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3rd Annual Meeting of Frontline Humanitarian Negotiators

4 December – 5 December 2018 | Geneva, Switzerland
Engaging with Communities on the Frontlines

From Bangladesh to Syria, South Sudan and El Salvador, communities play a crucial role in the design of the humanitarian response. With the support of international agencies and local NGOs, community members learn to cope with crisis situations constructively and collectively – even when faced with forced displacement, sieges and urban violence. How to best leverage the social capital of communities, as well as their ingenuity and resilience is the overarching theme of the 3rd Annual Meeting of Frontline Humanitarian Negotiators.

  • What are the practical ways to enhance community participation in humanitarian negotiation?
  • How may host communities assist when negotiating access, particularly with non-state armed groups?
  • How does community-based negotiation impact upon the coherence and cohesion among humanitarian organizations?

These are just some of the key questions at the center of over a dozen informal circle discussions at this year’s Annual Meeting.The 2018 Annual Meeting will gather 200 frontline staff, operational managers, subject-matter experts, members of civil society organizations and the private sector. Through a mix of thematic circle discussions, side events and networking opportunities, the Annual Meeting will provide a space for informal exchanges between professionals engaged in community-based negotiation and mediation processes. It also seeks to further strengthen the global network of professionals engaging with communities. Finally, the meeting offers an occasion to reflect on how the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation can serve as a platform to facilitate peer support in 2019.

Field practitioners will play a critical role in the discussions at the Annual Meeting. Relevant experience in humanitarian negotiations and an ability to share and contribute to the deliberations is expected from all participants.

Partners

Made possible thanks to the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).

Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Get in touch

Sofia Mueller
Project Coordinator – Research & Development

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