PHAP: Learning sessions and webinars

While both climate finance and humanitarian response aim to address the negative effects of climate change, they have different mechanisms and distinct forms of financing, resulting in poor coordination. Improving coordination between these two sectors is needed to help close the considerable funding gaps that exist for countries most affected by climate change. Join us for a webinar on 6 July, in which we will discuss how climate finance and humanitarian response can better work together to respond to climate-related emergencies. Together with an expert panel, we'll be looking in more detail at how climate loss and damage financing works in relation to humanitarian response, what the two sectors can learn from each other, and what lessons we can already draw from existing coordination efforts. Read more about the session at https://phap.org/6jul2023

What is needed to move beyond consulting and listening to people affected by crises to ensure their representation and influence in decision-making forums? Join us on Tuesday, 13 December 2022, to explore how we can collectively build greater trust in our responses through genuine participation in decision-making processes. The IASC AAP Task Force has been exploring different elements of putting accountability to affected populations (AAP) into practice through a series of events over the past year. Previous sessions have focused on collective accountability, leadership, and donor engagement. In each of those events, getting the voices of those affected by crisis “to the table” has been a recurring theme. As part of the IASC Task Force’s commitment to engaging and consulting with the broader community, we invite you to join us and share both the challenges you are facing and your views on how we can ensure genuine participation. Together with a panel, we will discuss cases submitted by the participants to see what practical steps can be taken to better ensure the genuine participation of people affected by crises. Read more about the event at https://phap.org/13dec2022

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) includes commitments regarding “Loss and Damage” (L&D) – the impacts of climate change to which those least responsible for climate change are not able to adapt. Action to address L&D under the UNFCCC aims to enable countries to recover and develop after a crisis and address slow-onset impact, but also to compensate people for what they have lost. The concept of L&D is rooted in the principles of climate justice: that those who have done the least to contribute to rising temperatures should not bear the costs associated with addressing it. This session will explain what Loss and Damage is and how it could support – and be supported by – existing humanitarian finance mechanisms. The session will explore the losses and damages experienced by individuals, communities, and governments and how adequate funding for loss and damage could reduce the impact of short-term, protracted, and slow onset crises. This webinar aims to: -Improve understanding of Loss and Damage and its relationship to climate finance, as well as the importance of this year’s COP27 to Loss and Damage and how it links to humanitarian action. -Discuss why humanitarian organizations need to engage on the topic of Loss and Damage, among others, in the lead-up to COP27. -Highlight the modalities and strategies for humanitarian NGOs to engage in the preparatory work for COP27 and beyond. Read more at https://phap.org/25aug2022

Over the last few years, we have seen a significant increase in awareness by the humanitarian community of the impacts of the climate crisis and humanitarian engagement in UNFCCC processes. Following on COP26 in Glasgow last year, we saw a far greater presence of humanitarian actors, engaging and raising awareness of the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable. However, ahead of the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference or COP27, which will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh in November this year, the humanitarian community needs to further articulate its collective role in implementing solutions to the climate crisis. How does COP27 relate to the work of humanitarian actors and how can they engage in the proceedings to make sure that the discussions take into account humanitarian needs? Commitment #6 of the Climate and Environment Charter encourages humanitarian organizations to use their influence to mobilize urgent and more ambitious climate action and environmental protection. The Charter commits us to work together to foster ambitious action on climate change adaptation and mitigation and to ensure protection of those who are most vulnerable so that they are not left behind. The humanitarian sector is uniquely placed to influence legal and policy frameworks to better channel resources and attention towards vulnerable and at-risk people. We can leverage our presence, expertise, and insight to work with multilateral institutions, governments, and other organizations to ensure that greater focus on the impacts of this crisis on communities and people we serve are taken into consideration at decision-making levels. On 30 June, join us for a webinar on how we can make COP27 an opportunity for this. This webinar aims to: - Raise awareness of the UNFCC process and the importance of this year’s COP27 and how it links to humanitarian action - Discuss why humanitarian organizations need to engage to bring in humanitarian perspectives on the topic of Loss and Damage in the lead-up to COP27 - Highlight the modalities and strategies for humanitarian NGOs to engage in the preparatory work for COP27 Read more at https://phap.org/30jun2022

Over the last decade, individual agencies, and the humanitarian sector as a whole, have made progress in becoming more accountable to people affected by crisis. However, we are still facing substantial challenges in meeting the commitments we have made to affected people. Fundamentally, we need to work with affected communities, multilateral agencies, NGOs, civil society organizations, governments, and donors, to address the asymmetry of power that currently defines the relationship between humanitarian agencies and affected people. This requires a more cohesive, collaborative system-wide approach to seeing how we connect the incentives and break down the barriers that hold us back from making this change. Join us on 24 June for a discussion on collective accountability, organized by the new IASC Task Force on Accountability to Affected People (AAP) and hosted by PHAP, where we will aim to generate ideas and understand better what is needed to drive a system-wide change for greater collective accountability for people who have been affected by crisis. The discussion will take its starting point in the vision of the AAP Task Force: “By having an accountable and enhanced leadership, supported by an inclusive system and architecture with quality resourcing available we will strengthen collective accountably to people affected by crisis and deliver the necessary system-wide change”. The session will draw on learning from a range of initiatives to capture ideas of opportunities, as well as overcoming barriers to change to help offer direction to advance the IASC Task Force plans for collective accountability to affected people. Read more about the event on https://phap.org/24jun2022

Drawing from the experience of the Collective Service, this session will show examples of how a collective approach to community engagement coordination can make a difference in the response in communities facing multiple threats and where the same partners respond simultaneously to public health, humanitarian and other emergencies. The session will share experiences of how social data has contributed (or not) to informing and shaping epidemics response, with focus on the response to COVID-19 and Ebola, emphasizing lessons that can benefit humanitarian responses in the future. In addition, it will discuss how investments in data systems contribute to more effective preparedness programming strengthening of community resilience through better preparation, response, and learning. The session will provide concrete examples and inspiration for actors across the spectrum of humanitarian and public health crises on the benefits of collective approaches to community engagement and how they can contribute to faster, more accountable and effective responses. Read more at https://phap.org/19may2022

Drawing on the outcomes of the discussions during the previous two sessions organized during the HNPW on Accountability to Affected Populations, this high-level session will focus on the key actions required from humanitarian leadership to make AAP a reality and to "address the asymmetry of power that currently defines the relationship between humanitarian agencies and affected people" as stated in the recent IASC Principals’ statement on AAP. Read more about the session on https://phap.org/11may2022

While there are still few examples of complaints and feedback mechanisms that systematically capture the views and feedback from affected people, ensure they inform decision-making, and close the “feedback loop,” progress is being made. Drawing from a few country examples, this session will be an opportunity to look at some of the existing good practices for collective and standardized complaints and feedback mechanisms, including data standardization initiatives, feedback logbooks, and hotlines, as well as initiatives to ensure mechanisms are designed so as to be participatory, inclusive, and accessible. Read more about the session at https://phap.org/6may2022

The session will draw from a few contexts which have started the implementation of IASC AAP tools such as the AAP framework and the results tracker. It will focus on how they are contextualizing and operationalizing these tools and how this is contributing to advancing collective accountability at country level. Read more at https://phap.org/3may2022

Commitment #4 of the Climate and Environment Charter encourages organisations to better understand climate and environmental risks to calibrate responses adequately. Meteorological data and local and indigenous knowledge about patterns of variability should be used to provide risk analyses that are comprehensive, reliable, and relevant. In many places where humanitarian organizations work, relevant data can be scarce or unreliable, and collaboration across the humanitarian sector and beyond to address existing and emergent data gaps is critical. This webinar will provide insights on: - How to gather and analyse data and translate them into programming - How to share data given that larger and smaller organisations have different capacity and access to it - The benefit of sharing data from metereological, agriculture, private sector and governmental sources to inform both humanitarian and developmental programmes. Read more about the event at https://phap.org/28apr2022

On 17 March, ICVA and PHAP will organize the next session of the Learning Stream on Climate Change and Humanitarian Action, exploring Commitment #3 of the Climate and Environment Charter. Commitment #3 aims to embrace the leadership of local actors and communities by learning from traditional and indigenous knowledge on mitigation and adaptation measures, including nature-based solutions. In turn, we also need to support local communities and actors to be better prepared to face the impacts of a changing climate and environmental risks. This webinar will aim at answering the following questions: - How are NGOs and local communities working together to support local leadership in climate action? - How can we ensure meaningful and inclusive participation and leadership of local actors and people we serve are part of our programs' design, management, implementation, and evaluation? - What can we do better to promote local leadership in the light of climate change? How can we improve our programs accordingly? - What can we learn from local, traditional, and indigenous knowledge which can be replicated in other contexts? Read more about the event at https://phap.org/17mar2022

As humanitarian actors are working towards reducing their environmental impact, it’s important to understand what tools are being developed and what initiatives are underway that can serve as a model for other organizations. Join us on 3 February for the next session of the Learning Stream on Climate Change and Humanitarian Action to learn more about how some of these may be useful for your work. In our previous webinar, we gave an overview of how organizations can develop and implement environmental policies and strategies in line with Commitment 2 of the Climate Charter, and looked at challenges and opportunities, including some of the donor requirements and standards being put in place. Taking a starting point in these discussions, the next webinar will focus on practical tools and initiatives undertaken by organizations to reduce their environmental impact in humanitarian action. This webinar will aim to share lessons learned on and responses to some of the following questions: - How can we incorporate more environment-friendly practices into our programming? - What are some of the nature-based solutions/do no harm practices being used by organizations in their programming? - What are the tools for NGOs to measure their environmental impact? Read more about the event on https://phap.org/3feb2022

It has long been recognized that affected people must play an active role in decisions that affect their lives. Yet recent evaluations show that this is an area where the humanitarian sector is still lagging behind. There are few examples of systems that systematically capture the views and feedback from affected people, ensure they inform decision-making, and close the “feedback loop.” Many are not handling reports of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment appropriately, risking dangerous breaches of confidentiality. This webinar will be looking at some of the existing good practices, and at plans to scale them up and strengthen complaints and feedback mechanisms. Read more and access resources at https://phap.org/7dec2021

Commitment 2 of the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations, in line with the principle of “Do No Harm,” calls on us to “avoid, minimize and manage the damage we cause to the environment and the climate, while maintaining our ability to provide timely and principled humanitarian assistance”. More and more, organisations are looking into how to implement sound environmental policies and start systematically assessing the immediate and long-term environmental impact of our work in the humanitarian sector. This entails that we systematically evaluate, avoid and mitigate the negative environmental impacts of our programs as much as possible, and use our influence to push for more environmentally sustainable humanitarian action, notably when it comes to supply chains and logistics. This webinar will aim to share an overview and initial lessons learned on some of the following questions: - How can organisations develop and implement more environment friendly policies? - What are the challenges and opportunities to do so? - How can NGOs reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and responsibly use and help manage natural resources? What are some of the challenges in undertaking such a shift in our work? What are some of the requirements and standards being put in place by donors? What support will be available from donors? Read more about the event at https://phap.org/24nov2021

The COVID-19 response, like any other public health emergency, has required a focus on communication around associated risks and the promotion of healthy behaviors. However, in humanitarian settings, accountability and inclusion principles have been central to shaping this response. This webinar will explore lessons around Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) from the COVID-19 response and decades of practical experiences around accountability in the humanitarian sector and how they can inform future health and non-health emergencies. Read more about the event on https://phap.org/2nov2021

We are already witnessing how climate and environmental crises disproportionately impact communities in vulnerable contexts and situations, and regardless of what we do, these impacts will not disappear overnight. Commitment #1 of the Climate and Environment Charter calls on us to “Step up our response to growing humanitarian needs and help people to adapt to impacts of the climate and environmental crises.” It focuses on how we use climate change adaptation (CCA), disaster risk reduction (DDR), and anticipatory action in our programming adapt our programs to better support and strengthen people’s resilience to current and future climate and environmental risks. Many NGOs are already working to address climate change in and alongside vulnerable communities and to help organizations live up to their commitment, there are tools and resources available to guide NGOs in their work. This webinar will aim to share lessons learned on the below questions: How can NGO programming be fit for purpose, ensure that they are designed and implemented to address current impacts and help reduce future risks? How can we scale-up climate-smart disaster risk reduction efforts and identify locally appropriate solutions to address them? What are some of the tools and resources available in terms of CCA, DDR and anticipatory action? What can we learn from local, traditional, and indigenous knowledge which can be replicated in other contexts?

The recently launched Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organisations sends a clear signal that humanitarian organizations have a key role to play in addressing crises faced by communities due to the climate and environmental crises. We must be a part of the solution by helping people adapt to a changing climate and environment, while also increasing our own environmental sustainability. This needs to be a collective endeavor, as it is clear that no organization can tackle this alone. The Charter intends to guide humanitarian action in the face of these crises and their humanitarian consequences. Serving as the starting point for the ICVA and PHAP Learning Stream on Climate Change and Humanitarian Action, this webinar will help introduce the Charter, which will serve as an important reference point for the rest of the learning stream. The questions we will look at in this webinar include: - Why the Charter is needed now? - What the commitments imply and the resources available? - How NGOs can sign the Charter and what their signature means? - What are the next steps to support organisations in implementing the Charter and to monitor progress? Read more about the session on https://phap.org/30sep2021

Accountability to affected populations (AAP) is an essential part of good humanitarian programming. But while some organizations may integrate it well into their own operations, people do not live in silos and their needs and priorities regularly cut across different programs and as a result, they are often faced with confusing and overlapping feedback and engagement systems. Collective approaches to AAP seek to address this by focusing on the overall humanitarian response and putting people rather than projects at the center. Building on the operational research on Communication and Community Engagement conducted by the Humanitarian Policy Group at ODI, as well as its ongoing work around inclusion, the first webinar will consider some of the lessons emerging from this research and explore how such approaches can be encouraged, particularly by leadership at country level. Read more about the event at https://phap.org/8sep2021

Risk management practices are playing an increasingly important role in partner selection and engagement when NGOs receive funding from UN agencies or government donors. On June 10, ICVA and PHAP organized a webinar, as part of the Learning Series on Risk Management in Practice, where we examined the role of risk management in good funding partnerships as NGOs engage with external funders. For funders of humanitarian programming of NGOs, risk management is playing an increasing role in both the decision to offer funding and the terms and conditions of partnership once a grant is secured. Funding from UN agencies for NGO partners now includes an assessment of risk management practices in partner selection. Most also use a risk rating system with partners to determine funding limits and levels of required oversight. Donor governments currently have a wider range of practice, some with extensive risk management systems in place. For NGO partners, there can be major consequences if donor government funding is accepted without a proper risk assessment being carried out. Accounting and compliance requirements for NGOs can be difficult to meet without appropriate training, and there are often serious legal consequences if the terms of funding agreements are not met. The topics that we have covered so far in the risk management series have primarily focused on internal decision making and the role of risk management. It is important to extend this thinking, however, to external funding relationships. NGOs should be confident that they are basing the decision to accept funding taking into consideration key questions such as: - Can we meet expectations of the funder? - What is the likelihood that we can fulfill compliance requirements? - Which risk controls are missing, or should be strengthened, to help meet expectations and compliance requirements? As with our other webinars in the series, we were joined by a panel of experts representing both NGO and funder perspectives, followed by a live discussion with participants. Read more at https://phap.org/10jun2021