As part of the CCHN’s Community of Care initiative to build the resilience of humanitarian frontline negotiations, we collaborate with Intisar Foundation. The foundation works to help and empower women affected by war with drama therapy. Its founder, Her Highness Sheikha Intisar al-Sabah, was motivated to help other women in the Middle East following her experience of the invasion of Kuwait. We were honoured when she joined us to discuss the role of women in negotiation, bringing a focus on building resilience and mental strength.
The efficiency of humanitarian response following a disaster depends on how fast coordination structures are established, supply chains are enabled, and human and financial resources are mobilised.
Negotiating in disaster contexts becomes challenging because of the many parties involved. Often, survivors are turned into first responders until traditional humanitarian response mechanisms are set up. Then, when humanitarian actors step in, it’s necessary to negotiate and coordinate the response among the multiple actors.
In 2023, the CCHN launched its research on negotiating in the context of disasters. Since then, we have conducted a series of interviews to understand field practices, produced a report and developed a thematic session with the project to expand this topic in the future.