* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
REDEFINING SUCCESS: THE CASE FOR RADICAL CHANGE
Today we are faced with an overwhelming rise in the needs of people affected by humanitarian crises and the resulting costs of responding.
The current systems for relief and response are struggling to keep up and the World Humanitarian Summit provides an opportunity to reshape aid and better support those in need. UNICEF and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) are not only ready to step up - we are already making changes.
Together with leading humanitarian organizations, research institutes and private sector philanthropists, we have convened the One Billion Coalition for Resilience. This initiative will create and champion new partnerships, new technology and new investment models that result in people taking action to reduce their own vulnerability.
COLLABORATION AND COMPLEMENTARITY
The One Billion Coalition for Resilience recognizes that no one organization or system can deliver what is needed. But by working together with Governments, businesses, community groups, individuals and research institutes, we have the expertise and resources to help people better respond to crises, prepare and mitigate risks and hazards.
Zurich Insurance for instance provides expertise on resilience measurement to strengthen accountability and impact monitoring. MUrgency provides a digital tool to mobilize first responders around the world. Lockheed Martin is adapting tools to map risks that communities identify in real time, in order to visualize resources and needs on a heat map for national and local coalitions to use in preparedness and response.
These are just some examples of greater collaborative efficiency in action. Each are models that deliver the participation revolution called for in the Grand Bargain.
DRIVING SMART INVESTMENT
Evidence shows that when individuals and communities are better equipped to cope and respond to crises this saves lives and money by reducing their needs. Through true collaboration and wise investment, we can and must help people to realise this and achieve our ultimate goal - fewer lives disrupted or lost due to disaster, conflict and disease.
If we are truly here to work alongside communities, on the road to resilience, we must place MEN, WOMEN AND CHIlLDREN affected by crisis at the heart of our programmes. We can better achieve this through initiatives that eliminate duplication, and invite donors to become engaged partners with direct access to support local and national responders.
TOO IMPORTANT TO FAIL
We’re focused on a bigger vision to achieve the scale of change required to meet escalating humanitarian need. The One Billion Coalition for Resilience is that vision and is based on the idea that together we are stronger, and our strength lies in our diversity.
The One Billion Coalition for Resilience asks communities and partners to do exactly this. It is nothing short of the global paradigm shift called for by the World Humanitarian Summit, and it is essential to meet our global commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
