The State of the Humanitarian System report, Fifth edition 

A project with ALNAP

Overview  

The State of the Humanitarian System (SOHS) is an independent study that compiles the latest statistics on the size and scope of the humanitarian system and assesses the overall performance and progress of the global humanitarian response. The SOHS report is ALNAP’s flagship publication and is a critical element of ALNAP’s strategic focus on monitoring and reporting on system-wide performance. This study is preceded by a pilot exercise and three subsequent editions (2012, 2015, and 2018) which provided a baseline and an analysis of performance between 2008 and 2018. The SOHS 2022 report will cover the period January 2018 - December 2021 and compare findings with the previous four editions and compare trends over the last 12 year period. The inception report for the current, fifth edition of the SOHS report can be found here. 

What we are doing

We are working with ALNAP on the fieldwork component of the research in six contexts including Yemen, Bangladesh, Venezuela, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Lebanon. We are working collaboratively with a team of experienced researchers based in each country to conduct key informant interviews with humanitarian aid providers and focus group discussions with recipients of aid, and to analyse the data. We started with preliminary focus group discussions in Venezuela and DRC at the end of 2020 to gather insights from people affected by crises on how the humanitarian system should be assessed to inform the wider study. Over the next twelve months, we will work closely with the research team to refine the data collection tools, analyse the data collected and provide feedback in real-time. 

What will happen next: 

The State of the Humanitarian System report will be published by ALNAP in 2022. This report is intended to serve both as a learning and accountability resource for individuals and organisations interested in understanding how humanitarian assistance is provided and whether humanitarian action meets the needs of people affected by crises. The intended audience for the report includes individuals and organisations that work in, or with the humanitarian sector, the international humanitarian community, members of the public in donor countries, and crisis-affected populations. The more immediate and direct aim of the SOHS report is to inform policy and practice in the humanitarian system: from donor governments, United Nations (UN) agencies, INGOs, and national/local NGOs to the Red Cross/Crescent Movement, academics, and consultants.

The full report can be downloaded here.

Research team

Fiona Mwenda, Alice Robinson, Linda Ahimbisibwe, Lydia Tanner, Talar Demirdjian, Anagabriela Centeno, Carlos Pedraja Araujo, Victim’s Hope DRC,