online event focused on the regional priorities concerning humanitarian effectiveness. Speakers included Michael Charles, Regional Programs Coordinator for the Southern Africa region, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); Francis Onditi, Regional Child Protection Coordinator for West and East Africa, Save the Children International; Filipa Gouveia, Programme Officer and Humanitarian Focal Point, UNFPA Mozambique; Rania El Rajji, Humanitarian Affairs Advisor, MSF-Spain (Kenya); Mvuselelo Huni, Chief Operations Officer, Organisation of Rural Associations for Progress (ORAP) (Zimbabwe); and Joseph Nkinzo, Executive Director, Hope in Action International (Kenya).

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa evolved into a complex emergency with significant political, social humanitarian and security dimensions in 2014. It is estimated by the United Nations that US$987.8 million are required to implement the Ebola response strategy. Health agencies such as the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders have warned of inadequate resources to contain the epidemic and treat affected people. As the international community scales up its efforts, the private sector is being called upon to expand its engagement to provide resources with the objective to eradicate the Ebola threat and mitigate its impact.The online event on the “Power of business in the Ebola response” rovided information on the Ebola crisis, specific ways in which the private sector could contribute to the crisis and best case examples of private sector engagement in the response. We heard first-hand accounts of the crisis on the ground from workers in affected countries and from private sector companies that

On 16 October 2014, PHAP hosted the second in a series of live online events leading up to the World Humanitarian Summit Eastern and Southern Africa regional consultation. On the lead up to the regional consultation event, which took place in Pretoria, South Africa, this live online event focused on on the theme of transformation through innovation: successful scale-up models. Speakers included Olivier Delarue, Head of UNHCR Innovation; Helen Altshul, Deputy Chief for the Resilience and Economic Growth in Arid Lands – Improving Resilience in Kenya (REGAL-IR) project at Adeso; and Rob Beyer, Villgro Innovation.Read more at https://phap.org/WHS-16Oct2014

On 3 October 2014, PHAP hosted the second in a series of live online events leading up to the World Humanitarian Summit Eastern and Southern Africa regional consultation, which will take place in Pretoria, South Africa, on 27 October. This live online event discussed humanitarian interaction with political and military actors including parties to conflict, states, peacekeeping operations and political missions.The panel of speakers included Ashley Jackson, Researcher at the Overseard Development Institute (ODI); Jules Frost, Senior Advisor for Civil-Military and Police Relations at World Vision International; Ibrahim Mohamed, Project Manager at Zamzam Foundation; and Maimuna Mohamud, Consultant for Heritage Institute for Policy Studies (HIPS).Read more on https://phap.org/WHS-3oct2014