Ashley Jackson presented findings from a research project case study on Afghanistan, "Humanitarian negotiations with non-state actors", focused on humanitarian dialogue in Faryab and Kandaha.
Smoke billows skyward as homes and buildings are shelled in the city of Homs, Syria.
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Credit: UN Photo/David Manyua
Source: UN Multimedia
Responding to the need for deliberation and coordination amongst humanitarian actors in Syria and neighbouring countries, HPG convened two high level roundtables. These brought together UN agencies, NGOs, donor representatives, and national and diaspora humanitarian groups to discuss the deepening political and humanitarian crisis, consider its impact on civilians caught up in the conflict and reflect on the response of the international and national community.
A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an anti-aircraft gun as a Syrian Air Force fighter bomber fires rockets during an air strike in the village of Tel Rafat, some 37 km (23 miles) north of Aleppo, August 9, 2012. Syrian troops and rebels fought over the country's biggest city Aleppo as President Bashar al-Assad's key foreign backer Iran gathered ministers from like-minded states for talks on Thursday about how to end the conflict.
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Credit: Abdullatif Anis
Source: Flickr
This event was convened to examine the humanitarian implications of the war in Syria. By August 2012 the conflict had spread to the two major cities, Damascus and Aleppo displacing thousands and triggering the flight of hundreds of thousands of refugees.
Discussion at this second roundtable on Syria focused on the humanitarian response within Syria and regionally by bringing together representatives of the leading agencies in Damascus, Amman, Rome and London. The discussion provided an opportunity for humanitarian partners to explore how best to respond to the needs of all those caught up in the conflict.
The first roundtable reflected on the current response of the international community and consider its impact on civilians caught up in the conflict.
This year’s World Humanitarian Day will commemorate the highest annual incidence of major attacks against aid workers worldwide, yet recorded.
In the years that have elapsed since the foundation of World Humanitarian Day a number of trends and developments have emerged which profoundly affect how, where and in what circumstances humanitarian workers can provide assistance to populations in peril.
Crowds of locals surround the recently-dispatched UN monitoring team as they walk through the streets of Homs, Syria. Pursuant to an authorization by the Security Council, the team of six unarmed observers were deployed to Syria on 16 April, tasked with reporting on the cessation of violence between Government and opposition forces.
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Credit: UN Photo/Neeraj Singh
Source: UN multimedia
This closed-door roundtable on the Syria crisis brought together leading humanitarian aid agencies and senior figures with direct experience of humanitarian work in the country. The purpose of the meeting was to examine the response of the international community and consider its impact on the civilian population.
Protesters attend a rally against Muammar Gaddafi in Benghazi, Libya March 1, 2011
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Credit: REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
Source: Flickr
This meeting brought together key humanitarian operational partners to discuss the situation in Libya, to reflect on the current response of the international community and its protection objectives.
In a rare joint Opinion, the Humanitarian Policy Group at ODI examines criticisms of humanitarian aid in a new book by Dutch journalist Linda Polman. While agreeing that humanitarian aid has had perverse effects, the Opinion argues that the picture is no longer as bleak as suggested. Humanitarian agencies have learned the lessons of the past, and now work in a more professional, coordinated and monitored way than in previous decades.