Background Note for NGOs,
in preparation for UN and Non-UN Dialogue on
Enhancing the Effectiveness of Humanitarian Action, 12-13 July 2006

Chairs' Summary

Geneva, Switzerland
12-13 July 2006

By Jan Egeland and Beth Ferris

Background:

The first dialogue to explore ways of enhancing the effectiveness of humanitarian response brought together 40 leaders of UN humanitarian organisations, NGOs, the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement, the IOM and World Bank in Geneva, Switzerland on 12 -13 July 2006. As such the meeting constituted one of the most representative meetings of three equal humanitarian partners, the United Nations, the NGO community and the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement. The meeting was co-chaired by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland, and by Elizabeth Ferris, representing the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response.

The meeting took place at a historic moment. At a time of increasing global wealth, thousands of people still die every day from hunger, poverty, and disasters. Humanitarian response is coming under increasing public scrutiny. The emergence of new humanitarian actors, such as the military and private companies, and the proliferation of NGOs mean that the humanitarian field is becoming increasingly crowded. Diversity in the humanitarian sector is a strength, but it also makes collaborative action more difficult. At the same time, the United Nations itself is undergoing a period of change and reform. The role of the UN in direct programme implementation is decreasing, while its role in standard-setting and facilitation is becoming more important. There is therefore an urgent need for the international humanitarian community to develop better ways of working together in order to enhance the effectiveness of humanitarian response.

The meeting was characterised by a spirit of openness and a common commitment to constructive practical action. There was mutual respect for each other's work and an increased understanding of respective roles and responsibilities. There was frank discussion of the obstacles that make closer collaboration more difficult, including: stereotypes and prejudices we have of each other, the rapid proliferation of NGOs and the competitive funding environment. Participants in the meeting expressed their commitment to work towards overcoming these obstacles and to build on successful collaborative initiatives.

The meeting was imbued by a shared commitment to the stated objective of this meeting: to increase the effectiveness of humanitarian action in a troubled world. Participants agreed that increasing cooperation on the global level must yield results and measure its success by the level of improved impact on the effectiveness of humanitarian action at the field level. Decisions made at the global level must be complemented by suggestions coming from the field. This dialectic between the global and field levels permeated discussions throughout the meeting and is expressed in the agreements which were reached.

The Field Level:

The meeting agreed to establish Humanitarian Community Partnership teams at the country level, while respecting the integrity of the present UN country teams. These Humanitarian Community Partnership teams will be separate from the UN country team and will draw equally on representation from international and national NGOs, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, and UN humanitarian organisations. Where they exist, NGO coordination mechanisms will determine the NGO representatives on the Humanitarian Partnership teams. In countries with no such coordination mechanisms, the Humanitarian Coordinator will ask the NGOs in the country to meet and select their representatives.

These Humanitarian Community Partnership teams will seek ways of strengthening collaborative work at the field level (including joint training) and strengthening NGO consortia. It was agreed that this approach should be piloted in up to three countries over the coming year.

The Global Level:

Participants agreed to convene a meeting of a new global humanitarian platform which will be jointly planned by the UN, the NGOs and the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement. This new global platform will be flexible, ad hoc, time-bound and action-oriented. The new platform will meet annually for three years, in conjunction with the IASC principals meeting, to provide a forum for strategic dialogue on urgent humanitarian issues.

This new global platform is asked to:

• Articulate principles of authentic or strategic partnership, which include a commitment to equality, diversity, transparency, mutual accountability and complementary roles.
• Focus collaboration in the field on two to three countries where Humanitarian Community partnership teams are established and through them test the impact of operating on common principles of partnership on improved humanitarian performance. (Suggestions included Uganda, Sri Lanka, Cote d'Ivoire and Colombia.) A report from the implementation of the principles in the field will be presented at the 2007 meeting of the global platform.
• Provide a forum for focused discussion of particular strategic issues, such as accountability, capacity-building, security, or transitions, and
• Adopt a statement on issues of common concern, a draft of which is to be circulated in advance, which will serve as a collective advocacy effort by the humanitarian community.

To guide this process, a Steering Committee will be set up with representatives from the three poles or families:

• UN -represented by OCHA
• NGOs - by ICVA, InterAction, SCHR and VOICE.
• Red Cross/Red Crescent family by ICRC and the Federation

This Steering Committee will plan the next meeting of the humanitarian platform. As Southern NGOs play a pivotal role in humanitarian response, the Steering Committee is particularly charged with ensuring their increased participation in the next meeting of the humanitarian platform.

At the level of their own organisations, participants in the meeting committed themselves to work together in a spirit of partnership and to disseminate information about this commitment within their organisations. They will also seek to implement this commitment through specific measures within their own organisations - for example, through their training and orientation programmes, and performance management systems. When conflicts arise between humanitarian actors, they agreed to try to resolve them in a spirit of partnership.

The meeting asked the IASC to take up the issue of UN procurement policies/UN-NGO partnership agreements, bearing in mind the need to build on existing work, such as that carried out by InterAction, and the possibility of carrying out a study of best practices.

Participants affirmed the need for reform of the humanitarian system. Even as they raised many questions, participants recognized that implementation of the cluster system is still a work in progress and that time is needed to ensure that the system meets the needs for collaboration on the ground. UN representatives expressed openness to NGO participation and leadership in the cluster process and several NGOs expressed a willingness to work in this direction.

Many other issues were identified which require further collective reflection, including the issue of increasing the funding to the humanitarian system, the possibility of establishing joint emergency response teams, developing shared assessment systems, and developing equitable salary systems in the field. These issues may come on the agenda of future platform meetings.

Participants felt that this was a productive meeting and that concrete steps have been taken to enhance the effectiveness of humanitarian action. The ultimate measure of the success of this meeting will, of course, be the follow-up to the meeting.