Leading NGO alliance InterAction welcomes an announcement by President Barack Obama on Friday that the Group of Eight  nations will commit to a new food security alliance during talks in Camp David this weekend and  urges G8 nations to follow through on previous promises.

InterAction President Samuel A. Worthington issued the following statement today in response to the funding bill approved by the House Appropriations State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Wednesday.

Samuel Worthington is quoted in this article about the upcoming raining season and its consequences in Haiti. 

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of humanitarian responses where cash has been used to help facilitate shelter & housing reconstruction.

The article quotes letter that Samuel Worthington sent to CIA Director David Petraeus protesting the use of a fake vaccination campaign as cover to collect intelligence in Pakistan.    

(Washington, D.C.) — In Seeking Refuge: The Chin People of Mizoram State, India, the report authors and a coalition of supporting coalitions, faith based groups, and refugee and humanitarian organizations, encourage the central government of India and Mizoram State to respond to the protection and humanitarian crisis of up to 100,000 Chins in Mizoram State, India.

InterAction's Weekly Public Policy Update, covering Feb. 21-24, 2012. The update includes a list of upcoming hearings for next week in both the House and Senate, a summary of a hearing from last week on the situation for NGOs in Egypt, and a list of recommended articles that have come out this week.

Joel Charny, Vice President for Humanitarian Practice and Policy, discusses the difficulties of delivering aid to Syria in the face of continued fighting.  

Watch the full interview at PBS News Hour. 

On Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011 over 40 members of the international humanitarian NGO community gathered to discuss impact evaluation in humanitarian action. This is a short summary of the presentations and discussions.

In November 2010, the Protection Working Group at InterAction issued a series of papers documenting an array of issues affecting the lives of Haitians made even more vulnerable by the 2010 earthquake. The papers set forth a number of recommendations calling on interested parties to ensure that all steps taken in rebuilding Haiti would uphold and restore lives with safety, dignity and rights.

The crackdown in Egypt this week on civil society organizations, including several U.S. groups, is deeply troubling and must stop immediately, said InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.-based international NGOs.

Los Angeles, CA – International Medical Corps’ team in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is preparing to respond if violence breaks out following the presidential elections. The country’s electoral commission has confirmed President Joseph Kabila as the winner.

Sam Worthington quoted in story, offering a civil society perspective.

The FY2012 appropriations continued on a contorted path this week as House Appropriations Committee Chair Harold Rogers (R-KY) outlined his path toward completing the process and details emerged that the next Senate mini-bus will likely include the State, Foreign Operations bill, along with Financial Services and Energy—Water.

Humanitarian groups are increasingly worried about the looming budget cuts in U.S. foreign assistance. They argue that lives are at stake in places like the Horn of Africa, which is suffering its worst drought in decades.

Raising public and private money for that crisis been a challenge in the current economic environment.

After a nearly month-long recess, Congress—and thus, InterAction’s Weekly Update—rolled back into town this week.

This PowerPoint presentation highlights Global Links' work in Haiti.

InterAction President and CEO Sam Worthington is quoted in this Horn of Africa story.

During the first day of InterAction's 2011 Forum, InterAction was joined by the UN's Valerie Amos and USAID's Don Steinberg at a media roundtable on the Horn of Africa.

When lawmakers in the U.S. Congress began discussing how much foreign aid to give Middle East countries in 2012, their own debt crisis loomed large. Republicans in the House of Representatives proposed big cuts in overall American commitments.

InterAction President and CEO Samuel A. Worthington quoted in article.

Three new areas in southern Somalia have deteriorated into a famine situation. These are parts of Middle Shabelle region, the Afgooye Corridor settlements home to roughly 400,000 displaced people since 2007 and parts of Mogadishu which are hosting displaced populations.

With the onset of the earthquake in Haiti in last year, the use of technology in information sharing has been widely discussed within the international development and humanitarian community, and rightfully so. Three seemingly simple questions often come up. People want to know “Who is doing what? Where?

On July 21, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs passed H.R.2583, the FY2012 Foreign Relations Authorization Act, on a party-line vote of 23-20. The mark-up, which clocked in at over 30 hours, was thoroughly partisan with very few substantive bipartisan amendments adopted.

Sam Worthington radio interview: Millions of Somalis are mired in a deep humanitarian crisis that is now driving thousands of refugees over the border to Kenya daily.

The United Nations is expected to officially declare famine in parts of southern Somalia tomorrow (Wednesday, July 20), marking a new phase in a crisis that has affected the East Africa region.

The worst drought in 60 years has hit East Africa, leaving 11 million people malnourished and sick. It’s estimated that 30 to 40 percent of the children are suffering from acute malnutrition. Portland-based Medical Teams International is sending in the first of two teams to help beginning this week.

Yesterday, the compromise FY2011 full-year appropriations bill (HR 1473) passed through Congress, with a 260-117 vote in the House of Representatives and an 81-19 vote in the Senate. President Obama will sign the bill sometime today.

Facts and figures to support the 2011 Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response.

InterAction is continuing to monitor the humanitarian situation in West Africa resulting from post-electoral violence in the Ivory Coast.

Last week, General David Petraeus and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michéle Flournoy testified before the Armed Services Committee in both chambers about recent developments in Afghanistan. Find a summary of these hearings below, as well as information about legislation on Haiti recently introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and a list of upcoming hearings and articles of interest.

New project and sector summary information for InterAction members working in Haiti as of March 2011.

March 18, 2011 - Joel Charny, InterAction's vice president of humanitarian policy and practices, joins other aid workers on air to discuss the humanitarian relief effort taking place in Japan one week after the devastating 9.0 earthquake and resultant tsunami -- and in the shadow of a potential nuclear disaster.

Health sector information on Haiti updated as of March 17, 2011.

The images we have seen from Japan are as horrifying as those from the earthquake that devastated Haiti more than a year ago. Once again, TV news stations in Philadelphia and across the country have promoted relief efforts in their newscasts and many even held telethons.

The escalating nuclear crisis in Japan is making it harder to get help to survivors of the tsunami and earthquake, according to some Northwest aid organizations.

Our thoughts are with those in Japan and other countries across the Pacific Ocean that have been affected by the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami. InterAction member organizations have strong partnerships with civil society groups in Japan that are responding.

International Medical Corps is responding to the situation in Japan and tsunami-warning areas, following an 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan’s coast, triggering a tsunami that devastated northern parts of the country and put a tsunami warning in effect for much of the Pacific.

As the Senate begins debate on the budget for the remainder of fiscal 2011, senators will have to decide what this country’s international priorities are. This article recommends that the U.S. make foreign aid a priority.

InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S. international nongovernmental organizations called on Libya to allow humanitarian access into the tumultuous land.

In the aftermath of a successful referendum process in South Sudan which will likely lead to the emergence of two new states—North and South Sudan—from one, and against the backdrop of sweeping changes throughout the Middle East and North Africa, violence in Darfur appears to be on the rise.

UNICEF report six months after the 2010 floods in Pakistan.

Save the Children's assessment of the psychosocial problems and needs of children in flood affected areas in Pakistan six month after the floods.

“When I took office a year ago, the development community made clear if the United States was to play a leading role in international development, USAID would have to be strengthened and empowered with certain authorities that have been stripped from the agency over the course of decades. We heard you.”

The campaign proposes a Ten-point checklist of Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient to serve as a guide for commitment by Mayors.

One year progress report from InterAction member Solar Cookers International on work done in Haiti since the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

An entry on USA Today's "Kindness" blog about projects that have been ongoing in Haiti since the January 12, 2010, earthquake, and ways that people can still help.

Blog on AlertNet on the media's criticism of the humanitarian response in Haiti, and why it's simultaneously incomplete, appropriate and constructive.

One year progress report by InterAction member US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) on their activities in Haiti since the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

Article on web-based news source for Latin America and the Caribbean InfoSurHoy on the pace of reconstruction in Haiti after the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Port-au-Prince. InterAction's president and CEO, Sam Worthington, was one of the experts interviewed for the article.

The $20,744,144 Food For The Poor raised for Haiti emergency earthquake relief had been spent entirely on those efforts by the end of October. The funds were used for purchasing food and other critical items that were not donated, as well as for shipping containers of relief to the country.  

Transcript of an interview of InterAction's president and CEO, Sam Worthington, and the State Department's Special Coordinator for Haiti, Thomas Adams, on the way forward in Haiti after the one year anniversary of the earthquake on January 12, 2010.

InterAction member Handicap International's one-year report on work done in Haiti since the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

A document released by InterAction member Oxfam in January 2010, after the earthquake that devastated Haiti, with their recommendations on reconstruction.

One-year progress report by InterAction member Action Aid on their work in Haiti since the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

An op-ed in the Miami Herald by UNICEF's Anthony Lake on the progress made in Haiti so far despite the challenges since the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

An article on AlertNet about InterAction member Oxfam's criticism of the recovery effort so far from the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.

The World Conference on Disaster Reduction was held from 18 to 22 January 2005 in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, and adopted the present Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters (here after referred to as the “Framework for Action”).

The Sphere Project is a programme of the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) and InterAction with VOICE and ICVA. The project was launched in 1997 to develop a set of universal minimum standards in core areas of humanitarian assistance.

Report from InterAction member World Concern on Haiti one year after the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

Article published in the Wichita Eagle in Kansas on money donated to Haiti after the January 12, 2010, earthquake. InterAction's president and CEO, Samuel A. Worthington, was interviewed.

One year progress report from InterAction member the International Rescue Committee (IRC) after the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.

InterAction member EDC's one year progress report after the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.

One year after Haiti earthquake, Habitat’s recovery program has benefited nearly 24,000 families through emergency, transitional and permanent housing solutions. Work continues toward serving 50,000 families over next five years.

The people of Southern Sudan are a little more than one month away from casting their votes in a referendum on whether to remain part of Sudan or become an independent state. The referendum is the most significant milestone in a six-year interim period that began with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005.

•Largely unnoticed outside the region, the Sudanese states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile have begun the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)–mandated process of popular consultation, which permits Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile to either adopt the CPA as the final settlement between the two states and the Government of Sudan (GoS) or renegotiate the CPA to remedy any shortcoming

Sudan’s north-south civil war was the longest conflict in African history and claimed more than two million lives. In 2005, the United States played a critical role in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ending that conflict and setting forth a roadmap for sustainable peace. Despite many lapses and some tragic violence, the agreement has held.

On 24 September 2010, the United Nations Secretary-General convened a high-level meeting on Sudan to mobilize international support for the Sudanese parties’ full and timely implementation of the final phase of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), including the referenda on the self-determination of the people of Southern Sudan and on the status of Abyei, and for the peace processes f

•Many of the post-referendum scenarios in Sudan envisioned by the U.S. Institute of Peace and Clingendael Institute one year ago remain plausible today, less than six months prior to the referendum.

Sudan is at a crossroads and the next 12 months could determine the future of Africa’s largest nation.

The Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections (SuNDE) is a coalition of over 75 civil society organizations in all the 10 States of Southern Sudan whose objective is to promote and protect citizens’ participation in electoral and democratic processes.
 

Ambassador Richard Williamson discusses the importance of the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act in testimony before the U.S. House of Representives Subcommittee on International Monteary Policy and Trade on November 30, 2010. 
 

Humanitarian supplies are being prepositioned at key locations in Sudan ahead of an expected referendum in the event of a possible mass movement of southern Sudanese from the north to the south, Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said today.

For the past several years, significant U.S. attention has been focused on the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region, in which roughly three hundred thousand have died and nearly three million have been displaced.

In January 2011, after nearly six decades of armed conflict and tenuous peace, Sudan will hold a referendum to determine whether the south will remain united with Sudan or secede to become an independent nation. At the same time, Abyei is to hold a referendum to decide whether to join the South or remain in the North.

The clock is ticking fast towards what might be the most important date in modern Sudanese history – two
referenda in Sudan that are likely to result in the breakup of Africa’s largest state. With six months remaining
until 9 January 2011, the scheduled date of the referenda, the run-up to, and outcome of, the vote must be

InterAction member World Vision's one-year report on the response to the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.

This report offers international agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the media, the U.S. government, and the public an overview of the humanitarian and development assistance being provided to the people of Pakistan by InterAction member agencies.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveiled the final report of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR). The report provides a blueprint for elevating American "civilian power" to better advance national interests and to be a better partner to the U.S. military.

Haiti is now facing one of the most severe outbreaks of cholera that has been seen in the last century. This outbreak is made more complex by the humanitarian situation which resulted from the 12 January earthquake, which killed an estimated 230,000 people and injured 300,000.

The earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12 was devastating. As with most crises, women and girls were among both the most vulnerable and the most overlooked. Within the first week, reports of sexual violence emerged, as did stories of women and girls struggling to access assistance and living in crowded and unsafe camps.

The July 2010 issue of Monday Developments Magazine

Concern Worldwide has been working in Haiti for 16 years with currently close to 400 staff.

InterAction President and CEO Samuel A. Worthington testifies before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere on Thursday, July 29, 2010.

Six months after a disastrous earthquake struck Haiti, CRWRC remains hard at work responding to the many needs that this disaster caused.

4:53pm: A 7.0 earthquake hits Haiti. 17 minutes later International Medical Corps is preparing our Emergency Response Team. Within 5 hours, medical volunteers are deploying. 22 hours after the earthquake, we are saving lives on the ground in Port-au-Prince, working side-by-side with our Haitian medical counterparts.

Since January 12, WHI has launched an emergency response program that mobilizes its extraordinary capacity in the most severely affected areas focusing on health, psychosocial care, sensitization, potable water, sanitation, food, income-generating activities and workforce employment.

On January 12, 2010, a devastating earthquake—the worst natural disaster to hit the Western Hemisphere in two centuries—struck Haiti, killing approximately 300,000 people and leaving as many as one million homeless.

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Six months after Haiti’s devastating 7.0 earthquake, Lutheran World Relief (LWR) remains hard at work assisting those who are still dealing with its aftermath and will be for years to come. LWR, with a 14-year history in Haiti, is focusing the majority of its efforts on underserved rural populations.

Since the earthquake, BWAid has been helping in Haiti through a network of agencies. Immediately following the earthquake the two Haitian member bodies of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) were contacted and assistance offered. This close link with the two bodies remains as we work together.

From the immediate hours after the quake and ongoing, in all, CWS efforts - including the distribution of hygiene, school and baby kits, tents, wheelchairs, medical kits and other supplies -- have directly assisted at least 41,750 individuals so far; CWS is also working as a member of the global ACT Alliance, which has provided assistance to 341,000 Haitians.
 

During the half-year since an earthquake unleashed massive destruction in Haiti, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has been devoted to both providing immediate assistance to survivors and laying the groundwork for a large-scale, long-term recovery effort.  Haiti is not out of the woods yet, not by a long shot.

As members of the international community gather in Kabul for the International Conference on Afghanistan, InterAction is pleased that the expected focus of the conference is “Afghan priorities for the Afghan people”.

To continue supporting Haiti after the 7.0 earthquake on January 12, Giving Children Hope is transitioning from an immediate recovery response to a season of long-term reconstruction.  To date, Giving Children Hope has distributed over $7 million worth of life-saving medicines, medical supplies and other relief items.

On the six-month anniversary of Haiti's deadly earthquake, President Barack Obama said a rapid international response saved lives but the recovery effort must continue.

Long before the crippling earthquake of January 12, 2010, Jesuit Refugee
Service had a grassroots presence in Haiti, providing humanitarian assistance
to displaced Haitians both in the town of Ouanaminthe on the northeastern
border with the Dominican Republic, and in the Dominican Republic itself. JRS

Agencies and donors participating in the ongoing recovery and rehabilitation efforts in Haiti are in need of current information about where assistance is needed and which areas of response are already being addressed. The U.S.

Six months after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, there is still much to be done, however, the communities Plant With Purpose works with have made significant progress by planting trees, constructing soil conservation barriers, and providing incomes to support their families through our “Cash for Work” program.

The humanitarian community has achieved a great deal in responding to the earthquake that struck Haiti six months ago. This report outlines the accomplishments of the humanitarian organizations represented in the IASC, and the valuable lessons learned through their efforts.

In the aftermath of the January earthquake, the massive displacement of over a million people and the profound disruption of every aspect of daily life have greatly exacerbated the protection risks for women and girls in Haiti.

Letter signed by 33 InterAction members to the Speaker of the House, House and Senate Majority Leaders and Ranking members urging them to give immediate priority to the FY10 supplemental funding measure.

Almost a year since more than three million people fled fighting in Pakistan’s Swat valley and surrounding areas, the crisis is far from over. Over a million people are displaced, more are being forced into displacement every day, and two million are struggling to rebuild their lives after returning to their homes to find their villages destroyed.

The March 2010 issue of Monday Developments Magazine

Notwithstanding a number of strengths in U.S. development and foreign assistance policy, a number of systemic inconsistencies, inefficiencies, and disconnects have also developed as the USG’s humanitarian architecture has evolved over the years. This paper highlights priority areas where reform is needed.

Report of InterAction member organizations' activities in Iraq for 2009.

A progress report on West Bank and Gaza since publication of InterAction’s 2008 Foreign Assistance Briefing Book.

A progress report about Sudan and the need to ensure access to those who require assistance since publication of InterAction’s 2008 Foreign Assistance Briefing Book.

A progress report on efforts to end conflict in Sri Lanka ince publication of InterAction’s 2008 Foreign Assistance Briefing Book.

A progress report on Preventing Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since publication of InterAction’s 2008 Foreign Assistance Briefing Book.

A progress report on Burma since publication of InterAction’s 2008 Foreign Assistance Briefing Book.

A progress report on the Obama administration's foreign assistance efforts since publication of InterAction’s 2008 Foreign Assistance Briefing Book.

International Medical Corps is expanding its response to the displacement crisis in Pakistan with early recovery activities for Buner District, an area affected by the recent fighting in the Northwest Frontier Province. The organization is the first to help the displaced return to their homes in Buner after the conflict that began on May 3.

On October 29th and 30th almost 100 representatives from NGOs, the U.S. government, the UN, academic institutions and think tanks met to discuss how emergency programming in health can be better implemented to facilitate a smoother transition to recovery and development. InterAction and the U.S.

Meeting request from InterAction President & CEO Samuel Worthington to Obama transition team members Aaron Williams and Gayle Smith  to discuss the Obama administration’s plans for engaging with the NGO community in connection with USAID’s proposed Partner Vetting System.

This policy brief is part of a larger series in InterAction’s 2009 Foreign Assistance Briefing Book.

Critical Problems, Recommendations, and actions for the Obama Administration and the 111th Congress

Letter from Catholic Relief Services submitting comment for the public record on the July 23, 2007 federal register notice detailed the proposed USAID Partner Vetting System that would require U.S. NGOs and their subgrantees to turn over the private information of their officers and employees to the U.S. government.

Letter from Save the Children submitting comment for the public record on the July 23, 2007 federal register notice that detailed the proposed USAID Partner Vetting System that would require U.S. NGOs and their subgrantees to turn over the private information of their officers and employees to the U.S. government.

Letter from World Vision submitting comment for the public record on the July 23, 2007 federal register notice that detailed the proposed USAID Partner Vetting System that would require U.S. NGOs and their subgrantees to turn over the private information of their officers and employees to the U.S. government.

Letter from International Rescue Committee submitting comment for the public record on the July 20, 2007 federal register notice that detailed the proposed USAID Partner Vetting System that would require U.S. NGOs and their subgrantees to turn over the private information of their officers and employees to the U.S. government.

Letter from World Vision submitting comment for the public record on July 20, 2007 federal register notice that detailed the proposed USAID Partner Vetting System that would require U.S. NGOs and their subgrantees to turn over the private information of their officers and employees to the U.S. government.

Letter from ChildFund International submitting comment for the public record on the July 17, 2007 federal register notice that detailed the proposed USAID Partner Vetting Ssystem that would rquire U.S. NGOs and their subgrantees to turn over the private information of their officers and employees to the U.S. government.

Letter from Save the Children submitting comment for the public record on the July 17, 2007 federal register notice that detalied the proposed USAID Partner Vetting System that would require U.S. NGOs and their subgrantees to turn over the private information of their officers and employees to the U.S. government.

Letter from Catholic Relief Services submitting comment for the public record on July 17, 2007 federal register notice that detailed the proposed USAID Partner Vetting System that would require U.S. NGOs and their subgrantees to turn over private information of their officers and employees to the U.S. government.

Letter from World Learning submitting comment for the public record on the July 17, 2007 federal register notice that detailed the proposed USAID Partner Vetting System that would require U.S. NGOs and their subgrantees to turn over private information of their officers and employees to the U.S. government.