{"id":12788,"date":"2023-08-18T11:04:14","date_gmt":"2023-08-18T15:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/?p=12788"},"modified":"2023-08-23T11:50:06","modified_gmt":"2023-08-23T15:50:06","slug":"world-humanitarian-day-2023-rising-to-growing-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/world-humanitarian-day-2023-rising-to-growing-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"World Humanitarian Day 2023: Rising to growing challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pictured above, Save the Children – a partner with the Australian Humanitarian Partnership – works with government to distribute humanitarian relief supplies on Efate, Vanuatu after twin tropical cyclones hit the country in March 2023. Credit: Elisa Mondou, Save the Children Vanuatu<\/em><\/p>\n

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By Ashlee Betteridge, Communications and Visibility Manager, Australian Humanitarian Partnership Support Unit<\/span> \u2013 Alinea Asia-Pacific<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the<\/span> <\/span>UN<\/span> Global Humanitarian Overview<\/span><\/span><\/a>, at the beginning of 2022, <\/span>around <\/span>274 million people globally need<\/span>ed<\/span> humanitarian <\/span>assistance<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>By 2023, this number reached 339 million – a staggering 24 per cent increase.\u00a0<\/span>This means that one in every 23 people on the planet needs humanitarian aid.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M<\/span>anag<\/span>ing<\/span> th<\/span>is<\/span> rising and unprecedented <\/span>demand<\/span> is front of mind for those working in the sector<\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

World Humanitarian Day<\/span><\/span><\/a> is an opportunity to reflect on the challenge and costs of rapidly escalating<\/span>, complex<\/span> cris<\/span>e<\/span>s.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Historically, t<\/span>h<\/span>is<\/span> day <\/span>recognise<\/span>s<\/span> the commitment and risk faced by<\/span> those on the<\/span> humanitarian <\/span>frontline<\/span>, <\/span>commemorating<\/span> the <\/span><\/span>tragic <\/span>deaths<\/span> of 22 aid workers<\/span><\/span><\/a> in <\/span>a<\/span> 2003<\/span> bomb attack in <\/span>Baghdad<\/span>. In this spirit,<\/span> the<\/span> theme <\/span>for 2023<\/span> is #NoMatterWhat: <\/span>A<\/span>cknowledging h<\/span>umanitarian work is difficult and dangerous, but<\/span> we <\/span>can<\/span>not<\/span> give up on our commitment <\/span>to <\/span>deliver life-saving <\/span>assistance<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

T<\/span>o rise to this challenge,<\/span> aid workers<\/span> need more than applause and gratitude <\/span>for<\/span> their<\/span> sacrifices<\/span>.<\/span> Systems-level changes are necessary<\/span> to have any chance of meeting<\/span> the<\/span> ever-<\/span>growing <\/span>demands on the humanitarian s<\/span>ector<\/span> while supporting<\/span> the<\/span> often<\/span>–<\/span>over<\/span>burdened<\/span> individuals that <\/span>comprise<\/span> it<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Investing in preparedness, and<\/span> local systems and capacity<\/span>, is one path forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Australian Humanitarian Partnership Support Unit<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Through the <\/span><\/span>Australian Humanitarian Partnership<\/span><\/span><\/a> (<\/span>AHP<\/span>)<\/span>, Australia is <\/span>increasingly supporting local NGOs and civil society to <\/span>take the lead on <\/span>humanitarian response<\/span> –<\/span> a key tenant of the Grand Bargain<\/span> –<\/span> and better prepare and coordinate before disaster strikes.<\/span><\/span> AHP is a partnership between the Australian Government and six leading Australian NGOs to save lives, alleviate suffering<\/span>,<\/span> and enhance human dignity in the face of conflict, disasters<\/span>,<\/span> and other crises. <\/span><\/span>Alinea <\/span>Asia-Pacific<\/span> operates<\/span> the AHP Support Unit, which <\/span>provides<\/span> a range of <\/span>services<\/span>, MEL<\/span>,<\/span> and communications <\/span>functions<\/span> to <\/span>Australia\u2019s<\/span> Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and partner NGOs to <\/span>facilitate<\/span> the program.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While localisation is <\/span>by no means<\/span> a new <\/span>discussion<\/span> in the humanitarian space, <\/span>the <\/span>COVID-19 <\/span>pandemic <\/span>and other pressures <\/span>moved <\/span>the needle. For AHP, the clearest indicator <\/span>is the <\/span>pronounced<\/span> shift in funding distribution to local partners<\/span> for humanitarian response<\/span>: <\/span>I<\/span>ncreasing from <\/span>21<\/span> per cent<\/span> in 2018 to 48<\/span> per cent<\/span> in 2023.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>This <\/span>enhanced level of <\/span>r<\/span>esourcing<\/span> to local organisations, who are always first on the ground when crisis hits,<\/span> is critical<\/span>,<\/span> b<\/span>ut so are other forms of support.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pacific <\/span>I<\/span>slands are Australia\u2019s nearest neighbours and among the world\u2019s highest risk countries for disaster<\/span>s<\/span> and climate <\/span>impacts<\/span>. <\/span>Investments in resilience and <\/span>preparedness<\/span>, like the AHP Disaster READY <\/span>P<\/span>rogram<\/span>,<\/span> are not only a platform for increased local leadership, but <\/span>a tool <\/span>to <\/span>support communities <\/span>to take their own life-saving actions.<\/span> This program supports <\/span>communities in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea<\/span>,<\/span> and Timor-Leste.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Anticipatory Action<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On this front, AHP <\/span>recently<\/span> launched a pilot program, with support of the Australian Government, to look at the role of Anticipatory Action in the Pacific<\/span> with trials going ahead in <\/span>in Timor-Leste, Vanuatu<\/span>,<\/span> and P<\/span>apua New Guinea<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a growing body of evidence that actions to support communities prior to an imminent hazard are <\/span>a <\/span>more cost-effective investment than responding after an event. <\/span><\/span>Anticipatory Action<\/span> refers to<\/span> a set of interventions carried out when a hazard poses imminent danger based on a forecast, early warning, or pre-disaster risk analysis.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By shifting the focus of response to the pre-crisis space, Anticipatory Action allow<\/span>s<\/span> humanitarians and affected communities to make informed decisions ahead of disaster events \u2013 saving time and money; preventing displacement, disease<\/span>,<\/span> and loss <\/span>of livelihood<\/span>s<\/span>; and preserving the dignity of those affected.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AHP partners work tirelessly to respond to <\/span>crisis<\/span>, as well as <\/span>to <\/span>collectively support learning and constant improvement. The lessons take<\/span>n<\/span> from Anticipatory Action<\/span> have the potential to<\/span> support a more responsive humanitarian future<\/span> in the Pacific<\/span> and beyond<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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#NoMatterWhat<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The<\/span> work of dedicated<\/span>, global <\/span>humanitarians will always be needed<\/span>. <\/span>However, <\/span>innovations in prepar<\/span>ation<\/span> for and respon<\/span>se<\/span> to crises<\/span>, particularly at the local level, will ensure <\/span>this sector <\/span>can continue to<\/span> meet the growing challenge of saving lives and enhancing dignity. No matter where, no matter who, #NoMatterWhat.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Systems-level changes are necessary to have any chance of meeting the ever-growing demands on the humanitarian sector while supporting the often-overburdened individuals that comprise it.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":12789,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1277,1290,526],"tags":[1285,720,568,967,1283,1279,546,620,1281],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12788"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12788"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12806,"href":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12788\/revisions\/12806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alineainternational.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}