The UN’s humanitarian agency (Ocha) has launched a set of icons to illustrate the five core responsibilities set out by the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, in his report on the World Humanitarian Summit.
In the report – One Humanity: Shared Responsibility – Ban called on the UN, its member states, humanitarian organisations and others to accept and act on the responsibilities, and put forward his agenda for humanity, which outlines the actions needed to deliver them.
Ocha hopes that the icons will play the same role as those for the millennium and sustainable development goals: to visualise and raise awareness of the agenda and the responsibilities. So what are the responsibilities, and what are the icons?
1 | Prevent and end conflict
Today, conflicts drive 80% of all humanitarian needs. As the most important responsibility to humanity, the first core responsibility calls on global leaders to prevent conflicts and find political solutions to resolve them.
2 | Uphold the norms that safeguard humanity
Recent events in conflict zones – such as the attack on a Médecins Sans Frontières hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, in October 2015 – have highlighted the increasing disregard for international humanitarian law. Today, 90% of people killed or injured by explosive weapons in populated areas are civilians, according to the report. The second core responsibility therefore calls on leaders to recommit to upholding rules that protect innocent people caught up in conflict.
3 | Leave no one behind
“We pledge that no one will be left behind ... We will endeavour to reach the furthest behind first,” states the UN in its document detailing the 17 goals and 169 targets of the sustainable development goals.
The World Humanitarian Summit, claims Ban, is the first test of this commitment to reach and empower “all women, men, girls and boys to be agents of positive transformation”. Reducing displacement, supporting refugees and migrants, ending gaps in education and eradicating sexual and gender-based violence are all challenges set out for global leaders.
4 | Working differently to end need
By 2030 – the last year to realise the sustainable development goals – 62% of the world’s population is expected to live in fragile situations, compared with 43% today. The challenge is to achieve the goals with three shifts in the way the sector works: reinforce – not replace – national systems, anticipate crises rather than waiting for them to occur, and for aid and development efforts to work more closely together.
5 | Invest in humanity
In 2014, 0.4% of official development assistance was spent on disaster preparedness. The world’s shared humanitarian responsibilities will require political, institutional and financial investment, says Ban, and global leaders must shift to a financing strategy that focuses on the abilities of local organisations and encourages collective outcomes. Ban also calls on leaders to reduce the ever-growing funding gap for humanitarian needs.
What do you think of the icons? Do you think they will raise awareness of the responsibilities set out by Ban Ki-Moon? Let us know in the comments below.
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