Wednesday 11 May 2016, 9.00 - 20.30 | 8 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5BY
Building upon conversations about the new humanitarian economy at Start Talks on the Monday of this week, this year’s Annual Conference will frame and inspire conversation about the Start Network’s vision and enable delegates to discuss and influence its evolution.
The Conference will bring together 250 senior representatives from some of the world’s largest civil society organisations, multilaterals and governments, as well as innovators, opinion-formers and other stakeholders concerned with connecting people in crisis to the best possible solutions.
Speakers include:
- Jan Egeland, Secretary General | Norwegian Refugee Council
- Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, Statesman and former Prime Minister of Canada
- Danny Sriskandarajah, Secretary General | Civicus
- Saba Al-Mubaslat, CEO | Humanitarian Leadership Academy
- Burkhard Gnarig, Executive Director | International Civil Society Centre
- Rt. Hon. Desmond Swayne TD, Minister of State | DFID
- Indy Johar, Co-founder | Impact Hubs
- Ros Tennyson, Partnership Broker
- Steve Waddell, Principal | Networking Action
- Bhuwan Timilsina, Humanitarian Liaison | BBC Media Action Nepal
- Naseer Memon, CEO | Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO)
- Anne Mitaru, International Policy Manager | ActionAid
- Nancy Wilson, President & CEO | Relief International
- Barry Andrews, CEO | GOAL
- Ahmed Ibrahim, CEO | ALDEF Kenya
- Others, TBC
Delegates will discuss specific thematic areas of the Start Network, and the impact of the Network to date, including but not limited to: the new humanitarian economy; systemic resilience and change; innovation; capacity strengthening; network design; the future of NGOs; and new crisis response models enabled by technology.
The conference will also feature input from governments and civil society experts on the escalating importance of humanitarian action, and the role of civil society in complementing the role of governments. Speakers will speculate about the role and power of governments in the future, as well as the changing role of international civil society organisations. These inputs will then lead into important, action-oriented questions about how we catalyse large scale systems change.
The Conference will use a participatory format and will include table-based discussions, voting and social media engagement for those not in the room.
Participants will then be invited to stay for an evening reception, which will be a chance to reflect on the day’s discussions, to network, and to celebrate and welcome the new Members of the Start Network.
The event will be on the third day of a week known as Start for Change, which also includes governance meetings, workshops, Members' Day and Start Talks.
Download the Start for Change information pack (including details on travel and logistical arrangements)
This event is invitation only, please contact Cem Gurkan to express your interest.