Global Humanitarian Platform

Steering Committee Meeting

12 October 2006, Geneva

Co-Chairs: Mr. Jan Egeland and Ms. Beth Ferris

Key agreements/action points:

1. Global Platform Preparations - Organizational Structure

• Steering Committee (SC): Agreed that the SC will be co-Chaired by UN, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (RCRC) and NGO representatives and include the following participants:
  • Mr. Jan Egeland (co-Chair)
  • Ms. Beth Ferris (co-Chair)
  • Mr. Sam Worthington - InterAction
  • Ms. Barbara Stocking - SCHR
  • Mr. Paul Grossrieder - VOICE
  • Mr. Tom Getman - ICVA
  • Mr. Angelo Gnaedinger - ICRC
  • Mr. Markku Niskala - IFRC

  In anticipation of the departure of Mr. Egeland as ERC, it was agreed that Ms. Margareta Wahlström would co-Chair the SC as she will assume the role as ERC in the interim. It was also agreed that Mr. Antonio Guterres be invited to the SC.

  NGOs will consult on appointing the non-UN co-Chair to assume the position following the departure of Ms. Beth Ferris.

  The Steering Committee is charged with overseeing the implementation of the decisions made at the July 2006 Humanitarian Dialogue meeting.

• Working Level Group (WLG):

  Agreed that WLG will also be co-chaired by UN and non-UN with following participants:

  • Kasidis Rochanakorn - OCHA (UN co-chair)
  • Non-UN co-Chair to be decided a.s.a.p.
  • Jim Bishop - Interaction
  • Robert Mister - IFRC
  • Kathrin Schick - Voice
  • Johanna Grombach - ICRC
  • Eva von Oelreich - SCHR
  • Ed Schenkenberg/Manisha Thomas - ICVA

  It was agreed that the WLG should open up to broader UN participation to ensure wider buy-in. WFP, UNHCR and UNICEF have all expressed interest in membership.

  Mr. Rochanakorn, in his dual capacity, will direct OCHA (HRSU) and the IASC Secretariat on their support to and inclusion in the WLG.

  The two co-Chairs will organize the next meeting of the WLG. The non-UN group will consult a.s.a.p. within its constituency to identify its co-Chair. Following this, the WLG will convene a meeting to discuss the Workplan, division of labour, and prepare for the next Global Platform meeting in July 2007.

  It was stressed that the WLG should prioritize broadening the representation of Southern and Eastern NGOs for the next platform meeting.

  The WLG will also propose a set of criteria for the selection and inclusion of the Southern and Eastern NGOs.

  The WLG will report to the Steering Committee.

2. Working Group action points:

• Develop Principles of Partnership (PoP) to reflect a common set of principles around which UN, RCRC and NGOs agree to work. The Principles of Partnership will be agreed upon before their introduction at the field level.

• Draft Statement on Issues of Common Concern. This must be drafted and circulated by March 2007, for approval by the Humanitarian Platform meeting in July 2007, and will serve as a common advocacy effort by the humanitarian community.

• Develop a power point presentation or similar tool to ensure identical messages are delivered by all platform members with regards to the objective and scope of the global platform when they inform their (field-based) colleagues of the platform initiative. (Ed Schenkenberg: This presentation needs to be developed now and should not wait until the PoP have been drafted).

• The ERC has already instructed HCs to set up IASC Country Teams. HCs have been requested to give an update on current coordination mechanisms in their respective countries. Pending their inputs, a paper will be developed for the SC as soon as possible.

• Choice of countries: The group agreed on Uganda, Colombia and Sri Lanka as possible pilot countries to test how the principles are put into practice.

• Clarify links between the IASC and Global Platform including at the field level.

• The SC discussed the possibility of capacity building and accountability to beneficiaries as central strategic themes for the July meeting and asked the WLG to do further conceptual thinking on these issues.

• The WLG is asked to investigate the possibility of organizing sub-regional meetings for representatives from the South and East to enable their more effective representation in the Global Platform meeting.

• The WLG may study the Danish proposal and how it may contribute to the work of the Global Platform.

• Develop a draft agenda and list of participants for the July Platform meeting. The agenda could include a progress report on work done to strengthen collaboration between UN, RCRC and NGOs since the July 2006 meeting; substantive discussion of a single strategic issue; and adoption of a common statement.

3. Forthcoming meetings:

• Agreed that the next SC meeting should be held in April 2007, coinciding with the IASC Principals meeting. However, the SC will have a tele-conference in late December or early January (TBD), receiving an update from the WLG on the progress of its work. In addition, the WLG will keep the SC informed of updates and developments regarding the Workplan.

• Agreed that the next Global Platform meeting will take place around mid-July (final dates TBD a.s.a.p.) in Geneva, to then coincide with the ECOSOC humanitarian segment.