Category: Humanitarian Partnership

The Humanitarian Reset must not leave persons with disabilities behind
As discussions on the Humanitarian Reset continue to take shape across the European Union, one uncomfortable reality remains: we are still having to make the case for disability inclusion at the very moment when it should already be embedded. Despite long-standing commitments, the recognition of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the meaningful inclusion of persons with disabilities remain uneven—and in some cases notably absent—from key EU frameworks. Current negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework and the proposed Global Europe Instrument risk reinforcing this gap rather than closing it.

This is why these messages are being repeated. Not out of habit, but out of necessity.

This moment of reflection is therefore not only about improving efficiency or coordination—it is about ensuring that humanitarian action remains grounded in principles of inclusion, dignity, and equal access for all.

The European Union and its Member States have a significant role in shaping how this reform unfolds. The choices being made now will influence not only the structure of humanitarian financing and delivery, but also who is effectively reached—and who is not. There is a clear opportunity to ensure that reform strengthens, rather than inadvertently weakens, inclusive humanitarian action.

For organisations working on disability rights and inclusion, many of the messages emerging in this debate will feel familiar. That is precisely the point.

Too often, commitments to inclusion are reaffirmed in policy but weakened in implementation. Repeating these messages is not redundancy but a sign of persistence and continued need. Moments of systemic reform are precisely when these commitments must be defended most clearly.

The EU’s leadership on disability inclusion

The EU has positioned itself as a global leader on disability rights and inclusive humanitarian action. Its commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the EU Disability Rights Strategy 2021-2030, and the European Commission’s Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations’ (DG ECHO) approach to disability-inclusive humanitarian action provide a strong policy framework.

The EU and several EU Member States are also engaged in global coordination efforts on disability inclusion through platforms such as the Global Action on Disability (GLAD) Network, which promotes disability inclusion across international cooperation, including humanitarian action and the implementation of CRPD Article 11 on situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies.

Within the humanitarian system, the Disability Reference Group (DRG) brings together UN agencies, NGOs, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities and donors to advance disability-inclusive humanitarian action and support implementation of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action.

While COHAFA discussions focus on humanitarian policy coordination among EU Member States, colleagues from the same institutions are often engaged in these wider platforms. Ensuring coherence between these commitments and emerging discussions on the Humanitarian Reset will be important to maintain EU leadership on disability-inclusive humanitarian action.

Safeguarding inclusion in the Reset

Several elements of the Humanitarian Reset discussions require particular attention from EU actors.

First, proposals to simplify humanitarian coordination structures must not weaken specialised mechanisms that support protection and disability inclusion. These structures exist because they are essential to ensuring that the needs of marginalised groups are systematically considered.

Second, the strong focus on localisation and equitable partnerships, strongly supported by the EU and reflected in broader Team Europe approaches to international partnerships, must translate into meaningful inclusion of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities. Without deliberate action, localisation risks reinforcing existing power imbalances and excluding disability-led organisations from partnerships and funding.

Third, emerging discussions on prioritisation of crises and funding must not lead to a two-tier humanitarian system where some crises — and the most marginalised populations within them — receive less attention.

Finally, efforts to improve efficiency must address the administrative and compliance barriers that continue to limit participation by smaller organisations, including OPDs.

Evidence consistently shows that households including persons with disabilities experience significantly more severe and complex humanitarian needs across crises, making disability inclusion central to principled and needs-based humanitarian action.

An opportunity the EU should not miss

The Humanitarian Reset will shape how the humanitarian system operates for years to come. For the EU and its Member States, the discussions in COHAFA represent an important moment to ensure that inclusion remains integral to humanitarian action — not an afterthought.

Because if inclusion is not actively safeguarded during moments of reform, it is often the first principle to be quietly set aside.

The EU has already demonstrated leadership on disability inclusion. The Humanitarian Reset offers an opportunity to ensure that this leadership translates into a more inclusive humanitarian system — one that works for everyone, including persons with disabilities.

Key messages for EU Member States
1. Ensure humanitarian action is disability-inclusive in line with obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), particularly Article 11 on situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies.
2. Protect specialised expertise in coordination reform, ensuring disability inclusion remains embedded within humanitarian coordination structures.
3. Ensure localisation efforts include Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), enabling equitable partnerships and access to funding.
4. Avoid prioritisation approaches that create a two-tier humanitarian system, leaving some crises and marginalised groups behind.
5. Reduce administrative and compliance barriers that prevent smaller organisations and OPDs from participating fully in humanitarian action.
6. Build on existing EU leadership, including engagement in the GLAD Network and the Disability Reference Group, to ensure disability inclusion remains central to humanitarian reform discussions and remains coherent across relevant international coordination platforms.
Ruth Faber

28 April 2026

Advocacy Hub, Humanitarian Partnership
The Missing Piece in Peace Booklet

When we talk about peace, we often think of treaties signed in distant capitals, of diplomats around negotiating tables for long hours, or of large-scale interventions by multilateral organisations. Yet, this publication tells a different story—one of peace built from the ground up, by communities themselves. This story is crucial for policymakers and other stakeholders as the Global Gateway projects are implemented worldwide. For the Global Gateway to be a true values-based infrastructure partnership, it must recognise that if conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding are not integrated from the design phase, infrastructure can become a flashpoint rather than a foundation for development.

“The Missing Piece in Peace” brings together compelling case studies from South Sudan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia. What connects these diverse contexts is a powerful insight: sustainable peace will not come from external impositions but from empowering local communities with the tools, knowledge, and agency to resolve their own conflicts.

Across these pages, you’ll meet women in South Sudan who transformed from survivors of gender[1]based violence into economic leaders; farmers in Somalia learning climate-smart agriculture that reduces resource conflicts; peace promoters in Bor mediating disputes before they escalate to violence; and religious leaders in multiple countries challenging harmful norms and building bridges across divided communities.

These stories challenge us to rethink how we approach peacebuilding. They demonstrate that when we invest in community-led approaches— whether through Peace Committees, Community-Based Sociotherapy, conflict-sensitive programming, or faith-based dialogue—we create foundations for peace that endure.

The “Missing Piece” in Peace, it turns out, isn’t missing at all. It’s been there all along, in communities themselves. I hope these stories move you as they have moved me and strengthen your commitment to community-centred approaches.

Download the full booklet:

The Missing Piece in Peace_compressed Download

Tabeth Masengu

27 January 2026

Advocacy Hub, Humanitarian Partnership, Uncategorized
Humanitarian, Nexus & Fragility 2022–2025
Strategic Impact Article

Programme at a Glance
- European Humanitarian Forum: strong member presence in 2023 and 2024 (Dorcas, Fida, LM International, Mission East, Medair DE, PMU, Tearfund NL, ZOA, Secretariat)
- VOICE Engagement: active role in the FPA Taskforce, Watchgroup, and representation on the VOICE Board, ensuring EU-CORD members’ realities shaped humanitarian policy debates
- Submissions & Hearings: contribution on the M23 crisis in DRC cited in European Parliament resolutions; Secretariat invited to confidential parliamentary hearing and to brief the EU-Africa Assembly delegation
- 3 Action for Impact webinars with 128 participants (46 local partners) on humanitarian narratives, HRBA, and climate justice
- Nexus & Fragility Resources Published:
  – EU-CORD and the Triple Nexus (2022)
  – Nexus and Fragile States Roundtable Outcome Report (2024)
  – Fragile Contexts Nexus Case Studies (2025)
- Collaborative study & advocacy: Critical Raw Materials and fragility impact in Zambia (Sign of Hope, Caritas Zambia)
What Happened

Humanitarian engagement in this strategy cycle was deliberately reframed through the lens of fragility and the triple nexus. Members recognised that the boundaries between humanitarian aid, development cooperation, and peacebuilding are increasingly blurred — and that EU-CORD could add value by ensuring faith-based perspectives and evidence from fragile contexts were visible in Brussels.

Positioning members in EU debates
Through the European Humanitarian Forum, VOICE platforms, and CONCORD working groups, EU-CORD members gained visibility in spaces where compliance, localisation, and humanitarian reset were being debated. Active roles in the VOICE FPA Taskforce and Watchgroup, as well as representation on the VOICE Board, meant that the network’s concerns were not just relayed but helped shape common sector positions.

Flagship resources on the nexus
The programme’s contribution went beyond presence: it produced three milestone resources. The EU-CORD and the Triple Nexus report (2022) mapped how members were already operationalising the humanitarian–development–peace (HDP) approach, from disability inclusion in DRC (Fida) to resilience work in Nepal (Mission East). In 2024, EU-CORD co-hosted a high-level Nexus and Fragile States Roundtable with ACT Alliance EU, Caritas Europa, COMECE, and Islamic Relief — generating an outcome report that captured lessons from Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Venezuela, and Pakistan, and called for more flexible EU funding in fragile states. Building on this, the Fragile Contexts Nexus Case Studies (2025) showcased members like LM International (Uganda) and ZOA (Ethiopia), alongside partners in Myanmar and Ukraine, documenting how faith-based organisations deliver reconciliation, education, and livelihoods under conditions of conflict and displacement.

Direct advocacy on fragility
Alongside these publications, EU-CORD engaged directly on issues of fragility. A joint submission on the M23 crisis in DRC secured uptake in European Parliament debates and resolutions, and the Secretariat was invited to both a confidential parliamentary hearing and a briefing for the EU-Africa Assembly delegation. Research on Critical Raw Materials and fragility in Zambia, presented with Sign of Hope and Caritas Zambia, drew links between EU trade priorities and local vulnerabilities — broadening the humanitarian conversation into the geopolitics of resources.

Narrative and learning spaces
The programme also invested in reshaping humanitarian identity. The Action for Impact webinars convened members and local partners around humanitarian narratives, rights-based approaches, and climate justice, fostering dialogue on how the humanitarian story is told and who has the authority to tell it. These online spaces helped to decentralise participation, with nearly 40% of attendees coming from national organisations.

Why It Matters

The programme’s importance lies in how it combined policy influence, evidence generation, and member learning. For members, it:
- Reinforced credibility in EU policy spaces, ensuring that Christian FBOs were seen not as marginal actors but as central to debates on compliance, localisation, and the nexus.
- Produced resources that captured the lived realities of fragility, giving members practical tools to frame their own advocacy and programme design.
- Connected local experiences with Brussels processes, from the M23 crisis in DRC to fragility linked with EU resource politics in Zambia.
- Created shared learning spaces where members and partners could rethink humanitarian narratives and engage with nexus concepts on their own terms.
By doing so, the programme not only amplified members’ voices but also positioned EU-CORD as a credible contributor to the EU’s ongoing reflection on fragility and integrated approaches.

Reflecting Forward

Member CEOs regard humanitarian and fragility work as an important strand for EU-CORD. They stress the need to make the distinctive role of faith-based actors more visible in Brussels, while also recognising that the nexus is becoming unavoidable — humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding cannot be separated in fragile settings. They also emphasise that EU-CORD should continue to bring evidence from members’ contexts into these debates, ensuring fragility remains on the EU agenda.
Ruth Faber

9 September 2025

Annual Report, Humanitarian Partnership
While you were scrolling
Why 19 August Must Wake Us Up

EU-CORD CEO and NGO VOICE Board Member Ruth Faber shares her Reflections for World Humanitarian Day 2025

For most of us, 19 August will pass like any other day.

We’ll check our emails, skim the headlines, scroll past the news.
We might catch a story about wildfires or inflation.
We might also scroll past a death toll.
- Maybe from Gaza, where over 63,000 people, including 18,500 children, have been killed since October 2023.
- Or from Sudan, where more than 25 million people need aid — but access is blocked and violence continues.
- Or from DR Congo, where sexual violence and displacement are widespread but rarely make the news.
- Or Yemen, where almost a decade of conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Even when these stories break through — how often do they lead to change?

Meanwhile, for others, there is no ordinary day

Even if we scroll past, there are people who can’t.

People who are not reading about the crisis — they are living it. And in many cases, they are also the ones responding.

They are teachers running makeshift schools in conflict zones.
Nurses treating the wounded in hospitals barely standing.
Volunteers delivering food under gunfire.
Faith leaders offering shelter, prayer, and presence.

These are the humanitarian workers we honour on 19 August.
Not just international workers — but overwhelmingly people responding within their own communities

They give up far more than the few minutes it takes to write this article.
They give up safety. Security. Sometimes, their lives.

In 2024, more than 380 humanitarian workers were killed — the deadliest year ever recorded.

And 2025 is already on course to be worse.

This isn’t just a crisis of violence. It’s a crisis of accountability.

These deaths — and the widespread suffering we see — are not just tragic.
They are often the result of violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

Under IHL:
- Civilians should be protected.
- Aid workers must not be targeted.
- Medical facilities and convoys are not military targets.
But in conflicts across the world, these laws are ignored — or deliberately broken.
And when no one is held accountable, the violations continue.

When IHL breaks down, humanitarian space shrinks.
And when humanitarian space disappears, so do the lifelines that keep people alive.

For us, this is a matter of conscience.

As a Christian network, we believe in the sacredness of every human life.
We cannot stay silent as civilians are targeted and those who try to help them are punished for it.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves… defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
— Proverbs 31:8–9

This isn’t just about law.
It’s about justice. Dignity. Conscience.
It’s about restoring boundaries in conflict and protecting those who protect others.

And what about the EU — and us?

The EU plays a critical role in humanitarian response — as one of the world’s largest donors, a diplomatic force, and a defender of international norms.

That role is now more critical than ever.

With the U.S. retreating from global humanitarian leadership and the disassembly of USAID, the EU is being looked to as a stabilising force — to protect humanitarian space, uphold international law, and invest where others are pulling back.

But the EU is not just an institution.
It is us.
It is the citizens who choose what to care about,
the governments we elect,
the stories we amplify,
the pressure we apply.

So as the EU calls for respect for international humanitarian law, we must ask:
🔸 Are we willing to hold our leaders to that standard?
🔸 To challenge double standards — not just elsewhere, but within our own systems?
🔸 To invest in justice — not only when it’s convenient, but when it’s costly?

Our responsibility doesn’t end with institutions.
It begins with conscience — and must lead to action.

What must change?

This World Humanitarian Day, networks like VOICE are calling on the EU and its Member States to:

Protect civilians and aid workers
Enforce IHL and end impunity
Defend humanitarian space and its principles
Invest in local leadership

So if 19 August feels like just another day — remember this:

🟠 For many, it’s a day like any other — marked by loss, risk, and resilience.
🟠 For others, it’s a day they won’t survive.
🟠 And for all of us, it’s a moment to act.

Because if we fail to protect those who protect others,
We’re not just failing humanitarians —
We’re failing humanity.

🔗 Learn more:
Ruth Faber

19 August 2025

Faith in Action, Humanitarian Partnership
VOICE members call for a bold response to fragility
Fragility is deepening across the globe—driven by conflict, climate change, economic instability, and health crises. As needs grow, donor support is shrinking. The dismantling of USAID and cuts from major donors, including EU Member States, threaten to reverse vital development gains.

Humanitarian NGOs are sounding the alarm: disengagement is not an option. Fragile contexts host a quarter of the world’s population and the vast majority of those living in extreme poverty. Turning away now risks entrenching crisis, instability, and global insecurity.

In response, members of VOICE (including EU-CORD members —Fida, LM International, Medair, Mission East and ZOA ) are calling on the EU and its Member States to lead with courage and compassion. They urge a shift toward long-term, people-centred, flexible, and integrated engagement that addresses root causes and builds resilience.

Read the full 2025 policy resolution here:https://www.eu-cord.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/16-voice-policy-resolution-2025.pdf

VOICE calls on the EU and its Member States to address fragility by:

➤ Prioritising a People-Centred Approach
- Engage affected communities and support civil society organisations to ensure tailored programmes and equitable access.
- Mainstream protection, gender, and inclusion across all policies and plans.
➤ Implementing the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus Approach
- Apply the HDP Nexus approach in all contexts facing fragility.
- Strengthen coordination with local actors and across departments—humanitarian, development, peace, and climate.
➤ Guaranteeing Long-Term and Flexible Commitment to Fragility
- Maintain and intensify engagement in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
- Provide flexible funding across humanitarian, development, and climate mechanisms, with contingency plans for rapid adaptation during shocks.
Ruth Faber

26 June 2025

Humanitarian Partnership, Uncategorized
Humanitarian Leadership in Crisis: Will the EU Step Up?

As humanitarian need reaches unprecedented levels — with 309 million people in crisis and only 9% of global funding met by April 2025 — the EU faces a critical test of its values. Will it protect its humanitarian legacy, or allow it to erode in silence?

In its latest Statement, VOICE — backed by the CEOs of 112 NGOs — sets out five urgent actions for the EU and its Member States: fulfil aid commitments, reform the system, invest in resilience, and above all, defend principled humanitarian action.

That defence is urgently needed. Nowhere is this clearer than in Gaza, where humanitarian principles are being sidelined — neutrality ignored, access denied, and aid delivery militarised. This is not humanitarianism. It is a betrayal of the values that protect civilians and those who serve them.

We must be clear: being a professional NGO does not mean being apolitical or bureaucratic. It means bringing hope, dignity, and compassion — not gunshots at the distribution point. It means standing with communities, not over them. It means putting humanity first.

As the EU prepares for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), this is more than a budget issue. It is a moral moment. Funding must follow principles, not politics. The EU must lead by example and advocate fiercely for a humanitarian system that is independent, impartial, and people-centred.

This is not just about policy. It’s about whose lives we value, and whose voices we choose to hear.

📄 Read the VOICE Statement: reforming-the-humanitarian-system-5-key-actions-the-eu-must-take-1.pdf

Ruth Faber

20 June 2025

Advocacy Hub, Humanitarian Partnership, Uncategorized
Faith-Based Organisations and the Nexus Approach in Fragile States
How do we sustain engagement where governments are fragile, crises are protracted, and the needs are deeply complex? On 9 December 2024, a roundtable in Brussels brought together leaders and practitioners from faith-based organisations (FBOs), EU institutions, and civil society to answer this pressing question. Co-hosted by COMECE, ACT Alliance EU, Caritas Europa, Islamic Relief, and EU-CORD, the event explored how partnerships with local FBOs can strengthen the implementation of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus in fragile contexts.

The roundtable and the outcome report, now available, shed light on a truth too often overlooked: local faith-based organisations are not just stakeholders, but system-shapers. Their enduring presence in communities, moral authority, and social trust position them as vital allies in bridging the gap between short-term humanitarian responses and long-term peace and development.

Speakers from Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Venezuela, and Pakistan illustrated how FBOs, against the odds, have built peace committees, brokered local conflict resolution, and offered holistic services spanning food security, education, and the prevention of gender-based violence. In each case, religious literacy—an understanding of how faith intersects with culture, history, and power—proved critical.

Yet, significant barriers persist. Local FBOs face fragmented and short-term funding, lack of meaningful inclusion in strategic decision-making, and institutional resistance that hampers deeper cooperation. As one speaker aptly noted, Nexus work is often happening in spite of the system, not because of it.

The report calls on the EU and donors to move beyond rhetoric. This means:
- Creating flexible, long-term funding instruments that allow FBOs to plan sustainably.
- Mainstreaming religious literacy across humanitarian and development policy.
- Embedding Nexus interventions in the existing social fabric, where local FBOs are already active and trusted.
As Ruth Faber (CEO, EU-CORD) reminded the group

”inaction is not neutral—it has a cost. Where states struggle to build legitimacy, FBOs offer a model of presence, persistence, and peacebuilding that deserves greater investment”.

For those working on fragility, faith engagement, or Nexus programming, this report is both a resource and a call to reimagine partnership. In a world of increasing fragility, collaboration with faith-based actors is not just desirable—it is essential.

🔗 Report Link
Ruth Faber

28 February 2025

Faith in Action, Funding & Partnerships, Humanitarian Partnership, Uncategorized
IDDC 2023 General Assembly in Høje-Taastrup: Promoting Accessibility and Inclusion
Ruth and Tabeth attended the 2023 IDDC General Assembly in Høje-Taastrup, just outside Copenhagen, Denmark. The event, co-hosted by DPOD (Disability People’s Organizations Denmark), took place at the House of Disability Organisations, hailed as the world’s most accessible house.

The House of Disability Organisations: A Revolutionary Approach to Accessibility

The House of Disability Organisations in Denmark is built according to the principles of universal design. It describes itself as the first office building in the world to strive for 100 per cent accessibility, ensuring that people of all abilities can navigate its spaces. The house serves as a testament to the importance of incorporating accessibility from the outset of architectural planning, eliminating the need for costly retrofitting in the future. With over 17 disability organisations housed within its walls, the building showcases a vision of inclusivity in working life and society.

IDDC’s New Strategy

At the General Assembly, the members of IDDC approved a new strategy to take us forward as a consortium around three priorities:
1. Be propositional for a fully-disability inclusive global framework beyond Agenda 2030 while continuing to support disability inclusiveness in the current Sustainable Development Goals.
2. Better leverage our expertise, profile and access to key political structures and moments and deepen our connections to further support and influence the implementation of disability rights at the national, regional and global levels.
3. Prioritise meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and OPDs in IDDC by addressing power dynamics that hinder such participation and committing to consultation and alignment where possible with OPDs and their networks in advocacy and policy work.
You can read more about the framework, also summarised in an infographic, on the IDDC website: https://www.iddcconsortium.net/blog/3-strategic-priorities-to-shape-post-2023-iddc-activities/

Workshop segment ‘Achieving Health Equity for All in Global Development.’

IDDC and DPOD co-hosted a workshop titled ‘Achieving Health Equity for All in Global Development’, based on the recent WHO Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities.

The IDDC-DPOD Conference aimed to identify actions to increase health equity for persons with disabilities in global development and humanitarian actions. The event emphasised the importance of learning and forming new partnerships to address persisting challenges and build more inclusive societies.

An estimated 1.3 billion people – or 16% of the global population worldwide – experience a significant disability today. Persons with disabilities have the right to the highest attainable standard of health as those without disabilities. However, the WHO Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities demonstrates that while some progress has been made in recent years, the world is still far from realizing this right for many persons with disabilities who continue to die earlier, have poorer health, and experience more limitations in everyday functioning than others. These poor health outcomes are due to unfair conditions faced by persons with disabilities in all facets of life, including in the health system itself. Countries have an obligation under international human rights law to address the health inequities faced by persons with disabilities. Furthermore, the Sustainable Development Goals and global health priorities will not progress without ensuring health for all.

As part of the conference, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its commitment to protecting disability rights and addressed several areas relevant to its strategic goals. These areas included addressing health inequalities faced by persons with disabilities during crises, considering climate change impacts on persons with disabilities, and ensuring meaningful engagement and leadership of organisations of persons with disabilities.

In the afternoon, smaller groups discussed the intersection between health equity and persons with disabilities in the frame of the climate crisis, the peace-development-humanitarian nexus, and sexual and reproductive health rights and gender-based violence.

Ruth comments,

Moderating the session on health equity in the peace-development-humanitarian nexus, I was struck that while a lot has been done at a policy level and through mechanisms such as the Sphere Guidelines and the IASC guideline on inlcusion of persons with disability, the humanitarian system is still failing people with disabilities, and we need to have some honest conversations as to why this is the case. There are opportunities for IDDC to reach out to those who are driving the humanitarian system to find a real way forward.
Ruth Faber

22 May 2023

Advocacy Hub, Humanitarian Partnership

disability inclusion, humanitarian
Working with community values to change behaviours and improve outcomes

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Esther Lehmann-Sow is a consultant who joined us at the Faith in Action Forum in Canterbury last November. Esther has extensive experience with programme implementation in West Africa. She brings experiences working in communities to improve outcomes through understanding and working with local values to change behaviours.

I still wonder why for years, I had not seen the obvious.

Our teams and partners had tried to address high maternal and infant mortality levels in an area through projects which improved health infrastructure, trained nurses, provided sensitization to mothers, etc. There were improvements, but they were incremental and didn’t match the level of investment. Unhelpful behaviours persisted in spite of improved knowledge and opportunities.

And one-day things changed. People suddenly really listened to the information shared in the health center. They used medical support in the early stages of sickness, not as a last resort. And they now followed the advice they received from health workers. It was as if a switch had been flipped and an inner resistance broken.

We soon found out what happened.

A project worker had sat with the men of the local faith community and had discussed the project and answered the many questions they had: What were the real motives and objectives of the donors in providing this project? Is the vaccination campaign not aiming at reducing their fertility? Would newborns not get weak if they only received breast milk? Would certain treatments not violate their religious laws? As their questions were answered, the suspicion was overcome, and they agreed that the project would be beneficial for their people.

The leader of the faith community called a meeting and explained the situation to them: what problem the project was addressing, how following the advice of the medical staff will help them and that it was their religious duty to care for the health of mothers and infants. With the endorsement of the spiritual authority, men and women now made full use of the services provided to them through the project. The result: malnutrition and mortality rates dropped impressively over the next 2-3 years.

We had implemented activities, provided information and opportunities. But the internal switch flipped when the people felt alignment with their social and spiritual values. Before, they rather took the risk of suffering sickness than getting estranged from their (faith) community by going against social traditions. The risk of not following a nurse’s guidance was lesser than the ramifications for not adhering to the religious behavior norms. And who can know if you can trust the health workers who are paid to say what she says, compared to the local leaders who are known and part of the community.

The initial project design was like a car without an engine – you had to push it in order to move. Social and behavior science has shown the importance of values and beliefs to enable behavior change. If we engage people at the level of their emotions, their beliefs and values, and leverage the power of social influence, it creates a strong enough motivation to sustainably change patterns of behavior.

Today, before designing a project I would explore questions such as ‘How do spiritual beliefs, values or norms affect the health of boys and girls/men and women?’, analyze common and divergent themes and then use them in the development of the project.

Nowadays, the humanitarian community acknowledges that understanding faith aspects and involving faith communities is key to creating lasting positive change for the most disadvantaged. If you would like to read more, you might find this document interesting which UNICEF, Joined Learning Initiative and Religions for Peace have published after joint research: Faith and Positive Change for Children, Families and Communities.

The fact that the majority of the world’s population identifies with faith values provides a massive opportunity for faith-based humanitarians to boost social and behavior change.

Esther will lead a webinar for EU-CORD members on 23rd March to further explore this topic. Members and their partners can register here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Ruth Faber

10 March 2023

Faith in Action, Funding & Partnerships, Humanitarian Partnership
Why including women in discussions about water resources is key

Ahead of the European Humanitarian Forum, Florien van Weerelt and Isabella Olsson from LM International explain how water diplomacy across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus has the potential to contribute to meet urgent needs as well as equitable, peaceful and sustainable solutions.

Access to safe water and sanitation has been recognized as both a human right under international law and an important objective for the international community through its inclusion in the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Equitable access to water contributes to the achievement of key objectives, including gender equality, climate resilience, and peace and security.

In order to ensure access to water and sanitation for all, discussions and decisions on the safeguarding and management of water resources must be inclusive and representative. For LM International, this means working from a bottom-up approach and acknowledging that women have differentiated knowledge that is vital to sustainable resource management, as well as differing responsibilities, priorities, and needs around water use and management.

The Global Water Crisis

Water related challenges constitute some of the biggest challenges the world is facing today, with over two billion people lacking access to safely managed drinking water at home. Yet, the global water crisis is not gender neutral, and women and girls are disproportionately impacted by water and sanitation shortages. Supporting this, UN data reveals that in 80 percent of households lacking in-home water access, women and girls bear the primary responsibility for water collection. The long distances they travel to collect water often keeps them out of school and exposes them to an increased risk of sexual violence.

A significant challenge to the equitable and sustainable management of water resources is the fact that many water resources are shared between communities and countries, With over two billion people relying on groundwater sources from transboundary aquifers and an estimated 40 percent of the world’s population depending on transboundary river basins. Moreover, with UNICEF predicting that half of the world’s population could be living in areas facing water scarcity by as early as 2025, climate change may contribute to increased competition for, and conflict over, shared water resources.

Recognizing these challenges, water diplomacy, defined as cooperation over the management and safeguarding of shared water resources, has the potential to contribute to equitable, peaceful and sustainable solutions. However, in order to be effective, water diplomacy must be inclusive, and persistent barriers to women’s participation must be addressed.

Supporting Inclusive Water Diplomacy

LM International strives to promote gender equality at all levels of water diplomacy. At a local level, this includes working from the understanding that water serves many purposes and must be managed in an integrated manner as well as the establishment of Water Management Committees, with representatives from diverse tribes and genders, to direct and oversee our water and sanitation projects. When included in water diplomacy processes, women can actively help ensure that the priorities of women and children are actually captured in daily service delivery, and that changes in service provision and resource access not negatively affect women and children in the communities they serve. This can make water projects up to 6 or 7 times more effective.

Operating in countries impacted by both climate change and armed conflict, including Sudan, South Sudan, Niger and Chad, we recognize that inclusive local water diplomacy plays a central role in the promotion of both climate resilience as well as peace and security. For example, women hold unique knowledge and experiences around water that often prove key in climate adaptation strategies. Likewise, making up nearly half of the global agricultural labor force, women’s participation in water diplomacy processes can contribute to increased conservation efforts as well as food security.

Furthermore, by creating spaces for dialogue and negotiation on the management of shared water resources, our water and sanitation projects have contributed to improved relations between several communities, including the Falat and Masaleet ethnic groups in Gereida, southern Darfur in Sudan. Bottom-up, community-led initiatives are imperative to promoting social cohesion and, in this context, cultural and religious leaders have a central role to play.

At a more global level, LM International is a strategic partner to the Women in Water Diplomacy Network, which aims to promote women’s leadership in high-level decision-making in transboundary water basins. We recently supported the Network’s engagements at World Water Week 2022, including the convention of the first ever Global Network Forum, which brought together more than 70 participants from across the world to catalyze collective actions on inclusive water diplomacy, as well as the launch of the Network’s Global Strategy – ‘A Path Forward for Women, Water, Peace and Security ‘. Acting as a roadmap for the advancement of the Network’s mission and objectives, the strategy paves the way for meaningful change at a time when urgent political and environmental change is needed.

Approaching 2030

The global water crisis is not gender neutral, and women and girls are both disproportionately impacted by water and sanitation shortages and under-represented in discussions and decisions on the management of water resources. In order to contribute to the realization of human rights, as well as the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, we must continue to advocate for the participation, and leadership, of women in water diplomacy. Indeed, transformative change requires collective action.

LM INTERNATIONAL
LM International is a Swedish non-profit foundation that has, since 1958, worked to eradicate poverty and build long-term development and peace. Guided by their overall vision, Dignified Life – Sustainable World, LM International works along four thematic focus areas, namely: (1) social and economic inclusion, (2) health, (3) education, and (4) water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). LM International is present in 25 countries, including across Africa, Latin America, Eastern European and the MENA region, and employs close to 300 people globally. We drive Swedish priorities in line with the Grand Bargain, the Triple Nexus, the grand, green and digital transformation and feminist foreign policy.

Authors: Florien van Weerelt and Isabella Olsson

Florian of Weerelt, Thematic Advisor (WASH) at LM International, holds an LLM in International Human Rights Law from Lund University/the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. She is particularly interested in the relationship between climate change and human rights, including climate migration and disaster risk reduction.

Isabella Olsson, Head of Global Advocacy, leads the global advocacy work at LM International. She a background from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department for International Development Cooperation and Humanitarian aid. Isabella holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science and International Development from L’Institut studies politiques de Paris (Sciences Po).

Ruth Faber

6 March 2023

Humanitarian Partnership
One year on from Russia’s invasion, how can the EU show solidarity with displaced Ukrainians?

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began one year ago, 13.9 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
More than 17.6 million people inside Ukraine remain in need of humanitarian assistance. Our faith-based humanitarian organisations were among the first responders in this crisis. Our staff and volunteers continue to provide life-saving support.

Yet, as the hostilities become protracted, the risks of donor and volunteer fatigue grow.
To ensure sustainable solidarity with displaced people, we call on the EU to boost support for the inclusion of refugees in Europe and to ensure quality support to local humanitarian actors inside Ukraine.

Volunteers and non-profits need the EU to continue its efforts

In February 2022, more than one million people fled Ukraine in a single week.
In those first days, while international agencies and donors were still formalising their response, churches, synagogues and other congregations leveraged their local knowledge and informal networks to assist Ukrainians arriving in Europe.

As organisations with EU-wide reach, we provided technical and financial support to grassroots actors who found themselves at the forefront of the emergency response.
We continue to help displaced people relocate to safety, or access schools, language classes, work, social services and housing. Our staff and volunteers are committed to supporting refugees, regardless of their faith, background, or ethnicity.
Yet, volunteers and non-profits cannot single-handedly ensure Ukrainians’ social integration in the face of EU-wide housing and labour market challenges.

Both EU and member state efforts are needed to ensure refugee access to accommodation, work and mental health support. The EU’s 10-Point Plan to assist Ukrainians laid out a clear ambition to support “continuity of care and suitable accommodation.” This could take the form of more directly-accessible funds for local actors, structured support for private hosts, or coordination at Member State level on long-term housing solutions.
Community-led welcome is a powerful means of providing refugees with dignity and self-reliance, but only if it can be made sustainable by the backing of national and European actors.

Civilians remain in peril — and not just from bullets and rockets

Twelve months since the full-scale invasion, the humanitarian need inside Ukraine is greater than ever. Civilians continue to fall victim to the war, despite repeated calls for international humanitarian law to be respected.
Women and girls are exposed to gender-based violence. Children and adults alike face long-term physical and psychological trauma.
Some 15 million Ukrainian families report deteriorating mental health, and one in five people are expected to develop depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

Mental health and psychosocial support are critical, as is cash assistance to ensure the survival of displaced families. Without diverting humanitarian resources from other crisis countries, Europe must address these needs.
This requires accessible, quality funding for the local humanitarian actors that have borne the brunt of the crisis response.

Helping Ukrainians continues to be the top priority

Too often, the perspectives and needs of Ukrainian civil society have been sidelined in humanitarian decision-making fora. Meaningful participation of affected communities will ensure equitable partnerships between grassroots, national and international civil society.
Further, local and national groups are well-placed to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable groups remaining inside Ukraine — including the elderly, people with disabilities, and internally displaced people — are addressed.

Many of these populations are located in parts of Ukraine that international actors are unable to reach, highlighting the urgent need for productive negotiations on humanitarian access.
Communities of all faiths — both at the grassroots and through the EU-wide NGOs we represent — have played a pivotal role in protecting and welcoming people affected by the war in Ukraine.
Now, with almost five million people registered for temporary protection, the EU and its member states must step up to ensure the societal inclusion of displaced Ukrainians, particularly by responding to housing challenges.

Inside Ukraine, European aid efforts must prioritise the most vulnerable, hardest-to-reach groups.

Ruth Faber

24 February 2023

Humanitarian Partnership

Ukraine
EU-CORD Members Respond to the Turkey/Syria Earthquake
In response to this major earthquake in Syria and Turkey, EU-CORD members have come together to provide much-needed aid and support to those affected.

Hungarian Baptist Aid was one of the first organisations to respond, sending its Rescue24 International Fire and Rescue Team to Turkey to assess the situation and provide assistance.

The special rescuers have to check around two thousand houses in Antakya, a settlement near the Syrian border, where many people may still be trapped under the ruins. The search dogs that arrived with the Baptist team started working four-hour shifts, four at a time. The HUBA Rescue24 International Fire Brigade, Search and Rescue Team and an emergency medical team with 19 specialists and 7 rescue dogs, arrived in Antakya near the Syrian border on Tuesday late afternoon, under the direction of commander László Pavelcze, HBAid’s Emergency Management Director. They set up their base there and immediately began the search based on the coordinates provided by the locals. Stay updated on the Rescue24 Teams efforts: Hungarian Baptist Aid | Facebook

Medair, a Swiss-based humanitarian organization, is responding in Syria, with a particular focus on Aleppo where they have had an office for several years. They are also active in Turkey through their Global Emergency Response Team. Medair will provide aid in WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), shelter, and repairing and equipping clinics.

Dorcas (Netherlands) is present in North-West Syria, Aleppo, Idlib, and Hama. They have already started distributing hot meals to those in need, and their main initial response will include providing food and shelter, health services, and protection.

ZOA (Netherlands) is responding in Syria and is well-positioned to provide aid due to its presence in the country. They will be working in consortia with other organizations to maximize their impact.

Fida (Finland) is responding through Hungarian Baptist Aid and a church in Turkey.

Mission East (Denmark),

The assistance provided by Mission East and its partners is being prioritized to reach the newly displaced and most affected individuals in one of the worst affected governorates, namely Aleppo. Within the already fragile and protracted Syrian crisis, vulnerable sections of the population, such as women, children, youth and the elderly, already made vulnerable by a lack of sustained access to food, healthcare, electricity, education, housing, and viable livelihood opportunities, have been put even more at risk in the aftermath of the earthquake. Mission East’s response to date has been as follows:

Earthquake-affected households in the governorate of Aleppo have been provided with winterization and food assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake;
1. Vulnerable affected households are going to be provided with cash disbursements (Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance – MPCA) for a period of 3 consecutive months. An earthquake-specific Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) was prepared in coordination with the different sectors to account for the disaster, which differs from the pre-emergency MEB. A flexible approach will be ensured to adapt in frequency and/or value of the MPC transfers, in order to be aligned with all actors on the ground. Cash assistance has been adopted as the most appropriate modality in current circumstances, as it will allow affected households to meet their lifesaving needs, while providing them with the dignity of choice and the ability to prioritise what type of relief they need. In areas where cash proves not to be a feasible modality, ME will switch to in-kind support to help households meet their basic needs, in which case food parcels, hygiene kits, etc. (based on Cluster recommendations) will be distributed to targeted households.
Mission East and Implementing Partners:

ME Capacity in Syria: ME, registered in Syria since 2022 and active since 2019, will be responsible for all monitoring, oversight and partner capacity-support (accountability mechanisms and finance), also ensuring compliance with humanitarian principles.

Implementing Partner – Social, Humanitarian, Economic Intervention for Local Development (SHEILD): A regional (Lebanese) actor, SHEILD has been active with a local presence in Syria since 2019. SHEILD is currently ME’s key implementing partner in Syria and Lebanon through the Danish MoFA-funded SPA. SHEILD has extensive experience in humanitarian relief efforts for the Syria crisis, providing food assistance through WFP to Syrian refugees since 2013.

Implementing Partner – Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC): As the national member society for Syria under the International Federation of the Red Cross, SARC has been present in Syria since 1942 with a headquarters in Damascus, 14 branches in the 14 governorates of Syria, and 75 subbranches. SARC’s presence in all governorates supports ME in ensuring timely access to affected communities. ME and SARC signed a Memorandum of Agreement during 2022.

Other EU-CORD members, such as LM International, are looking to support implementing organisations with funding support.

In times of crisis, it is heartening to see organizations come together to provide aid and support to those in need. The efforts of EU-CORD members to respond to this disaster will significantly impact the lives of those affected and help bring some comfort and relief in these difficult times.
Ruth Faber

10 February 2023

Faith in Action, Funding & Partnerships, Humanitarian Partnership