Learning Stream on Humanitarian Coordination: NGOs in government-led and refugee coordination contexts

The humanitarian coordination learning stream has so far covered how NGOs engage and how NGO fora and consortia function in the international humanitarian coordination architecture at the global, regional and country levels.

The UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/46/182 of 1991 states that “in a natural disaster and other emergencies occurring on its territory… the affected State has the primary role in the initiation, organization, coordination, and implementation of humanitarian assistance within its territory.” The increasing capacity of many governments to lead humanitarian coordination efforts, coupled with the growing critique of relying on an internationally led approach to humanitarian coordination means that NGOs are engaging even more with governments to provide humanitarian assistance.

Moreover, in the light of the refugee crises that we are currently witnessing around the world, another coordination model has become increasingly important for humanitarian practitioners and NGO staff: the Refugee Coordination Model (RCM). It provides a framework for humanitarian response in the context of a refugee crisis and links with broader humanitarian coordination structures and the IASC cluster system.

Join us on 9 November, in ICVA’s and PHAP’s sixth and last online session of the humanitarian coordination learning stream. The event will focus on how NGOs engage and interact with government-led coordination mechanisms and on NGOs role in the Refugee Coordination Model.

Introductory whiteboard video

Learning objectives

• Familiarity with the role of governments in the coordination of humanitarian response
• Awareness of the opportunities, challenges, and best practice for NGOs engaging in government-led coordination mechanisms
• Understanding of the Refugee Coordination Model and how NGOs can engage in it
• Awareness of the opportunities, challenges, and best practice for NGOs engaging in the Refugee Coordination Model

Event time

Thursday, 9 November 2017

To see when the live session will take place in your time zone, click here.

Target audience and event access

The event is particularly targeted to those working in international and national NGOs engaged in humanitarian action, who are seeking for a stronger understanding of the various humanitarian coordination mechanisms. The event is also open to the public. In order to join the event, please register in advance at phap.org/9nov2017-register

Register now

Recommended resources

• Saavedra, L. & Knox-Clarke, P., “Better together? The benefits and challenges of coordination in the field,” ALNAP Study, November 2015
• Saavedra, L. & Knox-Clarke, P., “Working together in the field for effective humanitarian response,” ALNAP Background Paper for 30thALNAP Annual Meeting, February 2015
• REDLAC, “Guide for Governments 2011: How the international humanitarian system supports government disaster response,” Inter-Agency Working Group on Risk, Emergency and Disasters for Latin America and the Caribbean (REDLAC), 2011
• UNHCR, "Coordinating Assitance," UNHCR website
• UNHCR Geneva, “UNHCR Refugee Coordination Model: Adaptation of UNHCR’s refugee coordination in the context of the Transformative Agenda”, November 2013
• UNHCR, "Refugee situations," UNHCR Emergency Handbook

Speakers

Paul Harvey Partner, Humanitarian Outcomes

Vikrant Mahajan CEO, Sphere India

Arafat Jamal Head of Inter-Agency Coordination Service, Division of External Relations, UNHCR

Patriciah Roy Akullo Advocacy Officer, ACT Alliance Uganda Forum

Co-hosts

Marc DuBois PHAP Facilitator

Emmanuelle Osmond Senior Policy Officer – Humanitarian Coordination, ICVA

PHAP Credentialing Program

Understanding the Humanitarian Ecosystem This event will help you prepare for the PHAP Credentialing Program certification in Understanding the Humanitarian Ecosystem. The event will address some aspects of segments 2.2 and 3.2 of the certification assessment outline. Read more about the PHAP Credentialing Program

Learning stream on humanitarian coordination

As part of the learning stream on humanitarian coordination, this event will be the sixth session of six live interactive online learning events that ICVA and PHAP will organize in the coming months with the purpose of providing NGOs and humanitarian workers with a stronger understanding of the humanitarian coordination mechanisms at global, regional, and country levels.

Geneva Humanitarian Connector

This event is made possible by ICVA and through the Geneva Humanitarian Connector, an initiative of PHAP supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.