Humanitarian aid, a crucial resource in the global fight against poverty and disease and the most prominent crisis response is at a turning point as many within the field of humanitarian assistance are advocating for a new future for global aid. Humanitarian aid is often serves to address immediate needs in a crisis, focusing on people rather than development sectors, with the direct goal of saving lives and alleviating suffering. This aid is typically possible through the saturation of crisis zones with basic necessities like structures, food and medical supplies.

While the goals of humanitarian aid appear to involve straightforward resource distribution, the implementation often presents unforeseen challenges. Foreign responses to crises have been criticized for their shortcomings in cultural competency and the lack of proper infrastructure to effectively distribute these important resources. Recent experts in the field have advocated for a new structure for humanitarian aid to address these challenges and create a more sustainable vision.

Expert Report on Humanitarian Aid

A technical expert in protection projects spoke with The Borgen Project on the growingly prominent discourse regarding humanitarian aid. The source, who spent more than a decade abroad working on-site at the United Nations (U.N.) refugee camps in Greece, Tunisia and Myanmar, wishes to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the work. She explains, “The problem with humanitarian aid is that, essentially, it is a relatively new field. Basic standards were not really established until the nineties. Because of that, the humanitarian field takes a lot of time to catch up to where many other fields are in terms of adapting to the times.”

The Evolution of Foreign Aid

While foreign aid is a concept that began long before the ’90s, the system in use by developed nations today is relatively new. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the primary U.S. aid organization, was not established until the 1960s and evolved into its current form in the early 2000s. Foreign aid has undergone many changes throughout the years to adapt to emerging political ideologies and needs. This expert believes another period of transformation is ongoing. Since COVID-19 affected the global economy, the need for aid and multidimensional aid in particular has increased. 

The Potential Impact of Local Collaboration

The eighth Secretary-General of the U.N., Ban Ki-Moon, spoke of this issue in 2016, but there are no big changes yet. He explained that current conflict trends require a reimagining of future humanitarian action. “The starting point is a fundamental shift in our approach, away from crisis response and towards crisis prevention, by reducing vulnerabilities and managing risks,” he said. This can largely be accomplished by moving away from “individual projects with short term goals” and toward longer timelines that can be sustained within the community. He emphasized working with local actors and supporting existing support structures rather than replacing them amidst a crisis. 

Ki-Moon’s beliefs are echoed by the technical expert as she explains, “So one of the things that, for example, is talked about a lot is trying to shift to needs-based and more tailored assistance based on what are the specific needs of the population rather than a blanket just assuming that, oh, everyone wants X, Y, Z, but in reality that is not the case.” Tailoring needs to a specific population can make a rapid response more complex, but it can also be the difference between effective and ineffective aid. If a larger organization adopts a ‘one size fits all’ approach to aid, it assumes the world is homogeneous. Understanding cultural differences and norms is crucial for respecting communities and ensuring that aid does more good than harm.

Comparing Long-term and Short-term Aid

By collaborating with local communities, it becomes possible to establish a longer-term support system. The technical expert points out that current humanitarian funding typically spans just one or two years, prompting discussions about the need for sustainable, extended programs. This entails adopting a more integrated approach, where humanitarian and development aid, two historically separate sectors, can be combined to create a more enduring vision. Instead of solely relying on reactive humanitarian assistance, humanitarian aid can be used to lay the foundation for the distribution of basic necessities. This approach enhances the effectiveness of reactive aid by integrating infrastructure and involving community members experienced in aid distribution from the outset.

Furthermore, short-term aid has limitations in its ability to support vulnerable populations. The expert explains, “When you have one year of funding, that does not really create long-term change when we are talking about soft sectors. So that is when I am talking about protection as a soft sector because it is making sure that you reduce the amount of gender-based violence or child abuse and you increase awareness of people’s rights and increase awareness about their land rights and stuff like that. So those things take a much longer time to be able to see that difference.” Crisis response can go beyond survival if the focus shifts to a more sustainable vision. 

An interesting tool to establish these longer-term, local-based visions of aid is cash rather than resources. In the same address, Ki-Moon stated that the U.N. must add “cash payments based on risk analysis to the traditional mix.” Over the last decade, cash has increased and shown to be effective in the correct settings. It is handed directly to local populations who understand the exact needs of the community and do not need to be trained in cultural competency. 

Looking Ahead

The transition toward cash is beneficial. She elaborates, “With cash, there is a lot of struggle between how to manage that to make sure that it is not causing harm and that it is not being exploited by different staff organizations or even the women and people who are vulnerable get it being able to access it if there is a head of household. So that is still being figured out, which is good, but it is not commonplace yet.” The shift to local, sustainable and cash-based aid endeavors may be challenging, but many argue it is the necessary step for the longevity of foreign aid programs. 

-Nikki Bayat
Photo: Flickr