The Humanitarian Exchange and Research Centre works to close the gap between policy and humanitarian practice.

About Us

Founded in Geneva in 2014, the Humanitarian Exchange and Research Centre (HERE) works to close the gap between policy and humanitarian practice. We endeavour to understand and promote the steps that need to be taken in order to uphold the rights of crisis-affected people.

Spotlight

2022 Annual report

We are proud to share our 2022 Annual Report with you! The purpose of this report is not only to showcase what we achieved last year, but also to reflect on our work. Much of our work in 2022 explored the balance between the individual and the collective.
Read the annual report

Latest outputs

Roundtable summary note

In May 2023, HERE organised a roundtable to explore what remains to – and can possibly – be done in terms of humanitarian reform.This summary note reflects the contents of the discussion without attribution to participants.
Read the summary note

Ethiopia IAHE: Inception report

Following the activation of the system-wide Scale-Up Protocols, HERE has been contracted by OCHA on behalf of the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation Steering Group to undertake the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation (IAHE) of the collective response to the crisis in Northern Ethiopia. This inception report contextualises the IAHE and lays out its purpose and design.
Read the inception report

ICVA: Pooled Funding at a Crossroads

This review presents an analytical summary of what is known about the value and limitations of pooled funds and identifies gaps and future trends. It analyses the existing literature (including existing gaps), explores the degree to which pooled funds are considered fit for purpose, and looks at future trends and ways forward for ICVA.
Read the review

HERE panel: Small fish in a big pond

February 24th marked one year since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. An enormous volume of aid has been raised in response to the crisis, but Ukrainian actors have had very little access to it, despite being primary respondents. Co-produced by Trumanitarian, HERE-Geneva explores this issue with panellists and guests.
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More than the sum of the parts? Collective leadership vs individual agency

What incentives exist for collective leadership in humanitarian response? This paper is HERE's contribution to GELI and CHA-Berlin's joint event 'Leadership for an Ever-Changing World: Amplifying Collaboration and Transformation within the Humanitarian Sector'.
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The Future of Humanitarian Coordination

Supported by the governments of Sweden, Norway and Switzerland, this project aims to provide actionable suggestions on how to address some of the longstanding challenges in the way of effective humanitarian coordination. Starting from working hypotheses on what impedes coordination, major pressure points are identified to offer suggestions for both quick fixes and long-term solutions.
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ongoing work

Supporting FDFA’s Priorities and Work on Protection

Switzerland is internationally regarded as a key player in promoting and supporting the protection of civilians in armed conflict. This role and reputation is one that the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) not only wants to maintain, but also to strengthen. The FDFA has commissioned HERE-Geneva to come up with suggestions for its agenda on protection and advice for setting priorities.
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Strengthening the relevance and role of the Good Humanitarian Donorship initiative

2023 marks the twentieth anniversary of the Good Humanitarian Donorship (GHD) initiative. Estonia and the UK, the network's co-chairs, have commissioned ODI/HPG and HERE to review the GHD initiative. The purpose of the review is to advise on strengthening the relevance and role of the GHD-initiative as a key humanitarian initiative that fosters mutually-beneficial donor exchange, strategic collaboration, and collective influence
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Evaluation of UNICEF's L3 response in Yemen

The evaluation of UNICEF’s L3 response in Yemen has accountability and learning purposes. If fulfils the requirement of the UNICEF Evaluation Policy (2018) whereby all L3 emergencies must be evaluated, and is expected to help generate learning to support programming strategies and operational planning, while shaping the ongoing response in Yemen. The evaluation is further expected to capture learning and make actionable recommendations to inform UNICEF efforts across future L3 emergencies.
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IAHE - Provision of humanitarian services in Northern Ethiopia

HERE has been contracted by OCHA on behalf of the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation Steering Group to undertake the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation of the collective response to the crisis in Northern Ethiopia.
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Evaluation of the contribution of prevention work to the protection of civilians' engagement

Contracted by our partner GPPi , HERE is involved in conducting an evaluation of the contribution of the ICRC’s prevention engagement to its protection work. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and challenges of selected prevention responses.
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HERE Publications

We carry out applied, mixed-methods research and analysis, engage in dialogue with operational humanitarian actors, and feed the humanitarian community with independent reports, policy papers, and studies. Browse through our library!

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