UN OCHA and Nuffield College, University of Oxford: Global Humanitarian Policy Forum—Working Paper1 Is the international humanitarian system fit-for-purpose in a changing world?

Please refer to the attached file. In a time of global change, humanitarians must consider whether a system founded in the wake of the Second World War and reshaped at the turn of the 20th century is equipped to address the crises of the 21st century. This working paper* reflects on this through the questions posed by Professor Andrew Thompson in setting the scene as the moderator of the fifteenth annual Global Humanitarian Policy Forum (GHPF): What risks and trends face the humanitarian system today? How far did UNGA Resolution 46/182 producing greater coherence, or is the humanitarian system still held back by an unhealthy fragmentation? Are funding cuts best read as an almost inevitable correction following a period of marked expansion, a product of failing public consensus around aid, or as a manifestation of long-term shifts towards other types of humanitarian funding? Is the humanitarian system itself at risk of becoming a repository for all the world’s problems? Across the Forum, panelists and presenters provided a wide range of answers to these questions. This paper summarizes some of these perspectives, each with implications and recommendations for how the humanitarian system should prepare itself for the coming years, and beyond. “History, at least, shows that humanitarians want to make an impression on the world surrounding them but sometimes they have to be in a position to change themselves before they can do that. ” (Professor Thompson) * Working papers are independent research supported by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to extend important debates in humanitarian policy. This paper reflects the views of its contributors and does not necessarily represent the position of OCHA.

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