Caritas MONA Regional Conference
Caritas MONA held its 2025 Regional Conference at Notre Dame Du Mont, Fatka, Lebanon on June 9–12. The first two days were attended by Member Organizations and focused on introductory session on synodality and fraternal cooperation, the ongoing office registration processes, Caritas MONA history document and the two-year (2023-2025) mandate of the Regional Secretariat, on which the MOs have reflected, highlighting the positive impact and the increased technical expertise and accompaniment at the regional level, while addressing suggestions and feedback to the regional team for the upcoming period.
The regional team presented Caritas MONA Action Plan for 2025-2026 that will be amended and sent to the MOs for further input and feedback. Moreover, an intervention from the CI Secretary General, Alistair Dutton, on the geopolitical changes in the region and global issues, such as debt and funding crisis. At the end, a Leadership Orientation Workshop led by the director of Confederation Development at CI, Moira Monacelli, addressed organizational values and leadership challenges and shared best practices. The overall feedback received by the MOs was positive and appreciative.
As for the last two days, Caritas’ partners joined for Member Organizations’ presentations, sharing overviews of their national missions, achievements, projects, challenges, future plans, and calls for collaboration, followed by interactive discussions. Additional sessions included a discussion on “Geopolitical Challenges & Their Impact on Humanitarian Work in the Region and Future Strategies / Advocacy Priorities” led by UNOCHA’s MENA Head, Severine Rey, which explored humanitarian financing, localization, access, advocacy, and donor engagement.
Lastly, Christian Modino, CI Humanitarian Director, discussed the effects of funding freezes and strategies for adapting to aid cuts, followed by group work discussing how National Caritas can prepare and mitigate the impact of this crisis and the support needed from the CI General Secretariat and Regional Office. The feedback received on the forum demonstrated a high appreciation, highlighting the opportunity to connect, share experiences and engage in meaningful discussions with other participants.
