“Humility must be at the heart of all we do,” says Edem Wosornu, Director of the Operations and Advocacy Division of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in this interview.
You have been on the frontline of many crises during your time with OCHA. What was the biggest access challenge you have faced?
Humanitarian access is central to everything we do. From Gaza to Sudan, we face access challenges daily – from administrative and bureaucratic impediments to physical blocks and delays, all of which create a continuous loop of negotiation and compromise.
During my time as Head of OCHA Somalia, with DSS and other partners, we conducted field missions to expand humanitarian presence across the country.
Some areas had become isolated due to the presence of Al Shabaab and other armed groups. We did not know what we would find, and the risks were real. But ultimately, those missions helped us open new avenues for assistance.
As OCHA, we led the charge to enable our humanitarian partners to follow.
Humanitarian access is not just a process; it’s part of who we are. OCHA’s leadership, whether on the ground or at HQ, is critical in leading and advocating on behalf of the humanitarian system.
Access is central to OCHA’s mission. What is our added value and where do you see room for improvement?
Our strengths lie in our neutrality and in our factual and data-driven reporting. We do not act in self-interest – we’re a catalyst and an advocate for the humanitarian system.
Working with host authorities, we must look to apply similar standards across contexts and remember that the impact of our advocacy and actions stretches far beyond national borders.
We must listen to, and empower, our local and national partners in our access approaches – not just speaking on their behalf. Humility is key. And we must continue to put people at the heart of our access strategies and approaches.
The Humanitarian Reset is prompting a fundamental rethink of how we operate. Where does access fit within this broader agenda?
The “Reset” calls on us to hone who we are as OCHA. Access is at the heart of this.
In a world where respect for international humanitarian law is eroding and attacks on aid workers are increasing, it's more crucial than ever to have a neutral operator acting on behalf of, and advocating for, all humanitarian organizations. That’s where we come in.
Our most important resource is our people. At a time of severely depleted resources, it's more critical than ever to share all we know across our operations while investing in our engagement with communities, ensuring that their voices are heard.
We must revisit our relationships with host authorities, both in terms of how we stay, and how we prepare to leave.
