UCL Humanitarian Summit 2023: Doing even more with even less?

In 2023, the UCL Humanitarian Summit will explore the theme of 'doing even more with even less' with key IRDR experts, practitioners and researchers from all walks of life and experiences to deliver a thoughtful and useful day to researchers, policy makers, practitioners, students and the interested public. 

Standard rhetoric in the international humanitarian world is that humanitarian need is growing and resources are declining compared to the amount of funding that is requested to meet that need. In 2022, the proportion of funding provided to that requested was 55%. This follows a trend highlighted in the Global Humanitarian Assessment Report 2023.

At the start of 2023, the United Nations states that 339 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection - one in every 23 people. This is a significant increase from the 274 million people counted at the beginning of 2022. The IASC-led international systems aims to assist 230 million people in 2023, which will require US$51.5 billion. 

Humanitarians have been exhorted to ‘do more with less’ for many years in the face of rising need and declining resources, as well as climate change predictions, a spiraling global population and climbing inequity. However, we must question if this imperative is useful; is it true, from the perspectives of both need and funding; and is it possible? 

This year's Humanitarian Summit is being convened by Dr Lisa Guppy and will feature contributions from key IRDR experts, practitioners and researchers from all walks of life and experiences.

Programme

This programme is subject to change.

Confirmed speakers

Keynote 1: The State of Humanitarian Assistance

Claudia Wells, International Hub Director, Development Initiatives, UK

Claudia Wells is the INternational Hub Director at Development Initiatives. She leads the development and implementation of Development Initiatives’ strategy at the international level. She directs DI’s major international programmes and projects to ensure they are working with the right partners to deliver on DI’s three strategic goals: strengthen data ecosystems, increase the use of data driven evidence, create a culture of data use. She was previously Director of Data Use for three years, where she worked closely with stakeholders to support them in their use of data and evidence as well as directing research and learning on data use. She is a member of the technical advisory group for the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data and serves on the programme committee for the UN World Data Forum.

Prior to joining DI, Claudia was Head of Sustainable Development Goals and Environmental Statistics at the UK Office for National Statistics where she was responsible for developing new data and analysis for a wide range of users, from informing the everyday decisions of the public, to working across government providing robust evidence for policy makers. She has over 20 years’ experience of developing new statistics and analyses and of communicating evidence to national and international policy makers on poverty, health, inequality, Sustainable Development Goals, environmental statistics, and data use.

View Claudia Wells' full profile
Find Claudia Wells on LinkedIn 

Panel discussion:  Policy and Framework of doing even more with even less [Chair: Dr Estella Carpi, UCL IRDR]

Dr Mohammad Salehin, University of Tromsø- The Arctic University of Norway, Norway

Mohammad Salehin is an Associate Professor and Academic Coordinator of the Master of Peace and Conflict Transformation Programme (MPCT) at the Centre for Peace Studies (CPS), University of Tromsø- The Arctic University of Norway. Salehin holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Sydney (Australia), an MPhil in Peace and Conflict Transformation from University of Tromsø (Norway). He has taught at the University of Sydney, University of Bergen, and Bangladesh Agricultural University. He has published on gender, (faith-based) development, Islam, democracy, NGOs, terrorism, human security, and governance. His research interest also includes migration and refugee issues, citizenship and minority issues.

Latest book: “Islamic NGOs in Bangladesh: Development, Piety and Neoliberal governmentality”    

View Dr Salehin's full profile

Photo: Torje Jenssen

Dr Rozana Himaz, UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, UK

Rozana Himaz is Associate Professor in Humanitarian Economics at UCL IRDR. Her research interests look at (i) how catastrophe modelling can incorporate ‘non-conventional’ aspects such as impacts on livelihood and mental health (ii) how welfare impacts of shocks on individuals and households evolve over time and (iii) how program/policy impacts can be evaluated. She focuses mainly on developing countries such as Indonesia, Ethiopia, India and Sri Lanka. Her work uses large household surveys and statistical methods to support evidence-based understanding of these issues in an interdisciplinary context. She has consulted for the World Bank and the International Labour Organisation. 

View Rozana Himaz's full profile

Shahin Ashraf, MBE, Islamic Relief Worldwide, UK

Shahin Ashraf is Head of Global Advocacy for Islamic Relief Worldwide, and a local Councillor in Solihull for the Green Party.

VIew Shahin Ashraf's LinkedIn profile

 Full speaker details will be available here when confirmed.

This event will be recorded/livestreamed and available on the IRDR YouTube channel afterwards.