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The United Nations' Humanitarian Pillar: Refocusing the UN's Disaster and Emergency Roles and Responsibilities
Author(s) -
Kent Randolph C.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
disasters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.744
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-7717
pISSN - 0361-3666
DOI - 10.1111/j.0361-3666.2004.00254.x
Subject(s) - vanguard , pillar , agency (philosophy) , humanitarian aid , political science , public administration , international community , international humanitarian law , institution , law , engineering , international law , sociology , politics , social science , structural engineering , archaeology , history
Changes in the nature of humanitarian crises and in the ways that the international community responds to such crises demand a radically overhauled role for the United Nations system. At a time when the UN and its member states are pursuing reform of some of that institution's most fundamental peace and security functions, this paper suggests that reform, too, is required to meet humanitarian crises of the future. This paper proposes a new type of operational role for the UN, while at the same time arguing that the UN has to place itself in the vanguard of humanitarian assistance as ‘the standard‐bearer’. The article draws many of its conclusions and recommendations from a recently completed study, requested by the Inter‐Agency Standing Committee, concerning the effect for the UN system of changes in humanitarian financing.