‘Suffering, pain unprecedented, we must stand up for humans’

Other Voices

By Philippe Lazzarini

NEXT month, world leaders will convene in Istanbul for the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit to discuss ways to address the unprecedented and complex humanitarian crises of our times.

The level of human suffering is staggering — 125 million people in 37 countries around the world require humanitarian assistance. Brutal conflicts are devastating the lives of millions of people and have led to unprecedented numbers of refugees and internally displaced people. Nearly 60 million people have been forced to flee their homes, half of them children, and the number is only growing.

Ahead of the Summit, the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations has called for a renewed commitment by all parties and actors to limit the effects of war on civilians and societies, reframing humanitarian action as acts of solidarity. He has set out core responsibilities for the international community, which are “critical for delivering better for humanity”. These include political leaders to put compassion and courage at the heart of their collective decision-making and show the will to prevent and end crisis; States to respect international humanitarian and human rights laws and ensure that violators will be held to account; leaders to empower and protect the most vulnerable leaving no one behind; better preparedness for natural disasters and crises; and finally increased, more flexible and innovative funding to address the impact of the crises worldwide.

The message is clear; we are now at a critical juncture in the world where we need to stand up for our common humanity. The Lebanese can and do serve as an example to the world of such commitment. But the Lebanon example also shows the limits of the traditional paradigm in responding to protracted crises.

For the last five years, Lebanon has been at the forefront of one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time. Despite its limited resources, political challenges and security concerns, Lebanon has shown exceptional commitment and solidarity and has opened its door to over one million refugees fleeing war-torn Syria. Today, one out of three people in Lebanon is either Syrian or Palestinian. Lebanese communities have opened their schools, their clinics and even their homes to hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have fled their country and in many cases lost everything.

The world owes the Lebanese people

Lazzarini

and authorities a great debt for their generosity. International partners are providing considerable support to the country. In 2015 alone, humanitarian assistance amounted to over $1.3 billion and funding is expected to reach similar if not higher levels in 2016. Nevertheless, as we enter the sixth year of the conflict, Lebanon is stretched to the limits. The needs of the refugees is outpacing the ability of the hosting communities to provide adequate services and stability can no longer be taken for granted.

Lebanon’s experience shows that humanitarian assistance alone cannot address the protracted nature of the Syria crisis. We need innovative responses that target Lebanese and Syrians alike. Refugees want to go home. But, when displaced, they should be able to live in dignity. When they return home, they must be able to quickly contribute to rebuilding their country. At the same time, we have to support Lebanon in reversing its economic decline by strengthening key productive sectors and modernizing the country’s infrastructure, all of which will make the country more able to manage the impact of the crisis but also make it an anchor for stability and driver for reconstruction in the region.

At the London conference in February, Lebanon presented its vision on how to transform the crisis into an opportunity to build for the future. This means enabling universal access to education for both Lebanese and Syrian refugees. It also means investments to stimulate economic growth and opportunities to create jobs for Syrian refugees and Lebanese. The international community pledged its support to the Government in this ambitious vision and is delivering on this commitment.

This World Humanitarian Summit is an occasion to promote Lebanon’s example in transforming the traditional humanitarian response. We need to encompass the changing role of aid in protracted crises where increasing the capacity of Lebanese host communities and institutions is key to sustain stability.

The Summit is also an opportunity for all of us to show our solidarity and support to the 125 million people in immediate crisis, but also to those who are at the forefront of the response, demonstrating the strength of humanity through their commitment to be at the side of people in need.

Most and foremost the Summit is a unique chance to generate the momentum for change, to stand together and show that we will not accept the erosion of humanity, which we are witnessing today.

This will be our investment in humanity, in which no one is left behind.

Follow Philippe Lazzarini on twitter: @UNLazzarini

To know more about the WHS please visit: https://www.worldhumanitariansummit.org/ and follow @WHSummit