Notes

The aspirations of the UN World Humanitarian Summit(WHS) – “to stand up for our common humanity and take action to prevent and reduce human suffering” – we need a serious overhaul of the global humanitarian system.

The existing international apparatus simply cannot cope with the financial demands being placed on it by conflict in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and South Sudan, by natural disasters, and by the effects of climate change.

Today, 125 million people need humanitarian assistance, more than 60 million are forcibly displaced (pdf), and 218 million have been affected by disasters each year for the past two decades.

The problems are well beyond the financial. Last few years have brought repeated violations of international humanitarian law (IHL), with civilians and medical staff finding themselves targeted in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and South Sudan. Concerns over aid transparency and the dominance of UN agencies and big global humanitarian players also need to be addressed.

UN World humanitarian summit is around five key commitments: preventing and ending conflict; respecting the rules of war; leaving no one behind on the sustainable development agenda; working differently to end need, and investing in humanity.

Holding High-level roundtables will be held on topics including political leadership to end crises, addressing forced displacement, humanitarian financing, managing natural disaster and climate change, and achieving gender equality.