Recent emergencies such as the Ebola outbreak elicited a swift response from humanitarian agencies,but how can short-term aid turn into long-term support?There is more pressure on humanitarian financing (pdf) than ever before. The frequency and risk from natural hazards continue to rise while conflict and persecution are displacing a record number of people. Yet the huge majority of countries supported by emergency aid has been fragile for decades. The humanitarian system, which focuses on annual appeals and the intervention of international charities, and is struggling to cope with the need and change is urgently required. To travel from responding to emergencies to rebuilding countries,the focus must shift to long-term finance, capacity building for national governments and the empowerment of local communities to meet their own needs.
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Source: theguardian.com