This past week, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released the Global Humanitarian Overview 2021 (GHO), a key document highlighting the level of humanitarian needs around the world and the funding required to meet these needs. Scattered across its pages are messages of both hope and trepidation. We can be hopeful because of the incredible strength of humanity that has been on full display this year. In the midst of the most significant global recessions since the 1930s, those affected by conflict and natural disaster are working tirelessly to create a better future for their loved ones.
Of the importance of continued humanitarian aid provision
On the front cover of the GHO is Aicha, a 39 year old mother living in an IDP camp in Mali. “I hope I can go back to my home one day,” she shares. “What I want above all else for now is to be able to feed my children and that they can go to school to get a better future.” As someone working in the humanitarian field, and hearing stories from those living through humanitarian crises, the hope and strength of Aicha and others keeps me moving forward. It gives me hope that in spite of the enormous needs that exist, progress is being made. Working with Trust, it is a privilege to hear about the ways in which humanitarian organizations continue to dedicate themselves to providing urgently-needed assistance to those in need, like Aicha. While our work is certainly to provide an unbiased perspective on humanitarian responses, the surveys and interviews that our teams conduct often paint a picture of lives changed. Without our clients work in distributing cash, food or hygiene kits; without programs that protect women and girls from violence; without business centers that provide refugees support to find new jobs, progress would not be possible.
Increasing needs globally
Yet perhaps the most potent message of the GHO is from Mark Lowcock, the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs. “In the space of a few months,” he writes, “decades of development have been knocked off course by a virus.” He describes “the unravelling of 40 years of progress”, in which poverty will increase, annual deaths caused by HIV, tuberculosis and malaria will double, many girls will never return to school, and famine may become commonplace once again. Lowcock’s Foreword to the GNO ends with a powerful and sobering warning: “we won’t get a second chance to make the right choice… Human progress is hard won and fragile. History will judge us harshly if we preside over the grand reversal.”
It is a strong call to action for donor states, as they represent the most substantial funding partners for humanitarian organizations. And it’s certainly a convicting message for individuals, as we have the opportunity to generously support organizations on the frontlines of humanitarian emergencies. Yet as a humanitarian, Lowcock’s warnings—backed by the clear data of increasing needs globally—have a personal ring to them. It is my responsibility to do better. We (humanitarians) are continuing to learn about how to provide aid in more effective and efficient manners. Global standards, like the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability, or Sphere, outline clear commitments and expectations that humanitarian should strive to achieve.
And as I work in monitoring and evaluation, I am daily reminded of these commitments to excellence that all humanitarians should have. The theories of change that guide humanitarian responses across all sectors. The indicators and targets that serve as the yardstick of humanitarian progress. The robust feedback mechanisms that ensure that recipients of aid have the opportunity to voice their thoughts and concerns about projects in their communities. These are all good things.
Yet, I’m also aware that we can do better. That’s the premise that guides an organization like Trust. We believe that it is possible to continually improve. Distributions can be done more efficiently. Feedback mechanisms can be more participatory. And in the evaluations and assessments we carry out, it is this question that drives us. How can humanitarian responses be improved so that the needs of affected populations are better met? Often, humanitarians are doing great work. And just as often, work needs to improve. But always, we need to believe that progress is possible. The warnings of the GHO are clear: if we do not act, we will be judged harshly in the history books. As this year comes to a close, and we begin a new year, we must ask ourselves this: will 2021 be a year of hope, or a year of humanitarian grand reversal, in which decades of progress are eroded by conflict, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic? It’s a question that all humanitarians must answer.
About the Author
Jon Self is currently a Junior Officer with Trust’s Business Development Department. He is completing his Master’s in International Humanitarian Action from the University of Uppsala, specializing in forced migration, conflict, and human security.
Read more about Jon on LinkedIn.
Sources
UNOCHA. 2020. “Global Humanitarian Overview 2021.” 01-12-2020. Last accessed 03-12-2020. https://gho.unocha.org/
