Webinar series:
Humanitarian action at the time of COVID-19
6th, 8th, 12th, 13th and 15th of APRIL
15:30H - 17:00H
The world is currently in a global pandemic situation, first identified in December 2019. To date, the COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 2 million people and more than 96 million cases have been reported worldwide.
Apart from the economic and public health crises with which the world is struggling, COVID-19 has brought a far-reaching and long-term global protection emergency. According to the United Nations Agency for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, 235 million people worldwide will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2021, 40% more than in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic has added a new dimension to the protection challenges within humanitarian action. While some of the world's most well-resourced countries have seen a drastic increase in demand for protection services, people in countries with pre-existing humanitarian crises are dealing with new protection threats, with fewer resources available to help to mitigate them.
In the current context there is an increased risk of forced displacement, coupled with an increase in xenophobia and stigmatization, a dramatic increase in gender-based violence and discrimination in access to health, food, drinking water, education and legal services for these populations, especially vulnerable and marginalized groups.
Due to the increase in protection needs and the impact on access to services and respect for the human rights of the population in the most multi-affected countries, the humanitarian community faces important challenges, which we will address in the scheduled sessions.
6th, 8th, 12th, 13th and 15th of April from 15:30 to 17:00h (CET)
IECAH’s Zoom platform
The webinar series consists of 5 sessions that will be held from 15:30 to 17:00. An opening session, 3 regional sessions and a closing session.
Date: April 6th / 15:30h (CET) / Duration: 1h30
The humanitarian sector has always faced different challenges imposed by the contexts in which it works and has been forced to be constantly evolving. The COVID-19 pandemic has been no exception and has brought a new dimension to existing protection challenges within humanitarian action.
During this session, we will analyse the current situation facing humanitarian action by looking at the different contexts, challenges, and opportunities, some of them within the framework of COVID-19 and others that were already emerging.
Opening: Cristina Muñoz, Director at ALIANZA.
Facilitator: Francisco Rey Marcos, IECAH’s co-director.
*There will be a live English interpretation.
Date: April 8th / 15:30h (CET) / Duration: 1h30
The COVID-19 pandemic has had health, economic and social effects, as well as others that have been less visible or invisible. In the field of development cooperation, and, in particular, humanitarian action, it has had a strong impact on the protection of people affected by natural disasters and/or armed conflicts, posing enormous challenges, difficulties and lessons for humanitarian actors.
After a more general analysis of the impact that COVID-19 has had on protection, we will analyse how different responses have been adapted to guarantee protection, like feminist leadership has been in the response to COVID-19 from different local organisations, and we will make visible the impact and changes that COVID-19 has brought about in situations of sexual and gender-based violence in a context such as Palestine.
Facilitator: Eva Anadón Representative in Palestine at ALIANZA.
Date: April 12th / 15:30h (CET) / Duration: 1h30
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only generated new humanitarian needs but has also pushed some pre-existing needs into the background. During this session we will focus on how the pandemic has affected and is affecting the protection component and the displacement of people against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the other hand, although in a complementary manner, we will analyse the state of localisation in the context of the pandemic. How this has meant a step forward or backward for this commitment that we are so far from fulfilling and what future prospects are envisaged.
Following on from the Grand Bargain commitments, we will look at Cash Transfer Programmes in the framework of Government Social Safety Nets.
Facilitator: María Salvador, Programme Manager at ALIANZA.
Date: April 13th / 15:30h (CET) / Duration: 1h30
The COVID 19 pandemic have brought many challenges to commitments and mechanisms that humanitarian agencies put in place to ensure quality and accountability of humanitarian work. This session will aim at analysing different tools and approaches that are essential to improving the humanitarian response including accountability to the affected communities, effective training of staff and volunteers and cash based assistance.
Facilitator: Camille Nussbaum, IECAH’s researcher.
Date: April 15th / 15:30h (CET) / Duration: 1h30
Through the presentation of short excerpts from the previous sessions and discussion with the invited guests, we will try to draw some conclusions on lessons learned and lessons to be learned.
Facilitator: Alejandro Zurita, CONGDE’s humanitarian action group vocal (to be confirmed)
*There will be a live English interpretation.