LNOB at the Humanitarian Congress Berlin: Promoting Inclusive Humanitarian Action and Shedding Light on Neglected Crises  

The project „Phase 3 – Leave no one behind!“ was once again present at the 25^th  Humanitarian Congress Berlin (HCB) – as accessibility partner with technical and financial support, with a stand and a panel on inclusive humanitarian action in the forgotten crisis of South Sudan. 

This year’s HCB took place under the theme “Out of Sight, Out of Mind? Unveiling Attention and Neglect in Humanitarian Action and Global Health”, both in-person in Berlin and online. The congress aimed to unravel the intricacies of attention dynamics and their implications, with a focus on both drivers and potential remedies in humanitarian action and global health.  

To enhance the accessibility of the congress, “Phase 3 – Leave No One Behind” provided technical support including venue assessment and live captioning. The multi-year collaboration with HCB to promote accessibility and disability inclusion as a cross-cutting topic has resulted in HI being recognised as the official Accessibility Partner for the HCB 2023.  

A major highlight was our own contribution to the discussions on forgotten crises with the panel „South Sudan: Leaving no one behind in neglected crises“on 11^th October. South Sudan, a pilot country in LNOB Phase 3, grapples with recurrent crises. Despite its critical humanitarian needs, South Sudan remains a forgotten crisis, receiving inadequate attention and experiences chronic underfunding.

With our expert guests – both online and onstage – we discussed what happens with an often still neglected topic like inclusion in neglected crisis with scarce funding. All panellists are currently working within the humanitarian response in South Sudan in different roles and were therefore able to provide a unique practical insight: How can we continue to focus on reaching those at increased risk in humanitarian crises, including persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups, while considering these objectives from an intersectional perspective.

Furthermore, the panel examined the limitation in funding for capacity building and technical assistance in implementing the IASC Guidelines, which can hinder the process of localization. The panel concluded with a focus on empowering local actors and individuals with disabilities to advocate for change. From the panellists, Grace Awino was present on-stage on Berlin, while the other three panellists participated via Zoom.   

Speaker  

1. Grace Awino – Head of Protection, Gender and AAP Unit of WFP South Sudan 

2. Mauot Luis Alyang – Chairperson of the South Sudan Union of the Visually Impaired & International Disability Alliance DRG Fellow 

3. John Kimani – United Disabled Persons of Kenya & expatriate with a disability working on inclusive humanitarian action in South Sudan 

4. Umikalthum Noor – Humanitarian Affairs Officer of OCHA SSD’s CBPF 

5. Moderation: Haakon Spriewald – LNOB Project Coordinator 

During the two presence days of the HCB, HI Germany had its own stand where information and research material about the Phase 3 – Leave No One Behind! Project and posters about HI Germany’s areas of work were displayed.  

To summarise the content of the contributions and discussions at the 25^th HCB, three key messages emerged: the pivotal role of addressing power imbalances and geopolitics, our duty to advocate for the powerless, and the resilience of local actors amid global turmoil. 

To recording of the panel discussion is available in YOUTUBE.