GPC Roundtable: Cross-Border Humanitarian Relief Operations

The Global Protection Cluster (GPC) hosted a roundtable on cross-border humanitarian relief in Geneva on 8 July 2014. Bringing together a diverse range of practitioners and experts in humanitarian action, the roundtable sought to build on lessons learned, past and present, to develop a set of operational recommendations that could be used to stimulate practical field-based planning and coordination of current-day cross-border humanitarian relief operations.

Participation comprised representatives of United Nations (UN) agencies, international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) and independent policy researchers. To ensure full participation and draw on the rich experience of those present, the roundtable included a morning plenary and afternoon working groups. The plenary was opened by the Director of International Protection for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Volker Türk. Panel discussions were chaired by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons Chaloka Beyani. In the afternoon, three working groups were convened to focus more specifically on negotiations, security and monitoring and assessments.

In respect of Chatham House Rules, the following summary does not represent the individual views of participants. It does, however, seek to capture more broadly the understanding and ideas which emerged from the discussion.