Global Protection Cluster Events

The Global Protection Forum – An example of continuous context-specific protection analysis engages multiple actors to build and promote a culture of analysis that prioritizes continuous analysis, not just data collection.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Global Protection Forum was held virtually. the virtual forum brought together nearly 3,000 experts from 30+ operations to discuss real-time protection challenges and share best practices for protection actors. InterAction had the opportunity to host two sessions; one titled The Role of the Protection Cluster in Fostering Centrality of Protection in Humanitarian Response and another titled Preventing GBV in Humanitarian Crises: Advancing What We Know Works and Measuring GBV Outcomes.

Centrality of protection has been established as a mandatory responsibility of the HCT and is recognized as core to humanitarian action. As a part of the Global Protection Cluster’s annual forum, InterAction and the Global Protection Cluster engaged field cluster leads, co-leads and information management officers on the role of the protection cluster in fostering the Centrality of Protection. The event had two segments, an opening panel session and breakout groups. The event focused on the experiences of field practitioners on the role of the cluster in providing technical support for the CoP. The virtual event also considered challenges and opportunities related to the implementation of the Centrality of Protection, including discussions on HCT protection strategies and the Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC). As a key recommendation, session participants encouraged the GPC/AoRs to support colleagues at the country level to follow up on recommendations of the HCT Protection Strategies Review and identify how the GPC/AoRs can provide technical support at global and country levels. To read more about the event and listen to the discussion stemming from the break-out groups, click HERE.

Faced with increased expectations to achieve meaningful results and demonstrate impact through protection programming, including Gender-Based Violence (GBV), the humanitarian community must convene to map a way forward. The second event that InterAction co-hosted, along with UNICEF, and Plan International did just that. The session looked at several initiatives that highlighted current best practices and areas where additional effort is needed to strengthen prevention strategies and programs in humanitarian crises. The opening hour commenced with an overview of emerging findings coming out of two prevention programming scoping studies separately carried out by InterAction and Plan International. After the comparative analysis, UNICEF shared its program Communities Care: Transforming Lives and Preventing Violence that was implemented and evaluated in Somalia and South Sudan. The second-hour session entailed an interactive panel session moderated by Neil Dillon (Data Conscious) with GBV and protection experts Anna Ramazzotti (Sida), Elizabeth Drevlow (BHA), Catherine Poulton (UNICEF), Dr. Kathryn Falb (IRC), May Maloney (ICRC) and Alexandra Shaphren (Plan International). To listen to a recording of the session which includes French and Spanish subtitles and to access other resources pertaining to the event, click HERE.