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Self Report 2018

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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  • 2B
    Ensure full access to and protection of the humanitarian and medical missions

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Welthungerhilfe commits to engage in peer-to-peer learning with its partners in Germany and abroad to encourage compliance to humanitarian principles, and to share information on upholding humanitarian principles in practice and on the constraints faced in applying them.
    • Capacity
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Welthungerhilfe (WHH) shares information on upholding humanitarian principles in practice and on the constraints faced in applying them, in different international and national fora. WHH is fully engaged in the work of three IASC Clusters: global Food Security Cluster (gFSC Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) Member), global WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) Cluster (gWC) (gWC SAG Member and representing the German WASH Network), global Logistics Cluster (co-leading the Service Provision & Working Group). WHH hosted the bi-annual global Logistic Cluster meeting in Bonn in 2017. WHH is co-Chair of the Emergency Supply pre-Positioning Strategy – ESUPS (alongside United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD)) Steering Group. Further WHH co-chaired the FSC in Mali and Burundi. In addition, WHH was the hosting agency of the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum and took part in the Afghanistan Humanitarian Twinning Programme. In 2017 WHH continued its involvement in the START Network and Alliance2015, as previously.

    WHH is member of the Coordination Committee for Humanitarian Aid (KOA), chaired by the German Foreign Office (AA), and member of the German NGO Association VENRO. In 2017 WHH had representatives in KOA Working Groups on accountability/Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS), localization, monitoring & evaluation. As a member of VENRO, WHH participates to several Working Groups (WGs), engaging in a joint effort to encourage compliance with humanitarian principles. I.e., WHH is part of the Fragile States WG. In this venue, in 2017, WHH shared its best practices in terms of the safety and security of its staff (and partners) operating in insecure environments. WHH also started its engagement to draft a position paper on fragility together with some other group members.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    • Through multi-stakeholder processes or initiatives (e.g. IASC, Grand Bargain, Charter for Change, etc).
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    Currently, WHH is using internal systems for monitoring and evaluation to assess the progress. Also, in 2017 WHH adopted a new Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Accountability Framework. This has served to improve planning, management, impact as well as to ensure and document WHH accountability.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    • Gender and/or vulnerable group inclusion
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    The interventions in complex humanitarian settings, especially through partners engagements, are continually challenged by the increasing aggravation of humanitarian crises for example in Syria and adjacent geographical areas. Also, in Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger it was impossible to conduct CHS activities in the field because of security barriers.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    WHH will continue its work and peer-learning in national and international coordination partnerships and networks, and revise its humanitarian tools to provide up-to-date operational guidance for humanitarian settings. WHH work is undertaken in areas like real-time evaluation and protection mainstreaming.


    WHH is contributing to a Geneva Humanitarian Exchange and Research Centre Study, which is exploring the role and value-add of mandates and mission statements of INGOs, in working effectively in situations of armed conflict.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    Keywords

    Humanitarian principles, IHL compliance and accountability, Quality and accountability standards

  • 2D
    Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Welthungerhilfe commits to adopt the IASC statement on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse at the individual agency level.
    • Policy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Other-2D

    Welthungerhilfe (WHH) is undertaking preparatory work to be able to adopt Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) at the agency level. WHH has a code of conduct (which includes a statement on sexual exploitation in employee contracts and partner agreements) since 2003, a whistle blowing system (telephone and mail, which includes PSEA), and a complaint-response-mechanism (CRM) established within the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS)/Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) in 2016 (piloting-process started in 2013). https://www.welthungerhilfe.org/about-us/transparency-and-quality/

    To reinforce the system towards full adoption the IASC statement, in 2017 WHH rolled out CRM sensitization both in own field offices and with local partners in seven countries (India, Bangladesh, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan). In CHS-pilot-countries Burkina-Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Liberia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Uganda, Zimbabwe WHH conducted community-workshops (incl. sensitization on CRM) reaching over 1,800 people. (see report 3D). WHH staff regularly participated in Accountability to Affected Populations
    (AAP)/PSEA Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) team meetings (online and/or in person) and shared its best-practices (see “good-practices” below).

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    • Other: Welthungerhilfe is reporting quarterly to the German Federal Foreign Office on the Core Humanitarian Standard Programme and annually to CHS Alliance.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    Number of sensitized staff on the Complaints Response Mechanism and number of staff trained on “Investigation of Complaints on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse”.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    • Gender and/or vulnerable group inclusion
    • Human resources/capacity
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Challenges are slowing down the process of rolling-out the CRM in the field offices because of security issues (in Niger, Mali and DRC it was impossible to conduct the activities when planned) or because of Human Resources constraints (in terms of either involved staff and/or capacity-building needs).

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    WHH plans to: 1) update the shortlist of external consultants to investigate complaints (from 2016); 2) between 2018-2020 having one global, one HQ and five regional accountability advisors; 3) training of additional staff on “Investigation of Complaints on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse” (two staff trained in 2016. eight staff by 2020); 4) continuation of institutionalization of Accountability practices and mechanisms, including questions on adherence to CHS being added to the existing internal audit checklists.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    In November 2017, during the AAP/PSEA Task Team Meeting, two tools from WHH (among over 100 examined) were preselected for inclusion in the “Matrix of preferred Resources”. One of them preselected tools is a poster showing how WHH integrates the 9 CHS commitments in its and their partners’ work https://www.welthungerhilfe.org/news/publications/detail/poster-core-humanitarian-standard/

    Keywords

    People-centred approach, PSEA, Quality and accountability standards

  • 3D
    Empower and protect women and girls

    Core Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Empower Women and Girls as change agents and leaders, including by increasing support for local women's groups to participate meaningfully in humanitarian action.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Ensure that humanitarian programming is gender responsive.
    • Leave No One Behind
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    In 2017, within the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) Programme of Welthungerhilfe (WHH) (with financial support by the German Federal Foreign Office): in its CHS-initiative activities roll-out in the field offices of India, Bangladesh, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan WHH organized separate women’s discussion groups (a total of 18 of which 7 were of women only). With regards to the CHS capacity building (CB) of WHH country office and WHH local NGOs, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) partners local female staff were identified to participate. 21% of the WHH field office participants were women (73 males and 16 females) and circa 17% of trained partners staff were females (34 males and 6 females).

    With regards to field practices/community consultations on complaints response mechanisms (CRMs) the number of women was much higher. For example, in South Sudan 106 community members were involved and 60 of them were females (57%). In Tajikistan 60 community members were involved, of which 29 women (48%).

    In addition to roll-out in the above-mentioned field offices, WHH accountability coordinators organized CHS community workshops in the eight pilot countries (Burkina Faso, DRC, Kenya, Liberia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Uganda and Zimbabwe). A total of 64 community workshops were organized, reaching out to a total of 1,836 community members. Sex disaggregated data is not available for each country. However, it is notable that both in Uganda and Kenya more females than males were reached out (436 vs 273 in Uganda and 138 vs 94 in Kenya).

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    • Other: Quarterly-reports to German Federal Foreign Office on activities within CHS Programme, CHS-adherence is within WHH-standard-evaluation-Terms of Reference, and being tested in WHH-audit-checklists.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    Number of CHS capacity building (CB) exercises implemented with the participation of women and number of women’s discussion groups (on CHS and CRMs). Please see figures in the section above.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    • Gender and/or vulnerable group inclusion
    • Human resources/capacity
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Slowing down the process of rolling out the “field-practicals” on the CRMs in WHH field offices due to security issues (in Niger, Mali and DRC it was impossible to conduct the activities when planned) or Human Resources constraints in rolling-out the CHS (involved staff (incl. women) and/or CB needs).

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    CHS are rolled-out in eight countries and implementation has started in 10 more.

    In 2018 WHH plans: consolidating CHS roll-out in countries where activities already began and commencing CHS-process in three to six new countries. Processes seek and reinforce the active participation of women.
    WHH is assessing the need for refreshers on internal-tools of gender mainstreaming in project work and development new tools. (i.e. a tool on gender Monitoring & Evaluation plan is being revised to be released in 2018).

    Keywords

    Gender, People-centred approach

  • 4A
    Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

    Individual Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Welthungerhilfe commits to establishing a common approach to providing information to affected people and collecting, aggregating and analysing feedback from communities to influence decision-making processes at strategic and operational levels.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Welthungerhilfe commits to adopt the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and International Aid Transparency Initiative Standard, with clear benchmarks for achieving these through the CHS Alliance self-assessment tool.
    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to reinforce national and local leadership and capacities in managing disaster and climate-related risks through strengthened preparedness and predictable response and recovery arrangements.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to increase investment in building community resilience as a critical first line of response, with the full and effective participation of women.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Adherence to quality and accountability standards (e.g. CHS, SPHERE)

    Within its Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) Programme (with financial support by the German Federal Foreign Office) Welthungerhilfe (WHH) is undertaking CHS self-assessment exercises in several countries. Initially, it was planned to roll out CHS self-assessment in all countries of operations. Following the recommendation from a mid-term review (shared in 2016), WHH decided to undertake self-assessment in selected countries and in its Headquarter Office (HQ) to implement the so-called “field practicals”, aimed to sensitise communities about the complaints response mechanism – CRM (please see them referred in report 2D). In addition to this exercise, during 2017, WHH started the draft of an internal policy on “info-sharing with the communities” with the involvement of: 1) HQ Monitoring Evaluation Learning Accountability – MELA – Unit; 2) Humanitarian Directorate; 3) The Emergency Response Team; and 4) Field offices (Turkey and Iraq were the first countries to join).

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    • Other: Quarterly-reports to German Federal Foreign Office on activities within CHS Programme, CHS-adherence is within WHH-standard-evaluation-Terms of Reference, and being tested in WHH-audit-checklists.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    Number of personnel sensitized on the Complaints Response Mechanism (CRM) with the active involvement of women.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    • Gender and/or vulnerable group inclusion
    • Human resources/capacity
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    They are slowing down the process of rolling-out the CRM in the field offices because of security issues (in Niger, Mali and DRC it was impossible to conduct the activities when planned) or because of Human Resources constraints (in terms of either involved staff and/or capacity-building needs).

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    Finalisation of an internal policy on “info-sharing with the communities” and field practicals in CRM in three to six new countries with the active participation of women.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    1. Reinforce, do not replace national and local systems. In mid-2017, WHH (with the gFSC) launched the videos “act collectively” in Bangladesh, Iraq and Mali. See: https://www.welthungerhilfe.org/news/videos/?tx_igxvideo_videolist%5Baction%5D=list&tx_igxvideo_videolist%5Bcontroller%5D=Video&cHash=b3468fdc5557dd2fc6f9af067fe6dc80. They are the first in its kind, and highlight the importance of partnerships and coordination.
    2. Providing information: WHH Zimbabwe typhoid response. See case study in: https://startnetwork.org/resource/start-fund-crisis-anticipation-window-annual-report-2017

    Keywords

    Local action, Quality and accountability standards

  • 4B
    Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

    Core Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to improve the understanding, anticipation and preparedness for disaster and climate-related risks by investing in data, analysis and early warning, and developing evidence-based decision-making processes that result in early action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    In 2017 Welthungerhilfe (WHH) launched and rolled out its new Humanitarian Strategy 2017-2020 and Emergency Structures. In this context, the concept of Humanitarian Programming is introduced and is part of WHH’s paradigm shift towards more anticipation and preparedness for less losses and better response (see report 5B). WHH started the revision of its Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning (EPReP) format: here the risk analysis component will be an integral part of a new format on the organisation's Multi-Annual Country-Planning (MACP) . Both new formats, EPReP and MACP, will facilitate risk-informed programming.

    For the Philippines - a disaster-prone country outside Welthungerhilfe’s country portfolio - a MoU for emergency response with the national partner organization Philippines Rural Development Movement (PRRM) was drafted. PRRM has dependencies in many locations in the Philippines.

    Throughout 2017, WHH was an active member of START Anticipation Window (AW) and START Forewarn Group (https://startnetwork.org/news-and-blogs/don%E2%80%99t-wait-anticipate-using-start-fund-act-early). Within the AW, together with ACTED and Mercy Corps, WHH implemented an initiative in Tajikistan to forecast flooding (case study below).

    WHH participates in START/ALERT, which is developing an innovative emergency preparedness system to better respond before and immediately after a disaster strikes. In 2017, WHH piloted the system in Kenya and Pakistan https://portal.alertpreparedness.org/ . ALERT is part of the START DEPP (https://startnetwork.org/disasters-and-emergencies-preparedness-programme).

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    • Through multi-stakeholder processes or initiatives (e.g. IASC, Grand Bargain, Charter for Change, etc).
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    1. Implementing ALERT system, as START member (https://portal.alertpreparedness.org/partners/): CHS Alliance and ALERT incorporate a set of preparedness actions to be used to gauge compliance with CHS;
    2. Drafting or revising EPRePs;
    3. Early Action Projects Evaluations (particularly related to AW);
    4. Internal evaluation of early action and rapid response.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Data and analysis
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    • Strengthening national/local systems
    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    WHH plans to intensify EPReP and risk-informed Multi-Annual Country-Planning guidance to selected country offices in 2018. Selected high-risk-country offices plan to develop, finalize or revise their EPReP (including increased use of INFORM Index). Intensification of activities in disaster risk preparedness and response with partners is foreseen from 2018. WHH is planning to reinforce the capabilities of partner organizations in access to funding and coordination with clusters, mainly (but not exclusively) the Food Security Clusters.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Improved anticipation/early warning systems need improved early action financing systems to support threatened communities and people to take self-determined prevention measures to result in mitigation of loss and damage. Thus, the Good Humanitarian Donorship Initiative https://www.ghdinitiative.org/ghd/gns/home-page.html must establish an “Early Warning Early Action Fund” and on an individual basis adopt Forecast-Based-Financing (FbF) as a standard donor financing mechanism including NGOs (for example Welthungerhilfe FbF with financial support by German Federal Foreign Office - https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/12104.pdf ).

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    Keywords

    Disaster Risk Reduction, Local action

  • 4C
    Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Other-4C

    In 2017 Welthungerhilfe (WHH) conceptualized the principle of Humanitarian Programming. Here Welthungerhilfe is learning from loss and damage in disasters and strives for a risk informed development programming. Strengthening resilience of people, livelihoods, institutions and infrastructure is the crucial component at the interface of humanitarian aid and development cooperation. In applying the Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD) approach, Welthungerhilfe recognizes that relief, rehabilitation and development needs may occur at the same time in humanitarian crises and must be addressed simultaneously (e.g. in complex or protracted crises).

    In 2017, Welthungerhilfe appointed a new advisor on resilience.

    In the global Food Security Cluster (gFSC)  Weltungerhilfe is leading a workstream on language building on preparedness and resilience. Country offices are progressively allocating resources and personnel to reinforce resilience building.

    In 2017, WHH continued resilience-building interventions-based on humanitarian needs in refugee and internally displaced people (IDP) settings (i.e. northern Uganda and North Kivu), whilst increasingly investing in crisis preparedness of communities (details in 4B, 5B reports).

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    The Multi Annual Country Plans (MACP) and Annual Country Reports and Planning are assessed on resilience aspects and risk-informed programming.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    • Joined-up humanitarian-development analysis, planning, funding and/or response
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    The buy-in from development-oriented staff and agents into humanitarian programming based on learning from loss and damages in disasters for future resilience building, and based on sound risk analysis for risk-informed development programming, requires a change of-mindset with development stakeholders. Further, it requires to break up silo-thinking and silo-financing.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    WHH is developing and/or updating e-tools to increase the ability of staff in systematically applying best practices in humanitarian interventions, crisis anticipation and response. WHH is planning to initiate a new project in the field of localization and assisting selected country offices in capacity development of partner organisations and identification of new partner organisations.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Integrate in development programming: a) lessons learnt from loss and damage in disasters, and b) risk analysis, for identifying resilience building measures.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    To achieve more anticipation and preparedness for less losses and better response, Welthungerhilfe introduced the principle of Humanitarian Programming. This entails resilience building as an essential basis, and is addressing residual risks through strengthening anticipation, early warning & early action, emergency preparedness & response planning, for a better emergency response.

    Keywords

    Community resilience, Displacement, Humanitarian-development nexus, Local action

  • 5B
    Invest according to risk

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to invest in risk management, preparedness and crisis prevention capacity to build the resilience of vulnerable and affected people.
    • Invest in Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    In 2017 Welthungerhilfe (WHH) launched and rolled out its new Humanitarian Strategy 2017-2020 and Emergency Structures. In this context, the principle of Humanitarian Programming has been introduced, which is part of Welthungerhilfe’s paradigm shift towards more anticipation and preparedness for less losses and better response.

    Within Welthungerhilfe, this entailed the allocation and re-allocation of human and financial resources to the following portfolios: resilience building, anticipation/early warning & early action (EWEA), emergency preparedness & response planning (EPReP), and emergency response. By doing so, several network and project activities were intensified and initiated in the field of risk identification and risk financing mechanisms in drought contexts:
    • Welthungerhilfe: “Development and Establishing of replicable Standard-Operating-Procedures (SOP) for Forecast-based-Financing (FbF) in Drought Relief by taking the Example of Madagascar” (Welthungerhilfe pilot project financed by German Federal Foreign Office https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/12104.pdf ).
    • START Network: START Anticipation Window and START Forewarn Group (WHH active member engagement - https://startnetwork.org/news-and-blogs/don%E2%80%99t-wait-anticipate-using-start-fund-act-early).
    • START Labs ARC Replica Drought Insurance (WHH active member engagement in START ARC Strategy Group); START Labs Drought Financing Facility (WHH active member engagements in pilot designs Pakistan and Zimbabwe - https://startnetwork.org/start-labs/drought-risk-financing).
    • COP23 Climate Change Conference in Bonn: WHH presented its drought related work together with the START Labs (https://startnetwork.org/fr/node/23990) and during the
    • Red Cross Dialogue Platform Meeting in Berlin https://www.drk.de/news-and-updates/.
    • University of Göttingen: GlobeDrought Project (WHH is consortia partner – field verification - https://bmbf-grow.de/en/joint-research-projects/globedrought).
    • University of Sussex: The Drought Risk Finance Science Laboratory - DRiSL (WHH is affiliated partner – field testing FbF Madagascar - https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_full.asp?pcode=NE%2FR014272%2F1).

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    • Through multi-stakeholder processes or initiatives (e.g. IASC, Grand Bargain, Charter for Change, etc).
    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Funding amounts
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    While sudden-onset crises result in a fast buy-in by the humanitarian system, slow-onset crises (e.g. droughts) are not getting the buy-in before the impact of the drought is visible. Funding modalities and funding amounts need adjustments to assure early action financing on a no regret basis.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    Welthungerhilfe Humanitarian Programming: Strengthen risk analysis, resilience building, anticipation/early warning & early action, emergency preparedness & response planning in Annual Planning and Multi Annual Country Planning processes. Anticipation/Early Warning & Early Action: Continue strengthening WHH crises anticipation capacities.

    Continue supporting START Fund Anticipation Window and FOREWARN Group.

    Humanitarian Financing: Advocating and lobbying for early action financing and pro poor risk financing mechanism. Continue supporting drought research (DRISL, GlobeDrought) in regard to field testing needs.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Advocating and lobbying for early action financing and pro-poor risk financing mechanism. Without having the buy-in by international donors to engage in early action financing on a no-regret basis, anticipation/early warning results in no impact.

    On risk insurance financing premium payments, the liability principle should apply and call on the responsible parties to make risk financing more equitable by shifting more of the burden to those who are responsible for climate change.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    “Development and Establishing of replicable Standard-Operating-Procedures (SOP) for Forecast-based-Financing (FbF) in Drought Relief by taking the Example of Madagascar”, is a recently launched Welthungerhilfe pilot project financed by German Federal Foreign Office, and implemented in cooperation with START Network and Malagasy Governmental and Non-Governmental stakeholders.
    https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/12104.pdf
     

    Keywords

    Community resilience, Disaster Risk Reduction

  • 5E
    Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Welthungerhilfe commits to adopt the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and International Aid Transparency Initiative Standard, with clear benchmarks for achieving these through the CHS Alliance self-assessment tool.
    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Welthungerhilfe (WHH) already adopted Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) (please see reports on CHS implementation in the reports 2D, 3D, 4A) and is committed to transparency. In this context, WHH believes that the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) (along with the Financial Tracking System, FTS) is the most widely recognized tool currently available for the publication of data for financing development projects and humanitarian aid projects.

    WHH cooperates already with international bilateral donors, such as the Department for International Development (United Kingdom) (DFID), who have long been encouraging (and in some cases obligating) their partners to publish data in accordance with the IATI standard. WHH has therefore planned to begin reporting to IATI latest in 2019 as a result of the introduction and roll out of WHH’s new project management systems software.

    In 2017, WHH has conducted preparatory works and testing on the software. This way, WHH will be able to increase cost efficiency and transparency by expanding and improving the quality of its reporting data and in parallel by building permanent capacity to do IATI reporting into its organizational systems.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Data and analysis
    • Information management/tools
    • Other: Double reporting challenges
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    The identification and tailoring of a new project management system software requires a thorough stakeholder consultation process and design of various information management interfaces within the organization. Thereafter a piloting phase and respective adjustment have to be accomplished before going into the roll-out phase in 24 country offices.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    Rollout of the new software and further reporting roadmap.

    Keywords

    Quality and accountability standards, Transparency / IATI