Humanitarian crisis

Row of young children sitting or squatting in the dirt wearing dirty clothing, smeared in excrement, one child clutches two towels
Humanitarian crisis in Bengal

A humanitarian crisis (or sometimes humanitarian disaster) is defined as a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or well-being of a community or large group of people.[1] It may be an internal or external conflict and usually occurs throughout a large land area. Local, national and international responses are necessary in such events.[2]

Each humanitarian crisis is caused by different factors and as a result, each different humanitarian crisis requires a unique response targeted towards the specific sectors affected. This can result in either short-term or long-term damage. Humanitarian crises can either be natural disasters, human-made disasters or complex emergencies. In such cases, complex emergencies occur as a result of several factors or events that prevent a large group of people from accessing their fundamental needs, such as food, clean water or safe shelter.[3]

Examples of humanitarian crises include armed conflicts, epidemics, famine, natural disasters, energy crises and other major emergencies.[4] If such a crisis causes large movements of people it could also become a refugee crisis. For these reasons, humanitarian crises are often interconnected and complex and several national and international agencies play roles in the repercussions of the incidences.

  1. ^ "What Is a Humanitarian Crisis" Archived 16 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Humanitarian Coalition, Retrieved on 6 May 2013.
  2. ^ "Complex Humanitarian Emergency Program." EDUCATION & TRAINING. <http://globalhealthsciences.ucsf.edu/education-training/complex-humanitarian-emergency-program Archived 9 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine> Retrieved on 4 May 2013.
  3. ^ So experts exclude that to address such crises it is possible to deny essential goods or pledging any action not to alleviate the suffering:if it continues too long, people will get violent.Humanitarian Experts Debate Trump's Use Of The Term 'Humanitarian Crisis', NPR24, January 9, 2019 Archived 10 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ "Humanitarian workshop flyer" Archived 14 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved on 7 May 2013.