2016 was a difficult year in terms of humanitarian action, with the wars in Syria and Yemen, continued conflict in Afghanistan and Libya, the ongoing waves of migration in the Middle East, tensions due to climatic hazards, violence and political unrest from the Sahel to central Africa, and hurricane Matthew in Haiti.
At the same time, there were some reasons for hope, with the ratification of the peace treaty in Colombia that aims to end the long conflict that has affected the country, the organisation of COP22, symbolising the desire to find solutions to climate change, and the promises of the first World Humanitarian Summit, showing that humanitarian issues are being taken into account more and more. The appointment of a new UN Under-Secretary-General, António Guterres, who is very familiar with humanitarian and conflict management issues, also appears to herald the beginning of a new era.
We would like to send you our best wishes for 2017, during which we will be following these issues very closely. Major new projects are due to begin for us this year, with an increased presence in the Sahel and Lake Chad region, the “Learning and innovating to improve crisis response” project, the development of a new version of the Quality Compas based on the CHS, and our work to improve the way that local populations and organisations are taken into account in the field.