Amani Abdelghani, with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in?Yemen, explains how the Humanitarian Notification System works, why it’s such a critical tool for safe aid delivery, and what keeps her motivated during challenging times.
What is the Humanitarian Notification System and why is it so critical to our response work?
The humanitarian notification system?is?a mechanism that informs parties to an armed conflict of the location of a select category of facilities and movements that are entitled to protection under international humanitarian law.
Typically, notifications entail a three-step process:
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A humanitarian organization provides GPS coordinates and a description of the facility or movement of a humanitarian convoy.
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OCHA shares the information with the agreed-upon focal point of the parties to the conflict.
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The party or parties acknowledge – or should acknowledge - receipt of the notification.
How is the HNS managed in Yemen?
I lead the Notification and Liaison Team, established in 2015, under the supervision of the Head of Humanitarian Access and Civil-Military Coordination. We are a team of three – an all-women team, a real powerhouse of energy and motivation.
NLT maintains the notification mechanism on behalf of humanitarian community in Yemen. ?
The work is intense. It entails managing very sensitive communications with the authorities on behalf of the humanitarian community, and of course with our partners, their focal points, and?our senior management.
The job is high-pressure and unpredictable, but I keep reminding myself I chose this career.
I am from Lebanon. I know what it means to be in a war. This is why easing people’s sufferings means everything to me;?more than personal recognition, more than professional success.
I am especially proud of my team. We are a strong and independent unit. We work in shifts, taking turns being on duty 24/7 for a week, and, during that week, the other two team members take care of the day-to-day work.
This, combined with strong collaboration and open communication, helps maintain positive and healthy dynamics.
Is it difficult to be a woman in this field of work?
The short answer is – yes, but it can be done! Women are resilient. Every day, so many of us get out of bed, go to work, go back home, and take care of our families, which is another job in itself.
I am a mother of two, I know how hard it can get. But I am proud of who I am today. Over time, I have learned to be a professional, a mom, but also to take care of myself and to ask my family for help when I need it.
And yes, it is ok?to ask for help - to your partner, your colleagues, your friends. It is ok to admit that we need time to ourselves, or simply a helping hand.
But as women, we also have an obligation to genuinely empower each other. Some competition can be healthy - it pushes us to be the better versions of ourselves. But it should never turn into unhealthy comparison or a search for validation, or we won’t be able to lift each other up.
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