HIBAPRESS, on Thursday in Rome, called for the adoption of a renewed approach to international humanitarian action, focusing more on sustainable solutions and creating conditions that enable populations to gradually emerge from crises and reduce their dependence on aid.
This approach was highlighted by the Kingdom's Ambassador, the Permanent Representative to the UN agencies in Rome, Youssef Bela, during discussions dedicated to the implementation of the strategic plan for cooperation between these agencies in fragile contexts, on the occasion of the tenth joint meeting between the governing councils of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Programme, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
On this occasion, Bela commended the progress made in implementing this cooperation framework, noting that field experiences highlight the importance of joint action by UN agencies in confronting increasingly complex, widespread, and interconnected crises.
He considered, on the other hand, that it is necessary to move to a new phase by placing the exit from crises at the core of this cooperation.
He observed that, in many fragile contexts, international interventions continue for years in protracted, recurring, and sometimes chronic situations, raising questions about the ability of current mechanisms to help achieve a sustainable exit from the crisis.
In a context of shrinking financial resources, the Moroccan diplomat stressed that crisis management cannot be viewed as a permanent state.
He emphasized that the collective ambition should be to contribute to creating conditions that enable populations to gradually overcome crisis situations, while reducing their dependence on international aid.
He explained that, from this perspective, it is necessary to move from a logic focused primarily on crisis management to a transformative approach aimed at sustainable solutions.
Bela believes that such a development assumes coordinated action on the factors that fuel fragility, particularly food insecurity, rural poverty, displacement, conflicts, the impacts of climate change, the weakness of food systems, and structural vulnerabilities.
He added that cooperation between the agencies based in Rome should therefore not be limited to improving the coordination of interventions after a crisis occurs, but should also contribute from the outset to building pathways out of crises and strengthening national and local capacities.
In this regard, Bela called for deepening partnerships with international financial institutions and other partners and donors, in order to integrate interventions within a long-term vision.
He also called for the strategic plan to more clearly embody this ambition by making the transition from crisis management to sustainable solutions a structuring principle for cooperation between the UN agencies based in Rome.
The ambassador concluded by saying: "Our success should not only be measured by our ability to respond to a crisis, but by integrating this ability into a perspective of sustainable solutions, and working to ensure that a crisis does not become a permanent state."
