Climate disasters are escalating. Funding is shrinking. Aid is stretched thin. So how do we stay ahead of crises instead of constantly playing catch-up?

Our research from Chad, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan reveals four practical shifts that can make humanitarian aid both climate-smart and cost-effective –  even in a funding crunch.

Speakers:

• Michael Lillis – Humanitarian Specialist, GiveDirectly

• Sunayana Sen – Climate Resilience Expert, DARAJA Programme

• Adessou Kossivi – Regional lead, Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR)

• Ahmed Shabin – Vice President, Maldivian Red Crescent Society

• Sophie Tholstrup – Director of Policy and Climate, Ground Truth Solutions

The humanitarian sector’s commitment to the principle of neutrality has historically positioned it as a cornerstone of impartial intervention. As central as neutrality is to the practice of many humanitarians, it is increasingly coming under scrutiny in the face of impunity and amidst global movements against systemic oppression and calls for greater accountability (the Black Lives Matter movement, decolonisation, ending the occupation).

Nowhere has this tension been more evident than in the debates over Gaza over the past year, where a clear divide has emerged between the rank and file of humanitarian workers pre-dominantly from the Global South who are calling for stronger language and stance on Palestinian rights, and the sector’s decision-makers. While the sector states its commitment to decolonising aid and placing the narratives of affected communities at the centre, neutrality remains a complex and contested concept or ‘tool’: is it essential for enabling operational access, or is it at odds with other principles, such as humanity and justice, and the decolonising aid agenda?

Speakers/participants:

• Moderator: Ayah al Zayat, independent researcher

• Leen Fouad, HPG/ODI Global

• Irwin Loy, The New Humanitarian

• Meg Sattler, Ground Truth Solutions

• Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam

The US aid cuts have left many people affected by crises in precarious situations. As decisions are taken about what humanitarian action looks like in a world with more need and less money it is critical that crisis-affected communities - not politics - are driving this transformation. 

A “participation revolution” is more needed than ever. The lack of progress to date is a symptom of disconnected approaches and systemic problems that cannot be addressed without clear goals, collective action and targeted advocacy.

Ground Truth Solutions and Community World Services Asia hosted the new Grand Bargain Community of Practice on participation, part of the next iteration of the Grand Bargain. We want these gatherings to be:

• A place for action and advocacy. We will work out how to make true participation  happen together.

• A place for evidence. Examples of good intentions or mechanisms is not enough. We will highlight evidence from around the world of what works when communities have more influence over decisions in times of crisis.

• A place to elevate voices. We will hear from diverse speakers and thinkers, and highlight views from the frontlines of crises.

• A place for accountability. We will hold ourselves and each other to account for making progress against our goals.

Any questions please get in touch with Heba Ibrahim or Sophie Tholstrup. The time for a participation revolution is now. Join us in accelerating progress.

This event occurred in the past.

You can watch the recording here.

How are communities coping with ongoing attacks and supporting each other in Gaza and in Lebanon? How are local actors responding to escalating crises through grassroots movements and local solidarity? 

Ground Truth Solutions (GTS) and Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) began speaking with people in Gaza about their priorities and concerns three months after the outbreak of the region’s newest war on October 7, 2023.  

In July 2024, GTS and AWRAD turned to these communities again, and gained insights through conversations with 1,248 Gazans, on their most pressing concerns, their priorities, and coping mechanisms. Their reflections revealed a powerful central theme: in the face of limited support, communities are doing what they can to help each other. Similarly, in recent weeks, as Israeli military strikes have created a worsening humanitarian situation in Beirut and southern Lebanon, local actors have stepped forward to respond to the growing needs of displaced people in Lebanon. 

We invite you to join our upcoming webinar that explores solidarity, self-help and grassroots action in Gaza and Lebanon. This discussion will highlight the resilience and self-reliance of these communities, focusing on how they are navigating systemic challenges through mutual aid.  

Speakers:  

• Dr. Tamirace Fakhoury | Associate Professor of International Politics and Conflict | Fletcher School, Tufts University 

• Amjad Shawa | Executive Director | Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO)  

• Dr. Zeina Mohanna | Executive Board member | AMEL Association International – Lebanon

• Georgios Petropoulos | Head of Gaza Sub-office | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

• Samer Said | Director of Research and Evaluation and Gaza Emergency Response Team Leader | Arab World for Research and Development   

This event occurred in the past.

You can watch the recording.

Note: The webinar will be held in French.

Leçons apprises en écoutant les communautés affectées en RDC et au Tchad

et leurs implications sur les principes clés de l'aide humanitaire

Depuis 18 mois, Ground Truth Solutions est à l'écoute des personnes touchées par les crises au Tchad et en RD Congo pour comprendre leurs préoccupations principales et leurs priorités.
Alors que ces projets touchent à leur fin, nous voulons partager quelques leçons précieuses que nous avons apprises.

En reliant nos découvertes aux débats en cours dans le domaine de la politique humanitaire, nous aspirons à enrichir le dialogue sur les pratiques humanitaires. Notre travail est ancré dans les voix et les expériences des personnes directement touchées par les crises au Tchad et en RDC. À travers cette démarche, nous cherchons à questionner et à explorer deux principes fondamentaux de l'aide humanitaire : l'humanité et l'impartialité.

En collaboration avec UNICEF.

This event occurred in the past.

You can watch the recording.

For the past month, Ground Truth Solutions and Arab World for Research and Development have been working with people in Gaza to record the primary concerns, priorities and asks of people affected by Israel’s ongoing bombardment. In an environment where primary face-to-face data collection is highly complicated, the team have managed to survey a robust sample of the population. This is not a ‘needs assessment.’ People have shared their crippling fears and desperate needs, but also stories of how they are supporting each other, where they’re seeking information, and what they’re doing to cope. You are invited to this webinar to hear the authors of the report and Palestinian aid experts present the findings and discuss the urgent need for the international community to listen to the people of Gaza as this crisis unfolds.  

Speakers:

• Samer Said, Arab World for Research and Development

• Meg Sattler, Ground Truth Solutions

• Najla Shawa, Oxfam

This event occurred in the past.

You can watch the recording.

New tech, old problems — can digital accountability in cash and voucher assistance help us get the basics right?

The humanitarian system has been undergoing a digital transformation, predominantly driven by the desire to make the sector more efficient, effective, and accountable. Despite aspirations to strengthen people’s informed decision-making in humanitarian action, affected people are rarely involved in discussions on technology-related choices. And for those most vulnerable with low digital literacy levels, such conversations might even seem entirely out of reach.

At the same time, the recently updated IASC Operational Guidance highlights the need for responsibly managing people’s personal and non-personal data in a safe, ethical, and effective way. The Guidance focuses on ‘doing no digital harm’ while maximising the benefits of data and striving for collective action across the humanitarian system.

However, before replicating offline issues in an online environment, it’s time to start getting the basics right! Join us for our next discussion about digital accountability and where you will learn from daily realities. We will explore the questions:

• How should people affected by crisis meaningfully understand the use of their data in a way that allows them to hold organisations to account?

• In what ways can technology help the sector be more accountable, and what risks does this entail?

• How can or should we speak of technology and accountability when, in some parts of the world, the vast majority of people affected by crisis remain offline while, in other parts, affected people request to be virtually connected.

  Speakers:

  Manu Samuel Seth (Jireh Doo Foundation),

  Hannah Miles (Ground Truth Solutions),

  Serhii Shmyhol (Right to Protection Ukraine),

  Rory Crew (CALP Network),

  Andrea Düchting (CHA)

and others want to discuss, learn from daily realities and start getting the basics right.

This event occurred in the past.

You can watch the recording.

Join us online on 27 June, 14:00 – 15:30 BST (15:00 – 16:30 CEST) at London Climate Action Week as we discuss the state of frontline community engagement in climate action and options to increase the influence they have over how and where adaptation dollars are spent. 

As the impacts of a warming world worsen year on year, those who have contributed the least to climate change suffer its worst impacts. Adaptation needs dwarf available funding by a factor of 5-10, making it critical that every dollar is spent where it has the greatest impact.  

Ground Truth Solutions' work in Bangladesh with IIED and ICCCAD shows a significant gap between existing climate assistance and the most acutely-felt needs and priorities of affected communities. People on the front lines of the climate emergency report that climate adaptation assistance is unfair, insufficient and that they feel unable to influence it.  

Our expert panellists will give an overview of the current state of community engagement in adaptation programming - including the results of our work with frontline communities in Bangladesh - and opportunities they see for adaptation actors to build more responsive and effective adaptation efforts. 

Speakers: 

Meg Sattler - CEO, Ground Truth Solutions 

Aditya Bahadur - Principal Researcher, IIED 

Michael Nkonu – Program Manager, Open Society Foundations  

Cristina Rumbaitis del Rio – Senior Advisor, UN Foundation

Ground Truth Solutions (GTS), in collaboration with Open Space Works Cooperative, explored the perceptions of refugees from Ukraine living in Poland, Moldova and Romania about their experiences with humanitarian aid. Between December and March 2023, we spoke to over 900 people over social media in the quantitative part of our research and had 36 in-depth conversations with people about their journeys and experiences to their new country of residence as part of our qualitative research. We will be sharing our report with you ahead of the event.  

The aim of this webinar is to present and validate our findings and discuss potential recommendations and solutions for improvement. We will also hear best practices from other organisations working on Poland, Moldova, and Romania.

We would like to invite a variety of actors working in humanitarian aid (from different types of organisations and different roles within those organisations). To enable a wide representation, we would like to ask you to forward this invitation to those who you believe will find this useful.   

This event occurred in the past.

You can watch the recording.