The Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) joins local organizations that are active in humanitarian emergency response in the Philippines, as well as in disaster preparedness and resilience work, working in affected communities, both urban and rural, and among vulnerable groups and sectors, in all kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, in welcoming the ongoing discussions at the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in Istanbul, Turkey toward the effectiveness of humanitarian action, emphasizing the dignity and rights of the affected persons and communities and the need for strengthening and empowerment of local stakeholders.

CODE-NGO supports the call of local organizations during the Pre-World Humanitarian Summit CSO Forum “Balik-Bayan: Localizing Humanitarian Response” held at the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Office of Quezon City last April 21, 2016, to commit to the following actions for localising humanitarian emergency response towards participation, cooperation and empowerment:

1. Affirming the primary role of local stakeholders, especially community-based organizations, as front-liners in disaster preparedness, response and resilience.

2. Building and strengthening coordination mechanisms among government agencies and officials, non–government organizations (NGOs), cooperatives, faith-based groups and community-based organizations, private sector groups and other stakeholders at the local, provincial, regional and national levels.

3. Strengthening local capacity for disaster preparedness and humanitarian emergency response, by continually promoting and supporting capacity-building among local stakeholders in our work on disaster preparedness and humanitarian emergency response.

4. Committing to advocate for increased direct funding from institutional donors and International NGOs for local NGOs and community organizations for humanitarian action, and to promote local resource mobilization through local philanthropy and partnership with government, both at the national and local levels.

5. Committing to ensure and integrate organizational development and process support for local stakeholders to strengthen local voices and enhance social accountability in our humanitarian work, recognizing that humanitarian effectiveness is not just delivering the needed goods and services in a timely and appropriate manner, but also a process of affirming the dignity and rights of people, especially the most vulnerable, and empowering them as persons, groups and communities.

6. Re-affirming the Principles of Partnership among stakeholders and actors as introduced in the Global Humanitarian Platform in 2007, believing that humanitarian action is most effective when done in the spirit of solidarity, trust and partnership among the various stakeholders and actors in the various levels and spheres of cooperation.

We support Philippine CSO delegates and other WHS participants who are striving to promote these calls in the on-going Summit, and we commit to intensify further our efforts to localize humanitarian response in the Philippines.

Photo from NATCCO, a member network of CODE-NGO.