2024 Global Humanitarian Policy Forum

On 12-13 December 2024, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Foundation convened the thirteenth annual Global Humanitarian Policy Forum.

The 2024 Global Humanitarian Policy Forum brought together leaders and practitioners to reflect on the state of the world at the close of 2024, exploring global risks, challenges, and pathways for the humanitarian system. The forum featured three interactive sessions, including discussions on OCHA’s Flagship Initiative, the critical role of climate action in combating hunger, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the politicization of humanitarian aid.

The Forum concluded with a Fireside Chat with newly appointed Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, offering strategic insights into the future of humanitarian leadership and action.

This year’s Forum came amid escalating global humanitarian challenges that exceeded the sector's existing capacities and resources. The number of people in need had risen to 305 million, driven by a record number of armed conflicts, increasing climate shocks, and entrenched protracted crises. Conflict, economic instability, and climate extremes compounded food insecurity, displaced millions, and deepened vulnerabilities in fragile communities. At the same time, the humanitarian system faced significant funding shortfalls and growing risks to aid workers, with 2024 recorded as the deadliest year on record for humanitarian actors. These factors underscored the increasingly complex and interlinked drivers of humanitarian need, shaping a landscape of acute and persistent global challenges.

Programme:

Day 1: Thursday, 12 December 2024

09:00-10:00am EST Interactive Session:  The Flagship Initiative – Humanitarian Action from the Ground Up

Moderator: Lewis Sida, Co-Director of the Humanitarian Learning Centre, Institute of Development Studies (IDS) 

Panellists:

• Nimo Hassan, Director, Somali NGO Consortium, Somalia
• Hilda Ochuonyo, Area-Based Lead, Malakal, South Sudan
• Samuel Zoungrana, Head of Sub-Office, OCHA, Diffa, Niger

10:00-11:15am EST Break

10:15-11:30am EST Interactive Session: The Criticality of Scaling up Climate Action to Fight Hunger in Fragile and Conflict Settings

Moderator: Loretta Hieber Girardet, Chief, Risk Knowledge, Monitoring and Capacity- Development Branch, UNDRR 

Keynote Speaker: Nena Stoiljkovic, Under Secretary General for Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization, IFRC 

Panellists:

• Balgis Osman Elasha, Chief Climate Change and Green Growth Specialist, Regional Coordinator, North Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office, African Development Bank Group
• Abdullahi Mohamed Hersi, Executive Director, Nomadic Assistance for Peace and Development (NAPAD)
• Andrew Lanyon, Senior Resilience Coordinator, FAO Representative in Somalia

Day 2: Friday, 13 December 2024

09:15 - 10:30am EST Interactive Session: The Politicization of Humanitarian Aid: Navigating Neutrality, Political Influence and Double Standards

Moderator: Ashley Jackson, Co-Director, Centre on Armed Groups 

Panellists:

• Awol Allo, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Sheffield
• Sophie Eisentraut, Head of Research & Publications, Munich Security Conference
• Michael Keating, Executive Director, European Institute of Peace (EIP)
• Funmi Olonisakin, Vice President, International, Engagement and Services (IES), King’s College London

10:00-11:15am EST Break

10:45 - 11:30am EST: High-level fireside chat: Navigating Complex Crises – Strategic Leadership in Times of Unprecedented Need

Moderator: Raj Kumar, President & Editor-in-Chief, Devex 

Guest: Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator