Summary, Building a Better World Together: The Future of Humanitarian Action, IASC High-Level Side Event at the Summit of the Future Action Days

Background on the event 

The High-Level Side Event brought together diverse stakeholders, including Member States, the UN, NGOs, the private sector, and key humanitarian and development partners, to discuss the alignment of global humanitarian action with the UN Charter's principles and values. The event assessed current challenges and explored multilateral approaches to enhance the effectiveness of humanitarian responses, particularly for vulnerable populations such as forcibly displaced people, youth, women, girls, and people with disabilities. It emphasized upholding international law, ensuring accountability, and strengthening partnerships to address global crises, reduce disaster risks, and build resilience. The event called for concrete actions to alleviate human suffering, tackle the root causes of crises, and promote respect for international humanitarian law, contributing to sustainable development and peace while ensuring no crisis-affected community is left behind.

Key Issues discussed 

1. Global cooperation and multilateral approaches are needed to address humanitarian crises by integrating humanitarian, development, and peace efforts. 
2. Rising attacks and violence against humanitarian workers, particularly local actors, are hampering humanitarian efforts, alongside the erosion of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). 
3. Humanitarian responses need to be more inclusive, focusing on affected populations and marginalized groups, by involving them meaningfully in planning and policy-making processes. 
4. The growing gap between humanitarian needs and available funding highlights the need for new donors and innovative financing solutions, in addition to strengthening the current humanitarian donor-base. 
5. The inclusion of women in leadership roles and decision-making processes within humanitarian responses is essential.
6.  Humanitarian diplomacy is necessary to enforce International Humanitarian Law (IHL), protect aid workers, and uphold the rights of affected populations. 
7. Decision-making power and resources need to be shifted to local actors and organizations, with particular attention to women-led groups and organizations led by forcibly displaced, to enhance the effectiveness of humanitarian responses. 

Key recommendations for action 

1. Strengthen humanitarian diplomacy and enhance accountability: leverage all political capital to enforce adherence to IHL and ensure stronger accountability for IHL violations, including protecting civilians and aid workers and ensuring humanitarian access in conflict zones. 
2. Address root causes of humanitarian crises: invest in development initiatives that tackle the root causes of crises and forced displacement, building long-term resilience.
3. Broaden the humanitarian donor base: encourage contributions from non-OECD countries, the private sector, and philanthropic institutions to close the humanitarian funding gap. 
4. Invest in the leadership of local communities: increase financing for local organizations, with a special focus on women-led and forcibly displaced-led initiatives, and empower local organizations by ensuring their involvement in decision-making processes. 
5. Promote meaningful participation: ensure affected populations and marginalized groups, including people with disabilities are continuously involved in all aspects of humanitarian planning and response. 
6. Enhance effectiveness of humanitarian response: promote the adoption of innovative approaches and technologies to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian responses, ensuring faster and more targeted aid delivery to affected populations.