So what's new at HPN?

 

This has been a busy year for HPN, with our usual active programme of publications and events, new partnerships and some exciting developments online.

We’ve been busy gathering views on the quality of our resources and how they are being used. The feedback we’ve received suggests that HPN resources are not just gathering dust on field office shelves or clogging up hard drives, but are being used regularly by both individual and organisational members. However, one way we felt we could improve the network was to make it easier for our members to share knowledge and experience, and comment on resources online.

Online

We’ve been working hard to revamp our website to make it easier to find and share resources. We hope you like it! There is a brand-new HPN members’ section of the website called “The humanitarian space” (excuse the pun), where you can log in and share your resources, events and training, write for a brand new members’ blog and share and discuss issues using social media. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter, where we’ll be posting our new publications as well as ‘retweeting’ our members’ resources, training and events. We’re even on Kindle!

Translations

Members will have noticed that we’re translating more of our publications into French, Spanish and sometimes Arabic. You’ll find a complete list in the new ‘Language versions’ section of the site.

The power of partnership

While maintaining the quality of our publications remains our top priority, this year we have tried to focus on developing interesting and relevant new partnerships. This has been key to expanding the reach of HPN during 2011. Two of our most successful partnerships this year have been with CaLP (the Cash Learning Partnership) and the Conflict Sensitivity Consortium.

HPN and CaLP, with the support of an active advisory group, jointly published in June 2011 Good Practice Review 11: Cash transfer programming in emergencies. Working with CaLP has enabled us to promote the GPR much more widely through the network’s partner agencies and at CaLP events in Europe, North America, Australia, Africa and Asia.   

HPN has worked closely with the Conflict Sensitivity Consortium (CSC) on the production, launch and translation into French of Network Paper 70 on Applying conflict sensitivity in emergencies. HPN will also support CSC with events at which the paper will be presented and discussed in Niger, Sierra Leone, Haiti and other locations.

HPN has also made links with ELRHA, the ECB Project, Infoasaid and the Institute of Humanitarian Studies (IEH) in Bogota, and we are on the lookout for more. If you’re interested in co-hosting a meeting or launch event, please do get in touch with us.

HPN’s convening power remains strong and we continue to host public events and smaller closed roundtables. In addition to holding public launches for Humanitarian Exchange 52 on Humanitarian Accountability and Network Paper 70, Applying conflict sensitivity in humanitarian response, HPN also hosted the launch of an important and timely new report, Escaping the hunger cycle: Pathways to resilience in the Sahel, commissioned by the Sahel Working Group. All of these events have been streamed online.

We’re pleased to report that HPN membership has grown by 13% over the last year, and we thank you for your continued engagement with the network. Ensuring that HPN remains useful and relevant to humanitarian practitioners is one of our core aims, and we rely on your input and feedback to make sure this happens. We hope the spirit of sharing knowledge and experience can continue into 2012 and beyond.

Follow Wendy on Twitter @WendyFenton1