Effective crisis response begins long before an emergency unfolds. It depends on preparedness, clear systems, trusted partnerships, and professionals who are ready to act when support is needed most.

With this purpose in mind, UNDP colleagues participated in the Arab States Crisis Readiness and SURGE Training Workshop, held in Amman from 15 to 18 June 2026. Participants included Farah Alsweel, Regional Partnerships Advisor; Nora Alzahid, Portfolio Lead; and Elfatih Abdelraheem, Health and Development Policy Specialist and Regional Team Leader at the Amman Regional Hub.

Co-organized by the UNDP Crisis Bureau and the Amman Regional Hub, in collaboration with the Regional Bureau for Arab States and the Bureau for Management Services, the workshop brought together technical specialists from across the region to strengthen UNDP’s ability to support Country Offices before, during, and after crises.

The four-day programme was designed as a journey from institutional readiness to practical action. Participants explored UNDP’s role across crisis anticipation, prevention, response, and recovery, while deepening their understanding of the organization’s crisis architecture, operating procedures, assessment tools, and early recovery mechanisms.

At the center of the training was SURGE, UNDP’s flagship mechanism for rapidly reinforcing the capacity of Country Offices facing crisis conditions. The sessions examined the responsibilities of SURGE Advisors, deployment processes, early recovery coordination, and the operational, security, and wellbeing considerations that accompany crisis assignments.

The workshop also highlighted the importance of functions that must move quickly during a crisis: communication, partnerships, and resource mobilization. Participants worked on how to position UNDP from the earliest stages of an emergency, engage governments and partners, support advocacy, and connect recovery priorities with the resources required for implementation.

One of the workshop’s defining moments was the Someland simulation, built around a fictional country affected by an earthquake. Working in teams, participants developed an integrated early recovery offer combining programme design, coordination, communications, partnerships, risk management, and SURGE support requirements.

The exercise turned technical guidance into real-time decision-making. Teams presented their proposals to a simulated Crisis Board, testing their ability to build coherent, feasible, and government-led recovery responses under pressure.

Beyond the training itself, the workshop strengthened collaboration between Country Offices and regional technical teams. The participation of Farah Alsweel, Nora Alzahid, and Elfatih Abdelraheem reflected the value of expertise that can move across teams, disciplines, and locations to support countries when needs are most urgent.

Farah Alsweel, Regional Partnerships Advisor, reflected: “The training offered a powerful opportunity to move beyond talking about crisis response and to experience the complexity behind it. Even in a fictional scenario, it showed how much depends on rapid decisions, coordinated teams, trusted partnerships, and a clear focus on recovery for the people and communities we serve.”

By investing in preparedness and deployable expertise, UNDP is strengthening its capacity to respond with greater speed, coordination, and impact from the first hours of a crisis through the longer path toward resilient recovery.