We are increasingly seeing debates about the best use of aid money. Some argue that, in a context of growing humanitarian needs, resources should go towards addressing the most pressing and urgent suffering. Others argue that resources are better spent on providing longer-term solutions.
The truth is that both are necessary. A failure to respond to long-term needs will leave too many people reliant on recurrent short-term assistance that is expensive and often undignified. But not responding to short-term needs will leave too many communities cut off from development, left to drift in deep vulnerability and isolation.
Humanitarian and development needs are part of the same continuum of experience. We should be able to bridge this by seeking lasting impact across all our interventions before, during, and after a crisis — by supporting resilience.