Humanitarian financing worldwide is changing – how does it impact NGOs active in humanitarian work? In the first learning session on demystifying humanitarian financing, organized jointly by ICVA and PHAP, experts from OECD, Development Initiatives, and World Vision gave presentations and answered questions regarding the current state of humanitarian financing and how recent trends are affecting NGOs.

The first session of this series concentrated on the current realities and emerging trends of humanitarian financing. Participants were provided with an overview of the different traditional and emerging financing streams coexisting in the humanitarian sector, with a focus on how NGOs access humanitarian funding and the challenges they currently face.

Briefing paper

ICVA has prepared a briefing paper based on the discussions during the event. You can access the document in English, French, and Arabic.

For additional resources on this topic, you can go here.

Follow-up responses and interview with Melissa Pitotti

Read the answers by the guest experts to the follow-up questions

Read the interview with co-host Melissa Pitotti on the background of the series

Introductory whiteboard video

Recommended resources

• Sophia Swithern & Charlotte Lattimer, “Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2016,” Development Initiatives, 2016
• “The Grand Bargain - A Shared Commitment to Better Serve People in Need”, Istanbul, 23 May 2016
• Rachel Scott, “Financing in Crisis? Making Humanitarian Finance Fit for Future,” OECD Development Cooperation Working Paper 22, June 2015
• Lydia Poole, “Future Humanitarian Financing: Looking beyond the Crisis,” Future Humanitarian Financing Initiative, March 2015
• Christian Els & Nils Carstensen, "The Humanitarian Economy," IRIN News, 2015
• Sinisa Milatovic, Ingrid Macdonald & Kate McGrane, "Risk Management Toolkit in Relation to Counterterrorism Measures," Norwegian Refugee Council, December 2015

During the event the following resources and websites were mentioned by speakers and participants:

• Julian Srodecki’s blog posts
• OECD’s humanitarian financing webpage
• IASC’s Humanitarian Finance Task Team
• ICVA Network, newsletter on humanitarian financing and IASC's work
• Less Paper More Aid
• Last Mile Mobile Solutions (LMMS)
• Core Humanitarian Standard
• Charter for Change
• Start Network, more information on the Start Fund
• Kaya, Humanitarian Leadership Academy's online learning platform
• Disaster Ready, online trainings for humanitarian workers
• Building a Better Response, online course on the international humanitarian coordination system

Geneva Humanitarian Connector

This event was made possible through the Geneva Humanitarian Connector, an initiative of PHAP supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Learning stream on humanitarian financing

As part of the learning stream on humanitarian financing, this event was the first of six live interactive online learning sessions that ICVA and PHAP have organized between September 2016 and March 2017 with the purpose of providing NGOs and humanitarian workers with a stronger understanding of the humanitarian financing system.

Learning objectives

• Knowledge of the overall size, composition, and flows of global humanitarian financing
• Familiarity with the key traditional and emerging humanitarian financing streams, funding channels, and donors
• Awareness of the main trends and opportunities affecting NGOs’ access to humanitarian financing
• Awareness of the main challenges and limitations that NGOs encounter in accessing humanitarian financing
• Familiarity with different sources of information on humanitarian financing

Target audience and event access

The stream specifically targets NGO staff, including field, policy and HQ staff, but all live sessions are open to anyone interested in improving their understanding of humanitarian financing.