Network / coalition

International Council of Voluntary Agencies

ICVA is a global network of nongovernmental organizations working on humanitarian policy and practice. It connects NGO perspectives with coordination, financing and forced-displacement discussions, including documented work on equitable vaccination in humanitarian settings and pandemic preparedness.

Official website ↗

Organization profile

Organization type: Network / coalition
Headquarters / base: Geneva, Switzerland
Geographic scope: Global

Medical focus

Humanitarian coordinationHumanitarian healthVaccine accessHealth governance

Activities

NGO coordinationPolicy advocacyHumanitarian financing dialogueKnowledge sharingNetwork support

Population served

Humanitarian nongovernmental organizationsRefugee-led organizationsCrisis-affected communities

Connecting humanitarian NGOs

Founded in 1962 by organizations concerned with refugees and migration, ICVA brings together national and international NGOs and NGO networks. Its secretariat is based in Geneva. Regional engagement and support for country-level NGO forums help connect international discussions with the circumstances of organizations working in crises.

The network’s mission is to make humanitarian action more principled and effective. Its work includes sharing information, supporting collective positions and helping members understand and influence policy. Participation by local organizations is part of its approach to making coordination more representative of the people and institutions involved in a response.

Sources: [1], [2].

Coordination, financing and displacement

ICVA’s programme areas include humanitarian coordination, financing and forced displacement. It engages with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and other policy spaces and supports NGOs taking part in those discussions. Coordination work examines whether mechanisms are inclusive, accountable and useful in the contexts where assistance is delivered.

Its financing work considers whether resources reach frontline organizations and whether funding arrangements are flexible and transparent. Work on forced displacement brings NGO and refugee-led perspectives into policy and governance discussions. These functions are relevant to health responses when the availability of care depends on humanitarian access, resources and cooperation among organizations.

Sources: [3].

Documented work on vaccination and preparedness

ICVA’s 2024 case study records its role in discussions about COVID-19 vaccination in humanitarian settings during 2022–2023. It participated in the COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Partnership steering process and worked with the Global Health Cluster on a group examining how humanitarian coordination could support vaccine delivery.

The same account describes bringing NGO experience into discussions on barriers, outreach and health-system preparedness. ICVA’s impact study for 2022–2024 places this work within its wider support for member organizations during the pandemic. These are dated examples of policy and coordination work, with responsibilities distinct from those of organizations administering vaccines.

The 2014 Future Humanitarian Financing initiative identified ICVA as the host for its Jordan and Bangkok dialogues.

Sources: [4], [5], [6].

Further health reading

COVID-19