KSS Culmination Event: Taking the Learning on HDP Coherence Forward

Since USAID’s release of Programming Considerations for Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Coherence: A Note of USAID’s Implementing Partners, IDEAL’s Knowledge Sharing Series (KSS) on HDP Coherence has been convening humanitarian and resilience practitioners in 13 sessions that started in June 2022. In this 2-hour culmination event, IDEAL invited the community, once more, to look back on the key takeaways gleaned from the sessions and identify ways to apply the learning moving forward.

Kevin Brown, Deputy Director, Office of Technical and Program Quality, Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, provided welcoming remarks followed by a panel discussion where guest speakers drawn out key takeaways from the four thematic areas in the 2022 Humanitarian-Development-Peace Coherence Knowledge Sharing Series. Each panelist discussed a different thematic area from the series. Panelists included:

• Norma Toussaint, Food Security & Learning Senior Advisor, IDEAL/Mercy Corps
• Greg Makabila, Deputy Chief of Party (MEAL), "Ifaa" Resilience Food Security Activity, Catholic Relief Services, Ethiopia
• Jim Flock, Chief of Party, USAID Resilience Learning Activity, ACDI/VOCA East Africa
• Saeqah Kabir, Former Director of Knowledge Management, Research, Learning and Communications, “Nobo Jatra” Resilience Food Security Activity, World Vision Bangladesh

Then, participants were invited into small groups to discuss with peers on how they might apply the learning and make a difference in HDP coherence in their own roles or capacities. Participants chose to join one of the following breakout rooms: 

• Group 1: Locally led HDP Coherence
• Group 2: Data for Decision-making for HDP Coherence
• Group 3: Organizing and Collaborating for HDP Coherence
• Group 4: Sequencing, Layering, and Integrating HDP Assistance

Finally, participants built on the breakout room conversations by engaging in plenary and articulating next steps in our collective learning journey to strengthen HDP coherence. 

This event was in English with French interpretation. 

View Presentation Watch Recording

Watch Recording in French

Bios

Kevin Brown currently serves as the Deputy Director for the Office of Technical and Program Quality in USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). Mr. Brown was most recently the Supervisory Program Officer in Ghana. Prior to that, he served as the Senior Project Development Officer and Acting Director of USAID/Pakistan's Office of Program Management. He served as the Deputy Director, and subsequently the Director, of USAID/West Bank and Gaza's Strategic Planning and Analysis Office, and was the senior USAID representative to the U.S. Consulate General-Jerusalem. Mr. Brown also served three consecutive tours at the USAID Mission to Nigeria as the Project Development Officer, Deputy Program Officer, and Supervisory Program Officer and assumed the role of the U.S. Embassy’s Mission Disaster Relief Officer (MDRO). 

Norma Toussaint is a certified project manager with over 10 years of experience providing project oversight for US Government-supported projects in both not-for-profit and for-profit global environments. Norma currently serves as Acting Team Lead and Food Security Senior Advisor at Mercy Corps for USAID/BHA funded IDEAL activity. She sits on the Advisory Board Committee of FONDASE, a Haitian micro finance institution, and currently serves as Communications Chair for the International Career Advancement Program Fellows Association. She holds a BA in Political Science from University of Central Florida, a Masters in International Affairs from American University, and a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems from Tufts University. 

Gregory Makabila has over 14 years’ experience in designing and implementing monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning systems across Africa. Greg works for Catholic Relief Services since 2012 where he has served in various roles at projects, country program, and in the East Africa region. Currently he is MEAL Deputy Chief of Party for Ethiopia’s BHA Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) and has led design and execution of a learning-centered MEAL system that proved invaluable during Covid-19 pandemic. Greg holds PhD in business administration from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

James Flock is an agribusiness and humanitarian development professional with over 15 years of experience leading agricultural and humanitarian projects that strengthen collaboration, market systems, and sustainability throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Currently, he is ACDI/VOCA’s Chief of Party for the USAID Resilience Learning Activity (RLA) that operates. He holds an MS in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University.

Saeqah Kabir is the former Director of Knowledge Management, Research, Learning and Communications for a USAID/BHA-funded RFSA, ‘Nobo Jatra’, led by World Vision in Bangladesh. Saeqah led Noba Jotra’s work to drive Collaborating, Learning and Adaptation (CLA) strategies, communicate impact, increase visibility and strengthen collaborative processes to amplify reach and impact. Before joining World Vision, Saeqah worked in research and communications roles in the UK with Asia House, UK India Business Council, the British Asian Trust, Save the Children Bangladesh, United Nations Development Programme, and Helen Keller International. She is currently the Director of CLA for the Feed the Future Bangladesh Policy LINK Activity with DAI.  Saeqah holds a BA in Anthropology and Sociology and a Masters in Social Anthropology from the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.