Report of the Secretary-General: E. Effective coordination of humanitarian assistance efforts

In Ukraine, UNHCR field workers prepare aid – including food, blankets, clothes and hygiene kits – for distribution to residents displaced from their homes by fighting.

In Ukraine, UNHCR field workers prepare aid – including food, blankets, clothes and hygiene kits – for distribution to residents displaced from their homes by fighting., by UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

This reporting period saw several deplorable humanitarian benchmarks. More than 76 million people from 31 countries needed assistance. The number of people displaced by conflict exceeded 51 million — the highest number since the Second World War. There were more than 400 natural disasters in 2014, which led to the loss of over 17,000 lives and which cost over $82 billion in damages. The year was dominated by six level 3 emergencies (Central African Republic, Iraq, Philippines, South Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen) and theEbola crisis. They unfolded in tandem with many other ongoing crises that caused tremendous suffering. While funding grew, so too did the funding shortfall, from 37 per cent ($3.3 billion) in 2011 to 40 per cent ($7.4 billion) in 2014. Nearly $11 billion was received for inter agency appeals, an unprecedented $479 million for the global Central Emergency Response Fund and $600 million for 22 country-based pooled funds. Growing humanitarian needs continue to outpace the resources available to meet them.

During 2014, the continuing lack of compliance by parties to conflict with international humanitarian law was of particular concern; so was the lack of accountability for perpetrators of violations. I was alarmed by the humanitarian impact of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and by the effects of conflict on civilians in general, particularly women and girls, and the increasing number of people displaced. Millions of people remain without protection or adequate assistance, owing to hostilities, insecurity and obstacles to humanitarian access put in place by the parties.

Despite the scale of the challenges, many Governments have greater capacity to handle crises, and therefore are requesting assistance less frequently, preferring that the international humanitarian system work in a more tailored manner to fill specific gaps, provide specific services, or further develop national expertise. There are many more actors, including national and local civil society groups and private sector companies. While this can pose a challenge to coherence, it can also be an opportunity to increase effectiveness if everyone works together towards the shared goal of meeting the needs of the affected population.

To address the growing gap between needs and resources, the donor base must expand. Increased funding alone is not the answer, however, and I have appointed a High-level Panel on Humanitarian Financing to consider necessary changes. We need to operate differently, including working towards reducing and not just meeting humanitarian needs. The average length of a humanitarian appeal is now 7 years, and the average time that people are displaced is 17 years. Planning and raising money on a yearly basis for protracted crises, such as long-term displacement crises, is not the most effective or efficient approach. A longer-term, outcome-driven approach that brings humanitarian and development planning closer together is needed. However, without substantially higher political commitment to address the underlying causes, it will not be possible to cover constantly increasing needs. The post-2015 development agenda, the new disaster risk reduction framework, and the ongoing discussions around climate change and the new urban agenda are unique opportunities to better address these global challenges common to the development and humanitarian sectors. The World Humanitarian Summit to be held in May 2016, in Istanbul, Turkey, will set an ambitious and bold forward agenda for humanitarian work and will address some of these fundamental challenges.