National Humanitarian Action

Humanitarian crises occur when human, material, economic or environmental impacts of natural or man-made disasters exceed the coping abilities of the affected community. People fight for survival in times of wrecked livelihoods, rampaging diseases, mass displacement and ever-limited supply of fundamental natural resources.

Humanitarian interventions can contribute to sustainable development when they take a longer-term approach to disaster management, systemically reducing the risk of future disasters and increasing community resilience.

Humanitarian emergencies remain one of the biggest development challenges of the 21st century. Vulnerability, poverty and suffering that follow natural disasters have significant implications for development policy. Disasters increase poverty and reverse development when people lose lives and livelihoods. Poverty deprives people of food, health, education and other resources. Lack of resource further contributes to vulnerability and increases the risk of suffering (injury, death and loss of livelihoods) in the face of health hazards, natural disasters and violence.

Policy and intervention response to emergencies need to involve long-term development interventions aimed at enhancing economic and social development, reducing poverty, rebuilding sustainable livelihoods and strengthening the resilience of populations to future shocks. Addressing the underlying causes of vulnerability to the impacts of emergencies is crucial to sustainable development, and an emphasis on addressing the root causes of crises, building resilience, and preventing risks would help move the world from delivering aid to ending need.

Incorporating sustainability into humanitarian action is key to ensuring more effective and accountable intervention plans and systems.