There was less agreement, however, on the extent of the change required and how to implement it. Some were concerned that humanitarian organizations are taking on more responsibilities than they can cope with, and that their mission is growing too large. Managing crisis risk is not something humanitarian organizations can, or should, do alone. It requires wider changes to the way Governments, development organizations and others work to support vulnerable people. This report argues that all aid actors should recognize their shared responsibility to people at risk of crisis, prioritize their efforts according to the risks they face and join forces to help them manage the risks. It looks at how this work could be enhanced within a broader network of activities by international organizations, donors and Government authorities. The report proposes that humanitarian and development efforts must urgently be aligned through joint analysis, planning and programming, funding, leadership and advocacy. Humanitarian and development organizations must transcend the artificial divide between them and address crisis risk according to their comparative advantages. This is not the first time this appeal has been made. But the debate has been reinvigorated by recent crises, such as the global food-price hikes of 2007/8; huge floods in Pakistan in 2010 and 2011; conflict, earthquakes and typhoons in the Philippines; and recurring drought in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel.
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“People have always dealt with disasters like firefighters, as if the risks were completely unavoidable. After the emergency, with the job done, the brave firemen go back to the station, applause ringing in their ears, to wait in ‘stand-by’ mode for the next alert.” Youcef Ait-Chellouche, IFRC14
The timing is right. The world is gearing up to create a new global development framework after 2015, which is likely to require a more integrated approach to poverty reduction and sustainable development. A new agreement will replace the Hyogo Framework for Action on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015.15 And a World Humanitarian Summit is scheduled for 2016, in which managing crisis risk is likely to top the agenda. Although many practical, incremental improvements can and should be made now, the report suggests that a transformation is required; a shift in the way we think about emergencies—from human tragedies that we respond to in the present, to ones we prevent in the future.