Free to Run’s Post

I am excited to moderate a dynamic discussion on Monday 18 March, at 6pm at the German Mission to United Nations in New York on "Women and LGBTIQ+ Led Organizations on the Frontlines of Humanitarian Action: Promoting accountability and justice for gender-based violence in the context of war, recovery, and reconstruction", in Ukraine, on the margins of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), to showcase women's leadership. As the title connotes, women and LGBTI led organisations as well as other marginalised groups are playing a critical role in providing life saving and essential services to women and girls and marginalised individuals displaced by war in #Ukraine. Yet they often do this work at risk to their own safety, with inadequate resources, and at times without the recognition they deserve. How do we better support people displaced and impacted by war, in particular those at risk and exposed to gender based violence, learn from organisations working at the frontlines, and promote funding to them as well as partnerships with them? How do we better amplify the leadership of women and LGBTI led organisations in Ukraine, and in all humanitarian emergencies? The event is organized by The Women's Refugee Commission with the Permanent missions of #Malta #Germany, and Ukraine to the UN, Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada, HIAS and UN Women, and will entail a panel discussion with a delegation of women and #LGBTI led organisations from Ukraine, as well as addresses from senior government officials. #csw68 #investinwomen #ceasefirenow #endviolenceagainstwomen globalfundforwomen Sharon Bhagwan Rolls Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) Edge Effect Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) ODI WomenForWomen United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) WhatWorks2PreventVAWG Department for International Development (DFID) USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance NGO Committee on the Status of Women (NGO CSW/NY) European Commission OSCE UNDP World Economic Forum World Bank Message Rahel Beigel of Women's Regugee Comission for RSVP and more details. (Photo: One of my photos from the car window as we drove through Ukraine in June 2022)

Yesterday, our UN Volunteers Ukraine's Country Coordinator shared insights on Hosting a UN Volunteer with our partner UN agency, UNDP Ukraine. With 132 dedicated UN Volunteers already serving in Ukraine across various UN agencies in 2024, including UNDP, IOM, UNFPA, UN Women, OHCHR, WFP, and more, their impact is undeniable. Curious about hosting a UN Volunteer? Wondering about the steps involved, or the support provided by UNV? Our UN Partner Toolkit has the answers you need: https://toolkit.unv.org/ Discover UNV's flexible capacity support for United Nations partners and unlock the potential of volunteerism in advancing peace, development, and humanitarian efforts.

In meetings with de facto authorities in both #Kabul and Kandahar, the delegation directly conveyed the alarm over the recent decree banning women from working for national and international non-governmental organizations, a move that undermines the #work of numerous organizations helping millions of vulnerable #Afghans.  The de facto authorities have also recently moved to close #universities to female #students across the country until further notice, and have barred girls from attending secondary #school, restricted women and #girls’ freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the #workforce and banned women from using parks, gyms and public bath houses.  The United Nations and its partners, including national and international non-governmental organizations, are helping more than 25 million Afghans who depend on humanitarian aid to survive, and remain committed to staying and delivering.  The most recent decrees issued by the de facto authorities banning women from #working for #NGOs has forced many partners to pause operations which can no longer be safely and meaningfully delivered. While the recent exemptions to the ban introduced by the de facto authorities are opening spaces for humanitarians to continue - and in some cases resume - operations, these remain limited to few sectors and activities.  https://lnkd.in/evTDmCMa

#HumanitarianAid: Building bridges and mending collapsing ones is of utmost importance. What the world needs now is more bridges to be maintained and built, humanitarian ones first. In his piece Mukesh Kapila exposes complexities and dilemmas of humanitarian aid in present Afghanistan. What happens to bridges when one extremity is confronted with the opposite one? In times of cascaded crises, disasters, conflicts and wars a year-round season of global #TalkShops has just started at Davos, to be continued in March at the UN Fifth Least Developed Countries (LDC5) conference. Afghanistan is one of them, with appalling humanitarian development index. Mr. Kapila's article would be an excellent, invaluable contribution, if included in the UN #LDC5 agenda and discussed in Doha. Fact-based arguments are especially powerful as they come from the author's hands on experience as well as opinions of Afghan women. 1. "A crystal-clear answer came from Afghan mothers: “Don’t stop educating our boys; otherwise, they only have religious schools. We don’t want them to grow up like the Taliban." 2. "Taliban edicts have been universally condemned and major powers such as the US are considering tighter sanctions. But it will be the Afghan population that will suffer most. With 97 per cent of Afghans living below the poverty line, according to UN estimates, the morality of punitive measures is questionable." 3. "Humanitarians are also well-practised in working with all types of regimes while crossing many red lines along the way, including previously in Afghanistan. While it is high time to take a principled stand and tackle the inconsistencies of modern humanitarianism, fighting on the Taliban-selected battleground of its women and girls will not lead to victory – even a pyrrhic one – by any side. Neither is the vital global cause of gender equality served by symbolic gestures such as withdrawing aid and further isolating Afghanistan. If we do that, increased suffering for the people we seek to help is certain." #FoodForThought | #GenderEquality | #GlobalDev |#TogetherActNow | #WalkTheTalk | #TogetherForImplementation | #ProgressByInnovation | #DignifiedStoryTelling | #PictureOfChange | #DignifiedStoryTellers | #AfghanistanCrisis | #Afghanistan

Young people are driving transformative change in humanitarian settings. In our latest blog post, we explore the importance of youth engagement, their unique perspectives, and the positive impact they bring. Join the discussion and read more through this link: https://lnkd.in/ggA3mAAq #YouthLeadership #HumanitarianEngagement #BuildingtheFuture

#16DaysOfActivismAgainstGBV with Samuel Hall: Meet Isra Yayha, co-founder of SheCan, addressing pervasive GBV issues in Kakuma Refugee Camp. Convicted perpetrators often reintegrate swiftly, risking further assaults. “Our programmes empower girls and women with knowledge and skills to safeguard their rights.” - Isra Yayha, co-founder of SheCan, Kakuma Refugee Camp. Recognizing cultural nuances is crucial in addressing GBV. Our research shows positive responses to culturally tailored programmes. Collaboration between international and local partners, especially NGOs, is pivotal for effective, culturally sensitive solutions. Isra Yayha, a refugee from Sudan, co-founded SheCan, combating GBV. In a year, SheCan reached 6,500 women and girls, gaining significant community support in reducing GBV. Isra's experience shows local initiatives, in partnership with the international humanitarian community, are critical in improving safety and reducing GBV. Prioritize localised approaches. ➡️ Read Isra’s full story and learn about localization in addressing GBV: https://t.ly/O1cGf. Localization is crucial for context-adapted GBV interventions. Partnerships with local women-led organizations are key. Our evaluation of a UNFPA/UN Women Emergency Response Fund highlights 6 good practices: Allocate a minimum of the fund to WLOs and WROs, prioritizing local and community-based organizations. Provide different formats of inclusion for WLOs and WROs based on their capacities. Jointly develop capacity plans adapted to the needs of WLOs and WROs. Provide flexibility in activities design from project inception. Create peer-learning platforms and networks of local actors. Prioritize long-term partnerships to increase leadership and sustainability. Let's prioritize localised approaches to make a meaningful impact in addressing GBV. #NoExcuse #Localisation

Somalia's youth are facing a crisis. The country has been facing challenges in addressing youth unemployment, this means that millions of young people are unable to find work and are therefore unable to support themselves or their families. The country is one of the poorest in Sub-Saharan Africa, with most of the population living below the international poverty line of U.S.$1.90. However, in the midst of the ongoing crisis, the resilience and determination of its youth shine through as a beacon of ho

📝A recent study by IOM’s women's participation in Al Jufainah, Ma’rib, revealed that for Yemeni women to participate in decisions impacting their lives:    ✔ Encouraging women to speak up is essential, especially in community meetings 🗣️ ✔ Livelihood opportunities empower women for more decision-making power 💪 ✔ Education empowers: Mentoring and leadership by educated women make an impact 📚 ✔ Emphasizing equal opportunities for both men and women is vital for community support 🤝   Read the baseline report 👉 https://lnkd.in/euquCVRB   #WomensParticipation   🙏 @European Commission - ECHO & USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance

To what extent are humanitarians the problem? This might sound like the title of a theoretical academic essay, but it is, in fact, the question I've been asking myself for many years of my career. And last week, I was grateful to be surrounded by hundreds of people asking the same question. I attended the inaugural Humanitarian Xchange conference hosted by Humanitarian Leadership Academy x Save the Children UK. I was one of 600 in-person attendees, with 5,000 joining online, representing a diverse range of local and international humanitarian organisations, government departments, industry, research and academia from 142 countries. It was the largest gathering of humanitarians in the UK for over 50 years. I'm grateful to have met so many courageous colleagues, and to have shared the work I'm doing with The Joyful Activists® to support the mental health and wellbeing of our sector. The conference was an interrogation of the humanitarian ‘polycrises’; leadership in the humanitarian system; collaboration and partnerships; technology and data; and finance. It couldn't have come at a more crucial time. A time where: 🌍30+ countries are experiencing war or conflict. 🌍110 million people have been forcibly displaced. 🌍222 million children are out of school. 🌍600 million people live in extreme poverty. 🌍Gender equality is 135+ years away. A time where the world looks on at the unspeakable horror in Gaza, and questions the power of International Humanitarian Law, the limitations of global treaties and policies, and the role of humanitarian organisations. The workshops and keynote speeches asked incredibly difficult and necessary questions: 💡How do we address the colonial legacy of fundraising? 💡Do aid organisations tell the truth to people in crisis? 💡Does the presence of aid make governments less accountable? 💡Can humanitarian organisations move away from hegemonic norms and narrow self-interest to truly decolonise their practice? One of the closing remarks from #savethechildrenuk Humanitarian Director Gareth Owen OBE summarised: "A humanitarian band-aid might stem the bleeding, but justice will heal the wound". Professor Jason Hart stated: "Gaza has to be a watershed moment for the humanitarian sector". Something has to change, and we must have these conversations. So let's start here: 💡What is the future of our sector in a world so full of injustice? 💡To what extent are humanitarians exacerbating the problem? 💡Where do we go from here? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Here are some of the brilliant speakers: Maryam Nemazee / Ahmed Al-Khameri / Annie Slemrod / Ebele Okobi / Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh / Hugo Slim / Harpinder Athwal Collacott / James Denselow / Juliano Fiori / Dr Simon Western / Stijn Aelbers / Meg Sattler / Liz Hendry Full line-up of speakers here: https://lnkd.in/dxC-Gvhb