Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks

Session title: Keeping quality at the forefront of humanitarian assistance

Organizer(s): Sphere and HSP

7 May 24 09:00-10:30 UTC+2 (Pleniere B)

SessionAbstract

The humanitarian system is not fit for purpose.

We hear this mantra all the time, yet sometimes it sounds like an excuse for not being able to do more or do better, because the challenges are too great and the outcomes beyond our control.

But if quality is not a priority, then guess who pays the price? For if we lose quality then we also lose dignity.

Or maybe the world has changed such that the old system we aspired to has gone forever. From now on aid is only about doing what we can, as quality considerations are a luxury we can no longer afford.

This and more will be discussed on Tuesday 7 May at 9am in room PleniereB – your presence will be greatly appreciated.

Speakers

Alper Küçük is the Director-General for International Affairs and Migration Services at theTurkish Red Crescent, in charge of the organisation's international relations, humanitarian programmes and refugee and migration services globally. He is also serving as the President of Sphere. Alper has worked more than fifteen years in the humanitarian field, predominantly with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the United Nations. With the UN Office for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs in Turkey, he was a Field Coordinator and civil-military CoordinationOfficer for cross-border humanitarian response within the scope of the SyriaCrisis, and later the Head of OCHA Liaison Office in Ankara.

Ana Pinto de Oliveira is a Public Health Doctor, holding a Master’s degree in Microbiology and a PhD in International Health. She has extensive experience in Public Health: epidemiological surveillance, health planning and working with vulnerable populations. She is an independent humanitarian action consultant with experience in Portuguese-speaking countries. She is also a consultant to the World Health Organization's Technical Group on Immunization for the African Region. She is the coordinator of the Public Health and Humanitarian Action Research Group at the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Algarve and coordinates their Postgraduate course of Humanitarian Action.

Vanda Lengkong is the Regional Head of Disaster Risk Management for Plan International Asia Pacific. A professional humanitarian worker with more than 20 years experience in the sector, she oversees the portfolio of humanitarian work, Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation and school safety in 15 countries in the region; promotes a gender transformative approach in DRM work and has been deployed in a number of large scale emergencies as Emergency Response Manager/Specialist. Since December 2021 she has represented Plan International on Sphere’s Governing Board.

Juliet Parker is ALNAP's Director. She is responsible for working with the Secretariat to coordinate strategy and ensure the coherence, implementation and impact of ALNAP's work. Juliet has 20 years’ experience of humanitarian programming and senior level strategic management in NGOs with a particular focus on performance and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL). Juliet joined ALNAP from Action Against Hunger UK where she was their Director of Operations. She has worked on the design and delivery of humanitarian response and resilience programmes across the world, and is passionate about the role of evidence, learning and uptake in improving the effective delivery of humanitarian aid.

As Elrha’s CEO, Jess Camburn has developed and led the organisation from its early beginnings in 2009 to its place today as a leading global actor in humanitarian research and innovation. Jess works closely with Elrha’s Board and leadership team to ensure we have the vision, strategy, talent and experience to deliver transformative results in humanitarian action. In addition to Sphere, Jess serves on a number of strategic Boards for UK research and innovation, including the UK’s Disaster Research Group, and the Strategic Advisory Group for the Global Challenge Research Fund. Jess is passionate about challenging the lack of investment in research and innovation in the humanitarian system.

William Anderson joined Sphere as Executive Director in 2023. Prior to this he worked for Christian Aid in Africa for eight years with a particular focus on humanitarian action in conflict contexts; conservation agriculture and human rights. He directed Medair’s international operations from its head office in Lausanne for a decade. William has led numerous emergency response teams working directly with communities affected by crisis, most recently in Mozambique, Ethiopia, Moldova and Ukraine. He has experience with several NGOs including the Norwegian Refugee Council and INTERSOS on for example humanitarian policy and Middle East regional programming.