World Humanitarian Summit

Xavier Bettel at the 1st World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, 24.05.2016

Xavier Bettel et Romain Schneider at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul

World Humanitarian Summit

In order to emphasise our commitment to the Agenda for Humanity, Luxembourg was represented at the World Humanitarian Summit, which took place on 23 and 24 May 2016 in Istanbul, by our head of government, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, and by Romain Schneider, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs.

The aim of the Summit – the first high-level UN meeting exclusively addressing global humanitarian aid – was to identify resources to be used to respond more effectively to the growth in humanitarian needs. The background to these discussions was provided by the recommendations of the UN Secretary-General’s report entitled “Agenda for Humanity”. 

Prior to the Summit, Luxembourg consulted its national humanitarian partners to inform on national positions. There were also intense preparations within the European coordinating bodies in which Luxembourg is involved, which in May 2016 resulted in EU Council’s conclusions specifying the EU’s level of ambition with regard to the Agenda for Humanity. In addition to aligning itself with the progress to be made through the core commitments of the Summit and the Agenda for Humanity, Luxembourg also made 42 individual commitments and 3 joint commitments during the Summit. These commitments, which are both financial and political commitments and often overlap with the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030, will act as a roadmap for Luxembourg’s humanitarian action in the years to come.

In this respect, Luxembourg is taking part in the “self-reporting mechanism” using the PACT platform introduced in the report by the United Nations Secretary-General on the follow-up of the World Humanitarian Summit and has submitted its first report covering the period from June to December 2016: http://www.agendaforhumanity.org/annual-report/5509

Alongside the World Humanitarian Summit, Luxembourg also joined the “Grand Bargain” initiative, an agreement between implementing agencies, NGOs and donors that aims to make humanitarian aid more effective, in particular by making it more predictable. The “Grand Bargain” initiative may be regarded as a pact for efficiency made between the main humanitarian donors, organisations and actors increased direct funding of national and local players, improvement of joint needs assessments, reduction of administrative procedures due to harmonisation of information requirements and the predictability and sustainability of financial allocations. Of the 10 work streams of the Grand Bargain initiative, Luxembourg will endeavour to pay special attention to the question of increasing the involvement of local actors (“localisation”), to efforts to reduce earmarking and the increase in multiannual funding.

One of the first commitments arising from the Summit was the drafting and signature at the end of May of the first ever “Humanitarian Charter for Luxembourg”. The Charter sets out the government’s and Luxembourg humanitarian NGOs’ common positions and reciprocal commitments in meeting the challenges for humanitarian action. It is available at the following address: http://www.gouvernement.lu/6028185/160526-Charte-humanitaire-du-Luxembourg.pdf 

The Charter specifies five fundamental responsibilities which reflect the five main chapters of the Agenda for Humanity: 1) political leadership to prevent and end conflicts; 2) uphold the norms that safeguard humanity; 3) leave no one behind; 4) change people’s lives: from delivering aid to ending need; 5) invest in humanity. The Charter also states clearly that Luxembourg’s humanitarian action respects the fundamental humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.

In the wake of the World Humanitarian Summit, Luxembourg joined the “Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence” in May 2016 and endorsed the “Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Actions”. A significant number of the recommendations in the Agenda for Humanity, such as the multiannual commitments to international humanitarian agencies, are already an integral part of Luxembourg’s humanitarian action. Luxembourg will continue to implement these commitments and will provide a regular update on their progress on the Ministry’s website.