Responding To Humanitarian Needs

Never for decades has the world experienced so many simultaneous serious humanitarian crises. Natural disasters (in 2015 the earthquake in Nepal) were added to armed conflicts. With the crisis in Iraq and Syria alone, the number of people affected exceeded 13 million and the number of refugees from that region reached 4 million.

The objective of humanitarian assistance is to provide assistance and protection to vulnerable people and to meet the needs of populations at risk. Kim humanitarian work is based on the core values of humanity and solidarity; its implementation rests on the fundamental principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and respect for independence.

In humanitarian crises, various actors intervene, including numerous and diverse humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These play a fundamental role in coordination with the United Nations and some bilateral support.

However, they are now facing increasing obstacles in meeting the needs: access to populations is restricted for security or political reasons, and donor budgets are unable to keep up with needs.

Since 2007 the Humanitarian Commission has brought together member NGOs with significant activities in emergency aid (natural disasters and conflicts) and actions in crisis and post-crisis contexts.