Humanitarian Engagement and Local Leadership in Complex Environments

Date: 

Tuesday, March 22, 2022, 11:00am to 12:00pm

Location: 

Zoom

Registration Link: http://hsph.me/ENPLeadership

Hosted by: HHI"s Executive Negotiation Project

In today’s emergencies, humanitarian practitioners navigate complicated political, social, and cultural environments. Their decisions affect the security and wellbeing of the populations they aim to assist and of their own colleagues. Recent years have seen an increasing focus on leadership development in the humanitarian sector, with recognition that negotiation and dialogue are core leadership functions. In conflict settings, local practitioners, who make up the majority of the humanitarian workforce, are often on the frontline of engagement with state and non-state actors. In parallel, the humanitarian sector has made extensive commitments to localization and has recognized the vital role local and national humanitarian practitioners play in operational decision-making. Yet it remains challenging for local practitioners to move into upper-level leadership roles.

A range of questions therefore remains about how the sector needs to change so that local leadership becomes a reality. How are local practitioners involved in technical and strategic decision-making in humanitarian operations? How do they participate in negotiations and dialogue with state actors, non-state armed groups, and other relevant actors? What concrete steps are needed to fully recognize national organizations’ and practitioners’ leadership of humanitarian operations?

On March 22, join us for a discussion on these questions. The webinar is open to the public, all are welcome and invited to share questions for our panelists.

This session will be recorded and made available to webinar registrants.