“We can adapt to anything, but not to war”
From the DRC to South Sudan to Ukraine, communities share stories of living through crisis: losing loved ones, fleeing to find refuge, suffering under daily bombardments, surviving without even the most basic services and struggling to rebuild in the face of the combined impacts of climate and conflict. They also tell stories of mutual solidarity, demand respect for their right to live in safety and dignity, and clearly say how they want humanitarians to support them.
Today, however, humanitarian action faces deep uncertainty. It has always had to navigate complex local and global politics, but the combination of deliberate and mounting obstacles to assisting and protecting people and precipitous drops in funding makes this moment different. Humanitarian responses are being reconfigured to this new reality. Any refashioning of humanitarian action that does not fully take into account the perspectives of conflict-affected communities and humanitarian early responders will, however, remain incomplete.
This report is one attempt to hear these perspectives. It draws on the views shared by communities, a range of National Societies working in conflict, local authorities, service providers, national and international NGOs, UN agencies, development and climate actors, faith-based organizations and think tanks.
Understanding how these actors see the key trends shaping needs and the environment for humanitarian action, and the dilemmas they grapple with every day, is essential to understanding how to respond to these challenges. So, too, is understanding the impacts of deep cuts in specific contexts; how these have affected the trust and acceptance of humanitarian actors by communities and local authorities; the impossible choices this is forcing humanitarians to make in how they deliver protection and assistance, and on whom they focus their remaining efforts; and the adaptive approaches and partnerships that are needed to meet this moment of profound change.
The report contains key findings and recommendations for key stakeholders – states, humanitarians, development actors – to take real action on our collective responsibilities to communities affected by conflict.
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