Learning from disruption: evolution, revolution or status quo?
While responding to epidemics and reflections on racism in aid were not new to the humanitarian system, the COVID-19 Pandemic required new ways of working in fast order, and the BLM protests brought renewed urgency to how aid organisations consider their roles and approaches.
Over the past 17 months external forces have brought about unplanned and unanticipated disruptions to humanitarian action. COVID-19 and the decolonisation of aid debate were selected due to the acute disruption they caused in 2020.
- Where and to what extent have COVID-19 and the ‘decolonisation of aid’ debate driven change – both positive and negative – within the humanitarian system?
- What can the humanitarian system learn from these external disruptors and the ways in which they do or do not effect change in humanitarian policy and practice?
Learning to adapt humanitarian action to the effects of climate change
During the 2021 ALNAP Meeting, an interactive session will consider the disruptions caused by climate change and will launch ALNAP’s latest Lessons Paper on Adapting humanitarian action to climate change (20 October, 13:00-14:30). The panel will explore how humanitarians actors can evolve their operations, strategies and partnerships to anticipate and respond to threats – both known and uncertain.
Chair: Jennifer Doherty, ALNAP
Speakers:
- Veronique de Geoffroy, Groupe URD;
- Mihir Bhatt, All India Disaster Management Institute;
- Carol Devine, “Climate Smart MSF” Transformational Investment Capacity Incubators, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF); Adenike Oladosu, I Lead Climate;
- Erin Coughlon de Perez, Tufts University.
Photo: Flickr / Red Cross Climate Change Centre