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World Humanitarian Summit picks up steam

The World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), convened by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, will take place in Istanbul, Turkey in 2016. Its aim is to bring humanitarian stakeholders together to set out a new course for how they collaborate to prepare for and respond to natural disasters and man-made crises around the world.

The summit process is coordinated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and supported by over 35 countries and 50 organisations that are working to improve global humanitarian action.

A series of online consultations were launched on 5 May. Taking the form of web-based discussion forums, these conversations are meant to allow humanitarian practitioners to contribute ideas on humanitarian priorities in each region and identify solutions to the most pressing humanitarian challenges. Findings from these online discussions will be included in the reports and recommendations that the summit will consider.

In May, the focus of the online discussions is on West and Central Africa and, starting on 19 May, on North and South-East Asia. Everyone involved with humanitarian endeavours in these regions is invited to participate.

Some conversations have already started: “How can humanitarian action support indigenous coping mechanisms?” “What role can regional organisations play in disaster response?” “Are quality control measures preventing timely humanitarian response?”

To get involved and add your voice, you need to create an account on the WHS website. You can also upload relevant research and reports, answer periodic surveys and connect with other humanitarians around the world.

West and Central Africa will host the first regional consultation. The event will take place 19-20 June in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

The second regional consultation on North and South-East Asia will take place in Tokyo, Japan on 23 and 24 July.

National and grassroots consultations will be held in the lead-up to both regional events. Dates and venues will be published on the WHS website.

Additional regional consultations will take place and more detailed information will be shared as they are finalized.

Many leading humanitarian specialists from around the world have joined the WHS thematic teams. These will guide and organize the knowledge base for WHS work over the next two years.

Additionally, regional organizations, civil society groups, governments, businesses and other key stakeholders have joined WHS regional steering groups in both West and Central Africa and North and South-East Asia – the two first regions to host these regional consultations.

  • Learn more and get involved: visit the World Humanitarian Summit website.
  • Join the discussion on West and Central Africa.