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Reform of humanitarian aid urgent, says UN chief ahead of summit

by Sebastien Malo | @SebastienMalo | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Tuesday, 9 February 2016 19:26 GMT

Palestinian boys walks past the remains of their family's dwelling, that was funded by the EU's humanitarian arm, after it was demolished by Israeli forces, near the West Bank village of Al-Eizariya, near east of Jerusalem January 21, 2016. REUTERS/Abdelrahman Younis

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"The scale of humanitarian needs at this time is just extraordinary," said U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon

NEW YORK, Feb 9 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - World leaders must change the way they handle humanitarian crises, which are taking an unprecedented toll on civilians, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday.

"The scale of humanitarian needs at this time is just extraordinary," the U.N. Secretary-General said, releasing a draft report ahead of the first summit dedicated to humanitarian responses. "We must accept our shared responsibilities."

Ban's report outlined core responsibilities that should guide governments, U.N. agencies, humanitarian charities and the private sector preparing to attend the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May.

Numerous humanitarian crises will confront the summit participants, from large-scale civilian suffering stemming from conflict in the Middle East and oppression and poverty elsewhere to the rising number and severity of climate-related disasters.

Ban emphasized the urgency of political solidarity in rethinking humanitarian aid, saying that addressing many of today's global ills exceeds the capacity of any single country.

The draft report gives clues to the themes world leaders will discuss at the summit in their drive to reform, coordinate and step up humanitarian action.

It highlights a set of five "core responsibilities" for them to grapple with, from political leadership to the importance of upholding humanitarian laws in armed conflict.

Another action point - finding smarter ways to raise funds in times of crisis - echoes the recommendations of a UN panel which last month suggested innovative sources of finance, such as smartphone apps and wealthy Islamic donors, to address a shortfall in global humanitarian aid.

The weaknesses of current humanitarian efforts were laid bare last month when aid convoys were allowed into three besieged Syrian towns - Madaya, al Foua and Kefraya - only after their residents had begun dying of starvation.

A UN report issued on Monday, backing the need for change, said the World Health Organization (WHO) needed urgent reform to improve its ability to respond to crises, and added that failure to act now could cost thousands of lives.

The report was the latest in a series of reviews by global health experts which have been sharply critical of the WHO's response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

Questions remain as to what the Istanbul summit can achieve, given that its conclusions will not be legally binding on participants.

But the UK-based aid agency Oxfam welcomed the direction preparations were taking.

"The UN Secretary-General's report places emphasis on the need for political solutions to solve some of the world's worst crises. This couldn't be truer," Oxfam spokeswoman Charlotte Stemmer said in a statement.

"World leaders should deal with world problems."

(Reporting by Sebastien Malo, editing by Tim Pearce. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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