Networking is not only for entrepreneurs. It can also be for humanitarians! The proof is the Humanitarian Network & Partnership Week (HNPW), a one-week event, where humanitarian networks and partnerships hold their annual consultations.
As member of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) was invited to join the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Partners and Advisory Board Meetings taking place during HNPW.
An opportunity for TSF to discuss its role within the UNDAC Emergency Response System with some of the most important UNDAC partners: Acaps, IHP, MapAction, Cascos Blancos, Reach, just to cite a few…
Yet, an opportunity to do a little bit of “Humanitarian Networking!” Because HNPW is not only about meetings, it is also about bringing together experts from diverse organizations and countries. Thus, between two conferences, participants were able to gather in the exhibition or speed-networking areas to discuss and identify solutions to common humanitarian challenges.
But the best chance to actively engage and collaborate was actually during the Cross-Network Sessions of Inter-Network Day. “We achieve more when we work together, and this is certainly true in the humanitarian field.” said Mr. Michael Møller, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva during his opening remarks.
So, is networking worth for humanitarians? It surely is, if it can create new opportunities to help those in need.