If Marie Staunton were to identify the exact moment when the international aid architecture began to change, the former Plan International director would point to the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand in 2004.
Before this, “it was possible for development agencies like Plan to say, ‘We do not do emergencies.’ But no longer,” Staunton told Devex. The disaster swept away years of work in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, leading the organization to incorporate not just humanitarian aid but also disaster resilience into its programs.
“Now, wherever you are — whether there are floods in Pakistan, typhoons in the Americas or election violence in many countries, emergencies affect your work everywhere,” she stressed. “You must be prepared and ensure those you work with are prepared for disasters.”