Putting humanity first: Addressing conflicts and climate change - Department of Ecosystems and Conservation

Opening Remarks for ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment:

“Putting humanity first in the face of conflicts and climate change: strengthening humanitarian assistance and respect for international humanitarian law, and promoting effectiveness, innovation and partnerships”

As delivered

Thank you very much, Mr. Vice President.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, colleagues,

Eight years ago, the world gathered in Istanbul for the World Humanitarian Summit. What emerged was a vow to put humanity — to put people’s safety, dignity and the right to thrive — at the very heart of global decision-making.

That I stand before you today to call for us to honor that very same vow means we have yet to fulfil the promise we made all those years ago.

If we need evidence of this, then we need only look around.

The world is in a state of permanent crisis.

Conflict and climate disasters are driving record levels of displacement.

Humanitarian crises are more frequent, complex, entangled and longer lasting than ever.

Violations of international humanitarian law are rising, fueled by a culture of impunity that has emboldened warmongers.

Starvation, sieges and sexual violence are increasingly used as weapons of war while civilians, humanitarian workers, hospitals and schools are treated like legitimate military targets.

Poverty and inequality are rising too, and with them the needs of people who deserve better.

And turbocharging all of this is a climate and ecological crisis that forces us to question our faith in the inevitability of human progress as it begins to erode our only life support system, plunging millions of people into a world of fire, flood and famine.

And despite these massive needs funding is drying up, forcing humanitarian operations to make massive cuts.

All of this is putting immense strain on the global humanitarian system.

So, I stand here today saddened that, for the more than 300 million people in urgent need of assistance, humanity has been reduced to little more than a daily struggle for life.

But I also stand here immensely proud of just how much the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and our partners around the world have achieved despite the limited resources and growing challenges.

We are now more efficient, effective and accountable than ever.

Eighty percent of our humanitarian response teams are now guided by leaders from national and local organizations.

And we’re getting better at anticipating threats so that people can prepare for disaster before it strikes.

And I am in awe of frontline responders who continue to display astonishing levels of sacrifice, resolve and courage to reach people in their darkest hour.

Aid workers in Gaza forced to navigate checkpoints, unexploded bombs, lawlessness and intense fighting.
Women in Somalia transforming the lives of people forced to flee violence and drought.
And humanitarian workers who continue to care for others even as their own lives are upended by disaster.

These people know exactly what it means to put humanity first. They do it every single day, no matter the cost.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Putting humanity first isn’t just a nice slogan.

It is a radical response to today’s increasingly complex, entangled and existential crises.

By putting the innate dignity and worth of every human at the center of everything we do, we can transform the systems that are in the way of progress.

Achieving this will require innovation and courage.

It will require changing our institutional cultures so that we are fully accountable to the people we serve.

It will require building new partnerships with local humanitarian organizations and then fully resourcing them so they can lead the response to the world’s disasters.

And it will require redistributing power so that people on the frontlines of the world’s crises, especially women, can guide humanitarian action. By including these people at every single level of decision-making we can ensure that our actions are shaped by their priorities, not ours.

This is what putting humanity first looks like.

Get this right and we can improve the way we deliver aid.

Get this right and we can harness the power of new technologies while limiting their potential to cause harm.

Get this right and we can reverse the erosion of international humanitarian law while navigating the existential crises that threaten humankind.

The call to put humanity first comes from a recognition that every single person has a right to a

life free from violence, oppression, persecution and fear.

It comes from an understanding that people want to know their life has meaning and purpose – that they have the agency and self-determination necessary to improve life for themselves and for their families.

These are some of the most fundamental human aspirations. They are the bedrock of our common humanity, found at the heart of world religions, national constitutions, and the Charter of the United Nations.

And so I hope that over the coming days – as we strive to fulfill our pledge to prevent and alleviate human suffering, to protect life and health, and to ensure respect for every human so that every person can flourish – that we are able to foreground this understanding of our shared humanity, and to put it at the very heart of our discussions as we dig into some of the most critical issues facing humankind today.

Thank you.