Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) x GISF 2021

HNPW

The Leading Edge Programme (LEP)

The Leading Edge Programme, launched in February 2017 and replacing the Consultative Group for Emergency Preparedness and Response (CG), is a year-round collaborative platform for humanitarian expert networks and partnerships with the aim of developing sustainable solutions to recurring, cross-cutting issues in emergency preparedness and response. The LEP acts as a global community of practice and offers a unique space for inter-network collaboration by bringing together a wide range of stakeholders united by common goals to improve effectiveness in crisis preparedness and response. The LEP is governed by a Strategic Group comprising champions of its networks and partnerships. The LEP Strategic Group is co-chaired by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and OCHA. OCHA acts as the LEP secretariat. The LEP’s annual event is the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW), held in Geneva since 2015.

Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW)

The Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) is the annual event of the LEP and the largest event of its kind. Every year, the HNPW brings together more than 2000 experts in crisis preparedness and response from over 350 organisations and countries. Well-established Networks and Partnerships, such as INSARAG or UNDAC, but also newly created networks hold their annual meetings and consultations at the HNPW and collaborate in identifying solutions and solving common challenges in crisis preparedness and response. The event offers a space where LEP stakeholders meet annually to take stock, become inspired and build new coalitions.

Due to the anticipated restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2021, the Humanitarian Networks Partnership Week (HNPW) 2021 will be held entirely remotely through online conferencing.

In 2021, the remote nature of the HNPW will allow to span the Core Event over a period of three weeks from 19 April to 7 May 2021 thereby reducing meeting overload and allowing more participants also from other regions to attend the sessions of interest. As in previous years, the “Core-Event” will focus on inter-network collaboration and will begin and end with a formal opening and closing co-chaired by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

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HNPW x GISF

For the first time, SRM is one of HNPW’s nine priority topics this year. Recognising the Global Interagency Security Forum’s (GISF) leading role in supporting collaboration on SRM and improving aid workers’ protection, GISF has been selected to lead sessions on this critical topic. Bringing together experts from across the aid world, GISF will be co-hosting five open sessions in partnership with different actors such as the UN, ICRC, FCDO, and Manchester University.

We welcome all humanitarians to join our sessions and discuss how to keep aid workers safe and facilitate access to affected communities. SRM impacts all aspects of humanitarian action, and together, we will improve communication and coordination across the sector and identify how SRM must adapt to face current challenges.

This year’s GISF-led HNPW sessions are (1) Security Risk Management in the Changing Global and Humanitarian Context, (2) Sharing Risk: Building Stronger Partnerships, (3) Acceptance & Access (4) Managing Security Risks in the Digital World, (5) A Person-Centred Approach to Security Risk Management in Humanitarian Response. The sessions will run twice.

Registration for the GISF HNPW sessions is now open. To register and find out more, please follow this link: https://buff.ly/3cZV2yV.’

To register for an event, firstly, follow the link above. This link will take you the HNPW sign-in page, where you will need to register with HNPW (if you are already registered, you will be able to sign in). This should take no longer than five minutes.

Once you have registered an account, you can then follow the same link to sign-in and view the full HNPW event programme.

To find any of the events GISF are facilitating, you need to select ‘Humanitarian Security’ under Priority Topics on the left-hand side of the screen. This will filter the search and show you all the events GISF are helping to facilitate.

To register your attendance at this event, or any other event, you need to hover over the R in the box next to the left-hand of the session title. Clicking the R, will make a list pop-up with registration options. Simply press ‘Register’ at the top of this list, and you will be registered for the event.

If you have any questions on registration, please reach out to Megan (gisf-megan@gisf.ngo). 

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GISF-led Sessions:

Security Risk Management in the Changing Global and Humanitarian Context

Objective: Provide an overview of Security Risk Management in the current global context for humanitarian response

Overview: This session of 90 minutes will provide an interactive space to discuss the topic and to collect different ideas and understandings. Specialists for programmes, protection, funding and security will present their perspectives on security risk management, this panel will be followed by a short Q&A. Participants will then be invited to join small break-out groups where they will be invited to identify challenges and opportunities for improving coordination and collaboration for security risk management across the sector.

When:

• 21st April | 3pm CEST
• 22nd April | 10am CEST

Sharing Risk: Building Stronger Partnerships

Objective: Explore practical solutions for security risk-sharing in partnerships with local humanitarian actors.

Overview: The session (90 minutes) will include an expert panel of representatives from local organisations, international NGOs, GISF, and donors. The conversation will focus on identifying actions that each partner can take to better share security risks within different models of partnerships. The session further aims to harness the collective knowledge of participants with an exchange of experience during topic-driven break-out sessions.

When:

• 22nd April | 3pm CEST
• 23rd April | 10am CEST

Acceptance & Access

Objective: To examine the challenges and successes of acceptance and access from various perspectives across humanitarian organisations

Overview: The session (90 minutes) will include an expert panel of individuals from different parts of organisations that have attempted to work across silos. Following brief presentations, it will be a space for discussion of possible actions and strategies to move acceptance beyond security management, via exchange of experience during topic-driven break-out sessions.

When:

• 26th April | 10am CEST
• 26th April | 3pm CEST

Managing Security Risks in the Digital World

Objective: To examine how the increasing role of technology and communications is having a direct impact on our humanitarian sector.

Overview:  This 90-minute session will examine some of the current perceptions of digital risk and through examination of recent examples, highlight how these risks can have a broad effect on our sector. It will also seek, through group discussion, to highlight areas where we need to focus our efforts to protect ourselves, our organisations, and the communities we serve.

When:

• 28th April | 9am CEST
• 29th April | 9am CEST

A Person Centred Approach to Security Risk Management in Humanitarian Response

Objective: Promoting a more systematic, integrated partnership approach between programme and security personnel

Overview: The 90 minutes interactive session will focus on providing a forum for all participants to explore the subject matter both from a personal and an organisational standpoint. Security experts in the sector will present what their organisations mean by a person-centred approach to security management and why and how this is being implemented, including upcoming initiatives. Participants will be presented with a group exercise for discussion during which the benefits and challenges of such an approach will be explored and discussed. There will then be a debrief followed by Q&A, allowing further sharing of perspectives with the ultimate aim of understanding how to form better partnerships and collaboration between programme and security.

When:

• 6th May | 1pm CEST
• 6th May | 4pm CEST