People hit by disaster want us to do much better, says humanitarian chief

Head of world humanitarian summit urges greater role for local groups and warns against any politicisation of aid, reports the Guardian. Speaking in November, Stephen O’Brien, the UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said no single country or organisation could deal with the protracted crises, urban need and fragility that are now the new normal.

“The landscape in which we are operating is changing. We must all adapt and evolve. Business as usual is simply not good enough,” he said. “Whereas 2015 will be remembered for setting new frameworks, 2016 will be assessed by its ability to start translating these into action.”

Among the priorities for the summit are building resilience in an increasingly fragile world, better preparation for disasters, and giving a bigger role to local NGOs and the private sector. Another hot issue will be the plight of millions of people driven from their homes by war and poverty.