South-South Cooperation for Peace, Prosperity and Partnerships- From delivering aid to ending need: Advancing the 2030 Agenda in crisis contexts
Introduction
The number, duration and the cost of the situations that require humanitarian assistance has expanded dramatically over the past decade. An important portion of this immense suffering is due to the protracted nature of crisis driven by human-made conflicts. Meanwhile, climate-related hazards are likely to increase over the coming years both in terms of intensity as well as frequency. The compounding effect of many global challenges will continue stretching the capacity of the international humanitarian system to respond to emergencies and pose a main threat to advancing the 2030 Agenda. At a time the people living in countries affected by complex crises has reached levels not seen since WWII, a new approach to managing these crisis is needed. Recognizing the 2030 Agenda’s commitment to leave no one behind as a common framework which connects both short term emergency response and long term development work in the quest to reduce risk and vulnerability, new partnerships by a wide range of actors are needed to translate this vision in reality.
In this context, the first World Humanitarian Summit (İstanbul, May 2016) hosted by Turkey achieved impressive results in terms of strengthening the humanitarian- development nexus while addressing the institutional, financial and political obstacles to humanitarian aid. The summit, which introduced the “new way of working”, was an important step towards a humanitarian aid system that is locally-driven and based on equitable, transparent and inclusive partnerships as well as a development system that is more flexible, risk-informed and focused on ensuring that no one is left behind in crisis contexts. There is a multitude of players in humanitarian arena that can have immense influence on this new approach. The role of the non-traditional donors in humanitarian action is expanding and the scope of South-South Cooperation in areas of crisis prevention and response is gaining higher influence.
With regard to the new development cooperation architecture, South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) by various means and modalities is an effective instrument contributing to the needs of less developed countries, by leveraging the economic, social and cultural proximities and in the spirit of solidarity and equity. South-South Cooperation in humanitarian crises carries a key responsibility in addressing the most urgent needs in fragile and conflict-affected context in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 16 and SDG 17. Global South- South Development Expo (GSSD) 2017 offers an opportunity for the United Nations, regional organisations, developing countries, development partners, private sector and civil society organisations to convene and optimize SSC solutions in peace, prosperity and partnership.
Objectives and Thematic Focus
The Leadership Roundtable will be co-hosted by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The objective of the “Leadership Roundtable: South-South Cooperation for Peace, Prosperity and Partnerships” is to engage the Global South, International and Regional Organisations to share experience, know-how and best practices on meeting the needs of people affected by conflicts and disasters, reducing vulnerabilities and bridging the gap between humanitarian and development work. The Roundtable also aims to receive feedback from partner countries on meeting the related challenges.
In natural disasters, conflicts and the context of acute vulnerabilities, immediate humanitarian assistance is required to alleviate suffering, protect lives and preserve human dignity. But many of these crises are predictable and more could be done to use local systems or build on South-South experiences to better anticipate, prevent and reduce the risk of crises. Moreover, in a post-crisis environment, the need remains to rebuild the lives of crises-affected communities and secure their livelihoods in a sustainable way. It is crucial to build resilient communities against natural disasters, political and social shocks and protracted and complex crises. It is of utmost importance to maintain the momentum after the initial response and link humanitarian assistance to sustainable development.
The key questions to be addressed by the Roundtable:
- What role can the South-South and Triangular Cooperation play in bridging the gap between humanitarian and development aid to advance the 2030 Agenda in crisis contexts? And how can we contribute to the prevention of crises?
- What is the added value the South- South Cooperation could bring to these efforts?
- How can Southern countries contribute to inclusive and effective mobilization of regional, sub-regional and global cooperation for risk reduction and reconstruction/development in the aftermath of crises?
- How can the Global South contribute to bringing maximum support to the people in need, through humanitarian and development aid?
- The Agenda for Humanity calls for aid to be as local as possible and as international as necessary. How can the United Nations system enable Southern partners in consolidating lessons learned and best practices to support localization of aid? To address these questions, the panellists are expected to bring up concrete issues with the goal of developing common perspectives and deliverable recommendations.
Expected Outcome
A Session Report is expected to be produced by the co-hosts, with the highlight of the discussion and recommendations for South- South and Triangular Cooperation providers for better addressing the impact of crises.
Format
The event will be co-chaired by the President of TIKA, and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator (DERC) and Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) in a roundtable format, and be held at the ministerial level. The co-chairs will deliver introductory remarks, followed by remarks from high-level speakers. The meeting will also provide an opportunity for interactive discussions among participatants.
Suggested high-level speakers include:
- Mr. Mehmet Süreyya Er, TIKA
- Ms. Ursula Mueller, DERC and ASG of OCHA
- H.E. Mr. Gamal Mohamed Hassan, Planning, Investment and Economic Development Minister, Somalia
- Mr. Noel Gonzales Segura, Director General for Planning and International Development Cooperation Policy, the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID), Mexico
- Mr. Steve Darville, Director of Humanitarian Response and Performance, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia
- H.E. Dr. Mansur Muhtar, Vice-President Sector Operations, Islamic Development Bank
- H.E. Ambassador Hesham Youssef, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (TBC)
- Mr. Ahmed Al Meraikhi, UN Secretary-General’s Humanitarian Envoy
Panelists
Mr. Mehmet Süreyya Er
Vice President, TİKA
Career Highlights
2012 to Present: Vice President, TİKA (Turkish International Cooperation and Coordination Agency, Prime Ministery of the Republic of Turkey)
2011 – 2012: One of the Directors of KDK (Office of Public Diplomacy, Prime Ministry of the Republic of Turkey)
2004 – 2010: Lecturer; Turkish Studies, Department of Near Eastern Studies, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
Education
2001: Advanced to Candidacy for Doctor of Philosophy; Turkic Studies, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, University of California – Los Angeles, USA
1999: Master of Arts; Turkic Studies, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, University of California – Los Angeles, USA
1992: Bachelor of Arts; Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Boğaziçi University – İstanbul, Turkey
1992: Bachelor of Arts; Department of Political Science and International Relations, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Boğaziçi University – İstanbul, Turkey
1989: Bachelor of Arts; Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, İstanbul University – İstanbul, Turkey
Ms. Ursula Mueller
Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Ms. Mueller has over thirty years of experience in international affairs, global issues and development financing. She has been Executive Director of the World Bank Group since September 2014, responsible for a range of issues including strategy, policy, budget and the approval of programmes worth $62 billion in 2016. She has consistently worked to foster close cooperation between the World Bank and the United Nations.
Prior to this role, Ms. Mueller served as Director General in Germany’s Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (2012-2014), and as Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2010-2012). Ms. Mueller coordinated a taskforce in the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs to respond to the global Financial Crisis (2009-2010).
Ms. Mueller has significant humanitarian and field experience. She was Germany’s Humanitarian Coordinator (2006-2009), during which she managed Germany’s multi-million dollar humanitarian budget, oversaw all of Germany’s humanitarian operations and took forward initiatives on landmines and conflict prevention. During this time she also served on the Advisory Board of the United Nations’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Advisory Board to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA). Ms. Mueller was Germany’s Special Envoy to Afghanistan (2001-2002), and was Germany’s Civil Coordinator in Kosovo (2000).
Ms. Mueller studied economics at the University of Hagen, Germany, and graduated from Germany’s Foreign Affairs Institute with a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Public Administration.
Mr. Noel González
Director General for Planning and International Development Cooperation Policy, the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID), Mexico
Member of the Mexican Foreign Service. He has a Master’s degree in Economics from UNAM and in Political Science from La Sorbonne University, Diplomatic Studies from the Matías Romero Institute, and a doctorate from the University of the Basque Country. He highlights his experience as a delegate of Mexico before the OECD in Paris, and in the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the UN. Since 2016, at AMEXCID, he serves as Coordinator of Mexico’s participation in Multilateral Fora of International Cooperation for Development.
Mr. Steve Darvill
Director of Humanitarian Reform and Performance in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
Steve Darvill is Director of Humanitarian Reform and Performance in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). In this role, he is responsible for promoting and tracking progress of Australia’s commitments at the World Humanitarian Summit (2016) as well as performance, quality, accountability and learning aspects of the humanitarian program.
Steve returned to DFAT in July 2013 after six years overseas, firstly as Humanitarian Adviser to the OECD Development Assistance Committee in Paris (2007-2009) and then as Executive Director of an international NGO in Boston (2010-2013). On return to Canberra, he was appointed Humanitarian Adviser and Director of Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience Section. In this role, Steve was delegation member in negotiations leading to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 as well as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Prior to moving overseas in 2007, Steve was Humanitarian Program Manager and, later, Humanitarian/Peace-Conflict Adviser in AusAID from 1996 to 2007 and worked extensively on programs in Mindanao, Myanmar, Solomon Islands, Iraq, Timor Leste, Indonesia, Uganda and Rwanda. Before joining AusAID, he worked for NGOs in Yemen, Iraq, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Gabon. He holds a Masters Degree in International & Community Development from the Deakin University and Bachelors Honours Degree in Geology and Environment from Brookes University. He is married with two adult daughters.
Dr. Mansur Muhtar
Vice President (Sector Operations), the Islamic Development Bank
Dr. Muhtar previously served as Executive Director on the Board of the World Bank Group (2011-2014) as well as Co-Chair of the United Nations Inter-Governmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Finance (2013-2014). He has served as Minister of Finance, for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Economic Management Team (2008-2010); as Executive Director, African Development Bank (2007-2008); and as Director-General of Nigeria’s Debt Management Office (2003-2007).
Earlier in his career, he was Senior Lecturer and Head of the Economics Department at Bayero University in Nigeria and served for a decade at the World Bank headquarters, including as Senior Economist and as Administrator of the Young Professionals Program. He also served as Deputy General Manager, Strategic Management and Economics Division, United Bank for Africa Plc. and as Distinguished Fellow at the Center for the Study of Economies of Africa, in Abuja.
Mr. Muhtar holds a doctorate degree in Economics, from the University of Sussex, U.K. and a masters degree in The Economics and Politics of Development from the University of Cambridge in the UK. He is also an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria, and King’s College, Lagos.
He has attended numerous leadership and professional development courses at the Kennedy School (Harvard University), the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania), and the Singapore Civil Service Administrative College.
Mr. Muhtar is a recipient of the Nigeria National Honors Award – Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) – for his contribution to national development.
H.E. Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al-Meraikhi
Humanitarian Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General
Mr. Al-Meraikhi was appointed on 8 December 2016 as the Humanitarian Envoy by former Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon. He is a national of the State of Qatar.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Al-Meraikhi joined the UN CERF-AG as a member in November 2013 and elected to be the Vice-Chair in October 2015.
Mr. Al-Meraikhi served as Vice President of the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activity since 2014. He simultaneously served as the Founding Director of the International Development Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar (2010-2016) and had served as Director General of the Qatar Development Fund (2010-2015).
From 2008, Mr. Al-Meraikhi began his association with charitable associations; serving as Vice Chairman of the Coordination Committee for Charity Associations (2008) whose primary objective was to coordinate activities and assist in developing Qatari civil society. He still serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the Education Above All Foundation (since 2011) and continues to serve as Vice Chairman for the Standing Committee for the rescue and relief work and humanitarian assistance in the affected areas of sisterly and friendly countries (since 2010).
Mr. Al-Meraikhi studied in the United Kingdom where he obtained his master’s degree from Sheffield Hallam University, followed by a doctorate in Managing Multi-Projects.
Mr. Al-Meraikhi was born on 25 September 1970 and is married with two children.
Focal Point Contact Details
Overall Coordinator: Mr. Mehmet Yılmaz, Head of External Affairs and Partnerships Department, TIKA
TIKA Communications Focal Point: Ms. Ayşe Örün, Expert, Email: a.orun@tika.gov.tr, Phone: +(90) 312 939 7376
OCHA Focal Point: Ms. Chunyao Yi, Email: yi1@un.org, Phone: +1 917 367 2098