Background Paper: 31st ALNAP Annual Meeting

This is the background paper for the 31st ALNAP Annual Meeting to take place in Stockholm, Sweden on 14 – 15 February.

Despite the time, money and energy that is spent on change, there has been very little attention paid to the processes by which change actually happens in the humanitarian ‘system’ (a term which, in itself, has implications for how we think about change, and which we will consider later). The focus of change initiatives is generally on what should
change and why, rather than on how this change can effectively be achieved.

At a time when a number of significant change initiatives are underway in the humanitarian system, and when there are many calls to transform the fundamentals of humanitarian action, it seems fitting that the ALNAP Network – which exists to support change through evaluation and learning, and which is 20 years old this year – should meet to consider the topic of change in the humanitarian system, and attempt to gain a better understanding of how change happens, and how it can be supported.

This background paper for the Meeting seeks to frame and contextualise some of the ideas which ALNAP Members may wish to discuss.

Find out more about this meeting by visiting alnap.org/31am.