National Humanitarian Network in Year 2014

Founded in 2010 with a mission to act as an independent and vibrant voice to engage with stakeholders throughout Pakistan for promotion of humanitarian values by influencing policies and building capacities to ensure right based humanitarian response. The network has since decentralized and established provincial chapters and has taken up a formal representational role for the NNGO community in Pakistan at high – level coordination meetings. NHN is representing Pakistani Civil Society in HCT, PHF, and ALWG. NHN is member of Emergency Response Fund -Advisory and Review Boards. National Humanitarian Network has emerged as the leading voice of the civil society in Pakistan. NHN has gained a significant role in humanitarian architecture in Pakistan. Currently NHN has 167 members across Pakistan and it is open for all national and local organizations engaged in humanitarian assistance or disaster management advocacy. Sungi Development Foundation is the Chair of NHN and managing the National Secretariat. Provincial and state NHN secretariats are being managed by the Provincial Executive Committee lead organizations.

To strengthen the network CARE international supported NHN in 2013 through three years funding with the overall goal bTo strengthen humanitarian governance and accountability for a timely, transparent, needs based and principled humanitarian response in Pakistanb. In implementation of the project NHN made deliberate efforts in launching the project and implementing the project activities against the objectives set at the inception level.

During the reporting period main focus of the project was contingency planning; enhancing coordination and collaboration with key stakeholders and forums in Pakistan; designing and launching advocacy campaigns against emerging humanitarian crisis to highlight and address the humanitarian governance issues, response and recovery issues and issues of disaster affected people and communities and capacity building of NHN members. Contributing towards its mandate the glimpses of networkbs achievements from year 2014 are as follows:

Advocacy Campaigns Designed and Run for Principled Humanitarian Response in Pakistan during Humanitarian Crises

NW IDPs Crises for 2014

Advocacy campaign designed and launched during NWA- IDPs crises:

• IDPs Qaumi Committee (Men & Women) established and strengthened
• Response issues identified, highlighted and recommendations being made and further submitted to PDMA KP, SAFRON Ministry, TDP S&M Unit, KP Government, and Human Rights Commission.
• In result services of NADRA improved and the issue of family size resolved (NADRA increased the number of mobile vans for registration and CNIC), increase in compensation package announced by KP Government for IDPs, separate distribution points established for women, number of distribution points increased, NCP vehicles allowed for IDPs families .
• Advocated for the issue of women access to assistance and convinced bGrand Qabail Jirgab to allow women for receiving Humanitarian Aid. In addition Government announced separate registration for women IDPs.
• Violence at distribution points was highlighted and demonstration rally organized and arrested IDPs were released is result.
• Strong coordination and liaison developed and strengthened with Government, NDMA, PDMA and key stakeholders.
• Political administration office established in Bannu for IDPs for the issuance of CNIC, character certificate, domicile, passport etc.
• Access to Humanitarian Aid was provided by Government to the people of Razmak and Data Khail who were stuck in the said areas due to the conflict.
• Advocated on the entry of IDPs in other Provinces at KP, Sindh and Balochistan level, in result the Provincial Governments of Sindh and Balochistan allowed the NWA- IDPs to enter and settled in their respected Provinces

Flood 2014

Advocacy campaign designed and launched at Punjab and AJK ;

• NHN Punjab initiated satisfactory survey during Floods b 2014 (23 % of community was satisfied with the standardized response by Govt. and humanitarian actors according to the survey findings). This provided the base to NHN for designing advocacy campaign for response in Punjab .
• Advocated on the lengthy and long procedure of NOC issuance, in result procedure was revised and DCO was authorized for the said purpose at district level in Flood response.
• Advocated on the response, recovery and rehabilitation activities for the affected people of AJK in result establishment of District Task Force were suggested to proceed on district wise recommendations. The establishment of District Task Force will be completed in next week.

Drought 2014

Ground level issues were identified through Provincial dialogues at several levels with key stakeholders, gaps analyzed for further planning and were shared with entire Civil Society to develop joint stance on the identified issues .

In result a committee was established based on technical experts to review the Drought Policy. The committee reviewed the drought policy and recommendations were forwarded to PDMA-Sindh and NDMA further. NHN Sindh chapter is designing a campaign for humanitarian advocacy against drought situation Capacity Building Initiatives

Capacity Building Initiatives

In 2014 NHN enhanced its collaborations with National Institute of Disaster Management, UN -OCHA, VSO and HAP & Sphere focal point Pakistan (CWS- P/A) for exploring capacity building opportunities for NHN members across Pakistan. In result VSO International supported NHN in building the capacity of NHN members through formal collaboration and organized 4 training workshops for NHN members from AJK, KP/FATA and Sindh chapters on Volunteer Management Program and CBDRM. Furthermore the details of the capacity building initiatives are as follows:

NHN National Secretariat organized one day orientation session on bHumanitarian and Accountability Principlesb for NHN members (KP- FATA, Punjab), executives of NW- IDPs Qaumi Committee, INGOs and Government department representatives. 98 participants participated in these sessions. O NHN collaborated with VSO to enhance the capacity of NHN members in understanding bVolunteer Management Systemb and bCommunity Based Disaster Managementb. In result 66 participants were trained. O NHN collaborated with UN- OCHA to enhance capacity of NHN members on bMulti – Cluster Initial Rapid Assessment, Humanitarian Access and Humanitarian Principles, Humanitarian Coordinationb for NHN Provincial chapterbs. In result 109 participants were trained

NHN with the support of National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) organized training for NHN members across Pakistan on bCBDRM, Preparedness & Response, DRM, Project Formulation; Report Writing & Formulation of PC & Approval Procedure, Emergency Response & Recovery, Climate Change Management, Training on Assessment Procedure (Risk Assessment, MIRA, DNA), Formulation of Project Proposal & Report Writing, Flood mitigation, Integration of Gender and other Vulnerable Groups in DRM and District DRM Planningb O NHN collaborated with HAP & Sphere Focal Point in Pakistan (CWS) for capacity building of its member organizations. In result HAP & Sphere focal Point (SHA Program) announces scholarship for NHN members.

Commitments for 2015

For year 2015 National Humanitarian Network is committed to “Voice the concerns and advocate for the disaster affected communities for improving policies, procedures and strengthening institutions for rights based disaster mitigation and humanitarian response; and to strengthen the role and capacities of national and local humanitarian actors in setting humanitarian and development agendas and humanitarian action in Pakistan”.