Together We Stand

[ 41 ] the need to establish stronger monitoring and evaluation frameworks yielding desegregated data to increase the effec- tiveness of humanitarian actions for preparedness, response, recovery and decision-making, and to track implementation and engagement of youth and adolescents. The discourse of the consultations also touched upon the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), drawing important linkages between them and the humanitarian agenda being discussed. Discussions revealed interest in viewing the continuum from humanitarian response to development assis- tance in a more holistic way and articulating the direct link between peace, security and development. Questions were asked as to how best to support and build on young people’s capacities as humanitarian actors through this humanitarian-development continuum. Youth expressed their view of themselves as playing an integral role as connectors between the SDGs’ related objec- tives and the humanitarian agenda. The Doha Declaration on Reshaping the Humanitarian Agenda contains the priorities and recommendations of youth, who participated in the consultation process leading up to and including the WHSGYC. This document was the product of months of work, preparation, outreach, consultation, analysis and evaluation which culminated in the WHSGYC and is based on previous MGCY papers on the World Humanitarian Summit, particularly the July 2015World Humanitarian Summit Position Paper and the thematic position papers developed for the same process. Some of the main challenges in meeting humanitar- ian needs as articulated by the declaration include: rights to information, localization and contextualization of responses, the need for longer-term planning, sustainable community preparedness and resilience, innovative tools for local capac- ity-building, and the establishment of global frameworks for addressing the needs of young people affected by conflicts. Building on the recommendations that emerged under the Doha Declaration, a working group was established to anchor the way forward for meaningful youth engagement in humani- tarian action. The main focus is to increase youth’s capacities for active and effective participation by establishing new plat- forms and alliances to support these aims. Moreover, there will be new initiatives launched to focus and catalyse the efforts of diverse stakeholders to support youth-led initiatives in humani- tarian settings. These networks and alliances will also serve as mechanisms to reach interested and already engaged youth groups to increase their capacities, knowledge and active partic- ipation in humanitarian action. This can be an important means of contributing to implementation of the Doha Declaration, which calls for the empowerment and active participation of young people in humanitarian settings and was a manifesta- tion of the recommendations of the youth who attended the consultation. This also links to the overall World Humanitarian Summit objective of empowering an inclusive and diverse set of actors supporting humanitarian action. The experience garnered by engaging various stakeholders to host the WHSGYC shows that establishing partnerships across various sectors is a vital approach for achieving agendas on behalf of children and youth. The importance of this approach does not only lie in leveraged efforts, but also in the diversity and richness of the practices and experiences shared, the lessons it offers for aligning agendas of diverse sectors at global and regional levels, and the joint leadership it promotes. Realizing the tremen- dous dividends to be gained by adopting multi-stakeholder approaches, ROTA and its strategic partners in Qatar are laying the foundation for further collaborations in the implementation of humanitarian missions inclusive of youth as main partners. Quotes from WHSGYC participants “Young people worldwide must be recognized as critical players in rethinking the global humanitarian architecture.” – Essa Al Mannai, ROTA Executive Director “We, children and youth, are one of the most vulnerable groups to disasters, climate change, and displacement as a result of conflict. And yet, children and youth are viable agents of change.” – Majid Shangab, UNMGCY Steering Group “Youth have shown lots of maturity and potential… they don’t want to be seen only as beneficiaries or as problems. They don’t think that they are a liability in humanitarian settings, but an opportunity.” – Ahmed Al Hindawi, SG Envoy on Youth Youth are able to continue learning at the ROTA school in Swat District, Pakistan WHSGYC provided a platform where youth can learn and discuss critical global issues Image: ROTA – Nasser Iqbal Image: ROTA T ogether W e S tand