Strengthening humanitarian diplomacy efforts

How can humanitarians and diplomats find each other in order to achieve humanitarians objectives? In October, a group of 16 humanitarians based around the world dove into questions like this during a 5-day online training on Humanitarian Diplomacy provided by Clingendael. 

The interface between the humanitarian and the diplomatic world is continuously growing due to global trends such as the rise in climate disasters and the increasing number and complexity of conflicts. Both, humanitarians and diplomats acknowledge that closer collaboration can lead to better outcomes that are mutually beneficial. This is especially the case when state and humanitarian objectives align. In practice, however, collaboration is at times experienced as difficult and ineffective. 

“The feeling I got at the end of the course was that of utmost satisfaction. I felt convinced about everything taught to us and I left as a better humanitarian diplomat.”  - Participant

During the programme, participants explored the concept and practice of Humanitarian Diplomacy through the exchange of knowledge and experiences with humanitarian practitioners, scholars, and each other. Furthermore, through direct engagement with diplomats, participants were provided with insights into the operational reality and working practices of Ministries of Foreign Affairs. They also had ample opportunity to build on their toolset of communication skills needed for Humanitarian Diplomacy and to exchange amongst each other about their personal experiences and lessons learned. 

We wish the participants success as they apply their enhanced skills and insights to advance humanitarian diplomacy and foster impactful global collaborations.