The annual Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) report comprehensively assesses international financing at work in humanitarian situations since 2000.
The GHA Report 2006 presents the latest data on financial flows to humanitarian crises. But the key messages in the report are not only about money. Financing decisions affect behaviour and humanitarian architecture. They help determine the power of different groups, they influence policy priorities and capacity development.
2005 created a new environment for global humanitarian assistance. The tsunami mobilised public response on an unprecedented scale. Humanitarian issues were high on the international agenda. New donors have become involved and new ways of working are being tried. Together, these trends suggest the emergence of a new humanitarian architecture, including:
- increased diversity in the sources of funding for humanitarian work;
- engagement of new donors in humanitarian response;
- stronger public concern.
The ground swell of goodwill and engagement was matched in 2005 and 2006 by commitments and action within the official donor com-munity to deliver timely and predictable vows of effective and equitable funding. These centred around:
- building global capacity for systematic response based on consistent and comparable needs assessment and improved effectiveness; and
- provision of up-front funding to meet urgent and strategic needs and support a coherent, coordinated response.
