In August and September, the CP AoR on behalf of the Global Protection Cluster (GPC) led needs identification and analysis processes in Somalia and Libya. The work carried out in both countries followed the Needs Identification and Analysis Framework (NIAF) approach and supported country coordination groups to define the most affected geographical areas and populations specific to the Protection Sector and Areas of Responsibility, including Child Protection.  These figures have fed into the countries' Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs).  For more on CP AoR HNO and HRP Tips, view this checklist and contact cp-aor@unicef.org for support. 

Updates on localisation
Over the past few years, the CP AoR has committed to advancing the localisation agenda in protection coordination groups, and this brief describes progress to date in the areas of 1) strengthening government capacity in Child Protection in Emergencies Coordination, 2) increasing coordination leadership of local organizations, and 3) offering rapid, remote support in multiple languages for increased accessibility.  The CP AoR has recently entered into partnership with Save the Children and Street Child to pilot a project in six countries that puts into practice these aforementioned elements.  Contact the CP AoR Senior Localisation Specialist,  Fatuma Hamidali Ibrahim, at fhibrahim@unicef.org for more details.  

This face to face 5-day training in early October came about as a result of a request from the Philippine National Child Protection Working Group (NCPWG) to the CP AoR English Help Desk.  The training, which  focused on information management and the needs identification and analysis framework (NIAF) throughout the humanitarian programme cycle, was facilitated by two members of the Global CP AoR Rapid Response Team, including Boris Aristin (Needs Identification & Analysis Specialist) and Anne Marie Turmine (Information Management Specialist). Over ten working group member organizations participated in the training, where they gained experience and were able to troubleshoot challenges through simulation exercises.  For more information on the training, contact cp-aor@unicef.org. 

Launch: Child Protection Minimum Standards, 2019 Edition
On behalf of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, we are pleased to share with you the 2019 edition of the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPMS), now available via the Alliance website: https://cpie.info/2019CPMS. The CPMS are available in the following formats: downloadable PDF, online interactive platform, phone-based app, and a PDF of the Summary. Spanish, Arabic, & French translations will be available early in 2020. 
 
The 2019 Edition is being launched following a two-year revision process involving 1900 individuals and 85 agencies. Members of the CP AoR at both the national and global levels contributed significantly to the revision process, including in Standard 1: Coordination, Pillar 4: working across sectors, and many other standards.  The revised edition reflects the following: recent sector learning and evidence, improved guidance on prevention, gender and age inclusion, and greater accountability to children. It also includes better guidance on use in refugee settings and infectious disease outbreaks as well as concrete models for integrated approaches amongst child protection and health, education, nutrition, and other sectoral actors. You will find more about the major changes in the 2019 edition through this 2-page document as well as a powerpoint presentation available on the Alliance website.

Please note that a limited number of hard copies are available upon request to the Alliance’s CPMS Working Group (email: cpms.wg@alliancecpha.org).  Priority distribution will be to: 

1. inter-agency trainings and events at the global and regional level reaching large numbers of national NGOs; and
2. coordination groups involving large numbers of national NGOs

Child Protection Case Management Online Learning Series 
The Case Management Task Force (CMTF) has launched a Global Case Management Online Learning Series where Child Protection practitioners are invited to learn and engage with global resources to support case management in humanitarian settings.  The learning series consists of five videos, each supplemented by “Facilitator’s Guidance” for those who would like to lead this learning series with in-country actors.  The facilitation guidance includes a powerpoint presentation, key discussion questions, and attendance sheets and can be found via these links: English | French | Spanish | Arabic.

Who is the Online Learning Series for?  The primary audience for the Online Learning Series are country-level technical groups working on CP case management in humanitarian settings. This may be a country Case Management Task Force or Child Protection Working Group. International and field level emergency responders who have an interest or are actively working with vulnerable children in humanitarian settings are also welcome to join the learning series.  If you and your coordination group or case management technical working group plan to take part in the learning series, please use the sign-in sheets and feedback forms included in the facilitation guidance package and send to cmtf@alliancecpha.org.  

For more information about the learning series and new resources, contact the Global CP AoR Help Desk at cp-aor@unicef.org.  

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), and more specifically psychosocial support, represents the majority of child protection programming in terms of dollar value and activities. However, in many Child Protection in Emergencies contexts globally, there are considerable challenges. Thus, the CP AoR developed a brief that describes contributions by the Global AoR to respond to these challenges and outlines areas where increased focus and support is required to ensure the well-being of children affected by emergencies.  

Within the CP AoR, we have been reviewing how many children are currently receiving MHPSS assistance compared with how many are in need of such assistance, and the numbers are concerning. When examining the number of children in need as identified by the 2019 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) across several humanitarian contexts, we see that nearly 34 million children affected by emergencies need psychosocial support.  However, of these children, a staggering 6.5 million children are not receiving any such support.  Moreover, limited data is available on how many children are assisted on level three of the MHPSS pyramid (focused, person-to-person non-specialized support - see attached brief for more details).  Koen Maurice Sevenants, CP AoR MHPSS Specialist, is working with partners to prioritize and advocate solutions to address these gaps.  For questions and further discussion, contact Koen at  ksevenants@unicef.org.

Valentina Pascale: (email: vpascale@unicef.org; Skype: live:valentina.pascale58)   joined UNICEF mid-August within the framework of the Syni International Cooperation Programme. She is currently working with both the EMOPS IAHP Section and the Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AoR) in the Global Cluster Coordination Unit (GCCU). She holds an MA in International Law in Armed Conflict from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and an MA in Relations and Institutions of Asia and Africa from the Università degli Studi di Napoli, Italy. Prior to joining UNICEF, Valentina worked within a Geneva-based think tank dedicated to the promotion of human rights in the MENA region. Valentina has also worked for the EU delegation to the UN in Geneva, where she was mainly covering health-related issues. Valentina has always been passionate about children’s rights and has been involved in a number of volunteer activities aiming at improving children’s well-being, notably within hospitals.
 

Eric Wyss: Rapid Response Team Coordinator (email: ewyss@unicef.org; Skype: eric.wyss). Seconded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and based in Geneva, Eric previously worked with the ICRC for five years in protection and management in various conflict affected countries and most recently at its HQ in Geneva as Operations’ Advisor on accountability to affected people. Eric also lived in Colombia and worked with the National Government on the coordination of International Humanitarian Assistance and on Peace and Development Programs in conflict affected regions. He started his career as a monitoring and evaluation advisor at UNDP’s Peace Unit in Bogota. Eric is a Swiss and Colombian national. He is an Economist and Political Scientist by training and holds Masters’ degrees in Economy and in Humanitarian Action.
 

Mustafa Hasan: Rapid Response Team Coordinator (email: mushassan@unicef.org; Skype: mhassan_tdh.ch)  Seconded by NRC and home-based in Khartoum, Mustafa hold a Masters of Advanced Studies in Children's Rights from IUKB and University of Fribourg and a post graduate diploma in Civil Society and Human Rights from Cairo University. He has over 14 years of experience in child protection in emergencies and brings in inter-agency coordination experience from West Darfur and Serbia. He worked with international organizations in Sudan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Jordan, Serbia and Turkey.
 

Villemo Karnstrom: CP AoR Intern (email: vkarnstrom@unicef.org)  Villemo has a bachelor's and master's in Economics from the School of Business, Economics and Law at University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She has also been on exchange semesters to University of Queensland, Australia, and Bocconi University, Italy. During her master's, she also did an internship at the International Department at the Ministry of Finance in Sweden. She just finished her master thesis, which she wrote in Nairobi, about how education can affect women's decision-making power within the household. Villemo has an interest in female empowerment and education.