Photo credit: UNDP / Hazir Reka

The
purpose
of
this
preconsultation briefing paper is to
stimulate discussions at the World
Humanitarian Summit Regional
Consultation for the Europe and
Others group in Budapest on
February 3 and 4, 2015.
This initial briefing paper has been
prepared by the Regional Steering
Group and will be followed up by a
more detailed background paper
closer to the regional consultation
in Budapest. The discussions are
expected to provide perspectives
and recommendations in the lead up
to the World Humanitarian Summit
in Istanbul in May 2016.

Humanitarian Effectiveness
Pre-Consultation Briefing Note for the Europe and Others
Group Consultation
The humanitarian system is made up of many different moving parts,
each with different comparative advantages, different interests and
different capacities.
There are different assumptions about how the parts of the system
fit together, and many different standards and principles to guide
good practice. Power dynamics an unspoken but very real part of
humanitarian action coupled with a complex and constantly changing
operating environment, and the lack of a common definition of success,
often prevent the different parts of the system from working together in
an optimal manner.
In addition, it is not clear whether the different actors that make up the
system are ready for what will be, from all accounts, a very challenging
and crisis-prone future.
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Key questions:

What are the characteristics of humanitarian effectiveness?

What is the role of local, national and regional actors in humanitarian effectiveness?

How should humanitarians and development actors deliver, for a more effective overall result?

How do we get better and sounder information systematically and without fail so that it leads to more
effective humanitarian decisions?
How can we better access and consult domestic response and local capacities?
How can affected countries be empowered to coordinate national and international assistance, instead
of depending on UN-led structure?
What role has accountability to affected populations for humanitarian effectiveness?

This consultation is intended to provoke debate, and stimulate further thinking, about humanitarian
effectiveness, and what this will mean for the humanitarian system in the future.
This region is a unique one because many countries have a dual role of providing a domestic response
and responding as an international donors. Many countries engage with a variety of organisational
bodies and actors - each with their own assets. Many are active at multilateral humanitarian fora,
where they adhere to and advocate for good donorship and humanitarian principles that are common
values to all cultures, an operational necessity and common sense. Many countries are also strongly
led by accountability demands.
This consultation will bring together:

Donors
Major civil protection actors
Headquarters staff of operational agencies
Policymakers

Advocates
Umbrella bodies at global level
Civil society
Affected people

Accordingly, the topics for this regional consultation have been chosen to align with the
specific comparative advantage, interests, and capacities of this unique group.

Areas for discussion

A common set of characteristics for humanitarian effectiveness would mean
that all humanitarian actors donors, operational actors, affected states and
populations could be held accountable to the same framework, through
collective responsibility, coordination and mutual accountability. These
characteristics might include:
Humanitarian effectiveness as a shared responsibility, but with different roles
and mandates operations should be grounded in comparative advantage, they
should be forward-looking, and they should respect humanitarian principles
and leadership.
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This area of
discussion asks:
What makes
humanitarian
programming
effective?
What does this
mean for future
humanitarian
response?

Humanitarian effectiveness begins with effective design based on a sound

needs assessment and analysis of capacities to respond humanitarian
response should aim to maximise reach, be adapted to the context, be demand
driven, focus on delivering results, and be good value for money.
Humanitarian effectiveness requires the system to have the right tools and
partnerships programmes should be predictable, flexible, and underpinned
by functioning financial tracking; the action should be timely, coordinated, and
built on cooperation with one another.
Humanitarian effectiveness must be measured, demonstrated and improved
through system-wide learning, quantity and quality measurement, impact
assessment and accountability.

Better information, better decisions

This area of
discussion asks:
What information
does the
humanitarian system
need to increase
the quality of
needs assessment
and facilitate a
better allocation
of operational and
financial resources?

The humanitarian community has made numerous commitments to allocate

humanitarian resources (financial and operational) in proportion to need,
wherever needs are found, without discrimination, without taking sides,
and independent of other objectives. A response also requires taking into
consideration the needs of the most vulnerable (e.g. women, children, and the
disabled). However, it is still not possible to get a clear and impartial picture of
where and how lives are most at risk, and where and how people are suffering
most, even within a particular crisis.
Getting better information requires greater cooperation and collaboration
with local, and national development actors who, more often than not, are
already in country before, during and after a humanitarian situation.

The Key Role of Local Capacity and National Disaster Management

This area of
discussion asks:
How can the coordination and
cooperation between
humanitarian
actors and local
organizations, civil
protection and
regional coordinating
mechanisms improve
crisis response?
How can
humanitarian
response strengthen
local capacities?

As the primary responsibility for dealing with the immediate consequences

of a disaster lies with the country in which it occurs, strengthening local
capacities and national disaster management/civil protection structures
becomes essential for an effective humanitarian response.
Most countries in this region have developed structures internally. At the same
time they are donors and active members of the international humanitarian
system. The region is also characterized by strong civil society, including large
number of professional humanitarian organizations, a progressive private
sector and active diasporas. As a result, there is lot of knowledge about
preparing and managing risk in the region. Many countries have also improved
their preparedness to receive assistance into their country (e.g. International
Disaster Response Laws). Local and national actors are the best positioned
to prepare risk assessments and contingency plans, and to ensure that risk
prevention has been integrated in national policies and financial instruments
(i.e. infrastructure, transport and energy policy, research and innovation,
environmental impact assessment, and others).
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Regional organizations can also play an important role, not only in
providing assistance but also to stimulate learning. Through training
and exchange of experiences regional organizations reduce risks,
share standards and strengthen early warning systems.
This area of discussion asks:
Why do humanitarian and
development actors different
components of the same
international aid system look
at the same context or country in
crisis, and come up with different
policy and programming solutions?
What factors should be considered
when deciding whether to apply
a development or a humanitarian
solution (or some mix of the two) in
a particular context?
What are the internal incentives
and blockages in the humanitarian
system that prevent us
understanding and building
synergies with development
actors?

Delivering Together with Development

The challenge of making humanitarian and development aid
complementary and mutually reinforcing has been an enduring
issue concerning both policymakers and operational actors. And
yet, progress in achieving such complementarity has been limited.
Institutional structures, funding lines, principles, policies and
programming guidelines, together with political pressures, continue
to reinforce a bifurcated system that has separated humanitarian
efforts from development work. The result is that humanitarians
tend to work with households and communities (aiming to help them
better absorb shocks), while development actors tend to work with
national systems and institutions.
Humanitarian actors endeavor to link all responses to development,
by ensuring effective transitions and exit criteria. Humanitarian
effectiveness begins with high quality and effective programme
design that responds to the acute needs, but takes into account
medium and long-term needs and includes multiannual financing.

Some of the issues likely to be explored in greater depth in the Europe and Others
consultation include:
1. What practices need to be in place before affected people can truly say that humanitarians are
accountable to them, and what would be the implications for the way humanitarian action is
structured, funded and practiced?
2. Participants to the WHS regional consultations in Abidjan, Tokyo and Pretoria called for
countries, communities and the local private sector to manage disaster response increasingly by
themselves, given their knowledge and expertise. With this growing call to localize humanitarian
response, what specific changes must international donors and agencies make to foster this?
3. What is required to make sure that international humanitarian response is tailored to the specific
context?
4. How can the engagement of the private sector in humanitarian preparedness and response best
be stimulated (thinking especially of businesses based in the Europe and Others region)?

5. What changes need to take place in order to reduce the growing gap between humanitarian
needs and resources? How can efficiencies be gained, sources of funding diversified, innovative
financing piloted, and funding channeled more directly to domestic actors as appropriate?
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