Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks

Session title: Responding to a response: Lessons in localisation from Ukraine

Organizer(s): Sphere

6 May 24 16:00-17:30 UTC+2 (Pleniere A)

SessionAbstract

Humanitarian response to the Ukraine crisis in Eastern Europe proved once again that local actors are not only the first to react and the last to leave, but also best placed to respond to the needs of their communities.

As local organisations, civil society, businesses, and the private sector had to rapidly mobilise their resources to support humanitarian response, the need to turn localisation from theory into practice became more crucial than ever.

With the crisis still ongoing, we need to look back and learn from the freshest experience - in order to provide better support to local
humanitarian actors, who continue to work on the ground despite burnout, limited capacities, and other challenges.

Much thinking has already been done on this topic by Ukrainian civil society. We will start our session with a brief presentation of the Alliance of Ukrainian CSO's draft Strategy for ensuring local leadership in responding to humantarian crises and setting the foundation for recovery processes in Ukraine.

This will be followed by a quickfire round of "Key Achievements" from our panellists, before moving into smaller groups to share experiences and look at lessons learnt in more depth, as we ask ourselves "How can we do this better going forward?".

Speakers

Mila Leonova, Director of the Alliance of Ukrainian Civil Society Organisations.

Almost 20 years in public, external and government relations. More than 15 years of project and team management. Anti-crisis communication and peaceful resolution of conflicts of different levels: facilitation of dialogue, mediation, negotiations.

Dina Volynets, Head of Supervisory Board at Your Support (Tvoya Opora) Charitable Foundation

Dina Volynets, organizational development and strategic consultant with more than 15 years of experience in civil society development and humanitarian response in Ukraine. Certified facilitator, coach,and trainer. Member of International Association of Facilitators (IAF), Sphere Listed Trainer. Head of Supervisory Board at Your Support (Tvoya Opora)Charitable Foundation and Sphere Focal Point in Ukraine, Owner & CEO of Curly Management Bureau.

Liudmyla Batsiun,Teach for Ukraine

Finance Manager with 20+ years in business and NGOs sectors. Social entrepreneurship co-founder knowing the "non-financial" changemaking impact that helps to ensure the social business and NGO's sustainability. Streamlining processes to create a safe and motivating environment for best-practice-sharing, employees cooperation and development.

Katarzyna Bryczkowska, Learning Solutions Specialist, Humanitarian Leadership Academy/Save the Children Poland.

Sphere standards trainer and coordinator of the Sphere focal point in Poland. She is an experienced trainer and facilitator certified by the Council of Europe. Dedicated to social projects for many years. She has been supporting leaders of LNGOs in Poland by capacity strengthening projects. Graduate in Postgraduate Humanitarian Aid andInternational Law at the University of Warsaw.

Pawel Mania, Deputy Director for Impact & Influence, Humanitarian Leadership Academy

Pawel is a values-driven humanitarian professional with over 15 years of experience in international development and humanitarian response,having worked for Sightsavers International, the British Council, and the European Parliament Human Rights Committee. Pawel was deployed as a MEAL Technical Advisor forthe Regional Ukraine Refugee Response in Poland. He led the development of key partnerships in Eastern Europe and played a significant role in shaping HLA's impact and evidence strategy. He is passionate about localising humanitarian efforts, promoting peacebuilding, and strengthening civil society. His expertise spans research, evaluation, policy development, and advocacy, with a proven track record of advising, mentoring, and leading teams to deliver impactful projects across the globe, including in Uganda, Ukraine, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Pakistan.

Felicity Fallon, Head of Learning and Events, Sphere.

Felicity helped coordinate Sphere's Ukraine and Eastern Europe programme in 2022-2023. Prior to joining Sphere, she worked in education, tourism and heritage. Her roles have encompassed teaching, training and business development for the public and private sectors. She is co-founder of Lake Aid, an association supporting displaced children and families in Annecy (France). She attended a Sphere Training of Trainers workshop in Albania 2022, and has since facilitated a number of in-person workshops in Poland, Slovak Republic and UK, as well as online sessions for participants all around the world.