Together We Stand

[ 4 ] DR JACQUI GRIFFITHS, EDITOR, TOGETHER WE STAND Over the past decade, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has almost doubled. Every day brings fresh stories of lives, livelihoods and communities threatened by a wide range of events, from weather-related disasters to conflicts and pandemics. These crises are often protracted, and no single country or organization can deal with them alone. Collective action and partnership are the only ways to truly tackle these global, interconnected issues. In his opening remarks at the launch of the report for the World Humanitarian Summit, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized the need for international solidarity in the face of these crises. “Today’s complex challenges cross borders and surpass the capacity of any single country or institution to cope,” he said. “We need to restore trust in our global world order and in the capacities of our national and regional institutions to confront these challenges effectively. We need to show the millions of people living in conflict — with chronic needs and constant fear — the solidarity that they deserve and expect.” As the World Humanitarian Summit brings global leaders together to galvanize collective action on humanitarian crises, Tudor Rose is proud to partner with the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the publication of Together We Stand . This volume supports the commitment of the World Humanitarian Summit to ‘leave no one behind’, bringing together the knowledge, experience and expertise of organisations working around the world to build resilience to crisis. The articles included in this book detail a wide range of approaches and experiences, but they share a common message: by working together, our response to humanitarian crisis can be greater than the sum of its parts. It can be proactive, innovative and inclusive, empowering those affected to safeguard lives and livelihoods and well-being before, during and after a crisis hits. In his opening remarks, the United Nations Secretary-General stated: “Let us make the World Humanitarian Summit a turning point in which we commit to placing humanity as a driver of our decision- making and make concrete steps towards ending the suffering experienced by billions of people today.” We hope that this publication will help to build a foundation for making those steps, enhancing our shared commitment to fnding better ways to meet the needs of people affected by conflicts or disasters, now and in the years to come. Foreword