2024 ICVA Annual Conference Session 1 – Summary report

Session One explored the importance of trust between NGOs to develop and agree approaches to humanitarian dilemmas and upholding the humanitarian principles, and how these very approaches can build or erode trust. The session used survey software to engage the audience on a variety of questions with 157 humanitarian leaders providing responses.

The panel comprised of representatives of the ICVA convened Principled Humanitarian Action Steering Committee (PHASC). The PHASC meets regularly to explore how to better support NGOs and coordination mechanisms to navigate humanitarian dilemmas and reach principled decisions to achieve the best possible humanitarian outcomes. They are working on tools and approaches to improve decision-making and trust. The PHASC’s work is inspired by research on how agencies think about and apply the humanitarian principles in Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan. The Steering Committee links with initiatives by Humanitarian Outcomes, WFP and Peace Research Institute Oslo and draws heavily from experiences and existing work by ICVA and PHASC members.