The Humanitarian Talk “Humanitarian access impediments: the reality of the frontline” will provide a unique opportunity to engage with some of the people who work tirelessly on the frontlines of the humanitarian response in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Nigeria. In these three countries, where an immense 23 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, millions of them are living in hard-to-reach areas. In recent years, there has been a steep escalation in obstruction of access to this aid.

The frontline responders will reveal the stories behind the numbers and the concepts. They will give an insight into the lives of those serving populations in hard-to-reach areas, share the challenges in ensuring their organizations have access to the people in need but also that populations have access to assistance, and share on the responsibilities they face when serving people in need and striving to keep their own teams safe. This Humanitarian Talk aims to enhance policy and decision makers’ understanding of humanitarian access impediments and the role of frontline humanitarian workers, but also to share with them concrete recommendations, based on the reality from the frontline.

Organisers: NRC, OCHA, with DRC, IRC, ICVA

Speakers :

• H.E. Mr Manuel BESSLER, Deputy Director General, Ambassador (outgoing), Head of Humanitarian Aid and SHA Division (outgoing), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA
• Samuel Carpenter, Team Leader Protection, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO )
• Christelle Kalhoule, Chair SPONG, Children Believe, Burkina Faso
• Benoit Couturier, DRC country director, Cameroun
• Babatunde Anthony Ojei, IRC country director, Nigeria

Moderator:

• Emma O’Leary, Humanitarian Diplomacy Adviser, IASC Secretariat