UN humanitarian action on brink of collapse, warns Guterres

El Fasher, Oct 16 (IANS) The United Nations’ humanitarian action is on the brink of collapse, with needs higher than ever and funding for the UN system’s humanitarian operations shrinking, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

In his remarks to the UN General Assembly on the UN80 Initiative on Wednesday (local time), Guterres said: “Now is the time for bold, systemic change, building on the Humanitarian Reset: to deliver faster, at lower cost and with greater reliability to the millions of people whose lives depend on us in moments of crisis.”

With this goal in mind, the UN chief said, the United Nations has established a New Humanitarian Compact between UN humanitarian agencies — a six-point blueprint to deliver better, restore trust in multilateral action and maximise the impact of every dollar.

“The Compact will bring the UN system together in a new Collaborative Humanitarian Diplomacy Initiative — fostering coordinated negotiation and unified messaging, so that we speak and act as one for those in greatest need,” he said.

Guterres highlighted the measures to be taken, including cutting coordination bureaucracy by simplifying humanitarian response plans, meetings and structures; integrating the supply chains of the principal humanitarian agencies, enabling more cost-effective procurement, pooled freight and shared logistics at global and country levels; and proposing to scale up the use of common services, from office space to fleets and security arrangements.

“Everything that is specific to the activity of an agency should be developed by the agency, but everything that is common should be done together with a larger increase of efficiency and a meaningful reduction of costs,” he said.

Guterres added that the United Nations will strengthen its joint capacities to leverage data for faster, earlier, more targeted and dignified action, and align responsibilities to reduce programmatic overlaps in the fields of food, mobility, beneficiary data, health and nutrition.

In his speech, Guterres also said that to implement the UN80 Initiative, the United Nations has identified targeted efficiencies and cost reductions of over 15 per cent in the proposed 2026 regular budget, and about 19 per cent in posts. “The purpose is clear: to reduce duplication, strengthen quality and safeguard mandate delivery while responding to Member States’ call for greater efficiency.”

The United Nations has appealed for more than 45.3 billion US dollars for its global humanitarian needs in 2025, but only 21 per cent, or 9.6 billion dollars, had been received as of the end of September, a staggering decrease of over 40 per cent compared to the same time last year, a UN spokesperson said Tuesday.

–IANS

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