Ralf Südhoff at IHSA 2025

As part of the IHSA Conference 2025, which will take place from 15 to 17 October under the title ‘Humanitarianism in Crisis: New Realities in Practices and Knowledges,’ CHA Director Ralf Südhoff will present his paper ‘Influencer Europe’ on 16 October at 3 p.m. on the panel ‘Real’ Humanitarian Governance: Accountability, Advocacy, and Alternatives.

In times of a humanitarian system crisis calls for better donor and reform leadership and a coordinated approach to ensure substantial change are loud and clear. After the end of USAID expectations in particular vis-a-vis European players like Germany, the European Commission, Sweden or UK to move reform in a coordinated way are rising. However, as the presented paper highlights coordination mechanisms in Europe are either inclusive while slow and rarely going beyond a low level of informative coordination, like for example the COHAFA. Or fora are informal, agile and can achieve a medium level of thematic coordination ,while acting in a very exclusive manner, like the Stockholm Group of top donors. For this the presented paper analysis why a higher level of inclusive and strategic coordination is rarely achieved even among like minded European donor governments, which incentives and structures are obstacles to overcome this dilemma and potential ways forward.  

The panel will take place in Istanbul, panelists will be onsite, but there is a livestream available for registered participants.