Crises and response: Development & Humanitarian Aid in Middle East & North Africa (MENA)

Organized in collaboration between Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the Egyptian Food Bank (EFB) and is part of CGIAR’s National Policies and Strategies (NPS) Initiative. 

Vulnerable communities and households in the Arab world and the MENA region face a myriad of challenges ranging from protracted conflicts, resource scarcity, and severe inequality that further the effects of these challenges. Keeping the lenses of the SDGs; the regions’ gains in sustainable development indicators are scarce and often overturn, leaving the most vulnerable communities in the Arab world and MENA experiencing various faces poverty.

This seminar addresses developmental policy making within this spectrum of new and often complex state of compounding crises, highlighting key lessons of emergency response, relief and programmatic recovery. In the aftermaths of COVID-19, steep rises in prices of food caused by the Russo-Ukrainian war, extreme natural disasters, and the protracted conflicts in Yemen, Sudan and Palestine all risk maintaining decent developmental opportunities in the region and calls for serious discussions on agile planning and policymaking that is both anticipatory and responsive. Planning for conflict, ecological, and developmental risks require a set of practices and know-how to be able to build resilience across the region. In a recent report by the UNESCWA (Arab Risk Monitor,2023) conflict, water scarcity and food insecurity are identified among the highest risks to development policy in the region. Risk-informed development and policy making is paramount to continue making strides in protecting vulnerable communities and households on the frontline of suffering from these several overlapping crises.

This third event in the series brings together leading practitioners and academics to learn, to highlight, and to mainstream developmental work and unique practices in response to and recovery from crisis. This conference features the operational experience of the Egyptian Food Bank in delivering emergency conveys since 2010 and builds upon the experience of conducting policy relevant research by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Egypt, Sudan, and Yemen, as well as emphasizing the role of donor and philanthropic practices for agile, rapid responses to support humanitarian efforts during crises such as COVID-19 and conflict afflicted settings. In collaboration amongst the three entities, in May 2023 the “Bridging Evidence & Policy (BEP)” Seminar Series was launched, aiming to mainstream the most needed developmental best practices guided using evidence and data in policy making in Egypt.

Follow This link to see launch event page or this link  to read the launch event blog.

Agenda

This event was first published on IFPRI Egypt Strategy Program website

This work is part of the CGIAR Research Initiative on National Policies and Strategies (NPS). CGIAR launched NPS with national and international partners to build policy coherence, respond to policy demands and crises, and integrate policy tools at national and subnational levels in countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. CGIAR centers participating in NPS are The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Alliance Bioversity-CIAT), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), International Potato Center (CIP), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and WorldFish. We would like to thank all funders who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund.