“A space where everyone in the system can come together."

To mark the end of his tenure as Chair of ALNAP’s Steering Committee, Johan Schaar sat down with [former] Senior Research Officer at ALNAP Vijayalakshmi (Viji) Viswanathan to discuss the challenges and successes of his six-year stint, ALNAP’s unique role in the humanitarian sector, and how we need to think differently about learning.

Viji: Hi, Johan! It's a pleasure to meet you. I go by the short name Viji and I'm based in India.

I wanted to start by asking for a snapshot of your vast experience in the humanitarian sector.

Johan: Well, I’ve had many roles. I’ve worked as a practitioner and an implementer in the Red Cross movement, for the Swedish Red Cross and the IFRC, mainly in Sweden and in Asia. But I've also worked on the donor side. I was head of the humanitarian unit at Sida, the Swedish government aid agency, for five years. I’ve also worked quite a bit on humanitarian policy analysis in my different capacities; I've tried to bring that focus with me wherever I have worked. So, I’ve had multiple different roles. I've always felt that it was a good thing to experience different aspects of the sector.

Viji: When did you start your tenure as Chair of ALNAP’s Steering Committee, and what made you take up the role?

Johan: I joined in February 2017, nearly six years ago. At the time I was just about to leave my position as the Head of the Swedish Development Cooperation with Palestine. I was based in the Swedish Consulate General in Jerusalem, and I’d been there for four years. I was about to retire from government service and head back to Sweden when I was asked about becoming Chair. I was very honoured, because I knew about ALNAP and the role that it had played since its inception, which was triggered by the genocide in Rwanda. When I was working for the Swedish government in 2004 we played a very active role in drafting the principles underpinning the Good Humanitarian Donorship initiative. I put great emphasis on supporting research, learning and analysis in the humanitarian sector, and that became one of the GHD principles. So, I've always had a great respect for ALNAP. And I was very honoured to be asked.

Viji: What have been the hardest challenges during your time in this role?

Johan: Well, the COVID-19 pandemic has obviously been a challenge for all of us in the humanitarian field. It challenged us to find a good way to respond, but it also curtailed our normal way of operating; we couldn't travel, we had difficulties meeting, we had to manage things and adapt.  That was a challenge for the whole sector.

I was pleased that ALNAP could play a very constructive role in that period, offering and sharing learning from other severe health crises and helping to design pathways for humanitarian organisations during the crisis.

All organisations had to find ways of sustaining themselves through the pandemic. At ALNAP we had to cut back on activities and move to remote communications. But we managed to do it and get through, and we were able to play a good, constructive role. I think we can be proud of the way we coped.

Viji: So, in a way, the pandemic helped to show ALNAP’s value to the sector?

Johan: Yes, absolutely. It showed the role ALNAP could play in a crisis that was evolving very rapidly: bringing out and sharing experiences from across the sector, and offering them in a way that could be accessed easily. I think that's perhaps the most important role that ALNAP can play: to be there and to be relevant in moments of crisis.

Viji: What has been memorable for you personally? Did you face any personal challenges in taking up this role?

Johan: No, I wouldn't say that. I haven’t faced many personal challenges in doing this. A couple of things do stand out though. One is that ALNAP’s ex-Director, John Mitchell, had provided very strong leadership for many years. When he felt it was time to hand over, and we needed to recruit new leadership, it was important to go through that transition process in a harmonious way. Leadership transition is delicate, because it is very much an internal process, but it is also very visible externally. And I think that we got through that very successfully. I feel very pleased about the way we have been able to retain and build on previous leadership achievements.

The second thing that stands out, and I think this is really significant, is ALNAP’s value as a unique meeting place for the sector. Two things this year have really highlighted that function. The first is that we marked our 25th anniversary - we've been around for quite a while! And I think the events and outputs around the anniversary really consolidated our role as a convenor and a meeting place.

Then in September we launched the most recent State of the Humanitarian System report, presenting very significant learning that the whole sector can use. We've been in great demand; our staff have given multiple presentations in very different contexts, and we've really been able to demonstrate the value and the uniqueness of what we provide.

ALNAP is a space where everyone in the system can come together: the most powerful and wealthy donors, the smallest NGOs, practitioners everywhere in the world, and individual thinkers, researchers and consultants. It’s a place where everybody has a voice. I feel really good that we've been able to sustain and develop that function.

Viji: That's amazing. Thank you for that reflection on ALNAP as a whole. We've spent some time looking back, so let's spend some time looking forward. What do you feel are the key challenges for the sector? And how can ALNAP play a role in helping navigate through these difficult times?

Johan: One overriding challenge for all of us is the increase in humanitarian needs. More than 300 million people are formally recognised by UN as being in need of humanitarian assistance right now. Funding is not keeping up with this challenge; the gap between needs and available resources is growing. ALNAP provides the analysis and the evidence that demonstrates the impact of the funding gap, and of course its members are present at the frontline.

Learning is so critical, so important, but it is also very difficult, and we are beginning to understand why. We have a better sense of what the obstacles and disincentives are [...] The more we understand these processes, the better we can shape the way we work and provide services in a way that’s conducive to learning.

Another really important thing is the learning challenge for the sector. Learning is so critical, so important, but it is also very difficult, and we are beginning to understand why. We have a better sense of what the obstacles and disincentives are: very high staff turnovers, short funding cycles, very short timeframes and so on. I think we are also beginning to understand the dynamics of successful learning and where this has led to change. The more we understand these processes, the better we can shape the way we work and provide services in a way that’s conducive to learning.

Climate change is producing very significant and intensifying tangible impacts. We are faced with things that none of us have ever experienced before. We cannot rely on experience because this is an unprecedented situation for all of us. Analysis and learning, and the ability to adapt and modify our actions, have never been more important. The learning challenge is at the core of all of this.

Viji: Is there a need to broaden or change the definition of learning, or how we see learning, given these challenges?

Johan: It's a good question. I think we often have a fairly shallow understanding of learning. We tend to repeatedly do things that we think promote learning, but that may not actually do so, because we don't have a profound understanding of learning dynamics. So, I don’t think we need to change the definition, but we do need to explore a deeper understanding of how learning happens. We need to understand the conditions for learning at the individual level, the systemic level and the organisational level, because all these levels have to interact and move in the same direction for learning to happen. What’s your view?

Viji: Having spent time in the field and the office, I think the whole idea of tacit learning and frontline learning (add link), which ALNAP has also recently published guidance on, is very important. We really need to think about how to combine that sort of learning - things that you learn through doing and experience - with what we think of as more technical or academic learning.

Johan: It's important to recognise that people really do learn quickly when they’re working in new and challenging situations. We must pay attention to that and provide space for reflection, which is rare in the humanitarian sector. ALNAP has a role in enabling that kind of learning, and thinking about how to capture it and how to integrate it into the way we operate. I think that's very important.

Viji: I agree. On that note, do you have any advice for Hesham, the new Chair,  as he takes up this role?

Johan: I have a great respect for Hesham, and he brings lots of experience and knowledge and wisdom that I don't have. That’s the way it should be; I'm not expecting to transfer anything of great significance to him. The only advice I would give is to act as a sounding board for the Secretariat, and particularly for the Director. Directorship is often a very lonely place. There are things you can discuss with your colleagues, but there are certain elements of leadership that are secluded and a bit separate from your daily business. So, I’d advise Hesham to help ALNAP’s leadership in that lonely place where they find themselves, to be a sounding board, and to listen and try to understand the dynamics of the Secretariat.

Also, obviously, it’s important to keep pace with what's happening in the broader world of humanitarian action. You can never match the level of detail that staff in the Secretariat bring, but you have to have a sense of what’s going on: what the emerging issues are and how we can approach them. But I'm sure Hesham is going to be great at this. I'm really happy that ALNAP has been able to bring on board someone with his experience. I look forward to seeing how he will develop the role.

Viji: Finally, what are your plans going forward?

Johan: I have a number of things that I'm working on at the moment. I’m doing a little bit of work with the Swedish Red Cross. I'm also involved with SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, working on issues related to climate change and security. So I have plenty to do; I'll keep myself busy. And I hope to remain a member of ALNAP and to contribute in other ways.

Viji: I'm sure I speak for ALNAP as a whole when I say we hope you will continue to engage with us and share your wisdom. Thank you for taking the time to have this conversation. And thank you so much for your leadership of the Steering Committee over these last six years.