IFRC and partners, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the International Council of Voluntary Agencies, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, are convening an International Dialogue on Strengthening Partnership in Disaster Response: Bridging national and international support in Geneva 25, 26 October 2011. The event will gather representatives from governments, regional organizations, the UN system, the Red Cross Red Crescent, and non-governmental organizations for a results-oreinted discussion on how states can improve the regulation and facilitation of international disaster assistance in their territories, and what the international community can do to aid these efforts.
The Dialogue will consist of an open session, to which all permanent missions and Geneva-based humanitarian organizations are invited, and a closed session, for which select invitations have been issued.
In preparation for the International Dialogue, IFRC and partners convened an Expert Dialogue on the Role and Responsibility of the Affected State in International Disaster Response. Thirty experts in humanitarian response gathered over two days in London to examine the issues outlined above, as well as how a global dialogue on these questions can drive progress toward improved response. The two-day meeting was hosted by Chatham House, and attended by representatives governments, regional organizations, humanitarian organizations, and experts in the field.
For more information on the Expert Dialogue, please see the event site at http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/175911
For more information on the International Dialogue, please see the background note and agenda, or contact Elyse Mosquini, Senior Advocacy Officer, at elyse.mosquini@ifrc.org.