Contribution 2023 to the Peer2-Peer Support Project

In increasingly more and more complex contexts, driven by violent conflicts, famine, the effects of climate change, and a recurrent pandemic, humanitarian aid must become more efficient, innovative, anticipative, localized, accountable and better coordinated. OCHA plays a critical role in supporting innovation and the adoption and testing of new ways of working for the humanitarian system. However, a committed and fit for purpose leadership is essential to an effective, efficient and forward-looking humanitarian response.

In the busy humanitarian world, particularly in the field, there is only few space for reflection on improvements. There is a need for more space for sharing of knowledge and good practices from different contexts in order to generate peer-to peer learning. This is where the P2P can step in to bring an outside view through^the provision of an independent, neutral and impartial advisory service.

Primary target group: Humanitarian Coordinators and Humanitarian Country Teams.

Secondary target group: Humanitarian community in general.

The P2P’s objective is to enhance the delivery of principled, quality, timely, and predictable collective humanitarian action by providing peer support to HCs and HCTs in field operations. It does this by:

-    Conducting missions comprised of former Humanitarian Coordinators, UN and NGO representatives to provide tailored peer support to HCs and HCTs on issues impacting the effectiveness of the response.

-    Sharing good practices gathered from field operations with HCs and HCTs to promote peer to peer learning and facilitating sharing of knowledge.

Expected results:  

-    Specific actions to strengthen the ability to deliver assistance effectively and collectively are identified and followed up upon.

-    Peer-to-peer learning and the facilitation of knowledge sharing is promoted.

Results from previous phases:  

-    In 2022, the P2P led five country missions in support of humanitarian leadership amid escalating crises and complex humanitarian responses, including support missions requested by HCs and HCTs.

-    Each mission concluded with an HCT Action Plan identifying the main challenges facing the humanitarian response and articulating HCT actions to address these challenges.

-    The analysis and outcomes from P2P missions and dialogues were fed into decisions and policy-making of the InterAgency Standing Committee (IASC).

Phase 3 01.01.2023 - 31.12.2023   (Completed)