26.01.2016

High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing Report to the Secretary-General

Too important to fail - addressing the humanitarian financing gap

United Nations "The world today spends around US$ 25 billion to provide life-saving assistance to 125 million people devastated by wars and natural disasters. While this amount is twelve times greater than fifteen years ago, never before has generosity been so insufficient. Over the last years conflicts and natural disasters have led to fast-growing numbers of people in need and a funding gap for humanitarian action of an estimated US$ 15 billion. This is a lot of money, but not out of reach for a world producing US$ 78 trillion of annual GDP.

(...) Insufficient funding for humanitarian aid means not only more suffering but also a wider spread of global instability. Helping people in distress is morally right, but it is also in the interest of those who support aid. (...) The UN Secretary-General has appointed a nine-person group of experts (“the panel”) to work on finding solutions about this widening financial gap. The panel proposes that governments use the opportunity of the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) to sign up to the concept of a solidarity levy and create a steady revenue stream for humanitarian action." (Photo © flickr)