Humanitarian Actors Should Not Create Dependency for Refugees, Displaced Persons, Deputy Secretary-General Tells World Summit

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks at the World Humanitarian Summit Global Consultation, today in Geneva, Switzerland:

The World Humanitarian Summit has been planned for years — and its historic relevance is growing every day.

Our world is confronting huge, almost uncontrollable human disasters.  You know the staggering numbers: 100 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance — and at least 60 million people forced to flee their homes or their countries.  These are global challenges which demand global responses and solidarity.

To begin, I bring you two messages from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.  One — to prove to the vulnerable and afflicted people around the world that leaders hear their voices and are responding with compassion and resolve.  And two — engage in committed and innovative preparations for the Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul to ensure that it is truly a meaningful step forward for the humanitarian imperative.

I also want to pay tribute to Switzerland for its work in the humanitarian field — particularly here in Geneva, the capital of United Nations humanitarian action in the world and the home of the ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] and IFRC [International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies].  The United Nations is very glad to have you as partners in this important work, and we thank you warmly.

Humanitarian action will never replace political solutions to conflict.  The United Nations primary goal is to find peaceful and enduring settlements.  At the same time, we have to save lives in humanitarian crises, often while conflicts rage. 

The communications revolution has brought the world to the tips of our fingers. This has raised our knowledge level.  It should also spur us to compassionate action.  We must not become numb to human suffering because of information overload.

The numbers of afflicted people are overwhelming.  But let us remember: they are not numbers.  These are men, women and children enduring searing suffering and pain.  All refugees deserve safety.  Every migrant has the right to dignity.  No one should have to live with violence, discrimination or abuse of human rights.

All of us have a responsibility, individually and collectively, to act.

Here I want to pay tribute to the outstanding work of our humanitarian personnel and our many partners, who brave difficult conditions to help others — often risking their own lives.  They are doing an incredible job against mounting odds.  Yes, there is a lack of access, a lack of security, and of course a lack of resources.  But even more alarming to me is the growing lack of respect for international humanitarian law, so glaringly obvious recently in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and Afghanistan.

Not only do we see a competition in unspeakable brutality among terrorist groups.  We also see Governments using weapons with indiscriminate effects, disregarding protection of civilians and the principle of proportionality.

We all know that our humanitarian system, built on [General Assembly] resolution 46/182 of 1991, of which I have some experience and familiarity, is stretched and struggling.  [Resolution] 46/182 is important in itself in terms of substance.  But it is also important in giving a mandate from Member States for humanitarian action.

The demands are growing faster than our capacity and resources.  If we do not address this serious stress symptom, we will have an even steeper hill to climb in the future.  We have to get adequate means and we must do more on prevention, as well as on connecting humanitarian work to development.

I thank the Member States, many present here today, who have generously contributed funding to humanitarian programmes over the past trying years.

For 2015, the United Nations asked for nearly $20 billion to meet humanitarian needs — six times the level of a decade ago.  With these demands, we must explore ways to optimize our impact and streamline our efforts.  We must be innovative and adapt to future conditions.

We should forge new partnerships, capitalize on technology and find new ways of operating, not least by letting women and young people be part of the solutions.  We should empower local actors to meet the needs of their people.  We always do more and better together than we do apart, in particular at the side of civil society, the private sector and the academic community.  And we should not underestimate the potential of information technology and social media in reaching and mobilizing the general public.

The Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul next year presents an historic opportunity to transform aspiration into reality.  That takes political will, resources and innovative methods of work and partnerships.

A key objective for all of us must be to link humanitarian work to prevention, resilience and development. 

The General Assembly’s adoption on 25 September of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was an unprecedented global commitment to transformative change and to leaving no one behind.

The World Humanitarian Summit must build on the momentum of the SDGs by actions to help countries and communities better cope with crises and disasters — natural and man-made.  We simply have to be more resilient to shocks.  The Sendai conference sent a powerful signal of the need for disaster risk reduction.

We know that humanitarian crises often result from conflicts or failures of prevention and development.  The impact of such crises is most serious in societies which have not built resilience into their infrastructure and social protection programmes.

We often talk about the transition from relief to development, the “humanitarian-development continuum”.  It is now time to ensure that humanitarian and development work is conducted in parallel, or in logical sequence.  This would make us truly effective — both in reducing human suffering and in promoting development.

There are several areas where humanitarian and development actors can come together and cooperate.  First, by joint analysis, identifying countries likely to experience humanitarian crises.  And also by jointly planning interventions to prevent emergencies or reduce their impact.  Secondly, by identifying situations or countries where development assistance can complement life-saving humanitarian assistance.  Thirdly, by supporting programs for both support and self-reliance for refugees and displaced persons and their families.  These vulnerable groups will benefit most from humanitarian and development actors working well together.

For these efforts to take hold, the policy and operational models of work of both the humanitarian and the development agencies must be refined and elaborated.  Humanitarian actors should move away from approaches which contribute to lasting dependency for refugees or displaced populations.  And development actors should play a more proactive role in preventing, responding to and healing humanitarian emergencies

I think of the example from my work in Darfur in 2007 when I was asked by one of the combatants to “prove to us that peace is better than war”.  When I asked what they wanted they pointed to their village well, where the enemy had thrown a dead dog, meaning half the people of the village had left for lack of water, and said:  “We want you to restore this well.  We also want a midwife to come to help our women give birth safely.  And we want work for the young men returning from battle — they can build a road to our neighbouring village”.

For me, this was one of the clearest examples of the linkage between peace, development and humanitarian action.

Relevant to all these issues are the conclusions of the High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing.  We are counting on the Panel to make creative recommendations on how funding for humanitarian emergencies can be expanded, be connected to development, and made more effective and efficient.

Today’s meeting here in Geneva is a milestone on the road to the Summit in Istanbul.  Over the past year and a half, you have held a broad global consultation, involving Member States as well as affected local communities, civil society and the private sector.

This exercise has produced a resounding call to place people at the heart of the global agenda.  The consultations have called for leadership to carry out a transformation in how we deliver for our fellow human beings in need.

I know that all parts of the United Nations system will have to work closer together, be innovative and continue to reform.  This we must do.  I call on all Member States and other stakeholders to also heed the Secretary-General’s call for shared responsibility to assist the most vulnerable around the world.

The Global Consultation marks the beginning of a new phase in this critical process.  We must now focus on the many useful proposals made during the consultations and arrive at a set of key recommendations for the Istanbul Summit.

The UN Synthesis Report, issued on 6 October, has called for action around five key concepts: dignity, safety, resilience, partnerships and finance.  The Synthesis Report calls for an integrated approach to humanitarian action, sustainable development, and the creation of peaceful societies.  It requires solutions and actions dealing with root causes. It requires inclusive partnerships.  And it requires new and diverse sources of funding.

Early next year, the Secretary-General will issue his Report on the World Humanitarian Summit.  It will establish his vision for this landmark event and spell out the actions and commitments we need.  It will demonstrate that our challenges are transnational, interconnected and go well beyond individual countries or humanitarian agencies.

The Secretary-General’s report is to be the basis for the outcome at Istanbul and beyond, taking into consideration the proposals of the Synthesis Report and the recommendations and commitments stemming from this important Global Consultation.  It will also draw on the major United Nations change agenda ranging from the Sendai to the Addis, New York and Paris Conferences during 2015.

The needs and tasks are enormous.  Our responsibility is heavy — but also inspiring — in view of the expectations of vulnerable people around the world.  We should see the Summit as an opportunity to prove that our ambitious vision of a life of dignity for all is achievable if we retain and strengthen our sense of justice and solidarity.

Finally, we must also realize that doing the right thing is also in our enlightened self-interest.  Helping human beings in need means that we safe-guard a better future for all — yes, for all.

It is no coincidence that the authors of the United Nations Charter wisely and carefully chose as the first three words — “We the Peoples”.  It is to the peoples of the world that we ultimately are responsible and accountable.

I thank you for your attention and wish you successful deliberations on living up to the humanitarian imperative.