IHP has new chairmanship

The International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP) is a membership organisation consisting of different governmental emergency related agencies situated in various countries. In this connection the chairmanship of IHP rotates. The last 1½ years the chair has rested with the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA). As of 2 January the chairmanship of IHP has been transferred to the Crisis Management Centre Finland (CMC Finland), where it will lie until 30 July 2013.

I have therefore taken over the chairmanship from Flemming S. Nielsen, DEMA. In this role and on behalf of IHP I would like to take the opportunity to thank Flemming for the outstanding work he has done for IHP during his chairmanship. During the Danish chairmanship IHP had missions in Haiti, Pakistan, Benin, Ethiopia and Tunisia and Flemming did excellent work in IHP coordination. During Flemming’s time procedures of the IHP operations and working groups’ work has been revised and refreshed. The way Flemming has managed his role as chairman has been in the spirit of representing all IHP organisations equally, promoting IHP, and taking leadership when necessary.

For me it’s an honour and challenge to take the IHP Chairman position. I have been working in the field of international civil protection longer than Finland has participated in the IHP cooperation and therefore I have had a possibility to follow, especially from the Finnish point of view, a strong development of the IHP since 1998. My IHP “career” began from the first IHP Support staff course as a participant in 2000. After that I have been doing IHP trainings and TRIPLEX exercises and met a great number of IHP and UN experts in different IHP events. Before my current work in CMC Finland I worked as a Fire Chief. During my leave of absence I have been working for UN in Kosovo for a year and a half and also in NATO EADRCC for a year and a half.

I will do my best to ensure that the development that IHP has made in the last ten years will continue. The IHP strength lays in our individual organisations’ capacities and willingness for cooperation in this forum. At the same in connection with e.g. OCHA, WFP and UNHCR we have to ensure that IHP fulfils its partners’ requirements. CMC Finland has recognized its training capabilities and during the Finnish chairmanship we will offer our expertise for improvement of IHP training.

I look forward to being part of IHP’s further development and thus help ensure that IHP can carry on providing support to the international community to provide the best possible assistance to people affected by emergencies around the world.

Esa Ahlberg
Chairman, IHP