STRENGTHENING HUMANITARIAN ACTION
Responding to the changing face of humanitarian crises
“Our immediate humanitarian work to provide day-to-day assistance must continue. It can never wait for the next round of talks to open, or the next peace treaty to be signed. It must be swift, proactive and effective.”
- Humanitarianism is a universal concept that applies to all people at all times, rooted in the core principles of humanity, impartiality and neutrality. However, the demands of modern humanitarianism require us to improve upon our efforts so that aid is provided in a more accountable, transparent, predictable and coordinated manner – one that enables the most lives to be saved whenever and wherever there are people in need of emergency assistance.
- To better meet these objectives, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), has launched several initiatives designed to strengthen global humanitarian response. These efforts fall into three principal categories: more predictable funding, as well as new and broader funding sources and funding mechanisms; better sectoral coordination to improve coherence and minimize gaps and duplication; and ensuring better qualified and trained UN humanitarian coordinators and resident coordinators.
- In addition, OCHA is firmly committed to improving its global humanitarian partnerships with both UN and non-UN actors acting on an equal basis. In 2007, OCHA convened the first-ever Global Humanitarian Platform, an initiative that brought together some 40 NGOs, Red Crescent/Red Cross societies and UN agencies as equal partners seeking to improve cooperation and communication based on mutually agreed upon principles.
- Initiatives to strengthen humanitarian financing include the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), Emergency Response Funds (ERFs), Pooled Funding and the Good Humanitarian Donorship initiative (GHD). In addition, work is on-going to strengthen the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) along with the Needs Assessment Framework (NAF) to support adequacy of humanitarian financing.
- Since its launch in March 2006, the new Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has transformed the UN’s ability to respond quickly and more equitably to sudden emergencies as well as chronically under-funded cries. The General Assembly had called for contributions to the CERF to reach $500 million by 2008. With over 90 donors, and over $400 million in pledged and received funds, the CERF has already been put to use to save lives. More needs to be done, however, to fully achieve the funding targets.
- Another key initiative is the Cluster Approach, which is meant to prevent gaps and duplications in humanitarian aid and to ensure there is a clear lead organization in each sector, such as education or health. The cluster leader is responsible for the division of labour among various organizations in the same sector, with the ultimate aim of providing more predictable partners for governments when disaster strikes. The cluster approach seeks to improve predictability, partnership and sectoral coordination at the country level as well as build up global humanitarian response capacity.
- Extreme weather events associated with the effects of climate change are on the rise, and ever greater numbers of people are now living in harm’s way. Given this context, disaster risk reduction and preparedness efforts are all the more vital. OCHA is seeking to strengthen its collaboration with regional and national actors through joint training on disaster preparedness and response, contingency planning, and other efforts. The humanitarian community is also seeking to focus greater awareness on the potentially devastating humanitarian effects of climate change for the world’s most vulnerable populations.
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