Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW)

Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) is the annual event of the Leading Edge Programme (LEP).The largest event of its kind, HNPW provides a unique forum for humanitarian networks and partnerships to meet and address key humanitarian issues. Every year, HNPW brings together more than 2,000 experts in crisis preparedness and response from over 350 organisations and countries. It gathers participants from the UN, NGOs, Member States, the private sector, the military, academia and beyond to discuss and solve common challenges in humanitarian affairs.

HNPW 2024 was held in a hybrid format from 29 April – 10 May. The first week’s sessions were held virtually, with the second week bringing participants together in person at the International Conference Centre (CICG) in Geneva, Switzerland. GISF hosted sessions across both weeks.

HNPW & GISF 

This year, GISF partnered with UNHCR Field Security Service to lead the HNPW sessions on Integrating Security Risk Management Across Humanitarian Action. We were joined by experts from across the NGO sector to explore the challenges to safe humanitarian action, and how individuals and organisations can work together to create a strong culture of security risk management (SRM) that enables aid workers to do their job safely.

We welcomed 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 were:

1. Protect Aid Workers: an innovative mechanism for safeguarding aid workers in high-risk environments [Full session recording]
2. Private Security Companies as a Security Risk Management Measure [Full session recording]
3. Security in Urban and Densely Populated Environments [Full session recording]
4. Optimising Resources and Collaborative Strategies in Field Security for Humanitarian Impact: 2023 Lessons Learned [Full session recording]
5. Are neutrality, localisation and acceptance still inextricably linked in security? [Full session recording]
6. State of Practice: The Evolution of Security Risk Management in the Humanitarian Space [Session report]

The session notes, additional resources and recordings are now available, and can be accessed in full detail by downloading the document on the left.