Designing an Academic/Practitioner Roundtable on the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus

The UNDP Crisis Bureau’s Nexus Academy and a workshop team from Columbia University’s School of International Public Affairs (SIPA) have collaborated to assess the global impact and effectiveness of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus approach. The workshop team compiled a review of academic literature on the Nexus, as well as institutional reports and practitioner publications from international organizations, NGOs, and universities, to evaluate connections with the Nexus approach. The literature review included articles from development, peace, and humanitarian stakeholders operating in high-risk conflict areas experiencing displacement, economic inequality, political instability, climate change, and other challenges.

The SIPA team also interviewed academics and practitioners from the Global North and Global South to assess their perspectives concerning their research on the Nexus approach. These expert interviewees were valuable in uncovering gaps that limit effective coordination, programming, and financing within the Nexus approach. A final report including the analysis of interviews and research findings was prepared in order to enhance awareness and cooperation between development, peace, and humanitarian actors.  The analysis gained from the literature review and interviews will be used as a basis for selecting topics to be included in a roundtable where Nexus practitioners and academics from development, peace, and humanitarian realms can provide feedback in research and offer recommendations to improve the implementation and operationalization of the Nexus approach.