Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told reporters at a briefing in New York that the current crisis was the most severe challenge to international humanitarian work since World War II.
Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefs journalists at UN Headquarters, in New York.
Strengthening local leadership
A key element of the plan is a shift toward more local leadership.
Mr. Fletcher has instructed humanitarian country teams to prioritize funding for local and national organizations, ensuring that those closest to the crises have more control over resources.
“We must shift power to our humanitarian leaders in-country and, ultimately, to the people we serve,” he emphasised.
Tough choices ahead
He acknowledged that many of the upcoming decisions will be painful, as vital programmes will inevitably be cut. He urged humanitarian organizations to be “ruthless” in eliminating inefficiencies and to focus only on the most critical interventions.
Under the plan, UN humanitarian coordinators in crisis-affected countries are required to submit revised strategies by Friday, outlining how they will prioritise urgent life-saving actions while scaling down or discontinuing activities that cannot be maintained.
At the same time new funding sources must be found and the humanitarian system will have to reimagine what it does and how.
“Our mission remains clear: to save as many lives as we can with the resources we have – not the resources we wish we had,” Mr. Fletcher said.