One month on from the World Humanitarian Summit: What next for humanitarian financing?

Following the outcomes of the World Humanitarian Summit in May, improved financing to meet humanitarian needs and reduce risk and vulnerability is more important than ever. The Grand Bargain, agreed at the World Humanitarian Summit, provides a platform from which to address the growing gap between humanitarian needs and available resources. However, in order to close this gap, we need to better understand what resources are available, where additional investments are most needed and how finite resources can be used more efficiently and effectively. The objective of this side event is to discuss the delivery of the Grand Bargain commitments, with a particular focus on aspects related to transparency, funding for local and national actors, and innovative and flexible multi-year funding.

Chair

• Jemilah Mahmood, Under Secretary General of Partnerships, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC)

Co-moderators

• Ambassador Hesham Youssef, Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
• Nan Buzard, Executive Director, International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA)

Panel composition

Scene setting to inform panel discussion:

• Sophia Swithern, Head of Research & Analysis, Development Initiatives (DI)

Panellists

• Rüdiger König, Director-General for Crisis Prevention, Stabilisation, Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Assistance, Germany Federal Foreign Office
• Smruti Patel, Interim Executive Director, Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR)