TRUNA held a meeting about this on 9 April 2016. The Speakers were Martin Barber (former UN employee) and Sara Pantuliano (DIFID).
Martin reported that United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon seemed to want the World Humanitarian Summit and its effects to be his legacy. It had originally been planned for October 2015 but was to finally take place in May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. It would not be inter-governmental and its decisions would not be binding. In the run-up there had been 8 regional consultations involving 23,000 people in 164 countries and one Global Consultation. Five Action Areas were identified: Dignity, Safety, Resilience, Partnerships and Finance. After 438 written submissions and 3 thematic consultations involving more than 2,400 voices, Ban Ki-moon decided to write his own Report. Martin was asked to help with drafting it, acting as an Advisor.
The draft document identified 5 Core Responsibilities in response to the question: “Why is humanitarian aid necessary?”
- Political Action: Not enough is being done in conflict prevention. Why are States not concentrating on protecting humanity?
- International Humanitarian Law: As embodied in the Geneva Convention and Protocol. Why are Organisations such as the Security Council, the General Assembly and the European Union not attempting to stop the breaking of International Law?
- Sustainable Development Goals: “Leave No One Behind” by 2030. How can this be achieved if millions of people are starving and have no access to education and a means of livelihood, being wholly dependent on aid?
- How does humanitarian action need to change? The world needs to stop ignoring the capacity of human beings, to stop concentrating on delivering aid and to try to find out how to help people to help themselves. The whole aid system needed to be re-shaped to assist people to aid themselves.
- Money and resources had to be put into actions to make item (4) above work. At the end of the Summit there would be no agreed General Assembly document.
Sara now took over, explaining that each part of the responsibilities would be broken down, with every Government making its own commitment. There would be high level Round-tables on:-
- Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts.
- Upholding the Norms that Safeguard Humanity.
- Leaving No One Behind A Commitment to Address Forced Displacement.
- Women and Girls: Catalysing Action to Achieve Gender Equality.
- Natural Disasters and Climate Change: Managing Risks and Crises Differently.
- Changing People’s Lives from Delivering Aid to Ending Need.
- Humanitarian Financing: Investing in Humanity (the UK is very involved).