Field Coordinators are at the heart of humanitarian responses of the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA), working in disaster areas world wide. Their role is to coordinate the joint response and shared activities between partners at field level. As an example of international consortia aiming to work more closely with and through local partners, the Field Coordinators are coming up against challenges around southern leadership on a daily basis. Using the opportunity of Field Coodinators being in the Hague, the DRA and KUNO give the floor to them; what do they think is needed to stimulate Southern Leadership in humanitarian responses?

Smruti Patel, co-director of the Global Mentoring Initiative, will kick off with a setting of the scene, followed by the experiences and insights of the Field Coordinators for engaging local actors, and further discussions.

The panellists are:

• Abdur Rauf Safi, Field Coordinator Afghanistan Joint Response
• Joseph Kayi, Field Coordinator South Sudan Joint Response
• Tino Muzivashi, Field Coordinator Sudan Joint Response
• Ahmed Hussein, Field Coordinator Iraq Joint Response

Some of the questions that will be addressed:

• How can we as international organisations better support local actors in humanitarian emergencies?
• What is our role as international organsiations when it comes to locally-led decision-making in humanitarian emergencies?
• How is direct funding of local organisations best supported through existing international funding mechanisms like the DRA?

The DRA and KUNO invite you to this open debate on stimulating Southern leadership.