Paper details
| Paper authors | Gemma Davies, Felicity Gray, Veronique Barbelet |
| In panel on | Protecting civilians in a changing world order |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
In-Person / |
Abstract
Even before recent drastic funding cuts, the humanitarian system was at breaking point. The proliferation of protracted conflicts and polycrises, an increasingly complex and costly aid architecture, along with a crisis of legitimacy, have led to increasing claims that the system is no longer fit for purpose.
The ongoing push for prioritisation risks going ‘back to basics’ with a reversion to simplistic approaches focused on top-down, narrow, and often inaccurate notions of ‘life-saving’ assistance, and further deprioritisation of protection. These risks are now significantly exacerbated due to the level of uncertainty in the humanitarian sector and calls for a ‘humanitarian reset’.
Could the current crisis in the sector be a wake-up call? Current shocks should force the humanitarian sector to do things differently. If necessary changes are to be for the better, coherent and coordinated action will be required, with a recognition that protection is core to humanitarian action. In a context of significantly fewer available resources and calls for reform, there is an urgency to:
- reprioritise and refocus humanitarian protection action, to ensure it is proactively focused on reducing civilian harm;
- demonstrate the impact of limited resources for preventing abuses on reducing civilian harm and need;
- focus on the most relevant actions that communities are requesting to improve their safety and security.
