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Humanitarian aid saves millions of lives each year and creates a safer world. Learn more about what it is, why it’s important and what you can do to help.

Sixty million people are fleeing their homes, two-thirds within their own countries and the rest crossing borders to seek refuge. While the world has never been more generous in responding, offering $28 billion in 2015, the $15 billion gap between humanitarian needs and available financing has never been so wide. We need better aid to make the greatest impact with scarce resources and overcome the challenges of modern displacement.

In 2016, donors, UN agencies, NGOs, and the Red Cross met at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul to agree on a Grand Bargain on humanitarian aid. Recognizing that trends in humanitarian need were vastly outstripping humanitarian financing, the humanitarian community adopted 51 commitments on issues like transparency, cash-based programming, and multi-year funding to more effectively and efficiently respond to humanitarian crises. Five years on, those gains are yet to be seen. In our position paper Focus on the Frontlines: How the Grand Bargain can deliver on its promise to improve humanitarian aid we make five key recommendations in line with our commitment to outcomes and evidence, and in support of the two main priorities identified for the next iteration of the Grand Bargain – enhanced quality funding and localisation.

In 2016, donors, UN agencies, NGOs, and the Red Cross met at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul to agree on a Grand Bargain on humanitarian aid. Recognising that trends in humanitarian need were vastly outstripping humanitarian financing, the humanitarian community adopted 51 commitments on issues like transparency, cash-based programming, and multi-year funding to more effectively and efficiently respond to humanitarian crises. Five years on, those gains are yet to be seen. In our position paper Focus on the Frontlines: How the Grand Bargain can deliver on its promise to improve humanitarian aid we make five key recommendations in line with our commitment to outcomes and evidence, and in support of the two main priorities identified for the next iteration of the Grand Bargain – enhanced quality funding and localisation

Find out how the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ is using cash assistance to meet humanitarian needs around the world.