How to Fix a Broken Humanitarian System

May 11, 2016

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The international humanitarian system is stretched beyond capacity. In fact, it's fair to say it is broken. The inability of the international community to confront multiple manmade and natural disasters, like the crisis in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, ebola in west Africa and the earthquake in Nepal is a profound contributor to insecurity around the world.There are more people displaced around the world than there has been at any time since World War Two; donors are not committing enough money to provide for the basic needs of people affected by sudden crises, and the international community is not doing a sufficient job of preventing the outbreak of conflict, ending current conflicts, or mitigating the effects of natural disasters.

the residents of the Malakal Protection of Civilians site organized a silent protest, demanding accountability for the international community’s shortcomings in safeguarding their lives. SOUTH SUDAN, Malakal, 26 February 2016 Credit: OCHA/ Charlotte Cans Ahimed Shehussen, his wife Teyiba Megersa, and their four children are surviving on emergency food assistance after their crops failed this year due to the delayed rains and the drought. ETHIOPIA, Oromia region, 3 February 2016 Credit: OCHA/ Charlotte Cans Ahimed Shehussen, his wife Teyiba Megersa, and their four children are surviving on emergency food assistance after their crops failed this year due to the delayed rains and the drought. ETHIOPIA, Oromia region, 3 February 2016 Credit: OCHA/ Charlotte Cans Chano Buta Kufa, 18, lives with his family and helps them grow food on their land. This year, however, their crops were reduced by 50 to 75 per cent and they are struggling to eat every day. ETHIOPIA, Oromia region, 2 February 2016 Credit: OCHA/ Charlotte Cans SG Trip In North Kivu, violence has forced approximately 42,500 people to flee their homes. Mr. Ban visited the Mungote site, which hosts close to 15,000 internally displaced persons. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, Kitchanga, 24 February 2016 Credit: Giles Clarke/Getty Images Reportage The Mungote site has a school and various projects meant to strengthen the resilience of the people living there, including a bakery run and staffed by women survivors of gender-based violence. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, Kitchanga, 23 February 2016 Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe SG Trip On 17 February 2016, the Malakal Protection of Civilians site was brutally attacked and partially reduced to dust by armed groups. At least 25 people were killed and more than 122 people were severely injured. SOUTH SUDAN, Malakal, 26 February 2016 Credit: OCHA/ Guiomar Pau Sole During the high level visit, the residents of the Malakal Protection of Civilians site organized a silent protest, demanding accountability for the international community’s shortcomings in safeguarding their lives. SOUTH SUDAN, Malakal, 26 February 2016 Credit: OCHA/ Charlotte Cans SC am In the informal settlement of Hay el Tanak, in Northern Lebanon, over 2,400 Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians live amid rubble and destruction. LEBANON, Tripoli, 25 March 2016 Credit: Giles Clarke/Getty Images Reportage DSC01857 In the refugee camp of Beqaa Valley, the Secretary-General met a Syrian family that has been living there for five years. The number of refugees in the world is the highest it has been since 1945. LEBANON, Beqaa Valley, 25 March 2016 Credit: Giles Clarke/Getty Images Reportage Depicting hope, in Zaatari refugee camp. The settlement has grown to host nearly 80,000 Syrian refugees since it opened in 2012. JORDAN, Al Mafraq, 27 March 2016 Credit: Giles Clarke/Getty Images Reportage SG Trip Schoolchildren sing a song to welcome Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, his wife Yoo Soon-taek, and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, to their classroom at the Zaatari Refugee Camp. JORDAN, Al Mafraq, 27 March 2016 Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten

SOUTH SUDAN, Malakal, 26 February 2016 Credit: OCHA/ Charlotte Cans

These failures and proposed solutions to these ongoing challenges are the subject of the first ever World Humanitarian Summit, which kicks off in Istanbul in mid May. This is a UN backed affa…

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