Feminist activist Hayat Mirshad asked a powerful question to international actors and donors: “Feminist activists and organizations have always been here, at the heart of humanitarian crises. Will you stand with us?”. Mirshad’s intervention came within an online webinar organized by Women Deliver aiming to give a platform for feminist CSOs and activists responding to two compounding crises – in Lebanon and Bangladesh – to share what a more feminist and localized approach to addressing complex humanitarian situations must look like.

Today, nearly all crises are complex, founded on not just a single armed con­flict or natural disaster, but the compilation of multiple compounded crises. Local feminist civil society organizations (CSOs) have served as frontline responders during these crises, but still lack the support they need. They have always been there, at the heart of all humanitarian emergencies, and it’s time to shift more power and funding to them.

Below are the webinar contributors and speakers:

Moderator:
Marcy Hersh, Senior Manager, Humanitarian Advocacy, Women Deliver

Welcome Remarks:
Vivian Onano, Gender Equality Advocate, Speaker, Entrepreneur, Women Deliver Board Member

Opening Keynote:
Diana Abou Abbas, Executive Director, Marsa Sexual Health Center

Lebanon Presenters:
Cecilia Chami, Programs Director, Lebanon Family Planning Association for Development + Family Empowerment (LFPADE)
Dr. Olfat Mahmoud, Founder, Palestinian Women’s Humanitarian Organization
Rola Alrokbi, Country Manager, Women Now for Development
Hayat Mirshad, Head of Communications & Campaigning, Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering (RDFL)

Bangladesh Presenters:
Tanjila Mazumder Drishti, Senior Manager, BRAC, Women Deliver Young Leader
Lipi Rahman, Executive Director, Badabon Sangho

Statements from Humanitarian Donors:
Valerie Nkamgang Bemo, Deputy Director of Emergency Response, Global Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Naved Chowdhury, Senior Policy Adviser, Civil Society Team, UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office

Closing Keynote:
Sarah Noble, Director of External Relations, The New Humanitarian