Interactive briefing on World Humanitarian Summit

In this first online event in support of the World Humanitarian Summit, key speakers involved in the Summit took part in an interactive briefing about the 2016 Istanbul conference and the consultation process leading up to the event. Featuring Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, Chief of the Summit Secretariat, and three speakers from the online and regional consultations, the briefing helped inform participants about the main questions to be discussed, how to participate, and the expected outcomes.

Event description

This live online event was an excellent opportunity for everyone interested to learn more about the World Humanitarian Summit, to take place in Istanbul in 2016, and the process leading up to this major global event. Participants learned about both the online and onsite consultation processes at the regional and global level, the main questions that will be discussed, how to provide input to the consultations, and how the results are meant to help humanitarian action move forward. Hosted by PHAP, this interactive information event featured Jemilah Mahmood, Chief of the World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat; Linda Poteat, Discussion Chair of the Online Global Consultations; Oliver Lacey-Hall, Head of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); and Paul Empole, Discussion Chair of the Online West and Central Africa Consultations.

The Summit, convened by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and managed by OCHA, will bring all interested humanitarian stakeholders together to set out a new course for how we collaborate in the vital effort to prepare for and respond to natural disasters and man-made crises around the world.

Of the more than 300 registrants to the event from all over the world, many took the opportunity to share their views and pose questions to the presenters regarding the Summit process. Many questions were answered in real time during the event, and have subsequently been supplemented with additional answers from the World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat. Those unable to participate tweeted their comments and questions using the handle #WHSummit.

Speakers

Dr. Jemilah Mahmood is the Chief of the World Humanitarian Summit secretariat, based in the United Nations Headquarters in New York. She is a medical physician and the founder of MERCY Malaysia, one of the most successful humanitarian organisations from the global south, leading it for a decade. Dr. Mahmood and has more than 15 years of experience working in disaster affected countries affected by natural disaster as well as in conflict zones.

Linda Poteat is the Chair of the WHS Online Global Consultation and a humanitarian assistance consultant based in Washington DC. From October 2011 through 2013, she was the Director of the Emergency Capacity Building Project. Linda spent nearly seven years in the Humanitarian Policy and Practice Unit at InterAction as Director for Disaster Response. Before joining InterAction, she spent ten years in the field, working in Russia, the Balkans, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), and Sierra Leone.

Oliver Lacey-Hall is currently Head of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific with OCHA. He has 25 years experience in humanitarian work, including with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the European Commission, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Paul Empole is the Chair of the WHS Online West and Central Africa Consultation and First Counsellor with the Permanent Mission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations in New York.