VOICE Director briefs EU member states on the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS)

On 29 September, VOICE Director Kathrin Schick was invited by the Slovak EU Presidency to brief the Council working group on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA) meeting to brief member states (MS) on NGOs views on the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS). Ms Schick spoke about VOICEs work on the WHS and brought in key considerations and challenges to ensure the effectiveness of the Summit and the ongoing work towards fulfilling the Agenda for Humanity. She praised the direction given by the UN Secretary General in his report to the UN General Assembly especially in raising the critical importance of further political leadership in the areas of conflicts, underlining the humanitarian principles and the need to respect and implement International Humanitarian Law.

She encouraged MS to think about the implementation and monitoring of their commitments, and truly take ownership of issues by championing them at a global level. She further stressed the opportunity the WHS presents for communication of the EUs humanitarian action.

For further NGO reactions to the Summit see:  

• We must all act now! joint NGO statement
• VOICE event report: World Humanitarian Summit: outcomes and next steps for the EU

For an overview of the commitments taken at the Summit, visit the online Platform for Action, Commitments and Transformation (PACT).