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Working together to address critical humanitarian issues

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HDPI - Humanitarian Development Partnerships

A voluntary, not for profit, global network of experienced persons

Championing unique efforts to meet critical humanitarian needs

Working together to deepen understanding and to enhance effectiveness

The FORUM - WORKING GROUPS - TRAININGS AND SEMINARS - CONSULTANCIES AND PROJECTS

The HDPI Forum

Explore issues
Challenge thinking
Share information

Weekly virtual conversations between senior leaders on critical humanitarian concerns.

Recorded presentations
List of presenters

BLOGS by HDPI Affiliates

Notable blogs and podcasts by others

Brief introductions to recent FORUM presentations

"Facing Down a Civil War"

John Paul Lederach Senior Fellow,

Humanity United

Prof Emeritus, University of Notre Dame

"Reflections on Famine Analysis and the IPC Famine Review Committee"

Prof Daniel Maxwell

Henry J. Leir Professor in Food Security

Friedman School of Nutrition, and Research Director

Tufts University

“Even wars have rules” The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza

Antonio Brusa

UNRWA

Working Groups

HDPI Affiliates collaborating on critical global issues.

Global leaders collaborating, innovating, and providing services to address needs.

CURRENT WORKING GROUPS

Special Abilities (Changing Mindsets)
Preparedness
Child Protection
Trauma in Migration (AITM)
Climate Anxiety (Climate STARR)
Ethics in Decision Making (Ethical Briefs)

One minute introduction to working group issues

More about the working groups

WORKING GROUP ON CHILD PROTECTION

WORKING GROUP ON ETHICAL DECISION MAKING

Practical applications of the 8KQ - an ethical framework for decision making

William Hawk, Peter Mulrean, Fred Spielberg

WORKING GROUP ON SPECIAL ABILITIES

Nils Kastberg, Seminar for Persons living with Special Abilities

Trainings and Seminars

HDPI supports Affiliates working for positive social change

EXECUTIVE SEMINAR

Tailored Fundraising for Successful Institution Building

FACILITATED by James Brasher and Carolyn Williams

Registration is now open for 2024 - 2025

Courses

Living with persons who are

neuro-divergent

Courses are offered in English, Spanish, and Swahili

HDPI supports independent iniatives:

ClimateSTARR https://www.climatestarr.org/about

Awareness of Trauma in Migration

Projects and Consultancies

RECENT Consultancies

UNICEF NIGERIA - Supporting national efforts to reintegrate women and children previously taken in the Boko Haram conflict
UNICEF Soloman Islands - Evaluating the national preschool education program.

We work with each client to address complexity, current challenges, consider alternative response strategies, and build new partnerships.

Everett Ressler Executive Director, HDPI

HDPI is a voluntary network of persons working for the common good and rights of all. Affiliates bring many years of experience - with UNICEF and other UN agencies, government, World Bank, foundations, academia, media and NGOs. HDPI has no political or sectarian affiliation and operates as a registered not-for-profit organization. It remains by design - modest in size, purposefully dynamic, collaborative, and innovative.

Who We Are

A global network of experienced practitioners

BLOGS from HDPI Affiliates

What is the result of bringing together a network of persons with a lifetime of experience?

The emergence of a multidisciplinary caldron of thought, action and mutual support, building on a wide range of specializations in the humanitarian field.

Affiliates

Pilar Aguilar, PhD.

Specializes in education in emergencies

Richard Anson, Ph.D.

Specializes in agriculture and rural development

Orla Bakdal

Specializes in Human Rights, Good Governance, Climate Change, and Diplomacy

Becca Balis

Specializes in child rights and protection

Martin Barber

Specializes in maintaining peace and security and protecting civilians in conflict

Elaine Zook Barge

Specializes in trauma and resilience

Krishna Belbase

Specializes in results based monitoring and evaluation. Also, food and nutrition, security, and social protection.

Carol Bellamy

Ms Bellamy was
previously a member of the New York State Senate, President of
the New York City Council, Director of the United States Peace
Corps, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEE). and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Globa
Partnership for Education.

Mathilde Bienvenu

Specializes in Child protection, child rights and early childhood development

Neil Boothby

Specializes in child rights and protection, especially in refugee contexts

Jim Brasher

Specializes in strategic development and global philanthropy

Mark Connolly

In the past decade, he has focussed on applying public health principles to reduce homicide and violence among young people, reducing risks, and increasing protection for children in migrations. For the past four years, he has amassed extensive experience in emergency preparedness and humanitarian response.

Marie de la Soudière

Specializes in family tracing and reunification, psycho-social reintegration of boys and girls formerly associated with armed forces and groups.

Diego Otegui Ph.D.

Specializes in the design and implementation of emergency management and humanitarian educational programs.

Moira Fratta

Specializes in strategic planning and humanitarian leadership, preparedness, resilience and sustainability.

Ed Giradet

Specializes in journalism in humanitarian contexts

Sara Guerreiro

Specializes in human rights & coaching

Stephen Hanmer D’Elía

Specializes in child protection, forced migration, mental health & psychosocial support.

William J. Hawk

Specializes in practical ethics featuring an evidence-based ethical reasoning strategy

Vern Jantzi

Specializes in restorative justice and trauma healing and resilience

Victor P. Karunan, Ph.D.

Victor has over 35 years of professional experience in over 40 countries in both the Global North and Global South, with special focus on Child Rights and Child Development, Results-based Management, Social Policy, Adolescent Participation and Development.

Nils-Arne Kastberg

Specializes in advocacy for persons living with mental conditions and syndromes with a focus on human rights and humanitarian action.

Leo Kenny

Thirty years of international development experience with UNAIDS, UNICEF, international development agencies and NGOs, including in countries with large humanitarian responses.

Jean-Claude Legrand

Specializes in child protection in emergencies

Alejandro Linayo

He is a Systems Engineer, with MSc Organizational Studies, PhD in Education/Social Sciences and also Doctoral Studies (PhD-C) in Human Sciences.

Leslie Little

Charles Mutasa

Specializes in civil society, governance, and human rights

Daniel Maxwell

Daniel Maxwell is the Henry J. Leir Professor in Food Security at the Friedman School of Nutrition, and Research Director at the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University.

Tom McDermot

Thomas Mueller

Specializes in child rights advocacy and campaigning, child protection and technology

Peter Mulrean

Peter Mulrean spent much of his diplomatic career working to make foreign policy and foreign assistance mutually reinforcing.

David L. Myers

David L. Myers has more than 40 years of leadership experience within faith-based, humanitarian, government, and philanthropic organizations.

Peter Otieno

Peter has a background in Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship.

Saulo Padilla

Specializes in trauma and resilience

Roger Pearson

Roger holds a master’s degree on Medical Demography from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from the University of London.

Heidi Peugeot

Specializes in emergency preparedness, disaster risk reduction and resilience

Beatrice Progida

Specializes in program design, monitoring and learning systems

Angela Raven Roberts

Specializes in reunification of unaccompanied children, gender based violence, creation of safe spaces.

Michael A Rechlin, Ph.D.

Specializes in forestry and conservation

Everett Ressler

HDPi Executive Director, specializes in child protection and care and protection of unaccompanied children.

Claudio Schuftan

Public Health Consultant

Saudamini Siegrist

Specializes in transitional justice and child rights and protection

Laurent Sierro

Specializes in global political and humanitarian journalism

Frederick Spielberg

Fred Spielberg has over 30 years of experience in disaster and conflict settings, working with UN agencies, NGOs and philanthropic foundations

AR. Subbiah

Mr. Subbiah has operational responsibility for Regional integrated Multi-hazard Early warning System( RIMES ) for Africa and Asia Pacific region.

Carolyn Williams

Carolyn works internationally as a consultant focused on peacebuilding, social
justice, political and humanitarian affairs, partnerships and resource mobilization.

John Williamson

Specializes in technical support for programming and policy to strengthen family care for children, preventing separation promoting family reunification.

Carolyn E. Yoder

Specializing in addressing trauma to interrupt cycles of violence, and eco angst.

Publications by Persons Affiliated with HDPI

JUST RELEASED: Anticipate and Localize: Leveraging Humanitarian Funding To Create More Sustainable Food Systems

April 14, 2023

Anticipate and Localize: Leveraging Humanitarian Funding To Create More Sustainable Food Systems The report, “Anticipate and localize: Leveraging humanitarian funding to create more sustainable food systems,” identifies crucial reforms to humanitarian food aid that would improve response to crises, avert future crisis, and help build resilient, sustainable food systems. It is the first of three…

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Linked to the COVID-19 Crisis in the United States

April 26, 2022

FINAL AAIUH MHPSS EVAL

Supporting social change and conflict reduction through trauma healing and community problem-solving

September 24, 2020

HDPI supports Wozo Haiti a locally developed, national organization which aims to generate positive social change and conflict reduction through trauma healing and community empowerment.

Engaging faith leaders to promote human rights

September 24, 2020

HDPI consultants provided training for faith leaders on basic tenents of international humanitarian law, human rights and child rights, youth leadership, conflict prevention, and reconciliation in conflict-affected communities in Eastern DRC and Burundi.

Facilitating inter-agency workshop on emergency preparedness and child rights

September 24, 2020

HDPI facilitated an inter-agency workshop in Kigali to improve emergency preparedness and response to cross-border movements of children in the Great Lakes Region

Advising the Government of Eritrea on their OneWASH strategic plan

September 24, 2020

Provided strategic guidance and facilitation for the Government of Eritrea and their partners during the process to develop their process to develop a national strategy for water, sanitation, and hygiene for 2030.

Strategic guidance for accountability to children affected by crises

September 24, 2020

HDPI provides ongoing strategic guidance and technical expertise to support the Childfund Alliance in developing child-friendly accountability programs to monitor progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal Target 16.2 (ending violence against children).

Leading international study on early-warning and early-response

September 24, 2020

HDPI undertook a multi-country study to identify ways to strengthen UNDP’s early warning and early-response to crises across the globe.

Study on statelessness and risks of statelessness in Guinea Bissau

September 24, 2020

HDPI consultants carried out ground-breaking research on stateless people and persons at risk of statelessness in Guinea Bissau. The study also assessed the impact of statelessness on fundamental rights, as well as the legal and administrative framework for preventing and reducing statelessness.

Planning and facilitation for the World Humanitarian Summit

September 24, 2020

HDPI members supported big picture thinking on adapting the humanitarian system as part of planning inputs to the World Humanitarian Summits, and served as facilitators and rapporteurs of various consultations and meetings.

Evaluating post-earthquake programming

September 24, 2020

HDPI organized and conducted an evaluation of a post-earthquake trauma-healing and resilience program in Haiti.

Strategic consultations with ‘Pathfinders’ of Child Protection

September 24, 2020

HDPI convened a three-day consultation with pioneers in child protection in humanitarian crises from around the world. The consultation documented the evolution of child protection knowledge and best practice over the past few decades and chartered a vision for how the field can continue to evolve.

Emergency assessments for refugee and displaced children

September 24, 2020

HDPI members helped facilitate an inter-agency mission to Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey to assess the situation of at-risk refugee and displaced children. Also consulted on emergency preparedness and response actions to the large-scale influx of unaccompanied children into the US.

Strategic guidance on national humanitarian response policy

September 24, 2020

HDPI developed guidance for the UAE Committee for Coordination of Humanitarian Foreign Aid on how to coordinate and organize humanitarian response programs.

Capacity building for children’s rights in transitional justice processes in Sri Lanka

September 24, 2020

HDPi consultants are providing intensive capacity-building for local civil organizations in children’s rights and inclusion framework in truth-seeking and reconciliation processes following the decades-long armed conflict in Sri Lanka.

OpEds by Persons Affiliated with HDPI

Misinformation on the Internet – Working Group on Ethical Decision Making

April 27, 2022

HDPI Working Group on Ethical Decision Making Misinformation on the Internet – an Ethical Tool to Find the Way Forward To Regulate of Not to Regulate? The extraordinary power of the internet to spread information instantly, with little oversight or regulation, has meant that hate speech, intentional misinformation, fake news, and the purposeful spreading of…

The Ethics of Sanctions

April 26, 2022

The Ethics of Sanctions (Summary of the latest thoughts by HDPI’s Ethical Decision-Making Group) If, as Carl von Clausewitz said, war is the continuation of politics by other means, then perhaps the adoption of sanctions is the prevention of war by economic means. In the last sixty years, economic and political sanctions have been imposed—unilaterally…

Pathfinders in Child Protection: Everett Ressler

June 4, 2020

In November of 2019, HDPI convened some of the globe’s experts in child protection in humanitarian emergencies to discuss the origins, evolution, and future of the field. The convening was called the Pathfinders Dialogue and was made possible by the Oak Foundation. This is an excerpt from an interview with Everett Ressler, who had a long…

COVID-19: The need for global solidarity and cooperation: Dr. William Hawk

April 1, 2020

By Dr William Hawk, Fred Spielberg and Everett Ressler This op-ed was first posted in Global Geneva. As COVID-19 has shown, the first reaction of governments in a pandemic is to close borders. Indeed, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) prescription of “isolate, test, treat and trace” proves much easier if the influx of imported cases…

The future of humanitarian evaluation

April 1, 2020

HDPI staff and affiliates have a joint call every other Thursday to discuss ongoing initiatives and to share knowledge from our diverse fields and experiences. The HDPI call on Thursday, 6th February focused on evaluation. Krishna Belbase, who joined HDPI recently made a brief presentation and led the discussion on the topic “Evaluation: Emerging Trends…

Rebuilding Schools – Rebuilding Communities In Nepal

February 1, 2017

What happens after the bodies are counted, after the wounds are bandaged, after the world attention leaves to focus on the next global disaster? April 2015 Nepal, a small and peaceful country on the south side of the Himalayas, suffered a major earthquake that left close to 9,000 dead, hundreds of thousands with destroyed homes,…

Listening to the voices of local communities in humanitarian response

January 23, 2016

In this video with BBC Media Action, HDPI Member Nigel Fisher speaks about the importance of listening to populations affected by humanitarian crises: “Actually, people who are affected by disasters, people living in communities and local organizations, they’re usually the first responders anyway. And quite often, what they think needs to be done may or…

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Translate climate angst into courageous commitment!
Address trauma and resilience needs in the migration/resettlement experience.
Change mindsets to improve the rights and well-being of people living with mental syndromes and conditions, particularly in refugee setting
Enhance child protection and transitional processes in conflict situations,
Introduce an ethics-based framework for decision making

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Operational Staff

Everett Ressler, Executive Director
Jooyeon Kim, Director of Finance
Kevin Yoder, CPA

Board of Directors

Vernon Jantzi
Rick Augsburger
Nils Kastberg
Carolyn Williams
Everett Ressler

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