Beyond the Cuts: Upholding Quality and Accountability for Affected Communities Amid Workforce Challenges
In collaboration with our partner, ACT Church of Sweden, we have organised a virtual learning and sharing series on “Beyond the Cuts: Upholding Quality and Accountability for Affected Communities Amid Workforce Challenges”.
These sessions are designed in response to the ongoing funding cuts affecting humanitarian aid, leading to program closures, workforce reductions, and disrupted essential services. These changes significantly impact both aid workers and the vulnerable communities they serve. Our goal is to create a space for reflection, discussion, and shared learning on how funding constraints reshape humanitarian response and operations.
Series 1: Ethical Dilemma of Staff Affected by Workforce Reductions vs. Community Impact
The aim of this to:
- Explore the complex ethical tensions between the job security of aid workers and the continuing needs of the communities
- Analyze the psychological, operational, and ethical challenges faced by aid workers and organisations when financial constraints lead to layoffs and program closures.
The series will consist of three virtual sessions as below:
| Session 1 | Psychological and Ethical Struggles of Staff Affected by Workforce Reductions | March 17, 202511:00am – 12:30pm (PKT) |
| Session 2 | The Forgotten Communities – What Happens When Aid Workers Leave? | March 20, 202511:00am – 12:30pm (PKT) |
| Session 3 | Ethical Considerations in Layoff Decisions by Organisations | March 26, 202511:00am – 12:30pm (PKT) |
The series will be moderated by Uma Narayanan, an expert on quality and accountability within the humanitarian and development sectors, with a strong focus on the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and Sphere Standards. She has collaborated with organisations to integrate accountability into their work, strengthen staff capacity, and apply simple, practical approaches to quality and safeguarding.
Who Should Attend?
Humanitarian and development actors: Seniorand Middle management of I/NGOs, Programme staff, support function personnel (Operations and HR), MEAL Officers and Laid-off/furlough aid workers
We encourage organisations to register and nominate multiple relevant staff members to support institutional strengthening.
How to Attend:
If you are interested in attending, please register here.
Limited slots available – Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Participation Requirement:
- Commitment to attend sessions.
- Basic understanding of the English language
- Willingness to engage in interactive discussions
- Camera must be kept on during sessions (if connection allows)
Once your registration is confirmed, you will receive the Zoom link for the sessions.
If you can also share it within your network, it will be much appreciated. In case of any questions, please feel free to contact aqsa.tahir@communityworldservice.asia.
Coming Soon: Series 2 – Adapting to the Changing Funding Landscape (Details to be announced later)
