Webinar: The challenges of localised aid in conflict. 11/29/2016

The challenges of localised aid in conflict

Organisation:
Location:
Date: 29 November 2016
Time: 15:00 – 16:30 GMT

The idea that local actors should be at the forefront of humanitarian response in their own country is increasingly widely accepted.

One message, which resounded loud and clear at the first World Humanitarian Summit, was the need for greater localisation of aid.

However, the current localisation agenda gives little consideration to the different humanitarian contexts and their different operational challenges.  Can local actors deliver impartial emergency assistance on a meaningful scale in armed conflicts, if they find themselves caught up in the political and military game of the warring parties?  


Our expert panel of observers and practitioners from international and local organisations discuss and debate the nuances of the situation on the ground.

Informed by new research from Médecins Sans Frontières which highlights operational challenges to locally led responses in conflict and highly politicised environments, this discussion asks:

• What are the practical implications of locally-led responses in acute conflicts? 
• What are the key issues to overcome? 
• How can we ensure that locally-led responses conform with key humanitarian principles?

Contributing chair
Wendy Fenton @WendyFenton1 - Coordinator, Humanitarian Practice Network

Speakers

Ed Schenkenberg @ed_heregva - Executive Director, Humanitarian Exchange and Research Centre
Luz Saavedra @alnap - Former Research Fellow, ALNAP
Zaidoun Alzoabi @UOSSM - Chief Executive Officer, Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organisations (via video link)
Charlie Rowley @oxfamgb - Humanitarian Capacity Development Advisor, Global Humanitarian Team, Oxfam
Teresa Sancristoval @MSF - Emergency Desk Manager, Médecins Sans Frontières

Webinar: Food Security. Cash in the City: Addressing food security needs in urban crises. 12/08/2016

Cash in the City: Addressing food security needs in urban crises

Organisation: ALNAP
Location:
Date: 08 December 2016
Time: 2 to 3:30pm (GMT)

The humanitarian world has made a significant shift towards using cash to help vulnerable people meet their needs, including food security. Despite a growing evidence base, much of our collective experience is in rural areas. How can cash-based approaches meet food security needs in urban crises? Is cash different in an urban context? What are the challenges and lessons learned?

The latest edition in ALNAP’s urban webinar series will explore the shift towards humanitarian cash programming.

Presentations from CRS and NRC will explore urban cash-based programming in Nigeria and Iran. The webinar is co-presented by the Global Food Security Cluster’s Food Security and Livelihoods in Urban Settings working group, and discussions will draw in global perspectives from colleagues in WFP and the American Red Cross.

Speakers:
   • Marianna Kuttothara, American Red Cross Society, will open the webinar with reflections on years of cash programming in rural and urban emergencies.
   • Giulia Frontini, Catholic Relief Services Nigeria, will share experiences of providing electronic food vouchers/cash in both rural and urban areas of NorthEast Nigeria, to support displaced people fleeing Boko Haram violence. Giulia will focus on targeting, selection of vendors/markets, community participation and security.
   • Anthony Dutemple, Norwegian Refugee Council Iran, will draw on his experiences with cash responses across the MENA region, and speak in particular about a new cash programme for Afghan refugees in Iran. His presentation will look at distribution modalities and integrating protection outcomes
   • A fourth speaker, TBD, from World Food Programme will join the discussion/Q&A, reflecting on WFP's global urban experiences with cash for food security.

Audience members will have the opportunity to contribute to the discussion before, during and after the webinar by posing questions for speakers, sharing their own experiences, responding to polls and continuing the discussion in the Urban Response Community of Practice.

Interested? Sign up for this webinar!