Where is the humanitarian turning point? – The ‘Zeitenwende’ debate, humanitarian priorities and European responsibilities
The war in Ukraine has initiated a fundamental change in central policy areas such as foreign, security, and energy. Why hasn’t this development been applied to the financing, reform, and coordination of humanitarian action yet? Despite new and substantially increased humanitarian challenges due to the war in Ukraine and a persistent reform backlog in the humanitarian system, a “humanitarian turning point” has not yet been reached in central fields. This applies to the lack of funding and localisation of aid, its fundamental challenges in the context of climate change and humanitarian change, as well as its gender and digitalisation dimensions.
Is it time for a “humanitarian Zeitenwende”, and what elements would be essential for this? Which factors and power dynamics have prevented it so far? And how can actors in Germany, Europe, and beyond drive fundamental humanitarian change?
The Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA) annual conference will take place on 23 & 24 November at bUm – betterplace Umspannwerk Berlin, and online.
For more information about the programme, please visit https://cha.lineupr.com/cha2022/