Post-war order facing ‘greatest test since its creation’: UN relief chief

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The international system set up among the ashes of the Second World War which established the United Nations and other multilateral institutions is now facing the “greatest test since its creation,” the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator said on Thursday.

Tom Fletcher was addressing the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) which was set up by the UN General Assembly in the early 1990s as a coordination forum for humanitarian aid worldwide.

“The humanitarian community confronts a massive funding, morale, and legitimacy crisis,” he said, framing his remarks as personal reflections based on earlier discussions within the IASC.

“We took time to recognize the devastating impact that funding cuts will have on those we serve, our partners, and our teams,” he continued.

Without referencing any specific loss in funding – but against the backdrop of a suspension of most humanitarian spending by the new administration in Washington – Mr. Fletcher appealled for the aid community to be “calm, brave, principled, and united.”

He said they need to make the case strongly for greater international solidarity.

“We can draw confidence from extraordinary progress made by humanitarians over decades. The mission is right. Our allies are still out there. But the delivery system is struggling. We need to be lighter, faster, and less bureaucratic.”

Four-point plan

The UN relief chief said there needed to be four priorities: first, be clear that saving lives is paramount.

“We agreed to remain independent, neutral, and impartial. This does not mean we do not pick a side: we are on the side of those in greatest need.”

Secondly, he said duplication and bureaucracy must be pared down under a new “bold plan” of action.

“Donors must simplify too. We must innovate or become obsolete. We will prioritize robustly and make the toughest choices. I have commissioned urgent work to identify how we could reach the 100 million people in greatest need.”

‘Genuine partnership’ with private sector

He said aid chiefs must find new partners, not just rely on traditional sources and governments. This must include “genuine partnership” with the private sector and the World Bank.

“I believe there is a movement of billions of people who care, and who want to act in solidarity with those in most need. We should launch a public campaign to fill in the gaps left by governments, targeting the equivalent of 0.7 per cent for each country.”

Mr. Fletcher said turf wars between agencies need to end with each organization focusing on what it does “uniquely well”.

Leadership needs to be empowered, he added, with great authority vested in UN Humanitarian Coordinators throughout the system.

Third, there needs to be more devolution, giving more power and accountability to local partners who are suffering the most from cuts.

Fourth, aid workers need to defend their work more robustly.

End impunity

“We need to call time on the era of impunity: end attacks on civilians and aid workers; and hold perpetrators to account. We must communicate more clearly the impact we have and the cost of inaction, with humanity not institutions at the heart of the story.”

Humanitarians worldwide are “underfunded, overstretched and under attack,” he declared, but the argument for lifesaving aid has not been lost: “Our cause is mighty, and our movement is strong.”