G7 leaders urged to end the ‘disaster begging bowl’ system of aid to crisis-hit countries, as world struggles to respond quickly to pandemics and climate disasters
• The Crisis Lookout coalition is calling for a new system that better predicts disaster risks, such as pandemics, floods, droughts and conflicts, and agrees in advance the financial support that will be needed to help affected communities.
• An unprecedented 235 million people – one in 33 people worldwide – will need humanitarian assistance and protection this year. That’s a 40% increase on 2020 which the UN says is ‘almost entirely from covid-19’ [1].
• Just 2% of global funding for covid-19 was in place when the virus hit, despite experts warning of the threat of a pandemic [2].
Today, the Centre for Disaster Protection is joining with other leading organisations calling on the G7 to make urgent changes to how the world responds to risk and reacts to disasters.
The Crisis Lookout coalition is proposing a new approach for funding disasters that predicts the greatest risks, puts plans in place to respond when shocks occur, and makes sure communities have the funds they need when it matters most.
27 experts and individuals have signed onto a letter to G7 leaders, including UN Agencies, think-tanks, the private sector and civil society, such as UN OCHA, UNICEF, UN DRR, IFRC, the IRC, Save the Children, NEAR, Professor Paul Collier and Former Ethiopian Finance Minister Ato Sufian Ahmed.
The letter asks the G7 to agree three critical steps at the upcoming G7 summit in Cornwall:
PREDICT CRISES BETTER by creating a new “Global Crisis Lookout” entity to improve risk information and the prioritisation of crises globally, regionally and nationally.
PREPARE RESPONSE BETTER by agreeing a new plan to make pre-arranged finance the primary way to pay for crises, so that funding gets where it is needed faster, with greater impact.
PROTECT PEOPLE BETTER by supporting an initial group of ‘Pathfinder’ countries to pilot better prediction of and coordinated protection from crises.
The proposal comes at a time when the risk of disasters is increasing, with climate-related disasters up 83% in the past 20 years [3].
Daniel Clarke, Director at the Centre for Disaster Protection, which is convening the Crisis Lookout coalition, said:
“G7 leaders can show that we have learned the lessons from covid-19 by setting out a new agenda for how the world can protect the poorest from the risks we all face – from pandemics to climate change to food insecurity.
“The good news is that we already have many of the answers to meet this challenge. We know that we can better model and forecast risks. We know that we can pre-arrange finance so it can be released much faster to those who need it most when disaster strikes. We know that when we act in these ways, we save lives and livelihoods and we drive down the cost of disasters. It’s time we used this knowledge and expertise to inform global decision making.”
Ato Sufian Ahmed, Former Ethiopian Finance Minister, said:
“With climate change increasing the frequency with which the world is experiencing disasters, our leaders can no longer afford to delay. We must not repeat the mistakes of the past and allow untold suffering from disasters we can see on the horizon. This coalition, and the opportunities at the G7 and COP26, provide a historic moment to make pre-agreed finance the primary way the G7 contributes to paying for international crises. This would get support to where it is most needed faster, in a more reliable and dignified way, and would make resources go further.”
Hibak Kalfan, CEO of the Network for Empowered Aid Response, said:
“covid-19 has made it clear as humanitarian and development actors we need a more coordinated, cohesive and pre-emptive approach to how we prepare for and respond to crisis. It is vital any future plan and/or response prioritises placing local actors at the centre. Linking global support with local frontline actors will ensure we have a system that is driven on diverse knowledge, existing resources and equity. Improved crisis financing will enable all actors to support disasters - before, during and after in an efficient and effective way.”
UN Humanitarian Chief, Mark Lowcock, said:
“Advances in data and predictive analytics mean we can predict many crises before they arrive. These days if disasters take us by surprise, it’s because we weren’t looking. As the world grapples with the biggest challenge in a generation, we all need to work smarter, not just harder. Taking action before crises hit is one way to do this. It saves lives and money – and it’s far more dignified for the people we’re helping.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
[1] UN OCHA, Global Humanitarian Overview 2021 https://www.unocha.org/global-humanitarian-overview-2021
[2] Centre for Disaster Protection, Funding Covid-19 Response www.disasterprotection.org/funding-covid-19-response
[3] UN DRR, Human Cost of Disasters, An Overview of the Last 20 Years 2000-2019 www.undrr.org/news/drrday-un-report-charts-huge-rise-climate-disasters
SIGNATORIES TO THE LETTER
Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, Director General, African Risk Capacity (ARC)
Mark Plant, Chief Operating Officer, Center for Global Development (CGD)
Daniel Clarke, Director, Centre for Disaster Protection
Lord Rees of Ludlow, Co-founder, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh, Co-Director, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
Ato Sufian Ahmed, Former Ethiopian Finance Minister
Kimberly Gire, Founder, Global Women Leaders
Michael Faye, CEO, Give-Directly
Hector Ibarra, CEO, Global Parametrics
Professor Saleemul Huq, Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD)
Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
Andrew Norton, Director, International Institute for Environment & Development (IIED)
Ekhosuehi Iyahen, Secretary General, Insurance Development Forum
Denis Duverne, Chairman, Insurance Development Forum
David Miliband, President & CEO, International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Hibak Kalfan, CEO, Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR)
Sara Pantuliano, CEO, Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
Abby Maxman, President and CEO, Oxfam
Professor Paul Collier, Oxford University
Owen Barder, Chief Executive, Precision Agriculture Development
Ben Webster, Head of Secretariat, Risk-informed Early Action Partnership (REAP)
Inger Ashing, CEO, Save the Children International
Christina Bennett, CEO, START Network
Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, UN Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Mark Lowcock, USG for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
Henrietta Fore, Executive Director, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Amir Abdulla, Deputy Director, World Food Programme (WFP)
Petteri Taalas, Secretary General, UN World Meteorological Organisation
The full text of the letter can be found here
For interview or comment requests, please contact Dani McCarthy at dmccarthy@disasterprotection.org
Website: www.crisislookout.org
Twitter: @crisis_lookout