News & Events
CHA Conference 2025: Contested Aid
The CHA Conference 2025 will take place on 25 and 26 June 2025 in Berlin Kreuzberg. Contested Aid – Power Shifts, Politicisation and Prioritisation Since the dismantling of USAID and the withdrawal of the USA as a relevant donor, humanitarian and development actors have noted a ‘shock paralysis’ in their organisations, with many experts even seeing the functioning of the humanitarian system at risk. Numerous aid organisations – especially local ones – are in a fundamental budgetary crisis. Moreover, the extensive withdrawal of the USA from international aid programmes is merely the escalation of a process that had already begun in other Western capitals and fundamentally calls into question values and objectives, efficiency and effectiveness, funding and legitimacy of international humanitarian action. In addition the international humanitarian system is being questioned by new state actors and donors as well as local aid organisations, its legitimacy is increasingly being disputed and its ability to reform doubted. The #CHA25 conference and CHA’s new work programme are therefore dedicated to the topic of ‘Contested Aid’. The conference will examine three trends and discuss potential counter-models: The increasing politicisation of humanitarian action, which, according to numerous donor strategies and narratives, should in future explicitly prioritize political donor interests over humanitarian principles and people in greatest need. Secondly, the accompanying significant reduction in humanitarian and development policy budgets and the resulting pressure for radical financial prioritisation, with the latter at the same time lacking transparent, principle-based criteria due to a growing focus on geopolitical and economic objectives. Finally, this process could lead to fundamental power shifts between more financially resilient aid organisations from the Global North and local aid organisations under threat, between interest-driven donor governments and formally value-driven aid organisations, between pragmatic actors and principled organisations that defend values such as inclusion and gender transformation. Against this backdrop, #CHA25 will address how “donor accountability” can be achieved and defended at the level of public actors in favour of a principle-oriented prioritisation of declining public funds despite the trends outlined above. What role can coordination and collective leadership approaches play in this context? And what are best practice examples on the part of public donors and aid organisations for value-based, strategic prioritisation? As members of the civil society, how can aid organisations position themselves vis-à-vis the growing number of ‘anti-aid’ governments? Do anti-aid trends lead to more competition or more co-operation? And what are positive examples of collective leadership with regard to public fundraising and the increased competition for private donors? Finally, what is the impact of politicisation and prioritisation trends at local level and what is the effect on the relationship between international and local organisations? Are there successful approaches to equal partnerships and joint innovative financing instruments despite declining funding? How are the roles of local and international actors changing as a result? Do concepts of collective leadership offer new opportunities in these challenges, both at the operational level and in the current transformation of the humanitarian system as a whole? Agenda & Tickets To address the challenges described above, #CHA25 will offer a set of public international panels on conference day 1. This day will also be streamed online. Conference day 2 will offer the opportunity for confidential exchange – only for participants in attendance. Together with relevant guests we want to foster an open dialogue on sensitive topics and challenges under Chatham House Rule in discussion and workshop formats. Please note that in 2025 only online attendance will be free of charge.With an onsite ticket you will be able to join all panels as well as the workshops on conference day 2 and the evening get-together.There are various ticket options, including an “Early Bird Ticket” until 25 April.
Why Diaspora Communities Are Key to Anticipatory Humanitarian Action
Explore how diaspora communities play a crucial role in anticipatory humanitarian action and why their inclusion is key to future crisis response.
CURRENT EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
FEATURED DIASPORA
How an earthquake unites the Caribbean Diaspora
Ten years ago, when Dr. Magalie Emile-Backer co-founded the diaspora organization HRA – Haiti Renewal Alliance in the US, she had not imagined the scale of disaster her country of birth would be facing. Originally established as a platform to mobilise diaspora skills and resources for development and entrepreneurship in Haiti, the organization has quickly adapted their operations to humanitarian relief, following emergencies such as the 2021 earthquake.When history strikes againA decade ago, an earthquake struck just outside Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.On Saturday August 14, 2021, the island was hit again, by a temblor two times larger than the one in 2010. It took only 30 seconds for this 7.2 magnitude earthquake to devastate the Southwest Region of Haiti. Latest figures estimate that 800,000 people, including 340,000 children, have been affected by the earthquake which has left more than 2,200 dead and over 12,000 injured.The earthquake could not have come at a worst time for Haiti, which is still reeling from the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on 7 July 2021. Combined with escalating gang violence this has resulted in the internal displacement of around 19,000 Haitians, while 4.4 million people were already in need of humanitarian assistance prior to the earthquake, half of them children. Coordinating disaster response across an umbrella HRA activated its Haitian Diaspora Emergency Response Unit (HDERU) via www.onediaspora.org shortly after the earthquake and managed to streamline humanitarian response efforts. First, it launched a diaspora fundraising campaign in partnership with its Haitian diaspora platform www.onediaspora.org, where within few weeks, more than 60 diaspora groups raised 1.5 million USD through a collective fundraiser.Secondly, Haiti Renewal Alliance oversaw and coordinated the relief efforts of members in the US as an umbrella organization. They organized regular online member meetings to discuss needs on the ground in Haiti and aligned their humanitarian activities. Instant sharing of information helped to overcome logistical barriers and HRA could identify and fill gaps in providing aid to affected, local communities.Some numbers & facts: More than 60 diaspora groups raised 1.5 million USD. Over 200 organizations, government officials and health care workers participated in situational briefings HRA sourced local supplies by connecting local companies with the Haitian government’s needs assessment report team. HRA could deliver and distribute 2000 units of 5 gallons water, 500 tents and tarps, and containers filled with medical and hygiene supplies towards affected Haitian communities. This was only possible, because members of HRA were agile and utilized relationships with local civil society groups. In addition, they coordinated with institutional partners like USAID to mobilize additional diaspora financial resources and expertise. Building back better togetherBy September 30 2021, HRA deactivated its Haitian Diaspora Emergency Response Unit (HDERU). However, relief and long-term recovery efforts will continue for affected people via www.onediaspora.org. OneDiaspora's mission is to maximize support of Haiti’s private sector, particularly small and medium enterprises, to ensure the local economy is not disrupted.Like HRA, several diaspora organizations involved in humanitarian response engage in humanitarian action before, during and after crises occur, meaning that they can draw on networks and expertise to identify needs, mobilize resources and respond to crises across the so called humanitarian-development nexus. This agility ensures that diaspora's often can shift relatively easily from a development to a humanitarian focus (or vice versa). A quality, which not only helps to save lives immediately, but ensures a long-term engagement in building back a country together. Photo Credit: Heater Suggitt, Bill Hamway Goha & Zach Vessel on unsplash.com
Building A Better Response: New E-Learning Platform
The new Building A Better Response (BBR) e-learning platform is here! Launched in 2022, the platform features updated learning modules, new avatars, an updated color palette, and new case study assessments. Humanitarians in focus Since 2012, BBR has been used as an onboarding tool for new humanitarian professions across a range of local and international NGOs. BBR's key objectives are to train new humanitarian actors and to refresh the knowledge of experienced humanitarian actors. BBR has improved knowledge of the humanitarian system for close to 90,000 learners based in 224 countries and territories around the world. Available in several languages The course is available in 4 languages: English, Arabic, French, and Spanish. Voiceover options are also available in Polish and Ukrainian. Transcript translations are available in Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Dari, and Urdu. Who is behind the E-Learning Platform Funded by the US Agency for International Development Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance, the project is being implemented through a consortium that brings together a combination of operational and technical expertise, spearheaded by International Medical Corps in collaboration with Concern Worldwide and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. Enroll HERE and contribute to a better response in humanitarian assistance
Powerful flood response by Pakistan's diaspora
Fighting the water crisis with local partners on the ground
DIASPORA RESPONSE MAP
Get an instant overview of where diaspora organizations respond
LATEST TOOLS & REPORTS
Find relevant publications & training materials for diasporas
