Devex: Opinion: 3 ways to tackle our toughest humanitarian challenges
Mark Lowcock, under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs at the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and emergency relief coordinator

“…Here are some thoughts on how we can do better on three major challenges: combatants increasingly ignore the laws of war; the need for a more predictable and proactive system for financing humanitarian action; and how to deliver durable solutions for the huge numbers of people displaced inside their own countries by conflict and other crises. First, we must address that the biggest driver of humanitarian need is the behavior of combatants in conflict. … Second, the humanitarian community needs to shift from a reactive to a proactive approach to financing. … Third, we need to invest in more durable solutions for internally displaced people. … Working toward sustainable solutions requires close coordination among humanitarian and development agencies. Too often this has been hampered by artificial divides. Momentum is building to address this and foster greater join-up, both for the internally displaced and all vulnerable people in need, and OCHA is committed to playing its part…” (11/27).