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Seychelles gears up for World Humanitarian Summit |20 August 2014

Stakeholders met yesterday in a one-day workshop to consult and complete a questionnaire in the lead up to the World Humanitarian Summit to be held in October 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The workshop, held at the Seychelles Trading Company’s conference room, was organised by the Division of Risk and Disaster Management (DRDM) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Seychelles.

Present at the workshop were the World Health Organisation (WHO) liaison officer for Seychelles Dr Cornelia Atsyor, UNDP programme manager to Seychelles Roland Alcindor and other representatives concerned with humanitarian issues like the Red Cross, Lungos, DRDM and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Addressing delegates in her opening remarks, Dr Atsyor said that this workshop has two objectives which were to commemorate World Humanitarian Day and also gather the views of stakeholders which will contribute towards the Eastern and Southern African consultation in October 2014.

“The country consultation on humanitarian action will collectively address existing and future humanitarian challenges, build a more inclusive and diverse humanitarian system and reinvigorate people to humanitarian rights and principles,” said Dr Atsyor, noting that these will be held during the Humanitarian Global Summit in October 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey.

During the summit a questionnaire based on discussions on humanitarian needs and its expectations will be discussed.

Dr Atsyor reminded delegates that a resolution of the World Health Assembly designated August 19 as the World Humanitarian Day to honour all personnel who have worked in the promotion of humanitarian cause and aid workers who have lost their lives in the same cause as well as to raise public awareness of humanitarian assistance throughout the world.

She said the World Humanitarian Day, which has been celebrated since 2008, is a time to recognise those who face danger and adversity in order to help others around the globe.

Dr Atsyor also announced that the theme for this year is ‘The World Needs More’, which is a campaign at targeting humanitarian action as every year disaster causes immense sufferings to millions of people usually the world’s most poorest, most marginalised and vulnerable individuals.

The WHO liaison officer also explained that humanitarian aid is based on a number of founded principles including humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. And on the World Humanity Day, humanitarian workers who sacrifice their lives in the cause of humanity are honoured.

In his presentation on ‘Changing Humanitarian Landscape’, UNDP representative Roland Alcindor said the humanitarian crisis landscape is changing so the United Nations decided that world leaders get together to look at the situation closely, hence the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey.
 
Explaining why a world summit, he said that more people are needing humanitarian aid for the last years and that US $10 billion is spent on alleviating or improving circumstances to these challenges – money that could have been used for other purposes.

“We need to invest in preparedness and prevention to mitigate humanitarian needs; we need to look at new models of assistance and all actors collaborate – government, donors, communities, charities. We all need to work together to meet the needs,” he said.

He added that the summit will have to focus on effective humanitarian aids; how to reduce vulnerability among sufferers; transformation to renovation meaning how we transform what we are doing now to new ways so as to better serve the needs of the people in conflict.

Mr Alcindor also mentioned that regional consultations for Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) will take place in Johannesburg in October this year. The World Humanitarian ESA has developed the World Humanitarian Summit questionnaire with a note that will guide stakeholders’ consultations.

The chief executive of Lungos Steve Lalande explained the role of civil societies in contributing towards humanitarian aids.

Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DRDM and Red Cross also made presentations on their roles in humanitarian crisis.

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