Join the H2H Network at HNPW 2025

The H2H Network is once again looking forward to the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW). This year’s event will take place from 17 to 28 March, with the first week held remotely and the second week in-person at the CICG in Geneva. As we come together to discuss the challenges and future of humanitarian aid, H2H Members will highlight the critical role their services play in enabling a more efficient and effective humanitarian system.

We invite you to stop by the H2H Network booth, connect with our team, and visit our members at their exhibition spaces. Join us for a range of sessions that will explore how we can collectively strengthen the humanitarian response and build a better future for those in need.

Please register and learn more about the inspiring H2H sessions below.

18 March, 11:30-13:00 CET

The scale and complexity of humanitarian need is ever increasing (IARAN, 2017) with a record 362 million people affected by crises in need of humanitarian assistance (UNOCHA, 2024). Polycrisis are all around us and humanitarian leaders are struggling to know how to adapt, to lead in an increasingly complex world where scale of complexity, interconnectedness and interdependency are unavoidable (Einzig, 2017; Ricigliano, 2015).

The way in which the humanitarian sector responds to humanitarian crises is problematic and no longer fit for purpose, requiring a different sort of leadership style, response and shift in organisational culture.

Member: Humanitarian Leadership Academy

18 March,14:00-15:00 CET

The DEEP (Data Entry and Exploration Platform) is a cutting-edge tool designed to streamline humanitarian data collection, analysis, and reporting. This session offers a hands-on introduction to DEEP, tailored to both new and experienced users seeking to maximize their engagement with the platform. Participants will explore the platform's core functionalities, including source management, advanced tagging, and automated reporting.

Member: Data Friendly Space

18 March,15:00-16:00 CET

Presentations from Humanitarian Outcomes, the Aid Worker Security Database, Collective Security Group, Insecurity Insight, and INSO will all address different security implications of the recent defunding crisis. These presentations on security data, new threats, disinformation, and field perspectives will be followed by an open discussion where we invite participants to share their thoughts on the rapidly changing humanitarian sector.

Members: Insecurity Insight, Humanitarian Outcomes

19 March, 10:00-11:00 CET

The needs of LGBTQIA+ communities are often ignored from humanitarian response planning and programming. There are evidence gaps as to the specific needs of LGBTQIA+ individuals affected by crisis, and the research that is conducted is seldom produced by local actors and from the perspective of affected populations. This means the exclusion of some voices and weak humanitarian support for LGBTQIA+ groups.

Member: Humanitarian Leadership Academy

19 March, 14:00-15:30 CET

This session will build on conversations about digital inclusion and its links to gendered digital risks, language inclusion, and other factors of vulnerability. Speakers will share practical examples of tools, services and approaches that support digital inclusion for all, drawing on insights from recent research and tool development that focuses on specific intersections of digital marginalization.

Member: CLEAR Global

20 March, 14:00-15:00 CET

Fragile contexts, such as Mali, face compounded risks from conflict, climate, socioeconomic, health, and environmental hazards which affect communities profoundly. Addressing these challenges requires innovative solutions that are both proactive and locally driven. To support this, World Vision and Insecurity Insight have developed tools to monitor these intersecting risks to address the impacts. These tools not only track climate- and conflict-induced risks but also generate actionable recommendations to inform anticipatory action, enabling faster and more adaptive responses to emerging threats.

Member: Insecurity Insight

24 March, 09:00-10:30 CET

The humanitarian and development sectors are at a pivotal moment, grappling with entrenched power dynamics and traditional leadership structures that often marginalise transformative change.

Feminist leadership offers a bold alternative—centered on inclusivity, equity, and shared power—that can unlock innovation and resilience in addressing global challenges. Drawing on cutting-edge research and collaborative efforts, this approach reimagines leadership to amplify diverse voices and foster systemic shifts.

Member: Humanitarian Leadership Academy

24 March, 09:00-10:30 CET

A lot of data producers are motivated by the value that their data can have for humanitarian decision-making. However, in evolving humanitarian contexts, the precision and granularity of data can change, making it challenging to align the right data, at the right time, for a decision. This session will feature panellists from organisations working on the production & collation of data from multiple sources (citizen-generated data, crowdsourcing, telecoms data, census and MSNA data) and pose the question: How can the uncertainty of data, especially when it is new or evolving quickly, be better communicated to end-users, so that they can take strong data-informed decisions?

Members: Flowminder, HOTOSM, ACAPS, CLEAR Global

24 March, 11:00-12:30 CET

Every day, humanitarians make life-saving decisions in complex and fast-changing contexts. But navigating these situations requires more than just intuition—it demands clear, actionable insights grounded in evidence. Gathering the right data, interpreting it effectively, and providing solid analysis are essential for ensuring aid reaches those who need it most.

Currently, no formal training for humanitarian analysts exists. Many learn on the job by trial and error. To give humanitarians a leg up in becoming analysts, ACAPS developed the Humanitarian Analysis Bootcamp (HAB)—an interactive online course designed to equip humanitarians with the knowledge, skills, and mindset required to produce high-quality analysis at scale.

Member: ACAPS

24 March, 16:00-17:30 CET

While Geographic Information Systems are now well known in the aid sector, few organizations have managed so far to leverage GIS to actively pilot their humanitarian response organizations. A decade ago the same could be said of Médecins Sans Frontières, where the use of mapping was close to non-existent. GIS is now used on a daily basis on MSF's most critical field operations: from response to epidemics such as Ebola, to managing the safety of its personnel in the field, to transportation planning, to managing refugee camps, etc. But, how did we get there?

Member: CartONG

24 March, 16:00-17:30 CET

As AI becomes an integral part of humanitarian operations, ensuring trust in these tools is paramount. This session will delve into the ethical considerations, transparency measures, and inclusive design principles needed to build and maintain trust in AI-powered systems. By prioritizing human-centered approaches, organizations can mitigate risks and maximize the potential of these technologies. We will focus on GANNET, cutting-edge AI tools designed to empower humanitarian workers by providing real-time, tailored insights. Built to alleviate the strain of information overload, our GANNET tools enable teams to rapidly synthesize data and make informed decisions under tight deadlines.

Member: Data Friendly Space

25 March, 09:00-10:30 CET

The Humanitarian System is coming under increasing strain as outdated bureaucracies struggle to adapt to escalating needs. This diminishes the space for the inventiveness, creativity, and collaboration crucial for change to emerge. Drawing insights from other industries, it is evident that transformative change often arises not from reform, but from new ideas, mindsets, and collaborations by those closest to the problem. Despite the abundance of innovative local organizations, the current system suppresses the ingenuity needed to unlock its own potential. The key to meaningful change lies in mobilising a vibrant and dynamic ecosystem centred on those at the frontlines of crises. The Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA) champions this with a mission to inspire a movement for locally led humanitarian action. With 800,000 learners, more than 50 partners, and a growing cadre of next generation ecosystemic leaders, the HLA is uniquely positioned to influence the future, seeking inspiration from beyond the sector as well as within.

Member: Humanitarian Leadership Academy

25 March, 11:00-12:30 CET

This panel discussion will bring together humanitarian practitioners from different organisations who will share their personal and organizational experiences of their learning journey with utilizing AI tools. They will delve into the fundamental questions surrounding AI in the humanitarian sector, exploring the motivations, methodologies, and limitations associated with its implementation. The discussions will in particular be based on case studies explored by the panelists on their day-to-day work.

Members: CartONG, Groupe URD

25 March, 14:00-15:30 CET

Anticipatory action (AA) is increasingly seen as the silver bullet of humanitarian action, in a context of growing complexity and severity of crisis and shrinking funding. The logic behind it is indeed irrefutable: it saves times, prevents costs and delivers better-quality aid. But is it really that new? Our panel will discuss how local actors have not waited the formalization of AA approaches to identify concrete triggers, prepare for crisis and build field resilience nets. These local systems however often lack formalization, and don't fit in global indicators and mechanisms, which tends to make them invisible. They might however prove to be more cost-efficient, based on concrete experiences of communities, and fit to purpose. While less compatible with standardization and scale-up mechanisms, and therefore less adapted to the humanitarian industry processes and funding channels, this doesn't mean they cannot inform and improve global systems and approaches.

Members: CartONG, Ground Truth Solutions

25 March, 14:00-15:30 CET

Conflict-induced hunger is a pervasive global crisis, with violence and conflict driving acute food insecurity across numerous regions. According to the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC), conflict, coupled with climate shocks and economic challenges, disrupts food systems, livelihoods, and access to essential resources. By leveraging anticipatory action, humanitarian organizations can mitigate these disruptions, protect vulnerable populations, and build resilience against future crises.

Member: Insecurity Insight

26 March, 14:00-15:30 CET

The humanitarian and international development data ecosystem has progressed strongly over the past year. NGOs and international organizations have embedded Information Management functions in their processes, dynamic support organizations and H2Hs help them and develop pooled services, and innovations from the private sector are regularly adopted. This evolution seems to be accelerating with the rise of Artificial Intelligence technologies. But are these progresses shared equally by all actors? During this panel, we’ll discussed the hypothesis, that the system could be divided in two tiers, between the actors that can cope with this fast evolution (mostly international, from the Global North, including the UN and global NGOs), and a growing number of actors will be left behind (local actors, from the Global South, and most regional NGOs).

Member: CartONG

26 March, 16:00-17:30 CET

The potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform the humanitarian sector is immense, yet many promising projects struggle to progress beyond the prototype phase. This session will delve into the challenges and lessons learned in scaling AI initiatives for sustainable impact. Key questions to be explored include:

• How can organizations identify the right problems where AI can deliver meaningful solutions?
• What business models ensure projects thrive beyond the MVP phase?
• What structural, cultural, and operational barriers limit the success of AI implementation?

Members: ACAPS, CDAC Network

27 March, 11:00-12:30 CET

Access has long been a focal point of scrutiny in the humanitarian sector, as it lies at the core of effective humanitarian response—regardless of the channel through which it is achieved. Despite numerous campaigns, statements, and evaluations, the conclusions remain the same: there are more obstacles than drivers for access, both from the perspective of humanitarian actors and crisis-affected populations. How can analysis, data collection, and interpretation shift this dynamic? Can they become the game-changers that drive practical solutions and inform critical decisions, ultimately transforming how access is achieved and sustained?

Member: ACAPS

27 March, 14:00-15:30 CET

The 90-day freeze of U.S. funded foreign aid has sent shock waves through the humanitarian sector. This session will discuss how humanitarian outcomes, operational capacities, and the information landscape have been impacted by this abrupt change in the U.S. policy. To explore this critical issue, we bring together expert voices from several organisations working on analysis of humanitarian space to explore how different actors are navigating financial uncertainty. The discussion will highlight how organizations are leveraging data and analysis to manage shifting funding landscapes, sustain essential operations, and mitigate risks. Panelists will share insights on the real-time impact of aid disruptions on humanitarian response and the affected communities, as well as the role of data-driven decision-making in addressing funding volatility.

Member: ACAPS

27 March, 16:00-17:30 CET

Whether responding to conflict, disaster, or displacement, humanitarians constantly engage with communities – not just as aid recipients, but as key actors shaping humanitarian outcomes. These negotiations are shaped by trust, local power structures, cultural norms, as well as the needs and perceptions of affected populations. Most aid workers are unprepared to navigate these nuanced conversations, which can sometimes feel deeply personal to them and can determine an intervention's success or failure.

Member: Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation

28 March, 14:00-15:30 CET

This session will explore general progress and innovation opportunities in humanitarian knowledge management, linking to existing global platforms and National Reference Groups. The session will draw upon, but in no way be limited to, progress by Shelter Centre in the evolution of our Humanitarian Library knowledge-sharing platform, which celebrates and connects other platforms. The Humanitarian Library is an open source platform for all humanitarian stakeholders to share knowledge in real-time, in any language, from policies to spreadsheets.

Member: Shelter Centre