Crisis Transformed into Opportunity: Humanitarian Exchange Conference (2025)

This report highlights the Humanitarian Exchange (HX) Conference convened by Save the Children in Baghdad in April 2025 under the theme “Crisis Transformed into Opportunity: Youth and Local Leaders Building the Future.” The conference brought together government representatives, national partners, youth leaders, and civil society actors to strengthen crisis preparedness, response, peacebuilding, and localization efforts across Iraq. Central discussions focused on advancing partner-led implementation, reinforcing shared leadership, and promoting community-driven solutions within the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.

The event highlighted measurable progress in localization, with partner-managed programming significantly increasing since 2019, alongside stronger collaboration and accountability mechanisms. A major outcome included the launch of the Partnership Empowerment Platform, designed to support institutional capacity building and knowledge sharing among Iraqi organizations. By emphasizing youth engagement, institutional sustainability, and locally led governance, the conference demonstrated the growing importance of empowering national actors and communities to lead resilient and sustainable humanitarian and development responses.