“Diversity without inclusion is exclusion.” Just a catchphrase? 
  
As 2019 enters its final quarter, the world increasingly finds itself under protest.   
  
Climate change has taken a rightful position as one of the main concerns.  We are also seeing movements in opposition to austerity and economic warfare.  We are witnessing mass protests triggered by a tax on the use of WhatsApp in Lebanon, by the lowering of fuel subsidies in Ecuador and Haiti, by a social media tax in Uganda, by subway fare hikes in Chile or by cuts to food and fuel subsidies in Sudan.  People are objecting to further social exclusion. 
  
The rupture of the social bond between individuals and society is both one of the causes of and a component of poverty.  A significant lesson learned from emergency response is that without proper attention the same structures and systems that make people vulnerable and exposed to man-made and natural hazards can leave them marginalised or excluded from emergency aid and recovery.  
  
The 2019 AidEx conference in Brussels mid-November, will tackle the timely theme of: “The importance of inclusiveness to global progress”.   I will be delivering the keynote speech on the current situation – who is getting left behind because of poverty, education, gender, race, disability, religion and what must be done to ensure they have a more equal chance in life? 
  
Although there is importance of diversity considerations, the difficult environment and the pressure to deliver urgently hinders often a practical application.  We must do better. 
  
This edition of the ICVA Bulletin highlight’s ICVA’s longstanding commitment to diversity considerations: IASC Guidelines on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, ICVA Localisation briefing paper, national NGOs at the OPAG, IASC RG 2 on Accountability and Inclusion ….  ICVA aims to support persons of concern so they can enjoy their rights on equal grounds and participate meaningfully in the decisions that affect their lives, families and communities. 
  
Not just another catchphrase for ICVA. 

The Annual Conference held on 18 March  will look  at  the  risk to  principled humanitarian action and in turn the risks taken by NGOs to deliver effective and efficient humanitarian assistance to those most in need.  The conference will  be  preceded  by a  Members’ Day on 17 March  and  followed by a  Partners’ Day on 19 March  which will provide an opportunity for NGOs to further engage and interact around the theme.  Due to limited seating, we  encourage you to register as early as possible.  For more information please  see  the ICVA website.

Invitation to a Briefing for Observers on the 22nd session of the IFRC General Assembly and the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent 
A joint briefing co-organised by ICRC, IFRC and ICVA will be held on Friday, 15 November from 10:30 am to 12:00pm in Geneva to Observers (NGOs, UN, private sector, academia etc.). The briefing will provide an overview of the themes which will be covered, expected decisions at the conference, and review together how observers can best contribute to both events, including practical and logistical information. The briefing will be broadcasted live. Those interested in attending the briefing in-person and online, please confirm your participation via email to conferences@rcrcconference.org  

2. UNHCR Executive Committee 
  
ICVA facilitated the drafting and delivery of two NGO statements during the 70th Executive Committee meeting, many thanks for the NGOs’ contributions. The statements focused on the High-level segment on statelessness and general debate and the Report on the UNHCR-NGO Annual Consultations. The full report is now available on ICVA website.
ExCom debates and interventions focused on statelessness; international protection (with the first intervention from Ms. Gillian Triggs in her capacity as Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees); Programme budgets, management, financial control and administrative oversight. Background documentation is available on UNHCR dedicated webpage.

During ExCom, on 8 October, ICVA and the UNHCR Partnership and Coordination Service organised a meeting with NGOs on the future of the UNHCR-NGO Annual Consultations. The aim was to debrief on the 2019 consultations and look at possible options for the near and longer-term future. It was also the occasion to discuss key takeaways from an ICVA workshop on the topic.

3. International Solidarity Conference on the Venezuelan refugee and migrant crisis 
  
On 28-29 October, the European Union, UNHCR and IOM co-hosted an International Solidarity Conference on the Venezuelan refugee and migrant crisis in Brussels. The Conference aimed to raise awareness on the humanitarian crisis and displacement of 4.5 million people in the region; show and call for solidarity at financial and technical levels; and take stock of best practices. NGOs contributed through insightful interventions, including a joint NGO statement developed through coordination between NGO networks (ICVA, InterAction, and Voice). This statement on “Ensuring solidarity with displaced Venezuelans: supporting countries and communities hosting and protecting them” is now available in both English and Spanish. Thanks to NGO’s worldwide, particularly from Latin America and the Caribbean region, for their many inputs. Visit the ICVA website for additional information or contact: jerome.elie@icvanetwork.org 

4. Internally Displaced Persons 
  
On 22 October, UNHCR hosted a briefing for NGO's and civil society to introduce the updated Policy for Engagement in Situations of Internal Displacement and the associated Guidance Package for UNHCR's Engagement in Situations of Internal Displacement. Through this updated policy, UNHCR seeks to reaffirm its ambition of acting in a decisive, predictable and effective manner in situations of internal displacement. The aim of the briefing was to introduce the policy to partners and exchange on how best to collaborate to assist IDPs and affected populations. Notes from this meeting will soon be shared with NGOs- 
For more information contact: jerome.elie@icvanetwork.org

5. World Bank-UNHCR Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement 
 
On 9 October, ICVA attended a briefing on the World-Bank-UNHCR Joint Data Center provided in Geneva by Mr. Ewen MacLeod, Director a.i., UNHCR Division on Resilience and Solutions. It was an opportunity to learn more about the JDC origins, its governance system and objectives for the coming year. Aiming to enhance the ability of stakeholders to make timely and evidence-informed decisions that can improve the lives of affected people, the Center was opened on 30 September and inaugurated by the UN Secretary General on 10 October. Going forward, ICVA will continue supporting its members engagement with the Center. Notes from this briefing, along with additional documents, will soon be availiable on the ICVA website.
For more information contact: jerome.elie@icvanetwork.org

7. Islamic Social Financing: As part of its commitments to the IASC Results Group 5 on Humanitarian Financing, ICVA is continuing with its efforts to find ways for deepening and broadening the resource base for humanitarian work. Following the successful 2018 Learning Lab on Islamic Social Financing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ICVA is now preparing to release a briefing paper on Islamic Social Financing in collaboration with Islamic Relief Worldwide. ICVA is also working on a meeting to establish a humanitarian Islamic Social Financing working group, to take place in December. For more information, please contact: Alon.Plato@icvanetwork.org

8. Enhanced Quality Funding: The outcome report from the 19 September Progress Acceleration Workshop on Enhanced Quality Funding is now available online on the Grand Bargain website. Along with key supporting documents used to guide discussion at the workshop. ICVA continues to seek opportunities to improve quality funding (multi-year and flexible), primarily through the Grand Bargain workstreams and IASC Humanitarian Finance Results Group. The Humanitarian Finance Results Group, co-chaired by ICVA and OCHA, is currently considering specific activities to include in the 2020 work plan to support enhanced quality funding, including how to better map existing work on multi-year and flexible funding at the country level and how to improve the link between multi-year planning and funding. To engage more in the discussion from the NGO perspective, join the monthly ICVA Humanitarian Finance Working Group (HFWG). For more information contact: Alon.Plato@icvanetwork.org

10. Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC):   
 
On 21 October, ICVA organised a webinar on the IASC architecture with Mervat Shelbaya, Head of the IASC Secretariat, who presented the IASC bodies along with ICVA Secretariat staff representing ICVA participation within the different IASC structures. For more information contact: Emmanuelle.osmond@icvanetwork.org 

IASC Emergency Directors Group (EDG):   
On 11 and 17 October, the EDG met directly following the latest developments in North-East Syria, focusing on the humanitarian situation and ongoing response. On 15 October, the EDG discussed about the operational challenges the NGO community had faced recently in Nigeria. Since this call, the suspensions affecting two of our members have been temporarily lifted.  
 
IASC Principals: Next IASC Principals will take place 5 December 2019 in Geneva. Preparatory meetings with ICVA members will be organised shortly.  

OPAG: The second OPAG meeting will take place in Geneva on 7-8 November 2019. The OPAG will examine the progress of the different IASC Results Groups (see below for more information on the Results Groups) priorities. Specific sessions will also take place about the Humanitarian Development Peace Nexus, an update from the Peer-2-Peer project, as well as on IASC associated entities. The OPAG now counts three national NGOs, making it unique within the IASC in that regard: in addition to Foundation for Rural Development (FRD), ACBAR (the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief) and COAST (Coastal Association for Social Transformation Trust) have now part of the OPAG membership. 
 
Country and regional updates from humanitarian leadership: Throughout the month, ICVA hosted discussions with Ute Kollies, HoOCHA Mali, and George Khoury, OCHA MENA Director. Both gave updates on the humanitarian situation in Mali and the MENA region and urged the humanitarian community to intensify their joint advocacy.  

11. Update on IASC Results groups:

RG1 Operational response: (No updates this month)

12. NGO Fora Support  
Interaction and ICVA have worked on a joint induction guide for NGO Fora showing both areas of overlap, and where both networks complement each other in terms of upper level humanitarian ecosystem advocacy. These are some of the avenues through which both Interaction and ICVA promote discussions within IASC.
 
ICVA has briefed the new coordinator of the Democratic Republic of Congo INGO forum ahead of her deployment in Kinshasa.  
 
ICVA has been supporting the Somalia NGO Consortium and the South Sudan NGO Forum in their mid-term strategy review and impact reviews respectively. 
 
ICVA supported the LCB CSO forum to address AU member states at the AU Continental Consultation on “Global solidarity and responsibility sharing to tackle root causes and find solutions in Africa: supporting local ownership, socio-economic inclusion and durable solutions.” 

13. Humanitarian-Development- Peace Nexus  

14. Diversity  
The 2019 UNICEF – NGO Consultation for Partnership in Humanitarian Settings will take place on 11-12 November in Geneva Switzerland. Under the theme of ‘Enhancing the Culture of Partnership’, the Consultation will discuss issues around the Principles of Partnership, the Core Commitments for Children, the Partnership Agreements, Localization etc. The concept note and draft agenda are available online.

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) will soon launch its “Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action.” The Guidelines, which are the result of three years of consultation over 600 stakeholders will assist coordination, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation for the full and effective participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all phases of humanitarian actions. They will be launched in New York on 12 November 2019, from 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., with the participation of Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Mr. Mark Lowcock, and Under-Secretary General and UN Secretary-General’s Advisor on Policy, Ms. Ana Maria Menéndez. ICVA will promote and disseminate the Guidelines in the coming weeks. There will be a webinar for members and wider community, details coming soon.   

Report from the UNHCR MENA Consultations with Non-Governmental Organizations and Civil Society which held in Jordan on 20-21 June 2019 is now available. You can find the report on the UNHCR website.

20. Webinar “Risky Business: Reframing the fundamentals on risk management for humanitarians”  
On 21 November, ICVA and PHAP will organise the first webinar series aimed at exploring the current state of risk management in the humanitarian sector. This webinar will introduce the concept of risk management and provide an overview of challenges that apply in humanitarian work. As part of framing how these challenges can be overcome, we will hear from practitioners sharing their experience of how risk management is carried out in local and international NGOs, as well as UN agencies.  
 
Participants in the webinar will learn about the need to balance management of the risks inherent to the work with the desire to reach people in need in the most difficult contexts. They will also learn about the importance of developing an organisational culture that understands risk management as a discipline that cuts across all levels of an organisation. 
  
Time and date: Thursday, 21 November 2019, 15:00 – 16:30 CET (Geneva) for more information and to register, check out ICVA’s website.  

21. Online Learning Opportunities  
Monitoring and Evaluation Practices: This online DisasterReady courses was designed for refugee service providers and humanitarian workers as an introduction to monitoring and evaluating practices that enable strong programming in aid and development. 

Learning Objectives: 
- Differentiate between monitoring and evaluation 
- Choose appropriate data collection methods and when to use them 
- How to prepare for meaningful data analysis and how to conduct data analysis and action planning as part of your regular team meetings 
Duration: 110 minutes  
(The content has been provided by the Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Assistance Project)

Child Protection in Conflict Settings This online course on Kaya is designed for practitioners who have an existing knowledge of child protection in emergencies.  It is aimed to develop existing knowledge of good practice child protection, with a particular focus on conflict settings. It will assist by providing one with the tools, resources and knowledge to better analyse child protection risks and concerns, as well as to strengthen your decision making in emergencies. Using four different scenarios, each covering a different aspect of child protection, one would be able to make choices and decisions in the best interests of the child. This course will cover sexual violence, recruitment, separation of children.  
Duration: 90 minutes  
(The content has been provided by Save the Children and Humanitarian Leadership Academy) 

22. Data on Diversity: Humanitarian Leadership under the spotlight. This report from the Humanitarian Advisory Group presents findings drawn from the ‘State of Diversity’ survey on the diversity and inclusiveness of humanitarian leadership globally. It provides data on who fills humanitarian leadership roles and the impact that has on organisational performance and unpacks the relationship between diverse and inclusive leadership and effective humanitarian action. Time for the humanitarian sector to reflect on how it recruits and composes leadership teams and ensures inclusive leadership. 
 
23. ACAPS just released their “Humanitarian Access Overview" which provides a snapshot of the contexts where humanitarian action faces the biggest constraints. For more information see their website.  

2020  

January 20-24: GFMD Quito Summit, Quito, Ecuador
March 17-19: Registration open - 2020 ICVA Annual Conference, Geneva