A wake-up call - Needs of most vulnerable

A report from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a wake-up call to humanitarian aid agencies around the world.

Its 2018 World Disasters Report shows that such global NGOs must do more to respond to the needs of the world’s most vulnerable people.

While acknowledging that lack of funds is always a factor in reaching out to help those in need, the report reveals that this is not the only issue. It argues that even if all humanitarian appeals were fully funded, many people would still be left behind because of the choices made by donors, humanitarian actors, and the governments of affected states.

International aid agencies have, for many years, been adopting a top-down approach to helping those in need. This formula is no longer appropriate and those organisations need to place more resources and more trust in local and national humanitarian agencies in the places affected.

This commitment to helping people to help themselves has been adopted for many years by development concerns. Disaster and other relief agencies must follow suit.