Draft:Michel Maietta

Michel Maietta is a humanitarian strategist, author, and expert in foresight, organizational design, and crisis management, with over 20 years of experience in the humanitarian and development sectors. He is known for integrating strategic planning into humanitarian responses and advocating for the localization of aid. Maietta is the co-founder and director of the Inter-Agency Research and Analysis Network (IARAN) and has held senior roles in various international organizations, including Action Against Hunger (ACF) and Save the Children International.

Early Life and Education

In 1997, Michel Maietta co-founded La Ronda del Cuore di Napoli with Paolo Coccheri. The initiative was inspired by Coccheri’s Ronde della Carità, which began in Florence in 1993 to support homeless individuals through volunteer-led patrols providing food and companionship. The Naples chapter focused on addressing the needs of the local homeless community, marking Maietta’s early engagement in social work and grassroots humanitarian efforts. This experience laid the foundation for his later focus on localization and community-based approaches in humanitarian strategy.

Michel Maietta studied at the Institut d'Études Politiques de Toulouse (IEP), France, and holds a Dottore ex Laurea in Political Science from the Università Federico II in Italy.

Career

Inter-Agency Research and Analysis Network (IARAN)

In 2012, Michel Maietta co-founded the Inter-Agency Research and Analysis Network (IARAN) to integrate strategic foresight into the humanitarian and development sectors. The network aimed to equip NGOs with research-based insights and scenario planning to anticipate future challenges. Under Maietta's leadership, IARAN gained recognition for reports such as "The Future of Aid: INGOs in 2030," which examined key drivers shaping the future of international aid and proposed strategies for NGOs to adapt to changing global dynamics.

The network's work emphasizes shifting humanitarian action from reactive approaches to proactive, sustainable solutions that address root causes. For example, Maietta has highlighted the need for addressing climate change and its impacts on vulnerable populations to preempt disasters rather than merely responding to them. IARAN also collaborates with universities in France and Australia to develop strategic planning and leadership programs aimed at preparing the next generation of leaders in the field.

Action Against Hunger

Maietta served as the Director of Strategy at Action Against Hunger from 2014 to 2018, where he led strategic planning and supported strategic decisions across the organization. He played a key role in coordinating the organization's response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak, designing strategies that improved readiness and impact. He also spearheaded initiatives to integrate foresight into the organization's country planning processes, enabling a shift towards long-term resilience building in affected communities.

Save the Children International

From 2012 to 2014, Michel Maietta held the position of Deputy Humanitarian Director at Save the Children International, where he significantly contributed to enhancing the organization's strategic foresight and anticipatory action efforts. His work focused on bolstering the organization’s readiness for potential crises by incorporating risk analysis, early warning mechanisms, and proactive planning into decision-making frameworks. This initiative aimed to make Save the Children more resilient and responsive to humanitarian challenges by employing adaptive and evidence-based approaches to crisis management.

Sidaction and Earlier Roles

Before his involvement with IARAN, Maietta was the International Program Manager at Sidaction from 2008 to 2012, where he coordinated programs supporting HIV/AIDS initiatives in Francophone Africa. Earlier in his career, he held country director roles with Action Against Hunger in various countries, including Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, and Indonesia. His work involved transitioning from emergency relief to sustainable development, focusing on the long-term needs of communities recovering from crises.

Contributions to Humanitarian Strategy

Michel Maietta is an advocate for aid localization, promoting the empowerment of local actors in crisis response. He argues that local organizations possess a better understanding of their communities' needs, making them more effective in implementing sustainable solutions. He has championed this approach in various contexts, including supporting Ukrainian civil society during the ongoing conflict.

Maietta also calls for a redefinition of the international framework for refugee protection, proposing an expanded view that includes economic and climate migrants. He contends that the current legal definitions are outdated and do not reflect the complex realities faced by displaced populations today.

His work extends to social justice within the humanitarian sector, addressing the exclusion of marginalized groups such as the LGBT+ community during humanitarian crises. He views this as a prolonged humanitarian issue that requires targeted interventions.

Publications

Michel Maietta has authored and contributed to several publications focused on strategic planning in the humanitarian sector. His notable works include: - Strategic Planning in the Humanitarian Sector (2021), co-authored with colleagues from IARAN, which serves as a guide for integrating foresight into organizational strategy. - The Future of Aid: INGOs in 2030 (2017), which outlines challenges and changes expected in the sector over the next decade. - Covid-19 Scenarios (2020), a report exploring potential future impacts of the pandemic on humanitarian work.

Volunteer and Advisory Roles

In addition to his professional roles, Maietta has been actively involved in volunteer work. He is the Chair of the Ukraine Emergency Committee at the Fondation de France, where he leads efforts to provide fundings to humanitarian actors assisting and supporting war-affected populations. He has also served as Director of Research at the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques (IRIS), Chef de Mission Uganda at Medecins du Monde and on the board of Action Contre la Faim.